OnTap Magazine

From The Editor A h the end of the year. A time for festivities and celebrations before the frugality of January begins. is issue is packed with ideas of things to do and drink this festive season, from new brews to Swazi gin and South African agave spirit. But we’ve also added in a little something for those of you who can’t/don’t/don’t want to drink this Christmas. Low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers are looking likely to become a major trend, largely thanks to the health conscious millennials, and hopefully we’ll see more breweries venturing down this route in 2019. For now, you can check out our round-up of the non-alc options currently available in SA on page 22. Everyone tends to get a little healthier in January and maybe non-alcoholic beer will be your thing as the New Year dawns and you try to shift the holiday tummy. Every year I make New Year’s resolutions and rarely keep them past Valentine’s Day, so this year I’m going to make a list of New Year’s goals instead. Right at the top of it is to make the beer lover’s pilgrimage to Plzeň to taste Pilsner Urquell at the source. You can read about the beer style that changed the face of beer the world over on page 52. Also on my goal list, although perhaps not this year, is to visit the Great American Beer Festival. For the moment though, I’ll have to make do with reading about it – and you can do the same on page 10. Lotte Peplow’s write-up also serves as a prediction list for the South African beer scene in 2019 and indeed as a to-do – or to-brew – list for South African beer lovers. Whatever you drink this festive season, and whatever resolutions, promises and goals you make for 2019, we at On Tap wish you all a very hoppy Christmas indeed! Tis the season Cheers! Lucy Corne EDITOR @LucyCorne 2 | Summer 2018 | ontapmag.co.za