South African breweries have just shown Africa (and the world) that our craft beer scene is stronger than ever, bringing home a bucketload of medals from the 2025 African Beer Cup.
South Africa (28 May 2025) – South African craft brewers have plenty to celebrate after a stellar showing at the 2025 African Beer Cup, the continent’s largest beer competition.
Local breweries clinched dozens of medals across a broad range of categories, from classic lagers and ales to innovative sour beers and even mead, cementing South Africa’s prominent place in Africa’s flourishing craft beer scene.
This year’s competition featured nearly 260 brews from 14 African countries, all vying for top honours. An international panel of expert judges evaluated the entries over several days in Cape Town, ultimately awarding medals to the best beers in each category and crowning one overall champion. By the end of the awards ceremony, South African breweries had earned an impressive haul of gold, silver and bronze medals, including the prestigious “Best Beer in Africa” title for the second year running.
Leading the South African triumphs is Soul Barrel Brewing, a boutique brewery from Franschhoek, which once again clinched the Best Beer in Africa award. Soul Barrel’s Wild African Soul, a collaboration with Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela of Tolokazi Beer, was the gold medal winner in the African Speciality Beer category and also beat out every other beer in the competition to claim the overall top prize.
This unique beer blends a traditional sorghum umqombothi with a farmhouse ale and ages it for two years in wine barrels. The result is a complex, soulful brew that wowed judges.
“Winning Best Beer in Africa three times shows the world just how exciting African beer can be. Winning with a beer based on umqombothi sends a message that South Africa has a fascinating beer culture, and at Soul Barrel we aim to tell its story,” said Nick Smith, founder of Soul Barrel.
Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela added, “On behalf of Tolokazi Beer, I am deeply honoured to receive this recognition for Wild African Soul… This award is a true reflection of our dedication to crafting distinctly African beers — celebrating our heritage and embracing the richness of indigenous knowledge.”
This marks the second year in a row that a South African beer from Soul Barrel has taken the top title, making them the only brewery to have won Best Beer in Africa three times. In addition to the overall trophy, Soul Barrel picked up more medals, including gold for Ale of Origin and silver for Live Culture.
Celebrating South Africa’s Medal Haul
South African breweries of all sizes, from independent microbreweries to major beverage companies, shone across nearly every category of the African Beer Cup. In total, South African brewers brought home dozens of medals, with standout performers like Richmond Hill Brewing Company (RHBC) earning five awards from five entries.
“We are very pleased with our performance as all the beers we entered won an award,” said RHBC brewmaster Niall Cook.
Other familiar names like Afro Caribbean Brewing Company, Jack Black’s, Darling Brew, Woodstock Brewery, and Hazeldean Brewing Co. also claimed multiple medals. Big players Heineken (Sedibeng Brewery) and AB InBev joined the winner’s list too, proving excellence across the board.
The variety of styles South African breweries excelled in is striking – from classic Czech lagers and British bitters to hazy IPAs, wild ales, spiced beers and beyond.
Here’s a snapshot of the top South African wins:
(Dozens more silvers and bronzes were also awarded across styles and regions.)
From Cape Town to Gqeberha, Joburg to the Winelands, the awards spanned every corner of South Africa, highlighting the strength of our national brewing scene. Whether it was experimental fermentation or classic brewing mastery, South African brewers showed their skill, creativity and dedication.
A Brief History of the African Beer Cup
The African Beer Cup launched in 2019, founded by Lucy Corne and Shawn Duthie to recognise and celebrate excellence in African brewing. Africa had been the only continent without a continental beer competition… until this one came along.
What began with 150 beers from 11 countries has grown each year. In 2025, nearly 260 beers from 14 countries entered the competition. New categories have been added to embrace African traditions, including beers brewed with indigenous grains and mead.
Held annually in Cape Town alongside BeerEx Africa, the cup has become the continent’s most prestigious beer competition, fostering collaboration and raising the standard of brewing across Africa.
All beers are judged blind by certified professionals. Each entry is evaluated by two panels independently and judged against strict international style guidelines. Medals are only awarded if a beer meets the threshold… meaning no guaranteed golds or silvers unless the beer earns it. Every gold-medal winner moves to a “Best of Show” round, where the Best Beer in Africa is crowned.
Each year, the overall winner is awarded a specially commissioned artwork, a unique way to honour the artistry of craft beer.
This year’s success proves that South Africa is not just participating in the craft beer movement, we’re leading it. Our brewers are creating world-class beers rooted in local heritage, pushing boundaries and proving that African flavour belongs on the global stage.
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