Pic: Supplied
'An explosion of hops and a balance of bitterness' is what secured the University of Cape Town another major win in this year's installment of the Intervarsitybrew: Brewing & Tasting Challenge 2023.
The UCT team won Best Beer on Show for their American IPA, named 'Public OutCryo'.
The team described their brew as "an explosion of hops and a balance of bitterness".
"We have been a female-led team for the past couple of years and very proud of it," said team member, Nicole Uys.
UCT also won Best Beer on Show at last year's Intervarsitybrew.
The unique event challenges university students from local tertiary institutions to show initiative and embrace beer culture through participation in a fun and challenging competition.
This past weekend brewing teams form 17 tertiary institutions gathered in Bloemfontein at the Central University of Technology (CUT) in the Free State to compete in the challenge.
It is the 16th year of the competition which has become a set fixture on the beer calendar.
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," Lisa said.
"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.
Competition coordinator, Olga de Smidt from the CUT's Centre for Applied Food Sustainability and -Biotechnology (CAFSaB), thanked all the teams for their dedication.
"The students take so much pride in the products they've developed," she said.
"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."
