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- A uniquely South African beer was launched over the weekend.
- Ibhiya is available at Olde 65 in Makhanda.
- It is a blend with 20% authentic African umqombothi sour mash, added to African sorghum/wheat beer.
An Eastern Cape man stunned beer lovers by creating a new, uniquely South African beer, made from traditional African umqombothi and craft beer.
William Yell, owner of Featherstone Brewery and Entrepid Brewing in Makhanda, said his idea was to develop a product that was "as South African as possible".
Yell showcased his new beer, Ibhiya, on Saturday at Makhanda's Craft Beer Crawl, an annual event organised by his brewery in partnership with Makana Tourism.
Ibhiya is a blend consisting of 20% authentic African umqombothi sour mash, added to African sorghum/wheat beer, finished with South African hops and honey, and then fermented with beer yeast.
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"After moving from Johannesburg to the farm, it took a while to find someone to teach me to brew traditional umqombothi as everyone has their own unique process, so with some help that was the first step," said Yell.
"Sour beers had also been gaining in popularity in the craft industry, so my idea was to merge these two concepts and create something local by a fusion of modern beer brewing and traditional methods."
Yell said Ibhiya is the perfect choice for those wanting to explore different craft beer flavours, which are slightly sour, but steeped in tradition.
Specialised yeast
"I kept it as local South African as possible – only the specialised yeast was imported," he said.
Fermentation, though, is a bit faster than normal because the alcohol content is lower than standard beers – about 3.5%.
It takes 21 days for the beer to be ready for drinking.
While regular bottled beer is best before six months and the canned product stays fresh for up to a year, this blend of umqombothi beer is not a standard beer, so it expires between four to six weeks.
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Featherstone Brewery and Entrepid Brewing is located at Aloe and Elephant Lodge, just outside Makhanda.
It is one of the stops on the province's Craft Brewing, Distilling and Wine Route, which offers tourists a chance to experience various local breweries and distilleries.
The Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency launched the project in partnership with the Liquor Board.
Makana Tourism's acting director, Prudence Mini, said a limited edition of iBhiya was available at Olde 65, on 65 New Street, in Makhanda.
Mini said the Saturday craft beer tour was "a kickstart to many other events on the Makana calendar that will help our visitors and locals alike to explore the area through unique experiences".
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