For the better part of a decade, there has been a thriving artisanal food movement, where consumers are looking to purchase less mass produced goods in favour of more locally produced, home-made products.
From breads and cheeses, fruits and vegetables to oil and meat, many have opted to rather spend their hard earned money on goods they believe to be better than mass produced, and healthier. Craft beer also falls under this artisanal movement and its popularity has been
steadily rising across the world with South Africa being a big player in the industry.
While many first dismissed craft beer as a hipster fascination, it has steadily become the beer of choice for many. Brewers like Shaun Standeaven of the Alverstone based The Standeaven
Brewery, have seen more people become fans of craft beer in recent years.
“The take up has been great. More people are now enjoying craft beer and it has become their beer of choice, which is a good thing for us as brewers because it shows that there’s a demand.”
Standeaven started brewing beer six years ago after returning from abroad. “After working abroad as a chef, I saw how there were so many options for people to drink, including a number of
craft beers. We didn’t have the same options when it came to drinks here at home and so I did my research about the craft beer industry and I realised that while there were some brewers, it was not a thriving market.”
That was then. Six years later there are a number of brewers across the province and there is also a brew route
in KwaZulu-Natal, which is expected to become another tourism node for the province.
The brew route includes micro breweries in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, the Midlands, Zululand and the South Coast.
Getting into the mood while sampling some of the local brew from The Standeaven Brewery before this weekend’s fun-filled Beer and Bunny on the Bay are Durban’s sailor Andile Zulu, Chef Markus Bänziger, Nick Pitman and Lyall Erasmus on the lawns of the picturesque Point Yacht Club.Picture: Chris Clark What makes craft beer popular is the way it is brewed. “It takes four to six weeks to brew craft beer. It needs time to ferment naturally. The longer we keep it, the better. With mass produced
beers, the process is rushed. The attention to detail is one of the key things that makes craft beer so different from mass-produced beer.”
But is craft beer new? People have been brewing their own beer for years, according to Standeaven. “Homebrewing has been happening for a while now and most people realised that there’s a demand for it and therefore saw a business opportunity.”
Micro brewers have to be registered, have an operating licence and the Department of Agriculture has to give its seal of approval. “Quality is of utmost importance. Like with every product, consistency is key. Consumers must always know what to expect from your product. It can’t be different every time they drink it.”
Standeaven is still surprised at how South Africans have responded to craft beer. “It’s honestly taken me by surprise at how much the industry has grown, how the micro brewers are growing and producing quality product. People are experimenting with other variants, moving away from the craft beer lagers that many of them were introduced to. Now people are drinking IPAs (India Pale Ale) and even trying out fruit beer and sour beer.”
The next artisanal drink trend is craft spirits. “The popularity of craft beer has created an opportunity for people to look into making their own gins and vodkas. It’s the next big trend, especially gin, which has seen a resurgence to popularity in the past two years.”