Harald Golob: Spreading the Beer Gospel

Harald Golob Spreading the Beer GospelWith his infectious laugh and legendary joke telling skills, one could easily be forgiven for mistaking Harald Golob for a professional entertainer. Even those closest to him, family and friends, will tell you that he never stops smiling and laughing. So, who better than this SAB Trade Brewer for the North Region to be, as he puts it, ‘spreading the Gospel according to beer’.

Food and beer pairing is growing in popularity worldwide and the SAB Trade Brewers are spearheading this trend locally. Through various initiatives such as festivals, brewery tours and training, these Trade Brewers are at the forefront of educating consumers and the trade on the world of beer and in doing so, they also help expose SAB’s brews and brands to some of South Africa’s most influential food and beer connoisseurs.

As one of SAB’s dedicated experts, this is where Harald Golob is in his element.

With his love of people, his engaging personality and his arsenal of witticisms he delights in entertaining and educating people about the beer making process, the distinctive characteristics of different beers and guiding them through the tasting experience. His poplar tasting sessions are invariably filled with fun and laughter and in 2011 alone, he entertained hundreds of people at various beer tasting events. When it comes to sharing his knowledge of beer and the art of food and beer pairing, it’s all about making memorable occasions, says Harald.

For him, doing what he does at present is the highlight of his career at SAB. When he can teach others about the wonderful world of beer, when he can get people from all walks of life to stop, pause, sip and enjoy the ‘golden satisfier’, as he calls it, and when those folks say WOW! it makes his day.

It’s all about making memorable occasions with his family, his wife and kids too. He calls them ‘my familia’ and he feels his greatest achievement would be to be remembered as ‘a half decent father and husband’.

Spare time for Harald is also time for reading and reflection. He looks for opportunities where he can spend time appreciating the unending beauty of nature with his kindle, loaded with all his favourite books, ever near. He most enjoys reading history as that is what links us to our past. Had it been possible, he would have loved to experience Babylon of old.

More realistic travel dreams, unsurprisingly, again reveal his love for food and beer. Exploring the heart of Italian cooking in the Tuscan Valleys and visiting Munich during the October Fest are on his list of things still to see and do. And the sheer indulgence of a luxury train journey through Switzerland is not something he would say no to either.

Life for Harald is about family, the companionship of sharing good food, good beer and laughter. It’s about creating memorable occasions. When asked what makes him tick, his reply was simply, ‘making people feel good about themselves’. By all accounts he’s doing a pretty good job so far.