![SAB intervarsity beer brewing challenge](\"https://sab-cms.azureedge.net/wp-content/2014/07/25_01_2_Blog.jpg")
SAB is calling all university microbrewery teams to participate in the 7th Annual SAB Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge.
The Intervarsity Challenge is a key element of SAB’s promotion of beer as the natural choice for the moderate and responsible drinker. As a low-alcohol beverage, beer is created to be savoured which adds to the enjoyment of life for the overwhelming majority of our consumers who drink it responsibly.
Categories
The Intervarsity Challenge thus seeks to promote responsible consumption amongst those students who chose to drink beer. In terms of the competition, products brewed under the following competition sponsored categories will be eligible to enter:
- Carling Black Label Champion Lager
- Redds Best Cider
- Millers Genuine Draft Best Speciality Beer
- Hansa Beeg Dreamer Best Label
- Castle Milk Stout Winter Warmer
The style for each of the competition categories, which determines the judges tasting guidelines, is set by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). Most beer styles are not defined by a single beer and many styles are broad, encompassing multiple statistical variants.
An additional award, the Castle Lager Best Bru, will be presented to the team with the overall best beer from any of the other categories.
Prizes
Each category carries prize money of between R10 000 and R25 000.
Further to this, participating university teams have the opportunity to win entry into an academic brewing programme offered by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling (IBD). The IBD is a longstanding partner of SAB Intervarsity Brewing Challenge and presents the overall winners of the competition with the Ben Lamaletie IBD floating trophy.
Student brewers
Participating universities each have their own micro-breweries where students brew, ferment, condition and package their beers prior to the final stages of the competition when they are tasted by independent and accredited craft beer tasters.
SAB has helped fund, along with the South African Stainless Steel Development Association (SASSDA), the construction of micro-breweries at several leading universities across South Africa. These micro-breweries serve as valuable teaching aids for students involved in microbiology, chemical technology and engineering programmes.
Over ten years of university brewing
The SAB Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge was founded by former SAB Senior Trade Brewer and pioneer Brewing Legend, Ben Lamaletie. It was through his efforts that SAB sponsored the first university micro-brewery at the University of KwaZulu Natal’s Pietermaritzburg campus in 2003.
SAB Prospecton Brewery in KZN and UKZN challenged teams from 6 other universities with micro-breweries to take part in the first Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge. The competition has since spread to many other Universities in South Africa, which took advantage of installing micro-breweries as part of their scientific syllabus.
While the concept of the intervarsity brewing challenge was started in 2003, the first official SAB Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge was initiated in 2006 as a means of encouraging responsible beer appreciation amongst students and to introduce prospective SAB employees to the business. In addition to this, SAB uses the initiative to help create a beer culture in South Africa.
Promoting a South African Beer Culture
“SAB actively works at encouraging a beer culture in South Africa by supporting the local craft brewing industry. Our Intervarsity Brewing Challenge helps us drive the growth of this important industry at a tertiary level, as well as provide opportunities for students to become part of business, ” says Anton Erasmus, SAB Trader Brewer.
For more information, please contact:
Azure Janneker, SAB Media and Communication on +27 79 505 6966 or Azure.Janneker@za.sabmiller.
