Beer is a popular beverage in South Africa, with a corporate history that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. In the industrial production of bantu beer, corn grits became the main basic ingredient and was mixed with kaffircorn malt in a ratio of two to three parts corn to one part malt. 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 tourism is a fast-growing sector in South Africa, closely related to culinary tourism and very similar to the concept of the wine route. This month, the best beer in Africa was crowned in the African Beer Cup.
Drifter Brewing Company, headquartered in Cape Town, was created by The Stormy Smoked Porter. South Africa's fifth annual National Beer Trophy is ready and dusted and I have to say I'm surprised and happy with the results. The Space Llama, double IPA, won the Best Beer in Africa award. When it comes to beer preferences, Castle won with more than 40% of the votes on our Twitter poll.
However, it is not clear if this percentage prefers Castle Lite or Castle Lager. Personally, I like a Black Label when I drink a strange beer. My colleague Gabi is a little more beer savvy and prefers CBC Amber Weiss. Devil's Peak King's Blockhouse IPA is a highly regarded beer that has won several awards at local beer fairs. Other beers commonly drunk in South Africa are Windhoek Lager, a Namibian beer brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, as well as Tafel Lager, another import from Namibia. In Leipzig, Germany, a centuries-old brewery is preserved as a tourist attraction and its product is difficult to distinguish from Bantu beer.
During the 17th century, Dutch settlers arrived in South Africa and introduced the classic type of lager brewed with barley and hops. This beer comes packaged in a traditional cardboard box and has a cloudy brown color with a sour fruity flavor. South Africans are very dedicated to drinking lager beer. With eleven official languages in South Africa, there are many different ways to order a beer like a local depending on where you are in the country. Originally started by Beer Route, a collaboration of craft breweries in South Africa, other players have embarked to help guide tourists to taverns across the country. Beer tourism is an exciting way to explore South African culture and discover some of its best beers.
