OnTap Magazine

OT: Congratulations on taking the title of Best Beer in Africa at the recent African Beer Cup. Where were you when you found out and how did it feel to know you’d won? NS: I was actually at home taking care of my son, Jack. We’re very excited to win and are super grateful to everyone in the community who has believed in us. What motivates us the most is growing craft beer and contributing to the community. We’re also stoked to see a barrel-aged beer that uses 100% South African ingredients win the compeititon. OT: One of your assistant brewers, Devin Hendricks, was there on the night and collected the award. How did he feel? NS: He was super surprised and stunned. He told me he was lost for words, but just really happy that all our hard work had paid off. OT: Of the beers that you entered, is this the one that’s most important to you? NS: Definitely. This beer used the first batch of malt we ever made, floor malting it in one of our old wine tanks and drying it in the sun. We didn’t know if it would actually work. Additionally, Live Culture is a very unique beer that is basically unlike any in the world, so for us it’s an extremely personal beer. It ferments directly in an oak barrel with our house wild yeast mixed culture, and we never re-pitch yeast. It continues to evolve with each fermentation, hence “Live Culture”. We also dry hopped it with citrus fynbos which is somewhat of a first. OT: The nature of this beer makes it unique and limited edition – howmany bottles are left and are they selling fast? NS: We have a few hundred bottles left and yes they are selling like crazy, I don’t expect it to last long. OT: Will you recreate the brew and if so, what will be different with the next batch? NS: We won’t recreate it exactly, but are scaling up our malting programme and of course will continue with new versions of Live Culture. Currently in barrel is a batch aged on fresh local peaches. For all of our beers we’re constantly tweaking and making tiny continuous improvements; quality is a never ending journey. OT: You’ve always been known for championing local ingredients – why is that so important to you? NS: Because that’s what makes South African beer unlike any in the world. I believe we can make some of the best beer in the world right here in South Africa; beers with unique character and a local imprint or terroir. Beer at heart is a product of the land, and at its best reflects time, place and personality. OT: What’s next on the horizon for Soul Barrel? NS: Actually this doesn’t really change our plans much. We’re continuing to push the boundaries on quality and innovation, going deeper on using local ingredients and letting them shine in new beers and styles. We’re renovating our taproom and expanding the brewery. We’re growing quickly and want to increase our contribution to the South African craft beer community. Based in an old winery between Franschhoek and Paarl, Soul Barrel Brewing opened in late 2017 and has always championed the use of South African ingredients in their beers. This year, that dedication to local agriculture paid off when the brewery’s Live Culture, an all-local brew, took the top spot in the African Beer Cup. We chatted to owner and brewer Nick Smith about the win and the future of his Winelands microbrewery. 22 | Winter 2022 | ontapmag.co.za