OnTap Magazine

the creative, flavourful cutting- edge beers they loved to drink. Guess what? They are currently one of the most successful craft breweries in the United States. I saw pockets of this rebellious nature while visiting breweries around Cape Town. We tasted a saison brewedwith amix of sorghum and barley, a brilliant imperial IPA, a delicate pilsner with the perfect mix of hops, and a wild fermented ale brewed with artistic aplomb, just to name a few. With all of the brewers and staff that we met, we were welcomed with open arms and open taps. These people wanted to show off their craftsmanship and receive feedback on their labours of love. This gives me hope that the next time I visit South Africa, I will have many more wonderful beers to try. This being said, we did have some mediocre beers and beers exhibiting off flavours. Some of the U.S. breweries that started in the 1990s are no longer with us because their beer just was not of good enough quality. Other brewery owners could not manage the business end of brewing. Some, thankfully, kept trying. They tweaked recipes, assembled tasting panels for feedback, and even worked together with other breweries to improve their beers and find and audience. Wewitnessed some collaboration in South Africa, with different breweries having conversations, sharing ideas, and pulling together. For the most part, I feel that the craft beer landscape in the U.S. is a cooperative community. There are always outliers and those who do not play well with others, but if multiple craft breweries share the same mission to save beer drinkers from bland beer, working together seems the best way to go. Usinglocalandnativeingredients in the brewing process stands out as one of my favourite things from South Africa. Although many of the brewers are working with familiar styles such as American- style IPAs and German-inspired wheat beers, I loved the creative beers that incorporated native hops, grapes, or herbs. I’m not knocking traditional styles at all, but I feel that playing with native ingredients can be fun and innovative. It seems that there are quite a few specialty cocktail places around Cape Town that infuse herbs and other botanicals into their mixes. If you are looking to expand the craft beer market, look to what is popular - especially when trying to entice novice or non-beer drinkers. I wish I had space here to talk specifically about each brewery we visited, because they all offered something special, and I hope that each of them finds their way. In every market, brewers must figure out what works for their specific audience, but I would challenge the craft brewers of South Africa to take chances, have fun, and brew what they want to drink. I also challenge the commercial lager drinkers and non-beer drinkers of South Africa to venture outside their comfort zones and try the local craft breweries. They might be surprised to find some new favourite brews. When I first starting writing about beer, the entire state of Georgia had maybe five breweries. We are now home to around 75 craft breweries, with several more in the works. It may take time, but craft beer’s appeal tends to eventually win people over. Life is short. Eat well and drink good beer. I loved the creative beers that incorporated native hops, grapes, or herbs. FEATURE