OnTap Magazine

BREW DEVIL’S PEAK JOINS WITH GLOBAL COLLAB BREW FOR 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP Cape Town brewery Devil’s Peak has joined a line-up of breweries from the USA, Mexico, Japan, and the UK to brew Bicycle Kick Kölsch. The 5.1% beer has been brewed especially for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Russia. The brainchild of US-based New Belgium Brewing Co., Bicycle Kick is the result of a collaborative recipe. The challenge was to find a way to capture the beautiful game in a beer. The answer came in the form of chamomile, the national flower of Russia, and lemongrass, meant to represent the pitch. “We decided to brew a Kölsch because we wanted to make something light and sessionable that allowed us all to experiment while staying true to our craft roots,” said Ross Koenigs, New Belgium research and development brewer. “This easy drinker is perfect for the pitch, especially if your team is playing across the globe with a start time of 7 a.m.” Bicycle Kick will be available at select outlets around South Africa for a limited period this winter. AFRICA ENTERTHE IBD Africa is hosting the Africa Beer Awards, in collaboration with Food & Drink Technology (FDT) Africa. Brewers from around the continent are invited to enter. Winners will be announced during FDT Africa, held at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg on September 4 & 5. For further information, or to enter, please contact: Kate Jones: Kate.Jones@za.ab-inbev.com . BEER AWARDS W hen Darling Brew’s Blood Serpent was launched in 2016 as the country’s first carbon neutral beer, there was one question that kept buzzing through the minds of Darling’s founders Kevin and Philippa Wood: what more can we do? The brewery is well known for its links to conservation. Each beer bears a threatened or endangered animal on its label and there have been partnerships with local conservation projects in the past. There is also an environmentally friendly thread running through the entire brewery. “We worked with local craftsmen and local suppliers when we built the Tasteroom,” says Philippa, “and have tried to make the place as green as we can.” Plants in the garden are indigenous and water-wise, the brewery works with a local recycling project, the toilets feature waterless urinals and the spent grain is sent to cattle farmers who in turn sell their meat back to the brewery. Earlier this year, the team decided to take things an extra step and, following some stringent checks, in April they were heralded as the first carbon-neutral brewery in Africa. The brewery has recently taken to displaying the month-to-month statistics on their water, waste, energy and carbon use as a way to spread awareness. “When we started it was pretty scary seeing those numbers up there,” admits Philippa. “But first you have to acknowledge the numbers before you can fix them.” Once the numbers were acknowledged – and lowered as much as possible – the brewery had to offset the remainder of their CO2 – a total of 687.96 tons over the next year. This carbon footprint is offset through impactChoice, who ensure the emissions are offset via responsible carbon capturing and reduction projects. There is still plenty of work to be done, the Woods admit. “One of our biggest problems is shrink-wrapping,” says Philippa, and while the alternatives are “hugely more expensive”, the Darling team is working on phasing out the plastic wrapping. They’ve also added a new snack to the menu of the Tasteroom, one with virtually no carbon footprint at all. Small amounts of spent grain are being transformed into chips to snack on with your pint of guilt-free beer, meaning Darling’s patrons can do their bit as well. AFRICA’S FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL BREWERY 10 | Winter 2018 | ontapmag.co.za