It is the biggest beer competition in Africa, with a stringent judging process and some of the finest, most experienced judges from around the world - this year Darling Brewery picked up two gold medals, two silver and five bronze at the African Beer Cup.
The nine medals received was the most won by any brewery, and this coupled with the 36 medals Darling Brew has been awarded at the two premier beer competitions in Africa over the past 3 years, African Beer Cup and SANBT – this gives context to Darling Brew’s claim of most awarded brewery in Africa!
There were 271 beers entered into the competition, hailing from 16 different African countries. Only nine gold medals were awarded overall, with Darling Brew winning gold for their Wanderer Pilsner and Warlord, a double IPA. They also bagged a silver for their new gluten-free lager, Break Free, and the Imperial Stout Arrow Head, and bronze for the non-alcoholic beer Just Naked, plus the two wheat beers Pixie Dust and Bone Crusher, and Rogue Pony Pale Ale.
Beers were judged over three days, by judges from 16 different countries including the USA, Brazil, Germany, Belgium, Zimbabwe and South Africa. A total of 62 medals were awarded in 32 categories.
“In line with many other major competitions, we use the American Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines in our judging process,” says competition director and co-founder Lucy Corne. “However, the beer scene across Africa has developed beyond following global beer trends, and we’re now setting some trends of our own. This year, to reflect what is happening in craft beer around the continent, we introduced a new category to showcase beers that are using traditional African brewing grains, including sorghum, millet and fonio.”
“The craft beer industry in Africa is still in its infant stages and the fact that the African Beer Cup has grown to 16 participating countries with 15 awards going to breweries outside of South Africa is testament to the fact that we can expect a lot of growth in our continent and will see a lot of exciting beers coming from the rest of Africa in the future,” says African Beer Cup partner and financial manager Romina Gaggero-Delicio.
The competition has a stringent judging process, with all beers judged twice. Winning a medal is extremely prestigious, with a maximum of three medals awarded per category. Only beers reaching certain threshold scores are eligible for medals.
Charlene Louw, CEO of the Beer Association of South Africa says: “BASA not only values the African Beer Cup as a mark of quality and excellence, but also as an annual reminder of the huge potential African beers have when it comes to tourism. Our continent’s beers are world-class and offer taste experiences to all types of visitors,”
For a full list of the 2024 African Beer Cup medal winners, check out https://africanbeercup.com/2024-winners.
For further information please contact competition director Lucy Corne on lucy@africanbeercup.com or +27 76 093 7236.