Partners: GoodsFromJapan | JapanVisitor | PortugalVisitor

South African Culture: South African Beer

South African Beer

South Africa has a fine tradition of beer production dating back much further than the Dutch turning up in 1650s with Zulu and Sotho people brewing up quenching suds well before Europeans settled.

Despite the rich history of ale in the region the only beer you will find in the stadiums is the Yankee drop of Budweiser as Anheuser-Busch have once again thrown their weight about to become ‘The Official Beer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup'.

Even with long established domestic brands such as Castle and Amstel as well as international best sellers Miller Genuine Draft and Pilsner Urquell South African Breweries Ltd. conceded that it couldn't match its American counterparts in the $100 sponsorship bid.

Luckily for those of us who see football and beer as peas in a pod there will be ample scope to taste local brews in lively pubs from Pretoria to Port Elizabeth.

For the more health conscious among us who may tempted to give the sauce in South Africa a wide berth while following the fiesta of football can I just point you towards the potentially life saving qualities of taking a regular swig.

Beer is rich in Vitamin B which when in the body produces an odour in your sweat which is as unappealing to the local mosquitoes as a quarter-final penalty shootout is to an England fan.

To double your defences you may wish to wash down your pint with a gin and tonic chaser as that drink contains Quinine which was the malaria drug of choice before Larium came on the scene.

So with the benefits of the booze in no doubt the question is what particular drop do you get stuck into first? For all the down the nose attitude towards Budweiser, it turns out that most of the best selling South African beers are as close to cooking lager as it gets.

Within a month long tournament even the session ales have their merits though, if you find yourself in Durban why not take yourself along to the Prospecton brewery of SAB Ltd.

The pristine complex is a Mecca to modern brewing techniques with a nod of the hat to the long tradition of brewing in the KwaZulu-Natal province.

Prospecton floods all corners of the world with 400 million litres of Castle Lager, Castle Draught, Castle Lite, Castle Milk Stout, Hansa Pilsener, Amstel Lager and Redd's Premium Dry and Cold every year.

Tours of the behemoth brewery are held daily and culminate in an inevitable tasting event which has potential to spill over into a real fill your boots session.

If the brewery tour has whetted the appetite bear in mind that the Prospection site is just one of eight beerific spots which make up The Brew Route of the Zulu Kingdom of KwaZulu-Natal.

If your team gets knocked out early what better plan to fall back on that take a few days to tackle the Brew Route before sleeping off the hangover on the flight home.

As well Prospecton why not tease your taste buds in Congella of United National Breweries and the Firkin Hophouse Micro Brewery and Pub both in Durban.

After trips to these your session stamina should be peaking and there will be nothing stopping you venturing on to the Nottingham Road Brewery, Wartburger Brauhaus, Ijuba-United National Breweries, Shongweni Brewery and finally staggering in and out of the Zululand Brewing Company in Eshowe.

In a country which has produced delightfully named footballers such Naughty Makoena and Tonic Chabalala why should the names of their beer be any different?

With that in mind look forward to sampling Tiddley Toad lager, Pie-Eyed Possum pilsner and the Whistling Weasel pale ale while trawling through the Zulu Kingdom.

For those looking for the most authentic annihilation experiences they should search out Sorghum beer which is the traditional tipple of the Zulu people.

Whether you make it along to the brewery tours or simply wait for the goods to come to you in the pubs of South Africa there is no reason for the beer enthusiast to worry about a slump in quality after the exceptional range of beers on offer in Germany last time out.

From the bare-chested brawler to the CAMRA connoisseur with over 70 types of beer available there will be something for everyone in the Rainbow Nation.

Happy quaffing in South Africa 2010, mine's a pint of Whistling Weasel.

South African food
South African wine

Flight Tickets

Expedia has good flight deals and flight, hotels and car hire packages for South Africa.

"The Onside In-Site" Copyright © From 2000. All rights reserved. Soccerphile Ltd.