It is the biggest beer competition in Africa, with a stringent judging process and some of the finest, most experienced judges from around the world. And this year Brewhogs, based in Johannesburg, picked up a bronze and a coveted gold medal in the African Beer Cup.
There were 271 beers entered in the competition, hailing from 16 different African countries. Only nine gold medals were awarded overall, with Brewhogs taking first place and winning gold for their Brewhogs Blonde as the best “Standard America beer” in Africa, and their new light lager, Brewhogs Platinum Light Lager, winning bronze, as the best light lager in Africa, also in the “Standard American beer” category.
So, in summary, Brewhogs won:
- BEST AMERICAN LAGER IN AFRICA with their Brewhogs Blonde, &
- BEST LIGHT LAGER IN AFRICA with their Brewhogs Platinum Light Lager.
Beers were judged over three days, by judges from 16 different countries including the USA, Brazil, Germany, Belgium, Zimbabwe and South Africa. A total of 62 medals were awarded in 32 categories.
“In line with many other major competitions, we use the American Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines in our judging process,” says competition director and co-founder Lucy Corne. “However, the beer scene across Africa has developed beyond following global beer trends, and we’re now setting some trends of our own. This year, to reflect what is happening in craft beer around the continent, we introduced a new category to showcase beers that are using traditional African brewing grains, including sorghum, millet and fonio.”
“The craft beer industry in Africa is still in its infant stages and the fact that the African Beer Cup has grown to 16 participating countries with 15 awards going to breweries outside of South Africa is testament to the fact that we can expect a lot of growth in our continent and will see a lot of exciting beers coming from the rest of Africa in the future,” says African Beer Cup partner and financial manager Romina Gaggero-Delicio.
The competition has a stringent judging process, with all beers judged twice. Winning a medal is extremely prestigious, with a maximum of three medals awarded per category. Only beers reaching certain threshold scores are eligible for medals.
Charlene Louw, CEO of the Beer Association of South Africa says: “BASA not only values the African Beer Cup as a mark of quality and excellence, but also as an annual reminder of the huge potential African beers have when it comes to tourism. Our continent’s beers are world-class and offer taste experiences to all types of visitors.”
For a full list of the 2024 African Beer Cup medal winners, check out https://africanbeercup.com/2024-winners.
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