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Beer in South Africa has a long history, with a corporate history dating back to the early 20th century.
Contents
History
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 both contributed in different ways to the knowledge of alcohol production.
Another important 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.
Modern day
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 which is greater than the 14.6-litre African average as well as 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), Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and long list of others which makes it the world's second largest brewery. Their most popular and valuable brand is Carling Black Label, which is the most awarded beer in the country with 20 prestigious international beer awards to its name. They also produce Castle milk stout, Hansa Pilsner, Castle Lager and Castle Lite.
Jo'burg beer, an independent business and low-priced beverage, is dominant among lower-income groups, and incorporates the tastes of traditional brewing.
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.
Microbreweries
A number of smaller microbreweries have sprung up in the past decades, and these tend to compete regionally. The largest of these are Mitchell's Brewery in Knysna; another is Shongweni Brewery near Durban producing Robsons bottle conditioned beers unique to South Africa. Another unique brewery is Mogallywood Brewery close to Magaliesburg that brews cask-conditioned real ale served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure.
Other microbreweries in South Africa include:
Cape
KwaZulu-Natal
Gauteng
Inland
Others
Homebrewing Culture
There is a fairly large homebrewing community in the major metropolitan cities throughout the country. Homebrewers meet on a monthly basis in some areas under the Worthog Brewers moniker and discuss brewing techniques and the like.
The homebrewing community have strong support from South African Breweries, who frequently sponsor both large and small craft beer festivals around the country.
Examples of these include the Clarens Beer Festival in Clarens, Freestate and Solstice Festival & Northwest Province