Second annual SA craft brewers championship open for entries

South Africa-Professional craft brewers are invited to enter their best brews into the second annual South African National Craft Brewers Championship sponsored by the SAB World of Beer.

The competition aims to recognise the ever-expanding craft beer movement in the country and its contribution to the culture of beer in South Africa.

“Craft brewing has seen phenomenal growth in SA, and there are some great-tasting beers being produced by micro-brewers,” said Martin Brooks, Chief Brewer at The South African Breweries (SAB).

“SAB has supported the craft industry by sponsoring festivals, assisting brewers with information and access to raw materials such as malt and hops. By extension, the World of Beer is a natural fit as main prize sponsor and awards host,” Brooks said. “We realised early on the role we, as a market leader, could play and that promoting the culture of beer and growing affinity for beer could only be good for the beer industry as a whole.”

Brooks said that as the craft beer market became more competitive, only brewers who delivered on quality consistently would remain viable.

“Last year’s Championship was a pilot, this year we have heeded what we learned and evolved the competition to make it bigger and with better prizes,” said Sean Watts, Convenor of judges.

“The 2014 SA Craft Brewing Championship is more inclusive than previously as we have opened up the styles – a brewer can enter any beer they regularly brew, as long as it fits in the first 23 categories as laid out in the Beer Judge Certification Programme (BJCP) style guidelines.”

The competition is now also audited by Grant Thornton, making this the most rigorous and most credible beer awards in the country.

Inaugural winner of last year’s championship, The Dog and Fig Brewery, knew they were in for a tough time when they entered the championship. “When we received an invitation to attend the award ceremony, we knew our beer was rated within the top ten craft beers,” said Morne Barradas. “We were honoured to walk away with top spot for our American Stout, and the prize money was put to good use in the expansion of our brewery.” Barradas thanked SAB for their role in the development of craft brewing in South Africa.

The judging panel consists of experts from all corners of the country.

Judge and MC Lucy Corne said she was looking forward to having “some pretty amazing beer to taste.

“Craft brewers are not only producing excellent American, German, Belgian and English-style beers; they’re also coming up with some really interesting South African twists – beers featuring buchu, rooibos and fynbos as well as using local malt and hops.”

First prize for the winning brewery:

· R50 000 from The World of Beer

· 100kg Malt from SAB Maltings

· 2kg Hops from SAB Hop Farms

· R10 000 worth of consultancy or training from Global Beverage Solutions;

· R7 500 worth of Speciality malts and dried yeast from The Brew Master

Second prize:

· R30 000 from The World of Beer

· 50kg Malt from SAB Maltings

· 1kg Hops from SAB Hop Farms

· R6 000 worth of Speciality malts and dried yeast from The Brew Master

Third prize:

· R10 000 from The World of Beer

· 20kg Malt from SAB Maltings

· 500g Hops from SAB Hop Farms.

· R2 500 worth of Speciality malts and dried yeast from The Brew Master

How to Enter

To enter go to https://www.sabstories.co.za/beer-culture and complete the entry form. The competition closes at 17:00 on Friday September 12. Beer samples must be delivered to the World of Beer between September 1 and September 12.

Judging will take place on September 13. Winners will be announced at an event at the World of Beer on October 3 .

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