The best varsity brewers competed over the weekend with their creativity to boast the best varsity beer in the country.
The brewing team of the Central University of Technology (CUT) won two awards during the annual Intervarsitybrew that was held from 19 to 21 October at the Hotel School at the CUT.
Seventeen tertiary teams gathered in Bloemfontein to take part in the Brewing and Tasting Challenge. It was the 16th year that the challenge took place and has become a fixture on the beer calender.
Competition coordinator, Olga de Smidt from the CUT’s Centre for Applied Food Sustainability and -Biotechnology (CAFSaB) explains that it is mainly graduate students that take part in the competition.
The competition aims to encourage young people to pursue a career within the age-old tradition of brewing, with this year’s event co-hosted by the Beer Association of South Africa (Basa) and the CUT, the CAFSaB and the CUT Hotel School, and also sponsored by Heineken Beverages, South African Breweries (SAB), the Craft Brewers Association of South Africa (CBASA), Lallemand Brewing and FoodBev Manufacturing Seta.
One of the judges, Lee Carpenter, said the standard of the beers range from very good quality to a few misses.
“Every year there are new teams as students move on. Sometimes some team members overlap and help the team with their knowledge of the brewing process, with new team members coming with new ideas and creativity.”
All 17 teams were challenged to create brews in specific categories that were evaluated according to the international Beer Judge Certification Programme (BJCP) guidelines.
The CUT won the Best Sour Beer with their Champopo, a Berliner Weisse and also the Best Aged Beer with their Grumpy Old Goat, an Old Ale.
The University of Cape Town won best Indian Pale Ale (IPA) with their beer named Public OutCryo, an American IPA.
The team from Stellenbosch University made the Best African Wilde Aile with their Chimera, an Italian Grape Ale.
The Best Lager was made by the team from the University of KwaZulu-Natal with their SANDZ Lager, an American Lager.
The Team from 1000 Hills Chef School won the prize for the Best Low-Alcohol Summer Beer with their beer named Ed Sheenan’s Foot, a Caharina Sour.
The award for the best bottle label design went to the team from Rhodes University for their Inombe, a Hazy IPA.
This year’s Mentorship Award went to Errol Cason from the University of the Free State for the exceptional warmth and wisdom with which he motivates his students. All teams have brewing mentors that guide them in the complicated craft of brewing good beer.
Zoleka Lisa, board member of the Beer Association of South Africa and the Vice President of Corporate Affairs at South African Breweries (SAB) congratulated all the winners. “The Intervarsitybrew is such an important platform for the beer industry to come together to celebrate its rich heritage and culture. The students are so inspiring. We celebrated while placing emphasis on responsible drinking, with everybody aware of how important mindful alcohol consumption is. That is also why Basa, apart from other support, has sponsored a special award for best low-alcohol beer. It is all about creativity, innovation, moderation and bringing people together.”
Over three days the teams gathered not only to compete, but to share their knowledge and experiences of brewing. Activities included tastings, lectures, presentations and career guidance. The students come from the fields of food science, microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, environmental health and engineering. They were all exposed to the impressive breadth of the beer industry. Research show that the beer industry supports 248 000 jobs in South Africa in one form or another. This represents 1 in every 66 jobs in the country.
De Smidt thanked all the teams for their dedication. “The entrants continue to impress us every year with their energy and talent. Their passion for the craft inspires everyone who attends Intervarsitybrew. The students take so much pride in the products they’ve developed. Although there is serous competitive rivalry, there is also always the sense of a beer community truly coming together to better their craft, make connections and have fun.”
