A small craft brewery based in the Cape Winelands has taken the top spot in the 2022 African Beer Cup, Africa’s biggest beer competition. Soul Barrel Brewing took the coveted title of Best Beer in Africa with their Live Culture Grand Cru, which beat 250 entries from 14 different African countries.
Live Culture Grand Cru is a barrel-aged farmhouse ale fermented with wild yeast native to the Simondium-based brewery. It was brewed with barley from Caledon alongside citrus fynbos and hops grown in Soul Barrel’s beer garden.
This was the third year of the competition and the first time that international judges were invited to join. Judges from 16 different countries evaluated the 251 entries. The judges awarded 10 gold medals, 29 silver medals and 27 bronze medals across 32 categories.
The ten gold medallists then went head-to-head in the Best of Show round to determine the Best Beer in Africa. Rather than a trophy, the winner receives a custom painting to celebrate their win. This year’s painting was created by Cape Town artist Ann Gadd.
The competition also includes a special award which goes to a brewery showcasing traditional African ingredients in a beer. The BASA African Celebration Award, sponsored by the Beer Association of South Africa, was awarded to Botswana’s Okavango Craft Brewery for their Old Bull Stout, which uses locally grown millet alongside malted barley. The brewery is spearheading a programme that supports local farmers and buys surplus millet, which is then malted at the brewery and used across their beer range.
