Craft beer is the Justin Bieber of the beer world. It’s trendy, young, fresh and it is gathering a following faster than the Canadian pop singer.  Luckily the effects of “craft beer fever” are a little more subtle than “Bieber-fever”, and most of us are able to resist the urge to scream like a girl and grab that cold brewskifrom the barman with both hands. Although, I must say, sometimes it takes a huge amount of self-control not to.With over 40 craft breweries across the country if you haven’t asked yourself what it is all about then this article will help turn you into a Be(er)liever.

Craft beer is essentially beer made by small, independent breweries using traditional methods. These beers are generally free of nasty chemicals and are brewed by hand rather than by computers and machines. Most craft brewers started out life in other professions and followed a dream to become brewers. As a result they tend to have an alternative attitude and approach to brewing, and they are often keen to get creative, not only with their brewing techniques, but also with the marketing of their beers. These artisanal products compete on the basis of quality and diversity rather than price.

Craft brewing in South Africa began back in the 1980’s when Lex Mitchell opened Mitchell’s Brewery in Knysna. Mitchell’s was South Africa’s inaugural microbrewery and any beer drinker worth his weight will remember  Mitchell’s deliciously light lager known as ForestersandSouth Africa’s first ‘real ale’Bosuns.Some years later, male models turned marketing maestros, RuiEsteves and Brad Armitage, co-founders of Vida e Caffé, saw the shift the in the international market from coffee to craft beer and began changing our perception of beer. The pair opened⋃ offering beer aficionados a place to enjoy a great craft beer and a simple but delicious bite to eat. They were the first to offer the South African consumer food and beer pairing ideas and, once again,Esteves and Armitage were setting trends for fellow South Africans to follow.