In the middle of the Cape Winelands, there is a site where for more than 50 years wine was produced, and now lies the home of Soul Barrel Brewing, producers of Live Grand Cru Culture, Africa’s best craft beer in 2022.

Dennis Cruywagen, writer for the Daily Maverick, was sitting in what was a wine cellar for Drakenstein Cooperative Winery 1906 until the mid 1980s. He describes how his eyes stopped on a proud announcement on a solid wall, in which some of the original mason work, including brown river rocks, were exposed. 

This is Africa’s best craft beer: Live Culture Grand Cru. (Photo: Supplied)

On 14 May the wild-fermented craft beer Live Grand Cru Culture was crowned 2022 champion of Africa at the African Beer Cup. This is an annual continental craft beer competition which was launched three years ago by beer writer Lucy Corne, and is the continent’s biggest beer competition.

Live Grand Cru Culture outperformed the competition in a competitive field of 250 entries from 14 different African countries.

Click here for Cruywagen’s full story.