WIN: Beer aficionado pens book about craft breweries
To celebrate International Beer Day on Friday, August 5 and the thriving craft beer industry in KwaZulu-Natal, local author and podcaster Holger Meier is giving away copies of his book to four lucky winners.
HOLGER Meier always wanted a brewery in a monastery. He had a beer book printed in one instead.
The Kloof resident has decades of sales experience in the alcohol industry, is a published author and a prolific podcaster, who interviews professionals from the drinks trade.
How it started
“I always wanted to have a brewery in a monastery because the best beers are brewed by monks. Then I had an idea to write a book about craft breweries, and I heard about a printer at Mariannhill Monastery, and I knew it was meant to be,” says Meier.
The author and podcaster describes the process. “I ordered beer and shipped it directly to the monastery. We stored it in a cellar and photographed the bottles for the book. So, I ended up with my book being created in the monastery instead of having a brewery in a monastery,” says Meier.
Did his culture play a role in his passion?
Meier says that his German heritage played an important part in his career in the brewing industry.
“I had lots of uncles, and on Sundays, they’d drink beer. In my family, when you turned 13, you were allowed a beer. I still remember hating every sip, but we all sat there, me and my brother and my cousins. That’s where my journey with beer started. And then I studied beer at university. It’s called a BCom, and it’s the easiest degree, so you have lots of time to drink beer.”
Meier’s years working in Germany cemented his love for the brewing industry.
“I went to East Germany to work for my uncle’s construction business – it was fascinating. I couldn’t wait to get to Germany to experience the beer culture. It’s so diverse: north, south, east, west; it’s all different.”
Even in the same country, the drinking traditions vary from place to place.
“In the north, you have small 200ml glasses, but in the south, the glasses are big and beautiful and fantastic, and the beers are strong and tasty and full of flavour. I did the pilgrimage to the Oktoberfest in my uncle’s company van, and we camped in the van for the weekend on the top floor of a high-rise parking lot,” he says.
The next chapter begins
On his return to Africa, he began working for a beer brand owned by a prince in Bavaria.
“It was my first real job. I started selling beer, and we sold more beer in KZN than the rest of the country put together. We understood our customers, knew where they were and what they liked,” he says.
Thereafter, he started an alcohol distribution business focused on Zululand. Then, as the craft beer industry was just beginning in the country, Meier formed a partnership with a local bottle store owner, where he would order craft beer and promote it. This passion for the craft beer industry led to Meier writing his book, The Beer Book.
Podcasting becomes his second love
In 2017, Meier was a guest speaker at a large drinks show held in Munich. While there, he met Prince Leopold who owned the brand he’d worked for in his home country of South Africa.
“I spent a few days there wandering through the halls, and I saw Prince Leopold’s stand. Prince Leopold still runs the family brewery which is 750 years old. I asked for permission to speak to him,” says Meier.
The prince offered to give Meier archival items from the South African branch of the brewery he’d worked for, and Meier came to an agreement with the prince to interview him on an upcoming African safari in Botswana.
Meier says this was his most exciting interview. He’d been a fan of the podcasts for some time before he took his first step into the medium. His second podcast subject was Simeone Musgrave from Musgrave Gin.
Entering the podcasting field was a long-term goal of Meier’s.
“It’s so niche, you’ve got to do this thing that’s an inch wide and a mile deep. The secret is to do it for the right reasons. It’s more listening than talking, so it’s really finding the right stories. Don’t do a podcast simply to do a podcast. You must be interested in the subject matter,” he says.
The Beer Book is available for purchase from the author.
To win
To celebrate International Beer Day on Friday, August 5, local author and podcaster Holger Meier is giving away copies of his book to four lucky winners. To stand a chance to win, simply fill in the form below. Winners will be notified via telephone and must collect the book from The Highway Mail office (115 Escom Road, New Germany).
Beer book competition
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