SAM MUKWAMU
Drayman’s Brewery and Distillery is a South African craft brewery that first opened in 1997. The brewery is located in Silverton, Pretoria, where they not only brew craft beers, but their own Highveld Single Malt Whiskey and Hakkiesdraad Mampoer as well. PDBY had a chat with the brewery ahead of their appearance at this year’s Capital Craft Beer Festival.
On your website, you speak of being on a quest to establish a craft beer culture in South Africa, citing the Germans as an example. Do you think an event such as the Capital Craft Beer Festival is a step in the right direction to achieve this?
When we started in 1997, there was no such thing as craft beer. I think we have done our job extremely well in establishing a life after SAB. We surely couldn’t have done it alone!
Festivals like the Capital Craft Beer Fest made it possible to showcase all of our products to 8000+ people in one day. To sell and market our beers to those people individually, is an extremely daunting task. We are very grateful for the support form Capital Craft over the years and they have played a big role in helping us establish a craft beer culture.
What are you most excited to showcase to people at the festival?
The diversity of Drayman’s Brewery & Distillery
Seeing as you’re located in Pretoria, what has been the response to your beers been like, from the restaurants, bars and bottle stores to which you supply your beers in Gauteng?
We have always been greatly supported by the Pretoria crowd. The most frequent compliment we get is that the beer is fresh!
Having been around since 1997, how has it been seeing the appreciation for craft beer grow in South Africa since then?
We’ve seen the rise and the fall of craft beer. We have great expectations for the next rise!
Apart from just showcasing your beer, how do you plan on educating festival goers about the art of drinking gently and responsibly?
A beer engages all 5 senses. During the 15 second pour, we always try to educate the customer as much as possible about the beer they are buying. Hopefully they will stimulate each sense with caution, interest and enjoyment.
Image: Provided
