Voting is now closed with almost 800 people choosing their favourites in the 2025 Brewmistress South African Beer Awards – a record number of voters! In some categories it was a very tight race, with just a few votes separating the winner from the runners up. Just under 44 per cent of the votes came from the Western Cape – about right since around 40 per cent of South African breweries are in that province – but votes were cast from all nine provinces as well as Lesotho, Botswana, Rwanda, Malawi, Seychelles, Ghana, Kenya, the UK and the US.
And here, I present you with the winners:
BEST BREWERY (BASED ON BEERS ALONE)
Aegir Project won best overall brewery, best destination brewery and the innovation award
Winner
Aegir Project Independent Brewery
Runners-Up
Afro Caribbean Brewing Co. and OC Brewery (tied with 23.6% of the votes)
BEST DESTINATION BREWERY
Winner
Aegir Project Independent Brewery
Runner-Up
Starke Brews
BEST LIQUOR STORE
Winner
Biggest Little Beer Shop
Runner-Up
Liquor City Groenkloof
BEST BEER BAR OR RESTAURANT
Winner
Okavango Craft Brewery in Maun, Botswana, won best African microbrewery outside South Africa
Capital Craft Beer Academy
Runner-Up
Banana Jam Café
BEST AFRICAN MICROBREWERY (OUTSIDE SA)
Winner
Runner-Up
Heritage Craft Brewery
BEST BEER FEST OR EVENT
Winner
Capital Craft Beer Festival
Runner-Up
Fools & Fans Beer Festival
BEST BEER BRANDING
Winner
Afro Caribbean Brewing Company
Runner-Up
Aegir Project Independent Brewery
BEST HOMEBREW STORE
Beer legends! (Trevor Gerntholtz and Johan Auriacombe)
Winner
Beyond Brewing
Runner-Up
Brewcraft
BIGGEST BEER STORY OF THE YEAR
Winner
The closure of Mad Giant in Johannesburg
INNOVATION AWARD
Winner
Aegir Project Independent Brewery
Runner-Up
OC Brewery
BEER LEGEND AWARD
Winner
Johan Auriacombe (Capital Craft)
Runner-Up
Trevor Gerntholtz (Fools & Fans)
Starke swept the best beers awards for the Margaux Pale Ale and Happy Hops
BEST NEW BEER (released for the first time in 2025)
Winner
Starke Brews: Margaux Pale Ale
Runner-Up
OC Brewery: Screamer
BEER OF THE YEAR
Winner
Starke Brews Happy Hops
Runner-Up
OC Brewery: Screamer
A massive thank you to all who voted – and especially those who also subscribed to the blog. Congratulations to all the winner and finalists. That’s a wrap for me for 2025. Go forth and support the local craft beer scene. See you in 2026!
