ENTREPRENEUR and beer enthusiast William Yell has created an audacious blend of uMqombothi (traditional beer), with African hops and honey. Yell, who created Entrepid Brewing, said the brewer was founded on the principle of pushing the limits and crafting beers that no other brewery was making.
In 2020, the brewer merged with Featherstone Brewery, which is located in the Eastern Cape. Yell recently released his creation, iBhiya for #SANBeerDay, an annual event in South Africa to celebrate beer in Makhanda. According to Yell, all the ingredients are all South African, except for the yeast.
Yell said he journeyed into craft brewing, a niche area which represents a small amount in the South African beer market, because he had the misconception that lager was the only style of beer that existed but soon discovered more, and got to innovating his own.
Despite the differing industries, titan of the technology sector Steve Jobs is who Yell looks up to for his innovation and bold business courage, which can still be felt at the present time.
“The beer market in South Africa has the best potential for growth – one of the most rewarding things I find as a brewer is when non-beer drinkers come to a tasting session and afterwards tell me that they usually enjoy beer, but now are convinced that there is a beer for them,” he said.
To gain knowledge of the creation process, when Yell was in Johannesburg, he sought someone to teach him to brew traditional uMqombothi because the locals had their own different processes that he wanted to learn.
“I visited spaza shops, attended tastings on township tours, asked many questions, and then jumped in… I bought the ingredients and tried.”
Yell went back to his then start-up brewery and discussed his findings with the partners and got to brewing. “When it was ready, we all sat down and followed local traditions and passed the cup around to appreciate, enjoy and further discuss the traditions.”
iBhiya is made by mixing sorghum, maize meal in warm water and it sours overnight. The following day, the uMqombothi is strained then added to the beer brew and cooked before the fermentation process.
The businessman said craft beer is all about the alcoholic beverage – if profit is a motive, then one cannot define themselves as a craft brewery anymore.
“This is all about appreciation of traditions enjoyed in a new way. uMqombothi changed in the 1600s when maize was introduced to Africa – the next quest will be to recreate the original brews using just sorghum, millet, honey and herbs.”
The entrepreneur said the reception has been completely unexpected but exciting. “My inbox is filling up with interested customers wishing to order. Feedback on the beer has been hugely positive, so this will all play a part in shaping the course of our business.”
Entrepid also brews a historical beer that has not been made since 1887, when it was banned in Germany, according to the entrepreneur. Yell said he has no immediate plans to expand, because they just increased production capacity and to expand further would require a significant investment.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE