Latest news with #AfricanBeerCup
Forbes
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
An Indigenous Beer Style Crowned Best In Africa
Nick Smith, second from left, showcases his awards during the award ceremony of the African Beer Cup. A wholly unique beer brewed in the Cape Winelands just outside of Cape Town, South Africa has been awarded the title of Best Beer in Africa at the 2025 African Beer Cup which is judged every year in Cape Town. Soul Barrel Brewing took the top spot with Wild African Soul, a collaboration with Johannesburg-based Tolokazi Beer. This is the third time Soul Barrel has won best of show, winning in 2022, 2024 and 2025. Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela (left) and Nick Smith hold the mash paddle during the brewing of Wild African Soul. The beer blends a traditional sorghum umqombothi with a mixed fermentation farmhouse ale. This blend was aged for two years in wine barrels. It is a ground-breaking beer that marries ancient African brewing tradition with the country's up and coming craft beer scene. In the 'best of show' category, Wild African Soul beat many categories to claim the top spot. In the competition, there were 260 beers entered from across 14 African countries. The judge panel included well-regarded international judges from all over the world as well as beer professionals across South Africa. Smith brewed Wild African Soul with Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, the founder and brewmaster at Tolokazi Beer. She first brewed Wild African Soul with Smith of Soul Barrel in 2022. The beer has been recreated annually since then. Nxusani-Mawela is the first female black microbrewery owner in South Africa and has numerous certifications in brewing and microbiology. The raw materials behind the style of umqombothi. Thanks to Nxusani-Mawela for this information. In talking about the beer, Soul Barrel Brewmaster and Co-Founder Nick Smith said himself and Tolokazi, 'blended European barrel-aging techniques with African methods of sour mashing and open, natural fermentations. From a brewing standpoint, they're similar in the spontaneous introduction of yeast and lactic acid fermentation.' The process started when Smith and Nxusani-Mawela first brewed the umqombothi and let that sit out for couple days to increase the acidity. Around that time, they started to brew the other beer, which was a saison/farmhouse ale. They let that beer sit overnight exposed to the air for spontaneous fermentation (similar in the way Belgian lambics are brewed). After the saison finished fermenting, both beers were mixed together and put into barrels for long term maturation. The beer has flavors of lemon, pepper and honey as well as a tart finish. 'We're a small team with a big mission: to brew beer that expresses the soul of South Africa,' said Smith, who originally is from the United States but moved to South Africa in 2016. 'Winning Best Beer in Africa three times shows the world just how exciting African beer can be. Winning with a beer based on umqombothi sends a message that South Africa has a fascinating beer culture, and at Soul Barrel we aim to tell its story.' Soul Barrel Brewing 'On behalf of Tolokazi Beer, I am deeply honored to receive this recognition for Wild African Soul,' Nxusani-Mawela said. 'This award is a true reflection of our dedication to crafting distinctly African beers—celebrating our heritage and embracing the richness of indigenous knowledge.' Rather than a trophy, each year the African Beer Cup organizers commission a local artist to create a piece of art for the winner. This year, rather than the usual painting, the winner took home a custom Ukhamba (a traditional beer drinking pot) made by LungiJoe, who has a ceramic studio in Langa, Cape Town. In a moment of serendipity, the winning beer featured the very beverage traditionally drunk from an Ukhamba. Click here to see the full list of winners.
The Herald
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald
Richmond Hill brewery rakes in African Beer Cup awards
A Gqeberha brewing company has once again demonstrated its excellence in craft beer by coming out tops at the annual African Beer Cup awards. The prestigious event saw 260 brews from 14 African countries compete, judged by a panel of 58 expert judges from around the globe. And on May 24, Richmond Hill Brewing Company (RHBC) said cheers to their competitors. Between May 17-20, certified judges and industry experts evaluated the beers using the Beer Judge Certification Programme guidelines. Each beer was judged twice by two different panels, and the scores were compared. If there was a difference of more than seven points between the two sets of scores, a third panel was called upon to re-evaluate, and an overall average of the three scores determined the final outcome. Richmond Hill Brewing Company has a remarkable history at the African Beer Cup, having previously won numerous awards, including Best Beer In Africa in 2023. This year, the brewery achieved outstanding success, securing a total of five medals — two gold, two silver, and one bronze. The Fever Dream Black IPA and the Forbidden Milkshake IPA both won gold medals in their respective categories, showcasing the company's innovative and high-quality brewing techniques. The Twin Fin Keller Pilsner and Two Moods Raspberry Saison were awarded silver medals, further proving the brewery's consistent excellence. Additionally, the Coastal Cult Hazy Pale Ale received a bronze medal, rounding off a stellar performance by the brewery. 'We wish to thank the African Beer Cup organisers for managing such a great event. 'We are very pleased with our performance as all the beers we entered won an award,' the Gqeberha company's master brewer Niall Cook said. 'A big thank you goes to our team at RHBC and to Yeastern Cape Brewing Club who collaborated with us on the excellent Forbidden Milkshake IPA, and to Hazeldean Brewing Co from Tyger Valley, with whom we worked on the unique Two Moods Raspberry Saison.' The brewery's beers cane be sampled at their tap room off Alabaster Street, Baakens Valley, or ordered off its website. The Herald
Daily Maverick
27-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Richmond Hill Brewing Company shines at annual African Beer Cup Awards
As an extra bonus to celebrate a decade since opening in 2015, the Richmond Hill Brewing Company brought home a string of medals for its craft beers at the annual African Beer Cup Awards this week. Nelson Mandela Bay's Richmond Hill Brewing Company shone brightly at the African Beer Cup Awards this week — bringing home a medal for every single beer it entered. The Richmond Hill Brewing Company won the Best Beer in Africa award in 2023, but this year they were beaten by a Cape Town brewery. Still, it did not leave empty-handed, claiming gold, silver and bronze across multiple categories. Held on 24 May 2025, this year's African Beer Cup saw 260 brews from 14 African countries go head-to-head, judged by 58 expert panellists from around the world. According to a media statement from the competition organiser the African Beer Cup entries are judged twice, by two different panels, to ensure fairness and compensate if one of the judges is having an off day. Richmond Hill Brewing Company brought medals home for the following beers: Gold in the best Speciality India Pale Ale style beer for its beer Fever Dream, and Bronze in the same category for Coastal Cult. Silver in the category for the Best Historical Beer for Twin Fin, a Kellerbier-style drink. Gold for the best fruit beer for its collaboration with the Yeastern Cape Brewing Club for their beer named Forbidden, and the silver medal in the same category for Two Moods, designed and brewed with the Hazeldean Brewing Company. Master Brewer at the Richmond Hill Brewing Company, Niall Cook, said they were very proud of their achievements. 'Forbidden Milkshake is an interesting beer. It is expensive, it sells at R65 a can. We made it in collaboration with a home brewing club. It is called forbidden because, among other things, it has a high alcohol content at over 7%,' he said. Brewers add mango and granadilla purée to this beer. 'That is unusual,' he said. 'That is also one of the reasons for the beer's name.' He said he believed that collaboration with brewing clubs was vital. 'We all came together to brew Forbidden,' he said. He added that although craft beer had had a slow start in Nelson Mandela Bay, it had now gained real momentum. 'Now it is much more prevalent and a lot easier for people to embrace the idea,' Cook said. 'Richmond Hill Brewing Company has a remarkable history at the African Beer Cup, having previously won numerous awards, including Best Beer In Africa in 2023.' He added that their gold medals really showcased the innovative and high-quality brewing techniques of the company. DM
