On Sunday, 4 October 2026, the Westville Warehouse once again opened its doors to the Durban Homebrewers Club for Oktoberfest: Homebrewers Edition. And if there is one thing our members know how to do, it is turn a gathering into a celebration worth raising a glass to.

With fourteen beers brewed by our members on offer, delicious food on the tables and the music pumping, there was no shortage of reasons to stick around for another round. The selection covered a satisfying range of styles, from wheat beers to stouts, with the Intervarsitybrew beers adding a little extra excitement to the taps. These student-brewed creations had been brewed just a few weeks earlier, and it was fantastic to see them featured alongside the work of our own club members.

The atmosphere was every bit as good as the beer. The vibes were rocking, the food was scrumptious, and the music kept everyone entertained. Among the day’s performers was our very own Hop Forward, who once again rocked the roof off. Clearly, brewing great beer isn’t the only talent hiding among our members!

Strong arms, steady steins and flying pretzels

Of course, no Oktoberfest would be complete without a few competitions to test the crowd’s strength, coordination and willingness to look ridiculous in public. Fortunately, DHB members are generally quite comfortable with at least one of those requirements.

The day’s entertainment included keg-holding, stein-holding and pretzel-throwing competitions, with events for both ladies and gents. There were feats of endurance, displays of determination and, presumably, a few aching arms the following morning.

Among the day’s champions were our very own Megan and Heidi, who claimed top honours in the keg- and stein-holding events. Well done, ladies! We salute your strength, stamina and commitment to Oktoberfest sporting excellence. The rest of us will be recovering with a carefully held pint.

Intervarsitybrew: The students bring the heat

While the competitions kept the crowd entertained, the beer was doing some serious talking of its own.

The provincial Intervarsitybrew KZN winners were 1000Hills Chef School, taking top honours with their Hoppy Kölsch. Congratulations to the team! These students have made it abundantly clear that they can brew up a storm, and their winning beer was a fantastic achievement.

Intervarsitybrew is all about bringing brewing knowledge, creativity and collaboration into the next generation of brewers. Seeing these teams produce beers worthy of recognition is exactly why the project is so exciting. There’s clearly plenty of talent coming through, and we can’t wait to get another brew day going with them.

To all the teams who took part: well done. Brewing is a craft that rewards curiosity, patience and a willingness to learn, and it’s brilliant to see that spirit alive in these student brewers.

And the winner is…

With fourteen beers on offer, choosing a favourite was never going to be an easy task. From wheat beers through to stouts, the range showcased the creativity and variety our homebrewers bring to the kettle.

But when the judges had their say, one beer rose to the top.

Best Brew went to Warrick for his Elvis Juicy Black APA!

Congratulations, Warrick! Taking top honours in a field of excellent homebrewed beers is no small achievement, and Elvis clearly made an impression on the judges. We suspect this is one performance that deserves an encore.

There were also some special mentions for beers that caught the attention of the crowd: the Coconut Vanilla Oatmeal Stout, the Cherry Vanilla Sweet Stout, and Hop Forward’s very own Hazy APA.

It’s always a pleasure to see such a variety of approaches to brewing in one place. Whether it’s rich roast character, dessert-inspired flavours, juicy hops or a classic wheat beer, there’s room at the DHB table for plenty of experimentation — and plenty of lively discussion about what’s in the glass.

That’s the spirit!

Oktoberfest: Homebrewers Edition was another brilliant reminder of what makes DHB special. It’s about more than the beers themselves. It’s about the people who brew them, the friends who gather to enjoy them, the musicians who keep the party moving, and the willingness to share knowledge, celebrate achievements and have a good laugh along the way.

A huge thank-you to the Westville Warehouse for opening its doors to us again, to everyone who helped make the event happen, to our brewers and Intervarsitybrew teams for filling the taps with fantastic beer, and to everyone who came along to support the day.

Congratulations once again to 1000Hills Chef School on their provincial Intervarsitybrew win, to Warrick for taking Best Brew, and to Megan and Heidi for their competition victories.

Fourteen beers, plenty of pretzels, a rocking band and some seriously talented brewers — that’s an Oktoberfest worth celebrating.

Until the next gathering, keep brewing, keep sharing, and remember: the best way to hold a stein and a keg is with confidence, but ultimately, just ask Megan or Heidi for advice.

Prost, DHB!

There are few things better than gathering a group of homebrewers around good food and a few well-poured beers. Add a competition worth celebrating and a challenge that encourages brewers to question whether a brew day really needs to take all day, and you have the recipe for a very good DHB evening.

On 29 September 2026, members gathered at Fat Frog in Durban North for our September club meet. With delicious meals on the table and glasses ready to be filled, Justin Clark had arranged a selection of beers to keep the conversation flowing. On the taps were an Italian Pilsner, a Coconut Vanilla Oatmeal Stout, and, of course, the latest instalment of our Beers from a Hat challenge: Megan Gemmell’s Rice Lager.

Megan’s recipe will be making its way to the DHB recipe library, so keep an eye on the website. After all, good beer is even better when the recipe comes with it.

But while the taps were pouring and the food was disappearing, there was more than just good drinking to get through. It was time to celebrate the results of our third BTS competition — and once again, our members gave us plenty of reasons to be proud.

BTS 3: The numbers are in, and the beer is delivering

BTS 3 brought together 15 beer entries across nine different styles, achieving an average score of 32.5 points. Even more encouragingly, seven beers scored 36 points or higher. That is a strong showing and a reminder that the quality of brewing within DHB deserves to be taken seriously.

At the top of the scoreboard, Bennie Jordaan had an especially successful competition, claiming second place with his Oatmeal Stout on 38 points before taking the top spot with his Dark Mild, scoring an impressive 39.5 points.

Our full list of top scorers was:

• 1st place – 39.5 points: Bennie Jordaan, Dark Mild
• 2nd place – 38 points: Bennie Jordaan, Oatmeal Stout
• Joint 3rd place – 37.5 points: Timothy Bamber, Irish Stout; Justin Clark, Oatmeal Stout
• Joint 4th place – 36 points: Emile Fouche, Sweet Stout; Ian Dickinson, Oatmeal Stout; Dewald van den Berg, English IPA

Congratulations to all our top scorers, and to every brewer who entered. From dark and malty to crisp and hoppy, these results show the range of styles our members are exploring and the skill they are bringing to the kettle.

Of course, a competition is about more than a number on a score sheet. Honest judging and constructive feedback give brewers the opportunity to learn, refine their techniques and make the next batch even better. Score sheets are available for collection, so don’t leave yours behind. Your next great beer might just begin with a note from a judge.

A huge thank-you goes to Taps for hosting our BTS 3 judges and providing the setting for the judging, and to Beyond Brewing for their generous sponsorship, fantastic prizes and awesome trophies. To our judges, thank you for your time, expertise and honest feedback. To our stewards, thank you for keeping everything running smoothly — even if one of you was doing so while battling a particularly enthusiastic hangover!

And, of course, thank you to everyone who entered. A competition only works because brewers are willing to put their beers out there, share their hard work and learn from the experience. That’s what keeps the homebrewing community growing.

Short and Shoddy: Less time brewing, more time debating the results

BTS 3 wasn’t the only reason to raise a glass. Our second Challenge Series also delivered, with seven entries in the Short and Shoddy challenge.

For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, Short and Shoddy is all about experimenting with ways to shorten the traditional brewing process without abandoning the fundamentals of making good beer. It’s an opportunity to challenge convention, save some time and see what happens when brewers put their skills to the test.

And the verdict? The members had their say, voting for their favourite entries on the night.

Taking third place were Jay and Oren, scoring 6.25 out of 10. Bennie Jordaan followed in second place with 6.36 out of 10. But claiming the top spot was Justin Clark, whose entry scored 7 out of 10.

Congratulations to Jay, Oren, Bennie and Justin — and to all seven brewers who took part. Short and Shoddy reminds us that homebrewing is as much about curiosity and experimentation as it is about following a recipe. Sometimes the best lessons come from trying something a little different.

A big thank-you to Justin, Heidi and the entire Fat Frog team for hosting DHB, setting everything up for our members and preparing the absolutely delicious meals. Your hospitality helped make the evening another memorable club gathering.

What’s Brewing Next?

Naturally, we weren’t about to leave without looking ahead to the next excuse to get together.

Our October meet will take place at Village Coffee in Kloof on 30 October 2026 at 18:00. This will be a beer-tasting event, with a cover charge of R120 per person. If you’d like to join us, or know someone who would enjoy the experience, please let us know.

Our next Beers from a Hat entry will be a Rauchbier from Paul Schumann. Expect a beer style with a distinctive smoky character — and another opportunity to discover what our members can do with a style that might not otherwise find its way into the brew schedule.

Looking further ahead, our next Challenge Series will feature a Baltic Porter in January 2027, in preparation for Fools and Fans. If you’re planning to enter, now is the time to get brewing. Baltic Porters are robust beers that can reward some patience, so give yours time to mature and develop before the challenge arrives.

With BTS 3 behind us, Short and Shoddy proving that a shorter brew day can still earn bragging rights, and more challenges waiting in the wings, DHB has plenty to look forward to.

Until the next meet, keep experimenting, keep sharing your brews, collect those score sheets — and, most importantly, keep the beer flowing!

Cheers, DHB! 🍻

✕ ❮ ❯

So, there we all were. Taps on Twenty 4 in Hillcrest on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Cold beers in hand, good music on stage, and an unbeatable vibe.

Nova Fest: Spring Edition was nothing short of epic.

Nova Fest: Six Bands, Cold Beer and One Last-Minute SOS

Held on Saturday, 26 September, Nova Fest brought a full afternoon of live music to Taps on Twenty 4, with Dan Patlansky headlining a line-up of some seriously talented South African musicians.

With six bands taking to the stage — including our very own Hop Forward, who got a last-minute SOS call to fill in for another band — there was no shortage of good tunes.

And, of course, Taps had no shortage of delicious beers on tap.

Including the beautifully creamy vanilla porter.

We’ll come back to that.

From Husky Vocals to 90s Bangers

The day started out with a bang as Dave Imrie took the stage with his heavenly husky vocals, followed by familiar favourites The Black Lapels.

Kith & Kin brought all the energy with some wholesome country vibes, including a country-fied cover of Blink-182’s All the Small Things.

Then came a particularly proud moment for DHB.

Hop Forward stepped in at the last minute and rocked the house with a collection of 90s bangers, proving that sometimes the best festival moments are the ones that weren’t actually on the original programme.

Protocol and their powerhouse lead singer followed with some classic rock before it was time for the headline act.

Enter Dan Patlansky

And then came the incomparable Dan Patlansky.

Dan and his ridiculously talented band gave us the blues like we’d never experienced before.

Face-melting is an understatement.

There are guitar solos, and then there are the kind of guitar solos where you briefly forget that you’re holding a beer because you’re trying to work out what on earth just happened on stage.

This was very much the latter.

And Then It Rained

What’s a good story without a sudden downpour?

Right towards the end of Patlansky’s set, the weather decided that the performance wasn’t quite dramatic enough.

Enter the thunder.

Enter the lightning.

And then the rain.

Just a little atmospheric assistance for an already electrifying performance.

So, we all huddled inside while Dan and his band finished the show like real rock stars — come rain or shine.

After a hearty meal and one last vanilla porter, we called it a night and hummed our favourite tunes all the way home.

KZN Still Shows Up for Live Music

One of the best moments of the day wasn’t a guitar solo or even a particularly good pint.

It was Mr Patlansky’s humble thanks to the crowd for still coming out and supporting live music.

Across South Africa, fewer and fewer people are showing up for local musicians.

Not KZN.

We’re here for it.

Events like Nova Fest are a reminder — much like our DHB APA project — of just how good an afternoon can be when you put great local musicians, a proper crowd, good food and excellent beer together in one place.

And when some of the people in that crowd happen to be Durban Homebrewers, well…

We’re hardly going to complain.

One Last Thing

A final shout-out needs to go to the vanilla porter.

Because apparently mentioning it only twice wasn’t enough.

Good music. Good people. Good beer.

That’s a Saturday done properly.

✕ ❮ ❯

There are beers you brew because you fancy trying a new hop.

There are beers you brew because someone has challenged you to make something ridiculous.

And then there are beers you brew because you want to put a little bit of your brewing club into a glass.

Enter the Durban Homebrewers APA.

Brewed under contract at Lions River Craft Brewery in Assagay on a beautiful Upper Highway day in August, this was a beer with a slightly bigger brief than your average brew day: create an American Pale Ale that could represent the Durban Homebrewers Club as a whole.

Just under 350 litres later, the club had its beer.

And, naturally, it had hops.

Lots of hops.

A Beer for the Club

The DHB APA wasn’t designed simply to tick the boxes of an American Pale Ale style description. It was brewed for the club, by the club — a beer intended to bring together the different personalities, brewing philosophies and, quite possibly, opinions of the people who make up DHB.

It also needed to be something people actually wanted to drink.

That meant a beer with enough hop character to keep the experienced brewers interested, but with enough balance and drinkability to make it equally at home on a social afternoon at the Homebrewers tap at Taps on Twenty 4 in Hillcrest.

The result is an APA that doesn’t need to shout to get your attention.

Although the hops do make a fairly convincing attempt.

The Hop Department Has Entered the Building

The recipe brings together Southern Passion, Citra, Cryo-Cascade and Amarillo, used at various stages during the brew, with approximately 1.5 kg of dry hops added to the beer.

It’s a combination with plenty of room for tropical and citrus character, and the finished beer certainly takes advantage of it.

The aroma is distinctly fruity, presenting litchi, grapefruit and passionfruit aromas before the first sip.

A Little Hop Nerdiness

For the more technically minded brewer, the inclusion of Cryo-Cascade is particularly interesting.

Cryo hops concentrate the lupulin-rich portion of the hop, where much of the useful resin and essential oil character resides, while reducing the amount of leafy material.

The practical advantage is the ability to deliver substantial hop character with less vegetal matter than a comparable quantity of conventional whole or pelletised hops.

In a beer where the hop expression is meant to be prominent, that’s a useful tool in the brewer’s box.

And with a 350-litre batch, every little bit of efficiency helps.

The Numbers

For those who prefer their beer descriptions with something more precise than “yummy”, the DHB APA comes in at:

ABV: 4.9%
IBU: 33
Batch size: just under 350 L
Dry hop: approximately 1,500 g
Hop varieties: Southern Passion, Citra, Cryo-Cascade & Amarillo

At 4.9% ABV, the beer remains firmly in sessionable territory, while 33 IBU gives it enough bitterness to provide structure and a definite hop-forward impression.

The intention isn’t to create a palate workout.

It’s to make a beer where the bitterness, malt and hop aroma all encourage the next sip.

Which is, frankly, a very dangerous design feature.

Malt That Knows Its Place

While the hops are clearly the extroverts of this particular beer, the malt has an important supporting role.

The finished APA carries a light pale malt presence with a touch of biscuit character, providing enough of a backbone beneath the hop profile without competing for centre stage.

That balance is worth noting.

In a hop-forward beer, malt character doesn’t necessarily need to disappear. It simply needs to provide the foundation from which the hops can work.

Here, the result is light, clean and pleasantly structured, allowing the fruity hop character to remain the star of the show.

Fermentation: Smooth Sailing

The fermentation itself proceeded normally, producing the clean fermentation profile intended for the beer.

No unnecessary drama.

No yeast-related plot twists.

Just a straightforward fermentation that allowed the malt and hop character to come through cleanly.

Which, as it turns out, was probably enough excitement for one stage of the brew.

Because then came kegging.

The Great Hop Blockage Incident

Every large brew day has a moment when the brewing gods remind everyone who’s really in charge.

For the DHB APA, that moment arrived during kegging.

A hop blockage decided that simply transferring several hundred litres of beer wasn’t quite exciting enough. The result was a small but spectacularly aromatic burst of trub being sent across the brewery floor.

There are many ways to describe the aroma of freshly brewed APA.

“Fruity” works.

“Intense” works.

“Why is there hop slurry over there?” is perhaps the most technically accurate.

Fortunately, the beer survived its brief attempt at becoming a brewery-floor installation.

And, importantly, the brewers survived too.

So, What’s in the Glass?

The finished APA opens with a super-fruity hop aroma, supported by a light pale malt presence and a clean fermentation profile.

On the palate, there is an upfront hop bitterness followed by a light biscuit malt character. The hop profile then brings layers of litchi, grapefruit and passionfruit, creating a beer that is expressive without becoming overwhelming.

At 4.9% ABV, it’s light enough to remain refreshing, while the 33 IBU provides enough bitterness to keep things interesting.

It’s the sort of beer that rewards a brewer who wants to pick apart the hop character and think about what’s happening in the glass.

But it also works perfectly well for someone who simply thinks:

“That’s bloody good. I’ll have another.”

Both are legitimate tasting methodologies.

More Than a Recipe

The most interesting thing about the DHB APA isn’t necessarily any one hop, the IBU figure or even the fact that almost 350 litres were brewed.

It’s what the beer represents.

The Durban Homebrewers Club is made up of brewers with different levels of experience, different equipment, different favourite styles and, inevitably, very different opinions about what constitutes the correct amount of hops.

Some brew small batches in the garage.

Some have upgraded their equipment approximately seventeen times because this time they’ve finally found the perfect system.

Some obsess over water chemistry.

Some just want the beer to taste good.

And somehow, all of that fits under the same DHB umbrella.

The APA is a celebration of that.

It’s a beer for the club, by the club, brewed on a scale that most homebrewers would probably describe as “slightly ambitious” and intended to be shared rather than squirrelled away in someone’s garage fridge.

Find It on the Homebrewers Tap

The DHB APA is available on the Homebrewers tap at Taps on Twenty 4 in Hillcrest, giving members and beer lovers alike the opportunity to taste a beer created specifically to represent the club.

It’s fruity.

It’s bitter.

It’s clean.

It’s refreshing.

It’s just under 5%.

And, somewhere in its hop-soaked DNA, there’s a little bit of every brewer who helped make DHB what it is.

So raise a glass to the brewers, the brewery, the hops, the slightly alarming kegging incident — and the simple joy of making good beer with good people.

DHB APA: brewed for the club, by the club.

And yes…

it’s yummy.

And so, earlier this year, Beers from a Hat was born — our club’s year-long homebrew style challenge.

The idea was simple: a selection of beer styles that we don’t often think of brewing were thrown into a hat, and participating brewers drew a style to brew during the year. No swapping. No suspiciously convenient redraws. Just pick a beer style and make it happen. (For the official style parameters, our brewers lean on the BJCP Style Guidelines.)

So far, it has taken us on quite a journey — and it’s a big part of what makes our Durban Homebrewers club culture so much fun.

Weiss — Brett Langton (June)

First out of the hat was Brett Langton, who took on a Weiss. The beer made its debut at our June club meeting at Westville Warehouse.

A Weiss is a great reminder that wheat beers don’t have to be complicated to be interesting. Wheat contributes a soft, creamy character, while the yeast can bring those classic fruity and spicy notes that make a good Weiss so wonderfully drinkable.

And, of course, there’s the eternal question: Do we pour the yeast sediment or leave it behind?

There is, naturally, a correct answer.

There is also a very strong possibility that homebrewers will argue about it.

Catarina Sour — Dylan Jordaan (July)

Next up was Dylan Jordaan, who drew a Catarina Sour and brewed it for our July meeting at Lions River Brewery.

The Catarina Sour is a modern Brazilian-inspired sour style, generally built around a bright, refreshing sour beer combined with fruit. Think tart, juicy and highly drinkable — the sort of beer that can make you forget for a moment that you are actually standing in a room full of people discussing fermentation temperatures.

Sours also remind us that acidity is another tool in the brewer’s toolbox. It’s not all about malt and hops. Sometimes the goal is simply to make your face do that wonderful little “Ooooh!” thing when you take the first sip.

American Wheat — Anelda Fouchè (August)

In August, Anelda Fouchè took on an American Wheat, served at our Taps on Twenty 4 meeting.

American Wheat sits in an interesting space: wheat-forward and refreshing, but generally cleaner and less yeast-driven than its German cousin. It can showcase a lovely combination of grainy wheat character and hop freshness without becoming a hop monster.

It’s also a style that proves you don’t need 47 different ingredients and a brewing spreadsheet the size of a small mortgage application to make an enjoyable beer.

Sometimes simple works.

Coming Up: Rice Lager — Megan Gemmell (September)

Next to draw from the hat is Megan Gemmell, who will be taking on a Rice Lager for our September meeting.

Rice in beer has historically had a bit of a reputation, but it can be a very useful brewing ingredient. It tends to produce a lighter-bodied, crisp and clean beer, making it particularly well suited to refreshing lagers.

The challenge, of course, is making something that is clean and crisp rather than simply “beer-flavoured sparkling water.”

We’re looking forward to seeing which side of that line Megan lands on.

And the Homebrew Style Challenge Keeps Giving…

The adventure doesn’t stop there. Coming up over the next few months:

• October — Rauchbier — Paul Schumann
• November — Milkshake IPA — Oren
• January — Belgian Dubbel — Rich Hall
• February — Imperial Stout — Dave Harrison
• Later in 2027 — Belgian Sour — Justin Clarke

That’s quite a collection of styles — smoky, fruity, sweet, dark, sour and everything in between.

Which is precisely the point of this homebrew style challenge.

It’s about brewing something you might not otherwise choose, learning a little along the way, and giving the rest of the club a chance to taste the results.

Brew It. Twist It. Share It.

And here’s the best part: the recipes from Beers from a Hat will be made available in the Durban Homebrewers Club recipe library on our website.

So don’t just read about them — have a look, brew one yourself and put your own spin on it.

Change the hops. Adjust the grain bill. Try a different yeast. Make it your own.

But there is one important condition:

If you brew it, bring some tasters to the next club meeting.

Because a recipe shared is good.

A recipe brewed, poured into a glass and passed around the table?

That’s what this homebrew style challenge — and homebrewing generally — is all about.

✕ ❮ ❯

Most homebrewers approach brew day with a certain reverence. The grain is milled just so. The mash rests for a full 60 minutes. The boil runs for an hour. And then the beer sits in the fermenter for however long it takes to be ready — not a day sooner.

The Short and Shoddy Challenge throws all of that out the window.

Inspired by the Brulosophy “Short & Shoddy” approach, this challenge asks DHB members to brew a beer using a simplified, stripped-back process — and then see if anyone can tell the difference. Fast as possible. Still drinkable. Maximum hustle.

What Is the Short and Shoddy Challenge?

The idea is simple: brew a beer using shortcuts that conventional wisdom says you shouldn’t take, and then let the beer speak for itself.

Brewing science has come a long way. Enzymes work faster than we once thought. Yeast is more forgiving than the old guard will admit. And a confident brewer with a tight process can put out a genuinely solid beer in a fraction of the time a traditional brew day requires.

This challenge is about proving it. Not sure how a standard mash or boil works? Our beginner’s guide to brew day covers the full process — so you know exactly what you’re shortcutting.

The Brief

Brew any style you like, but you must stick to Short and Shoddy Challenge principles:

• Short mash — 20 to 30 minutes
• Short boil — 15 to 30 minutes
• Simplified water adjustments — optional, but keep it realistic
• Faster turnaround where possible — without forcing obvious off-flavours

The spirit of the challenge is efficiency and experimentation — not laziness. You’re not cutting corners because you can’t be bothered. You’re cutting corners to find out which corners actually matter.

Suggested Styles

While any style is welcome, some lend themselves better to the Short and Shoddy approach than others. The following styles are suggested (not required):

• Pale Ale / Blonde / Kölsch-ish
• American Wheat
• Simple Lager with pressure fermentation (if you’re set up)

Lighter, cleaner styles tend to reward a tight Short and Shoddy process. But if you fancy attempting a robust porter with a 20-minute mash, nobody’s going to stop you. Results may vary.

Rules

To keep things honest, the following rules apply:

• You must disclose your shortcuts — mash length, boil length, fermentation temperature and pressure, and anything else worth noting
• No cheating with “it sat for 8 weeks” — the spirit is fast
• The beer must be clean enough to serve to humans

Transparency is part of the game. A Short and Shoddy Challenge beer that tastes great is impressive. A Short and Shoddy Challenge beer that tastes great when you’ve documented every shortcut is a genuine achievement worth celebrating.

What to Submit

• 3 × 350ml bottles (or equivalent)
• A “Short and Shoddy log” — bullet points are fine, no essays required

The log is your evidence. It shows the judges exactly what you did and how fast you did it. Think of it as your process receipt.

How It Will Be Judged

Judging will focus on three things, in order of priority:

• Drinkability first — if you wouldn’t serve it to a friend, it’s not there yet
• Style resemblance second — does it taste like what you were going for?
• Process execution — did the shortcuts still produce a quality result?

The judges won’t be looking for a perfect BJCP specimen. They’ll be looking for a beer that’s clean, enjoyable, and honest about what it is.

Get Brewing

If your brew day finishes before your mate has even milled his grain, you’re doing it right.

The Short and Shoddy Challenge is about rethinking assumptions, testing the boundaries of process, and — if everything goes according to plan — walking away with a cold beer and a much shorter brew day than usual.

Start planning your recipe, sharpen your process, and get ready to go fast. If you’re interested in other DHB competitions, check out our Brew to Style 3 competition — UK beers are up next.

The kettle isn’t going to heat itself.

Durban Homebrewers Club welcomes The Brewmistress for an evening of great beer, fascinating stories and plenty of laughs.

There are few things quite like getting together with your beer family. Add a few good beers, plenty of laughter and a room full of people who genuinely love brewing, and you have the recipe for a memorable evening.

That was certainly the case on Thursday, 27 August, when the Durban Homebrewers Club gathered at Taps on Twenty 4 for our monthly meeting — and welcomed a very special guest, beer writer, educator and all-round beer enthusiast Lucy Corne, The Brewmistress.

The evening got off to the right start, with members choosing from an impressive selection of beers available at the bar. From a Dortmunder from Lions River Brewery, to Rob’s very own Weiss from the DHB tap, and a splash of El Juicy from That Brewery, there was something for every palate — and, naturally, nobody was left thirsty for long.

A massive thank you to Mike, Michelle and Carter for hosting us and consistently making Taps on Twenty 4 feel like home. Your hospitality, beer selection and general awesomeness are very much appreciated.

You are LEGENDS!

Durban Homebrewers – Brewing, Beer & What’s Coming Up

Once everyone had settled in with a beer in hand, we got down to the formalities, including announcements about the upcoming Oktoberfest at The Westville Warehouse.

The event will give our homebrewers an opportunity to showcase some of their latest creations alongside the four Intervarsity Brew™ beers brewed earlier this month — another exciting opportunity for our members to share their passion and, of course, let other beer lovers taste what they have been brewing.

And then it was time to hand the evening over to our guest.

Enter The Brewmistress

If you’ve spent any time around South African craft beer, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Lucy Corne.

Better known as The Brewmistress, Lucy is a beer writer, educator, judge and author, as well as an Advanced Cicerone®. With a career spent telling the stories behind the beer — and the people who make it — she has become one of the familiar voices of South African and African beer.

She is also the founder of South African National Beer Day, so if you’ve ever needed an official excuse to celebrate South African beer, you can basically thank Lucy.

But Lucy doesn’t just talk about beer. She goes looking for it.

Her Beer Safari has become a journey through breweries, brewers, beer cultures and downright fascinating stories that make Africa’s beer landscape so much more interesting than simply asking, “What’s on tap?”

Lucy shared photographs and stories from her travels with the club, giving us a glimpse into some of the breweries she has encountered across Africa. Her current Beer Safari project is expanding the journey into an all-Africa edition, with the new book planned for late 2027.

And, naturally, it didn’t take long before several members were mentally adding destinations to their bucket lists.

Elephants, Beer & the Okavango

One of the evening’s most unexpected stories came from Botswana’s Okavango Brewing Company.

Because apparently elephants and beer aren’t two words that normally belong in the same sentence — but perhaps they should.

The brewery has developed a fascinating relationship between beer, local agriculture and elephant conservation. By buying surplus millet from elephant-aware farmers at above-market prices and brewing it into beer, the brewery helps create an economic incentive for farmers to protect elephant corridors and support coexistence.

It’s a brilliant example of how a brewery can become part of a much bigger story — one involving agriculture, conservation, communities and, yes, elephants.

And if that wasn’t enough to make Botswana worth a visit, Lucy also took us on a journey to another lesser-known beer destination: Waterkloof Brewery in Philippolis. Unassuming from the outside, perhaps, but apparently packing plenty of flavour where it matters most.

Another brewery for the bucket list? Absolutely.

Beer From a Hat: American Wheat

Durban Homebrewers Club meetings would not be complete without a little homebrew — and this month brought another instalment of our new Beers From a Hat series.

The featured beer was an American Wheat Beer brewed by Anelda Fouché.

American Wheat is an easy-drinking, refreshing wheat beer with a clean fermentation character. Expect a pale yellow-to-golden appearance, a soft bready or grainy wheat character, moderate-to-high carbonation and a light-to-medium body. Unlike a traditional German Weissbier, the American version keeps the yeast character much cleaner, avoiding the familiar banana and clove notes, while allowing a gentle hop character — often citrusy, floral, spicy or fruity — to make an appearance.

In other words: wheat character without the Weizen drama — crisp, refreshing and very easy to enjoy.

The recipes from our Beers From a Hat series will soon be available in the DHB Beer Library, so members can recreate some of the beers we’ve been enjoying together. And there is already another beer waiting in the wings — next up is a Rice Lager brewed by Megan Gemmell, so make sure you don’t miss the next meeting!

Things Are About to Get Short & Shoddy

Just when you thought brewing couldn’t get any more relaxed, DHB is taking things a step further.

Our next Challenge Series is called Short & Shoddy. And yes, the name is exactly as glorious as it sounds.

The basic idea is simple: brew a beer in the shortest, simplest and least fussy way possible — and see if you can still make something good. Short mash? Sure. Short boil? Why not. Cut a few corners? That’s rather the point.

It’s less about throwing brewing technique completely out the window and more about questioning which parts of our carefully followed brewing rituals actually matter.

For the September challenge, any beer style goes. Your mission is simply to brew it Short & Shoddy. Bring three bottles of your brew to the September meeting, let your fellow brewers taste and rate it — and that’s it. No complicated judging. No overthinking. Simple.

Another Night in the Books

Eventually, as all good beer evenings must, the night wound down over good food, empty glasses and the kind of conversations that make you realise you’ve been standing around talking about beer for considerably longer than planned.

But that’s what makes these evenings special. The beer brings us together. The stories keep us there. And the people make it a beer family.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this our biggest turnout of the year so far. To the brewers, beer drinkers, judges, hosts, storytellers and everyone who simply came along for the ride:

Cheers to you.

Until next time, keep brewing, keep sharing and — most importantly — keep the glasses full.

DHB, signing off. 🍻

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Not sure what to do with all that payday cash? We have an idea.

Buy some grain, grab some hops and brew a batch of delicious beer for the upcoming Durban Homebrewers Brew To Style 3!

Our third Brew To Style competition for 2026 is coming up in September, which means now is the perfect time to get brewing. This round we’re heading across the pond and tackling UK Beers, with everything from easy-drinking British Bitters to big, bold Strong British Ales on the table.

What is Brew To Style?

Brew To Style, or BTS, is our quarterly Durban Homebrewers competition designed to get us brewing, experimenting and learning more about different beer styles.

Rather than everyone entering completely different beers, each BTS focuses on a selected group of BJCP styles. It gives us an opportunity to dig a little deeper into what makes those beers unique and, more importantly, try brewing them ourselves.

Your beer doesn’t have to be perfect. That’s part of the point.

Brew it, enter it and get some useful feedback on where you got it right and where you could improve the next batch.

Brew to Style 3 – UK Beers

For Brew To Style 3 we’re working our way through some of the classic beers of Britain, Scotland and Ireland. The eligible BJCP styles are:

• 11 – British Bitter
• 12A & 12C – Pale Commonwealth Beer
• 13 – Brown British Beer
• 14 – Scottish Ale
• 15 – Irish Beer
• 16 – Dark British Beer
• 17 – Strong British Beer

That’s a pretty big playground for a homebrewer.

You could keep things light and sessionable with a Best Bitter, brew a malty Scottish Heavy, try your hand at an Irish Red Ale, go dark with a Sweet Stout, or push the ABV with something like an English Barleywine.

There are plenty of styles to choose from, so find something you haven’t brewed before and give it a go.

Get Brewing Now

Not familiar with the style guidelines? Download the free BJCP Style Guidelines and use them to guide your recipe. Judging takes place on Saturday, 26 September 2026, with entries closing on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.

That might sound like plenty of time, but we all know how quickly brew day becomes “I’ll do it next weekend.”

Depending on what you’re brewing, you’ll need time for fermentation, conditioning and carbonation before your bottles are ready for judging. If you’re thinking about one of the bigger beers in Category 17, you’ll probably want to give it even more time to come together.

So don’t leave it until the last minute. Payday has arrived. The ingredients are calling. Get that brew day booked!

Judging at Taps on 24

Taps on 24 will be hosting our BTS 3 judging on 26 September 2026.

Each beer will be judged according to its entered BJCP style, giving you the opportunity to see how your beer stacks up against the style guidelines and the other beers entered by Durban Homebrewers.

And remember, competitions aren’t only about winning.

Getting constructive feedback on your beer is one of the best ways to improve your brewing. If you want to sharpen your ability to evaluate beer before judging day, check out our recent sensory training session recap. Sometimes a small change to your recipe, fermentation temperature, water chemistry or process can make a huge difference to the next batch.

So the question is… what are you brewing for BTS 3?

Brew to Style 3 – Tips for Brewing British Styles

British beers are known for their balance, drinkability and the emphasis on malt character over hop bitterness. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you plan your brew:

• Water chemistry matters. British styles traditionally use harder water with higher sulphate levels for bitters and softer water for milds and stouts. Take a look at your water profile before brew day.
• British yeast strains are your friend. The right yeast makes a big difference in British beers. Look for strains that accentuate malt character and produce that classic English ester profile.
• Don’t overcomplicate the recipe. Many of these styles are simple grain bills that rely on quality ingredients and good process rather than complexity.
• Temperature control during fermentation is key — especially for styles where diacetyl can be a concern. Give your beer a proper diacetyl rest if needed.

Above all, have fun with it. Brew to Style 3 is about learning and experimenting. Even if your first attempt at a British style doesn’t go exactly to plan, you’ll come away with valuable experience and a beer worth sharing.


Drop off at Beyond Brewing, Hillcrest. If you can’t get to Beyond Brewing or you live in another part of KZN and would like to enter, please get hold of Justin Clark or any of the committee members.

Cost of entry is R50 (first entry of the year is free) and can be paid into the club account or use our Zapper code, both linked in the description on our WhatsApp group

The KZN Intervarsitybrew™ Homebrew Challenge 2026 brought Durban Homebrewers together with the Intervarsitybrew™ teams from 1000 Hills, UKZN PMB, DUT and UKZN Westville Campus for a Brew Day this past weekend.

The aim of this Brew Day was to transfer brewing knowledge to these students on their quest to become Master Brewers. 😎🍻 If you’re curious about what happens on a brew day, our Brewing Beer for Beginners series covers exactly that.

Lions River Craft Brewery and Langton’s hosted the event on a day that was a perfect reflection of a Durban winter’s day. Great weather, good company and plenty of brewing equipment made the Assagay venue the perfect setting for a full day of hands-on homebrewing.

KZN Intervarsitybrew™ Homebrew Challenge 2026: The Brew Day

The HLT and urns had water ready at strike temperature, and students and brewers set up their equipment and ingredients for an early start. Let the Brew Day commence!

Students had a hands-on experience with their brews on the day, using recipes they had created themselves with guidance from the Homebrewers. A few mistakes were made, and some quick thinking from the Homebrewers taught the students valuable lessons, but throughout the day the students were eager to learn and soaked up the knowledge shared with them by experienced brewers.

Questions were asked and answered, notes were taken and lessons were learned, from water chemistry to where hops come from. Knowledge that some seasoned brewers might take for granted, like hoppy beers benefiting from more gypsum in the water chemistry or how different hop products such as Cryo hops can be used, was invaluable to these budding brewers. Speaking of developing your palate as a brewer, check out how we used bad beer to become better brewers.

Bennie Jordaan from Beyond Brewing was on hand, ready to answer questions and provide any guidance the teams needed, bringing his expertise and knowledge of the craft to the day. Questions about equipment, different mashing temperatures and cooling methods were right in his wheelhouse, and the students loved picking his brain. Thank you, Bennie!

With the brews done, OGs measured and equipment cleaned, the students had the opportunity to grab a cold beer (sponsored by The Westville Warehouse and Langton’s – THANK YOU!) and enjoy a relaxed braai with the DHB Homebrewers, chatting about the craft that we all love so much.

Tanielle from Langton’s kept everyone hydrated with brews like the debut of DHB Pale Ale, Langton’s Rye Amber and Lions River Dortmunder, all three being equal favourites amongst those who attended the day.

Justin, Megan, Dion, Emile and Anelda from the DHB Club led the Intervarsity teams through their individual brews with immense knowledge and passion for the craft. Each team had their own recipe and their own unique approach to the day, which made for a fantastic range of brews that everyone is excited to taste at Oktoberfest in October.

Our resident photographer, Tania, flowed between the setups to document the day with her camera set to ready, aim, shoot! Keep your eyes on our socials for more content and fun to follow from the day.

Vote for the KZN Intervarsitybrew™ Homebrew Challenge 2026 Champions

Now that all has been said and done, want to experience the brews and select your favourite?

They will all be served at The Westville Warehouse Oktoberfest – Homebrewers Edition on Sunday 4 October 2026.

Vote for your favourite and let’s see who will be crowned the KZN Intervarsitybrew™ Homebrew Challenge 2026 Champions!

Details on how to vote and more information to follow soon, so watch this space!

See you there!!

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On Saturday, 15 August, Megan from Clockworks Brewery hosted a sensory training session for our brewers at 1000 Hills Chef School. Thanks to CBASA and Heineken, we were treated to a professional sensory kit and a supply of Castle Lager, which became our testing ground for the day.

The sensory kit was designed to help identify characteristics and off-flavours caused by everything from contaminating organisms and raw materials to problems within the brewing process itself.

For an inexperienced brewer, words like isovaleric, acetaldehyde and diacetyl probably don’t mean much. But what if you were told they could taste or smell like old cheese, green apples or butterscotch?

Suddenly they become a lot easier to recognise. This is why drinking bad beer in a structured training environment is so effective.

More importantly, these flavours can tell you something about what happened during your brew. Old or oxidised hops, stressed yeast, poor fermentation practices and problems during the brewing process can all leave clues behind in the finished beer.

That’s where sensory training becomes incredibly useful.

It’s not simply about learning to identify that something tastes wrong. It’s about understanding why it’s there, what caused it and what you can change in your brewing process to prevent it from happening again.

Why Drinking Bad Beer Trains Your Palate

The tasting started with an explanation of why sensory training is so important and how these skills can be applied not only to brewing, but also to beer judging and simply becoming better at understanding and enjoying beer.

Then the fun started.

Sample after sample of dosed beer was judged on aroma, flavour and mouthfeel. Each characteristic was carefully explained, along with its likely cause and what a brewer could do to prevent or correct it.

Descriptions like butterscotch, green apple and even puncture repair kit started being thrown around the room.

As strange as some of those descriptions might sound, they give us a common language for recognising what is happening inside a beer. Once you’ve smelled or tasted one of these characteristics in isolation, it becomes much easier to recognise it when it appears in one of your own brews.

And that’s really the value of drinking bad beer as a deliberate training method.

It teaches you to slow down and deliberately evaluate your beer rather than simply deciding whether you like it or not. Drinking bad beer helps you understand what great beer should actually taste like.

The Brewing Process Matters

One of the biggest takeaways from the session was just how much every part of the brewing process matters.

• Good quality and fresh ingredients matter.
• Healthy yeast matters.
• Fermentation temperature matters.
• Cleaning and sanitation matter.
• And having a deliberate and repeatable brewing process matters.

Being able to recognise an off-flavour is useful. Being able to trace it back to something in your process and prevent it from happening again is what ultimately makes you a better brewer.

After an afternoon of drinking bad beer and putting our taste buds through their paces, the brewers were rewarded with some great pizzas and, thankfully, some beer that wasn’t deliberately dosed with off-flavours, courtesy of Doctrine, Clockworks and 1000 Hills Breweries.

Feedback from the majority of those who attended was extremely positive, with many saying they would happily attend this type of training again.

It opened up a different side of brewing that we don’t always think about. We spend a lot of time worrying about recipes, hops, malt, temperatures and equipment, but ultimately our senses are still one of the most important tools we have.

The better we become at tasting beer, the better we can become at brewing it. If you want to put your palate to the test, our Brew to Style competitions are a great way to get structured feedback on your brews.

Who would have thought that drinking bad beer, on purpose, could give you the tools to become a great brewer?

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