OnTap Magazine

ontapmag.co.za | Winter 2021 | 23 E very so often you come across a craft beer that has no story attached to it. When the question “why did you give the beer that name?” is met with the answer “I don’t know, I just liked the sound of it”, the alarm bells begin to chime. When it comes to craft, people aren’t just buying beer. They’re buying a story, whether it’s a tale of extending the middle finger to the establishment, insight into the brewer’s former life as a diamond diver or a narrative about stepping out of the rat race and simply chilling. At first glance, FourtyFour Premium Lager might not seem like a brand with a tale to tell but in fact there is so much story behind this name I feel there’s a thesis to be written on the topic – maybe even a book. FourtyFour is the first release from Township Brew. The brand doesn’t yet have its own taproom, so I’m meeting two of the co-founders, Machode Msiza and Vusi Radebe in a Braamfontein bar. It’s bustling even on a rainy Wednesday lunchtime and we follow the lead of other customers, ordering a platter of wings to go with our bucket of FourtyFour Premium. After a few sips and a quick bite, Machode starts to tell me the story behind the beer’s name. “In every township there is a language of numbers that’s not documented,” says Machode. He and Vusi have been friends for 18 years and you can tell they spend a lot of time together by the way they cut in and share the storytelling. I am quickly captivated and abandon my wings and beer as I desperately try to write down everything they’re saying. “It’s a sort of slang, a way to show that you fit in and also a way to make language more exciting. To make your story more interesting,” says Vusi. “So for example, ‘6 no 9’ kind of means ‘same same’,” says Machode. “A 325 is a BMW,” Vusi chimes in. “5-2 is a sure thing and if someone asks how a job interview went and the reply is ‘2-1’, that means it didn’t go so well.” I am in equal parts fascinated, incredulous and confused, much to Machode and Vusi’s amusement. They carry on listing numbers and their meanings to a point where I momentarily wonder whether I’m being punked, so they bring in the waiter. When they ask him where the 6-9 is, I know where he’s going to point, but am still in a state of mild bewilderment as he signals over his right shoulder to the bathrooms behind. A CHALLENGING START “When we launched our brand, Township Brew, we wanted to tap into our market and to bring them something that would feel familiar,” says Machode. “The number 44 was not already assigned and we really wanted to introduce a new number into the lexicon. It’s actually already started to catch on.” The beer’s 4.4% ABV is no coincidence and that odd spelling of the brand name – that’s deliberate too. “We chose to spell 'fourty' this way,” says Vusi. “The way we spell it is how it was spelt a long time ago but through modern English that has changed. It is just another way to differentiate ourselves.” Township Brew launched at just about the most inopportune time a beer brand could launch – February 2020, just a couple of weeks before a months-long alcohol ban forced the industry to a halt. It was a tough way to unveil a brand, but the team – Machode, Vusi and third partner Sfiso Nhlapho – have managed to start building a following among their target market. “Our beer is already in venues around Gauteng,” says Vusi, “including Soweto, Brakpan, downtown Jo’burg and of course Tsakane.” The team hails from Tsakane in the East Rand and while they want to anchor the brand there, the goal is to target the wider township market. “Our plan is to build a brewery in Tsakane,” says Vusi, explaining that the beer is currently contract brewed at Brewsters Craft. “We already have the site and the venue so it’s just a matter of time. But we don’t want to limit ourselves to one area, that’s why we went with the name Township Brew – so that it can be embraced in any township in South Africa.” TAPPING THE MARKET It’s unusual to see a craft beer in a clear bottle, but FourtyFour Premium’s packaging is no accident. “We are basically starting from scratch with our market,” says Machode, “so we wanted something people are familiar with. Something that would be an easy substitute for what they’re already drinking.” Corona Extra has a visible footprint in the bars the Township Brew crew are targeting so they settled on creating a Mexican lager – and the clear bottle was non-negotiable. “Right now clear bottles are seen as more premium than green bottles,” says Vusi. “Brown is associated with quarts which are kind of looked down on.” For a long time, craft breweries have been trying to enter the township trade, but with limited success. “Most craft breweries don’t understand the township market,” says Vusi. “At the moment pretty much the only knowledge of craft beer in Vusi Radebe (left) and Machode Msiza toast to the first anniversary of their brand, Township Brew Four 4.4% FourtyFours