By MIKE HALLS
I write this through the hangover of the weekend following two great days at the Cape Town Festival of Beer (CTFOB) 2017. This festival is considered, for most, the highlight of the South African beer festival calendar. All of Cape Towns top breweries were there showcasing not only some of their seasoned beers, but some unique creations brewed exclusively for CTFOB. I have not had the privileged of sampling so many new, interesting and well made beers in one place before, I was in heaven.
CTFOB took place from the 1st – 3rd December at the Hamilton’s Rugby Club in Green Point. Over 45 of the Western Capes best breweries attended offering samples of over 230 different beers. I attended on the Friday and Sunday. Friday was great fun with the opportunity to talk to all the brewers about their beers. Saturday was more of a party vibe, loads of dancing, drinking a partying! Sunday was family day, they set up a great kids area, right in the center so you could keep an eye on the little ones, while sampling the beers.
On Saturday the results of the best beers of the show were announced, based on the judging that had taken place on Friday. The winners were as follows:
- Best Wheat Beer – CBC, Amber Weiss
- Best Hoppy Beer – Mikkeller, Capenhagen
- Best Lager – Urban Brewing Co. Festbier
- Best Dark Beer – Stellenbosch Brewing Co. Eike Stout
- Best Cider – Alpha, Ginger Cider
- Best Speciality Beer – Devils Peak, It takes 2 to Mango
And best beer in show was awarded to Stellenbosch Brewing Co. for their Eike Stout. This is the second time this year that Stellies have taken top accolades, taking the prize for Beer of the Year at the South African National Beer Trophy earlier in the year. These guys have to be on the top of your list for breweries to visit over the festive period, check out my review of their brewery here.
Overall it was a great weekend that I am glad I was a part of. From catching up with old friends to making new ones, trying new beers and some old favorites. There were so many highlights, it would be impossible to mention them all. So here is some of my best moments of an awesome festival:
- Getting to sample the legendary Harambe II at the Drifter stand. Drifter’s Gose was a real winner as well.
- Sampling the Beer Countries new collab beers as well as drinking their great Frasers Folly collab the Moer Koffie.
- Devils Peak’s brewer JC, attempting CBC’s pour a pint challange, straight into his mouth! For me the camaraderie of different breweries and their brewers coming together is what makes our craft beer industry so special!
- Getting to sample a great lager with the brewer, the best lager of the show, Urban Brewing Co.’s Festbier.
- The Mrs reminiscing about one of our best holidays ever to Brussels while drinking an excellent Kriek beer.
- Checking out the new branding of Little Wolf Brewery, which I absolutely love. Bruce blending into it was a bonus!
