New MyBeer app launched

It enables the beer-loving community to rate, review, discover and share the best beers South Africa has to offer. Users can also see the top 10 trending beers, as voted by the community, in real time, and view prices.

"The new online beer community was commissioned by the group to encourage beer lovers to share their beer drinking experiences with each other. It is educational, fun and a valuable resource for old and new beer drinkers alike," said SAB's chief brewer, Martin Brooks. "Spurred on by the burgeoning craft beer movement, experimentation with different kinds of beers is a growing trend in South Africa. The group hopes that the site will broaden the horizons of beer lovers around the country by encouraging this experimentation and promoting knowledge sharing."

Prizewinning beers

As part of its support of the Festival, the group sponsored the Best Beer on Show prizes, which were selected through a rigorous Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) tasting. The first prize for best beer in show went to the Red Amber Ale by Chameleon Breweries, based in Hartbeespoort. The second prize was the Natal Chilli beer, made by Mtunzini Brewery in Eshowe and the third prize was the Mustang American Pale Ale from Cockpit Breweries, located in Cullinan. The People's Choice winner, for the second year running, was the Farmer's Draught from Rustenburg's Brauhaus am Damm brewery. All the winners received malt and hops from SAB.

Exclusive SAB beers

For the Clarens Festival, Sandra Innes, one of SAB's brewers, brewed four exclusive beers for more than 3,000 festival-goers. These are not available commercially.

The Peary, a crowd pleaser at last year's Cape Town Festival of Beer, fermented with 100% pear juice, had a medium sweetness and was clear and pale gold in colour. The traditional Weiss beer, Sunset Wheat, had clove-like flavours and moderate fruit esters. A Chocolate Stout, called Willy Wonka, was an indulgent rendition on the popular milk stout, while a lighter version, the Chaleur, had fruity esters with subdued roasted flavours of a classic stout.

Proceeds from the sale of these beers and SAB's popular #luvbeer t-shirts amounted to R27,000, which was donated to the SAB Boucher Conservation Fund, which is raising funds to register South Africa's threatened rhino population on a DNA database. The database will create a direct link between a horn and a carcass, making it easier to convict poachers. The campaign, driven by retired South African cricketer Mark Boucher, hopes to raise R1-million in its first year and is on target with more than R300,000 raised so far.

The beer app can be downloaded free at www.mybeer.co.za.