OnTap Magazine

NOT JUST A BREWERY When I ask Zahra about her success so far, which we both acknowledge is a feat considering the odds–starting a business in an industry that is still notoriously white and male–she replies, “I think people are just really eager to see a change [in craft beer], and to see people who look like themselves… whether that’s a woman, or being from the Middle East.” She goes on: “I love beer because it’s the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world for a reason, right? People who are poor have access to it, people who are rich have access. Whether you are white, or black or brown. So, I want that to be reflected in the people who are also making the beer.” Her dream is to open her own space to brew in, and a taproom. She envisions Back Home Beer as not just a brewery, but a place where people can come together, talk and find ways to give back. She adds that it could also be used to prepare meals for underserved communities, and just generally “be a hub for the community, where we can pay each other back, mutually.” This vision reminds me of the way she described her grandparents’ home back in Shiraz, how their doors were always open to visitors, and people would come to enjoy a delicious meal, accompanied by some beer and wine, and good conversation. Food, flavour, and family. CHANGING MISCONCEPTIONS Here in southern Africa, many are familiar with umqombothi, a traditional, regional beer that is consumed from a shared– often intricately decorated–clay pot called ukhamba. In Zulu homes in particular, beer drinking is still often ritualised and offered to guests and ancestors. There was, of course, a Zulu beer goddess–Mbaba Mwana Waresa–who was believed to have taught mortals how to make beer in order to feel closer to the gods. Today, efforts to reintroduceumqombothi into contemporary beer culture are ongoing, as is work to incorporate other African-based ingredients and cultural influences into the beverage. Just like in the US, it seems there is a resurfacing interest in knowing what once existed here over millennia, as well as adding a ‘local’ component to recipes and ingredients. To me, the importance of knowing this history is not to ‘return’ to something in the past, but rather to provide inspiration for us as we re-imagine our present. When you have assumptions about or simplistic dominant narratives around an industry, it can become exclusionary. Some people are deemed insiders and others, outsiders. Instead, when we explore and embrace cultural and historical complexity, we not only give a nod to the people, places and traditions that came before us, but we are also then better equipped to evolve the simplistic norms of today. Inoneofhermanyrecentinterviews,Zahra mentions wanting to “bring something new to beer,” and she is of course not wrong. What she represents–a woman of colour, daughter of immigrants from a Muslim country, using Middle Eastern flavours in her beer–is certainly unique in craft beer, for now. But when she and I talk we agree that in fact, she is bringing something back that is quite old. Zahra maintains that education continues to be necessary. She admits that even she was surprised by what she found when she started digging into beer history. “There is a disconnect between the last 40 years, and the thousands of years that preceded them, and we can’t erase that history…Saying that Muslims don’t drink just isn’t accurate. There are so many misconceptions and I’m trying to change as much as I can throughout this process.” Back in the days, brewing was a female thing. Over time it became industrialised and became a male thing. But, in the African culture, beers are still made by women only. In South Africa, more and more females are becoming part of beer brewing. It does make you proud that you are taking the whole thing back to where it started.” Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, the first black woman in South Africa to found a microbrewery Zahra has worked to raise awareness about the women and girls-lead revolution happening in Iran. She uses her social media accounts to express solidarity with the movement, and to share updates or information about protests or fundraising initiatives taking place. Zahra with her first batch of the Sumac Gose that flew off the shelves Blue salt from Semnan, Iran ontapmag.co.za | Winter 2023 | 29