More and more women join the ranks of craft beer drinkers
Wednesday, 4th August 2021
Women don't all fancy pink drinks. On the local front, women actually represent a growing segment of craft beer lovers, says owner of Featherstone Brewery and Entrepid Brewing, William Yell.
Yell said women commonly tend to prefer craft beer styles that were lighter, less bitter and somewhat fruity. "Light beers can be a good style to enter the beer tasting journey. Light Beer ABV such as Pacer are below 4% but IPA can be over 6%,"Yell added.
"There are also women that love all craft beer styles. I had a lady at a local event that walked straight up and asked me for an IPA. I was quite startled. She told me she didn’t always like IPA’s but her taste changed with time and now its her favourite style." Yell said IPA is not very commonly appreciated by women. They often say its too ‘strong’ or ‘bitter’ which are characteristics of the style.
Yell said craft beer was unique as it opened up the understanding and appreciation for the incredible range of flavours, colours and the stories behind the brewing of each beer style. It is a refreshing change from what South Africans are used to. "Our SA beer history has been solely based on a range of lagers that are all actually quite similar."
Featherstone Brewery and Entrepid Brewing are situated just outside Makhanda on a game reserve allowing Makana to have its own supply of craft beer. According to a Grocott's Mail article, craft beers have thrived in spite of lockdown.
"The first commercial beer, Entrepid Renascence was pioneered using local honey but as the drought has affected honey harvesting we unfortunately needed to source from further afield but aim for at least Eastern Cape Honey," Yell said.
Yell described the brewing process in this order: Brew, Ferment, Condition and Package. "Brewing extracts the fermentable sugars from the grain. Fermentation allows the yeast to convert the sugar into alcohol, conditioning clears the beer and adds the carbonation and packaging well that’s getting it into bottles can or kegs. The process takes at least 4 weeks, it’s a natural process, so it is affected by many factors such as temperature, ingredients and of course water," said Yell.
Featherstone Brewery has an online sales channel where you can get the perfect craft beer online shopping experience, wherever you are. You can visit the online shop on: www.featherstonebrewery.co.za/shop.
Featherstone Brewery and Entrepid Brewing will take us on a journey of their unique products this upcoming South African National Beer Day on 05 February 2022. Learn more here.
