- Tshwane now has an official beer route thanks to the Beer Association of South Africa.
- It includes six new craft breweries, launching earlier this week with a tour of Hazeldean Brewing Company, Drayman’s Brewery and Capital Craft Beer Academy.
- The launch of the new route coincides with Tourism Month and comes just before the annual South African Beer Tourism Week, between 19 and 25 September.
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Tshwane in Gauteng now has an official Beer Trail courtesy of the Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) in support of Tourism Month, which kicked off on September 1.
All nine provinces of South Africa have beer tours in the form of interactive online maps that guide visitors to more than 150 craft breweries across the country. These downloadable maps, produced by BASA, also highlight other tourist attractions, which can be included as part of the beer tour.
Gauteng has BASA listed breweries in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, Sedibeng and West Rand. The province’s latest addition comes in the form of six local breweries in the town of Tshwane. The launch of this new route was attended by BASA representatives, government officials and industry stakeholders who met with brewers, learned more about the brewing process and sampled the final product.
The seventh official beer trail includes a visit to Hazeldean Brewing Company in Pretoria East, known for its Vienna Lager, which achieved a top 15 finish at the 2015 SAB Craft Beer Championships. The brewery opened its taproom, which also offers pizzas, hamburgers and coffee, at the beginning of August.
Closer to the city, in Silverton, is Drayman’s Brewery, registered as an official South African craft brewery since 1997. As well as several craft beers, Drayman’s also brews its own Highveld Single Malt whiskey and Hakkiesdraad Mampoer.
Capital Craft Beer Academy in Menlo Park was also included in the launch of Tshwane’s Brew Route. In addition to brewing, the venue also offers dining at its award-winning restaurant.
Further south in Doornkloof is Bernie’s Brewery, which prides itself on beer brewed with pure water from a nearby mountain spring and slowly brewed with imported malts, hops and yeast.
The Arlington Brewery at Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve is located 60 km north of Pretoria. The brewery produces four types of beer: Red Hartebeest Ale, Bushveld Bliksem Lager, Boris the Buffalo Stout, and Bushpig Bugger Pilsner. He also experiments with ciders, and the brewery doubles as a restaurant.
BASA’s Brew Route Map in Tshwane also lists Grain & Able, Friar’s Habit and Bullcook as additional breweries to visit in the area.
Other tourist attractions listed as part of the Tshwane Brew Trail include Freedom Park, Union Buildings, the suburb of Hatfield, Smuts House Museum, and Tswaing Crater.
The launch of this new Beer Trail comes ahead of South Africa’s annual Beer Tourism Week from September 19-25, and BASA encourages locals to visit the breweries. “This will help ensure the future sustainability of the craft beer sector and the thousands of jobs that support these world-class establishments,” BASA said in a statement Friday.