OnTap Magazine

We’ve had yet more full lockdowns and restricted trading hours this year, all of which have placed additional pressure on a craft beer industry already reeling from a tough economic environment. I truly hope the days of pandemic- related alcohol bans are behind us and brewers can have a fighting chance of rebuilding their businesses. As with beer festivals, I miss the excellent conferences which have been interrupted by the pandemic. Featuring a host of international and local presenters, conferences including Beer Boot Camp and Craft Brewers Powwow are undoubtedly the best way to develop brewing knowledge and interact with beer people across the spectrum. I can’t wait for these to start up again soon. There have definitely been some world class sour beers produced by SA brewers over the past few years, but they are still few and far between. For my money there are few better beer categories suited to the SA palate than the range of sour beer styles. Crisp and refreshing beers – there’s a sour style for that. Beers to appeal to wine drinkers – there’s a sour style for that. I hope brewers continue to embrace the sour and funky side of beer and we see more such releases in 2022. In the last two years we have seen many breweries and brands calling it a day. While it is always sad to lose a brewery, it is part of a consolidation phase which mirrors that seen years ago in developed beer markets – albeit exaggerated by a hostile operating environment. Even during this time there have been a few exciting new breweries launching and I hope to see more in the coming year. The past few years have seen some truly whacky beers being brewed. Sour beer with spicy corn chips is an actual thing! Whether you love or hate out-there brews, they do push craft brewing forward. The counterpoint to this is brewers returning to simple and classic styles and making the best versions of these they possibly can – also serving to enhance the craft beer market. I hope to see more SA craft brewers really pushing the envelope with innovative and left field flavour combinations and brewing techniques. Remember those? A whole bunch of breweries together in one place, offering limited edition festival specials alongside their core brands. Large crowds of people trying a host of different beers and generally having a good time. Running in to your beer friends, sharing a fun story and maybe a sing-along. I want that back please. Running in to your beer friends, sharing a fun story and maybe a sing-along A YEAR OF UNINTERRUPTED BEER SALES CONFERENCES MORE SOUR BEERS NEW BREWERY OPENINGS PUSHING STYLE BOUNDARIES BEER FESTIVALS ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2021 | 43