Jolly Monks and tweed hats at the first Jozi Craft Beer Fest

The beer tasting was going to be well-documented and scientific. The subsequent analysis rigorous. But those intentions disappeared after my second pint.

With a glass of Jolly Monk, a dark Rauchbier from Draymans Brewery in one hand and excited eyes scanning the other craft breweries on display, the sweet reality of the Jozi Craft Beer Fest sunk in.

The inaugural event was organised by events management company The Beanstalk and Jason Cederwall of Darling Brew and was held at the Pirates Sports Club in Greenside. The field was furnished with bales of hay acting as chairs and wooden pallets as tables. A small stage at the field’s end hosted live mellow music while biltong, ribs and free range food stalls circumscribed the shaded seating area.

When I met an old Englishman wearing a tweed hat, he didn’t have a sheep dog sadly, the festival shimmered with a romantic hue that encouraged an afternoon of excess.

After my liquid breakfast of Jolly Monk at about 10am, I shifted my intention to Three Skulls Brew Works’ Pale Ale. They seemed to be the stall with the most enthusiastic beer boffins offering impressive descriptions and promising grand taste experiences.

I got to a point after sampling some of Darling’s Blackmist and the Fokker Weiss from Cullinan’s Cockpit Brewhouse to forgo any systematic tasting and just focus on getting merry, and I succeeded admirably.

The venue was intimate with limited tickets sold to “ensure that we can offer the maximum experience to everyone” said the organisers on Facebook. This worked because the festival felt full and I didn’t have to walk far to top up my complimentary beer mug.

There were few disgruntled would-be beer drinkers who did not make it in and were forced to watch the frolicking through the fence. Some complaints people mentioned at the festival and on their Facebook page afterwards included the long queues to get beer tickets, the R100 entry which did not have a complimentary drink (as at the Clarens festival) and the unshaded kids’ playing area. Parents had to fork out R50 for their little ones and there wasn’t a central water point.

But these are teething issues and did not detract from the day’s enjoyment. Next year will be even better and hopefully the organisers will launch similar festivals in other cities.

A complaint I heard which made me scorn the speaker with ridicule was that the selection of non-alcoholic drinks was disappointing. This is a bogus issue to raise when you’ve come to a beer fest. Next year harden up and hit the beer.