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Beer in South Africa has a long history, with a corporate history dating back to the early 20th century.
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Beer in South Africa has a long history, with a corporate history dating back to the early 20th century.
South African beer has had two main influences on its development. Firstly, European settlers who colonised the country brought expertise and know-how as the country was populated. Dutch immigrants from the 1650s onwards and British immigrants during the 19th and 20th centuries contributed in different ways to the knowledge of alcohol production.
South African Western Beer
Beer reached South Africa with its first white settlers and has been brewed there for over 300 years. On October 4, 1658, Jan van Riebeeck recorded in his diary that the first beer was brewed at the Cape on this day. High priority was given to beer production because it was an essential beverage for combating the dreaded scurvy so prevalent on ships engaged in the trade between the Netherlands and the East Indies. Beer is today still held in high regard as a wholesome natural beverage. In 1960 the Malan Liquor Commission completed its intensive investigations into the distribution of intoxicating liquor in South Africa and reported as follows: "The thought of the Commission underlying this report is that conditions should be created which would encourage the consumption of natural alcoholic beverages, preferably in conjunction with food, at the expense of stronger liquor or spirits. Greater differences in price between natural beverages and spirits and the easy availability of the former are recommended as part of the scheme aimed at diverting the drinking habits of the people in this direction." Dr. E. M. Jellinck, who was regarded as the world's leading research scientist in the field of alcohol studies, came to the following conclusion: "The type of beverage used is always revealing of drinking habits. Beer is a beverage selected, not by inebriates, but mainly by moderate users of alcohol."
Another critical but often overlooked influence has been indigenous knowledge. Local breweries operated by the black population, especially groups such as the Sotho, Zulu and Xhosa, have been brewing forms of sorghum beers long before any Europeans arrived.
Umqombothi, from the Nguni languages (Xhosa and Zulu), is a traditional beer made in the Transkei from maize (corn), maize malt, sorghum malt, yeast, and water.
Bantu beer
The brewing and consumption of Bantu beer played an important role in Bantu tribal life in Southern Africa. It is traditionally brewed by allowing a mixture of water and malted sorghum to ferment. The fermented product is only partially strained and thus retains a considerable percentage of solid matter. It is looked upon as both a food and a drink. In recent years commercially produced Bantu beer powders have replaced sorghum malt in home brewing and at smaller industrial breweries. Most municipalities enjoyed a monopoly on the production of Bantu beer in their areas, and the larger ones operated modern industrial plants. In the industrial production of Bantu beer, maize grits became the primary ingredient and were mixed with sorghum malt in a ratio of two to three parts of maize to one part of malt. Although most of the industrially produced Bantu beer is still sold in bulk, modern packaging in plastic and other types of containers was rapidly being introduced at most municipal breweries. Since the supply of European liquor to the Bantu was legalised in 1962, the sale of Bantu beer by municipalities started to increase faster.
European and Bantu beer have much in common. The latter is virtually the primitive forerunner of the former. In Leipzig, Germany, a centuries-old brewery is preserved as a tourist attraction, and its product is hard to distinguish from Bantu beer. It is not generally known that the nutritional value of European beer closely approximates that of Bantu beer. Both contain about the same percentage of alcohol, but in contrast, fermentation is terminated in the case of European beer by pasteurisation after bottling; it continues with Bantu beer until it turns 'sour'. The alcoholic content of Bantu beer increases after it leaves the brewery, and it is not unusual to find that it contains more alcohol than permitted by law, namely, 3% by weight or nearly 4% by volume. It was permitted by South African law of 1964 at that time.
Now, back in the 1960s, the South African Government decided to use the profits that accrue to municipalities from the production and sale of Bantu beer to plough back for the benefit of the Bantu communities in their respective designated areas. At that time the Apartheid Government built schools, libraries, clinics, four-room houses for the Black population of the land asthey were removing all African communities from their townhomes, e.g., Old Alberton North (Emagogogweni area) to townships, e.g., Katlehong, Thokoza, and Vosloorus areas (Katorus), far away from the European communities. They built all that using the Bantu Beer profits.
Bantu beer was produced at a cost of approximately 8 to 10 cents per gallon and sold from bulk at about 20 cents, leaving municipalities with a gross profit in the vicinity of 10 to 12 cents per gallon, of which 2 cents accrue to the Central Government as excise duty. When a gallon of European beer was sold through a municipal outlet for consumption on the premises, the following amounts accrue: (а) the State (as excise duty) - 80 cents; and (б) the Municipality (as a gross markup on sale) - 83 cents. Municipalities had to pay 80% of their net profit on selling European liquor to the Department of Bantu Administration for use in the development of Bantu homelands. From the purely fiscal angle, there was seen to be a strong case for encouraging the Bantu to drink more European beer because more significant amounts would become available for the government budget.
South Africa accounts for 34% of Africa's formal beer market and is expected to grow by 8–10% annually over the next five years. Beer consumption in the country was pegged at 60 litres per capita in 2012, greater than the 14.6-litre African average and the global average of 22 litres.
Today, South African Breweries (SAB) controls the vast majority of the South African beer market, and with the notable exception of imported brands such as Heineken, Guinness, and others, SAB owns and produces all the major brands in the country, as well as owning Miller's Genuine Draft (American) and long list of others which makes it the world's second-largest brewery. Their most popular and valuable brand is Carling Black Label, the most-awarded beer in the country with 20 prestigious international beer awards. They also produce Castle milk stout, Hansa Pilsner, Castle Lager, and Castle Lite. Other commonly drunk beers in South Africa is Windhoek Lager, a beer from Namibia made according to the Reinheitsgebot, as well as Tafel Lager, another Namibian import.
Jo'burg beer, an independent business and low-priced beverage, is dominant among lower-income groups and incorporates the tastes of traditional brewing.
Recent developments have seen an increase in South African Beer Tourism initiatives. Initiated by Beer Route, a collaboration of craft breweries in South Africa, other players have since come on board to help guide tourists to taprooms throughout the country. Around the same time, Kwazulu-Natal also had a local guided product named KZN Craft Revolution. Beer Tourism is a rapidly growing tourism sector, closely related in concept to Culinary tourism and is very similar to the concept of a Wine route.
Some smaller microbreweries have sprung up in the past decades and tend to compete regionally. The country's first microbrewery was Mitchell's Brewery in Knysna. [1] Mitchell's is now produced as a contract brand with Devil's Peak Brewing Company. As of 2019, 211 microbreweries produced 34 million litres of craft beer annually. [2] [3] Other microbreweries in South Africa include: [4]
The Western Cape province accounts for half of the beer microbreweries in South Africa. [3]
There is a reasonably large homebrewing community in the major metropolitan cities throughout the country. Homebrewers meet monthly in major cities, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Bloemfontein. The leading clubs are the Wort Hogs (Gauteng), Southyeasters (Cape Town), Durban Homebrewers (Durban), Free State Fermenters (Bloemfontein), and the Helderberg Homebrew Club in Somerset West.
There are numerous national competitions held yearly. 2022 saw the inaugural bevPLUS Fools National Club Championship held at Fools and Fans 5 in the little town of Greyton in the Western Cape. Clubs from across the country competed against each other in an official BJCP competition to be crowned the best club in the country. Helderberg Homebrew Club took home the trophy for their excellent interpretation of the classic style; an English IPA.
Other notable competitions are Nationals, Powwow, and Fools National Club Championship, and various clubs holding league competitions.
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The fermentation of the starch sugars in the wort produces ethanol and carbonation in the beer. Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after water and tea. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilising agent. Other flavouring agents, such as gruit, herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation.
Ice beer is a beer that has undergone some degree of freezing during production. These beers generally have a higher alcohol content, and lower price relative to it.
Malt liquor is a type of mass market beer with high alcohol content, most closely associated with North America. Legally, it often includes any alcoholic beverage with 5% or more alcohol by volume made with malted barley. In common usage, it refers to beers of high alcohol content, generally above 6%, which are made with ingredients and processes resembling those for American-style lagers.
Beer was introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century. The first commercial brewery was La Brasseries du Roy started by New France Intendant Jean Talon, in Québec City in 1668. Many commercial brewers thrived until prohibition in Canada. The provincial and federal governments' attempt to eliminate "intoxicating" beverages led to the closing of nearly three quarters of breweries between 1878 and 1928. It was only in the second half of the twentieth century that a significant number of new breweries opened up. The Canadian beer industry now plays an important role in Canadian identity, although globalization of the brewing industry has seen the major players in Canada acquired by or merged with foreign companies, notably its three largest beer producers: Labatt, Molson and Sleeman. The result is that Moosehead, with an estimated 3.8 percent share of the domestic market in 2016, has become the largest fully Canadian-owned brewer.
In the United States, beer are manufactured in breweries which range in size from industry giants to brew pubs and microbreweries. The United States produced 196 million barrels (23.0 GL) of beer in 2012, and consumes roughly 28 US gallons (110 L) of beer per capita annually. In 2011, the United States was ranked fifteenth in the world in per capita consumption, while total consumption was second only to China.
Beer in Norway has a long history, stretching back more than a millennium. Until some 200 years ago, most farms where it was possible to grow grain south of the Arctic Circle, brewed their own beer. From the early 20th century brewing was industrialized and home brewing was restricted. Significant consolidation in the brewing sector reduced the number of major breweries to just a handful. With the exception of the farmhouse ales, most beer styles brewed in Norway trace their ancestry to central Europe.
Beer in Africa, especially lager, is produced commercially in most African countries, and indigenous people also make varieties of beer. Beer is served in various locales, from neighbourhood shebeens to upscale bars. Many countries have standardized beer bottle sizes, which are cleaned and re-used, so when buying beer at a store, people often must pay a deposit on the bottle and the price of the beer. An alternative to glass-bottle beers is local beer sold in tetra-pak style paper cartons.
Beer in Thailand was first brewed in 1933 when a licence was granted to the Boon Rawd Brewery, which still produces Thailand's best-known lager, Singha, sold in standard, light, and draught versions.
Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in New Zealand, accounting for 63% of available alcohol for sale. At around 64.7 litres per person per annum, New Zealand is ranked 27th in global beer consumption per capita. The vast majority of beer produced in New Zealand is a type of lager, either pale or amber in colour, and typically 4–5% alcohol by volume.
Beer in Japan mostly comes from the country's four major breweries, Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory, which mainly produce pale lagers around 5% ABV. Beer is immensely popular, far ahead of sake consumption.
Beer, called maekju in Korean, was first introduced to Korea in the early 20th century. Seoul's first brewery opened in 1908. Two current major breweries date back to the 1930s. The third brewery established in Korea, Jinro Coors Brewery, was founded in the 1990s. It was later acquired by Oriental Breweries (OB). Hite Breweries's former name was Chosun Breweries, which was established in 1933. The company changed its name to Hite Breweries in 1998. OB Breweries established as Showa Kirin Breweries in 1933. The company changed its name to OB Breweries in 1995.
Beer in Asia began when beer was produced in Sumer, Mesopotamia circa 6000 years ago. It was introduced by Europeans in the 19th century, with modern breweries established in British India, the Dutch East Indies, China, and Japan. Asia's first modern brewery was established in 1830 in India entirely using European brewing technology.
The beers of the Caribbean are unique to each island in the region, although many are variants of the same style. Each island generally brews its own unique pale lager, the occasional stout, and often a non-alcoholic malta beverage. Contract-brewing of international beers is also common, with Heineken Pilsener and Guinness Foreign Extra Stout being the most popular. The beers vary between the islands to suit the taste and the brewing method used.
Chibuku is a commercial sorghum beer based on the traditional Umqombothi homemade African beers; the main grains used are malted sorghum and maize but may also contain millet.
Gilroy's Brewery is a microbrewery and restaurant in Muldersdrift, Gauteng, South Africa. The brewery was founded in 2000 by Stephen Gilroy at his pharmaceutical printing company in Roodepoort, Gauteng. Gilroy's Brewery was one of the first microbreweries in South Africa, along with Mitchell's Brewery, Nottingham Road Brewery, and Drayman's Brewery. In 2008 the operation was relocated to the current premises at Ngwenya Glass Village in Muldersdrift, where it expanded to include the restaurant, beer garden, and a gift shop. The brewery produces 5 styles of beer – a lager, pale ale, ruby ale, and a dark ale. The brewery has recently introduced a ginger beer.
Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela is a South African brewmaster. Nxusani-Mawela is the first person from South Africa to earn a National Diploma in clear fermented beverages. She is also the first black woman in South Africa to found a microbrewery. Her company, Brewsters Craft, introduces students to the science of beer making through training and provides professional breweries a service through beer quality testing. She helped organize International Women's Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) events in South Africa.
North Korea has at least ten major breweries and many microbreweries that supply a wide range of beer products. The top brand is the light lager Taedonggang by the state-owned Taedonggang Brewing Company.
The commercial brewing of beer in Fiji only commenced in 1958 and the market is dominated by a single producer, Paradise Beverages (Fiji) Limited.
Publisher: Historical Papers Research Archive, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Location: Johannesburg ©2016
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