1000 Hills beer titled beer of the year
Local brewing company celebrate big win.
A LOCAL brewing company called the Foreign Exchange Student (FES) was titled the National Beer Champions for 2023 as they were awarded with the South African National Beer Trophy (SANBT). From over 100 entries from across the country, the 1000 Hills brewing company came up top, scooping two other awards.
Founded in 2015, SANBT has been an important event in the beer calendar ever since, recognising local excellence in the art of brewing in partnership with the Beer Association of South Africa (BASA). The FES was awarded for their well-known Belgian ale, described by the brewers as ‘a strong and dark brew, with a hint of caramel and toffee, mildly bittered with Perle and Fuggles hops’.
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In the SANBT different categories, the local brewers, FES, also took home the Best Speciality Beer award as well as a gold medal for the Best No Alcohol Beer (<0.5% ABV) and for Best Low-Alcohol Beer (< 3.9% ABV).
Congratulating the brewers, Jean Ridon, the organiser of the competition, highlighted that the acknowledged beers truly came from across the entire country – from Secunda to Paarl and from Pietermaritzburg to Johannesburg.
“We are always happy to offer a platform to the remarkable brewers of South Africa. There are so many new beers. It shows diversity. And they are beers with identity,” said Ridon.
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He further commended the resilience of craft brewers for working their way through the economic impact of the Covid-19 alcohol bans from which most craft brewers are now bouncing back.
Patricia Pillay, the CEO of BASA, congratulated the winners.
“We applaud all the winners for their skill, passion and their dedication to their craft. We encourage them to continue being part of the rich beer heritage and tradition that exists in South Africa – from the days of traditional brewing in the form of umqombothi to microbrewing. Along with big beer players, the beer industry supports one in every 66 jobs in one way or another.
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