Today, 5th of August, is International Beer Day, where beer lovers around the world come together to celebrate the art and science of brewing beer and to raise a toast to everyone who brews and serves beer.
South Africa is the largest beer producer and consumer on the African continent. The beer industry is also a major economic contributor sustaining over 250 000 jobs and contributing over R70 billion to the country’s GDP. The Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) therefore encourages people to celebrate our rich beer culture and heritage, by visiting and supporting our “Brew Routes”, which showcases 150 craft breweries across our beautiful country.
The Brew Routes interactive online map was launched in December 2020 with the aim of helping promote and support local breweries who were hard hit by the Covid-19 national lockdown and four alcohol bans. The map has expanded over the past two years and can be accessed by visiting www.brewroutes.co.za. .
We invite all South Africans to visit the website to find out which local craft breweries are situated in your area and go and visit these today and over the weekend. By supporting these local breweries, you can contribute towards their recovery as well as the growth of beer tourism in the country, which is a key focus of BASA.
One of the key pillars of the National Government’s Economic Recovery Plan is the resuscitation of the tourism industry, starting with domestic tourism. We believe the Brew Routes is directly aligned to government’s domestic marketing strategy, which is encouraging South Africans to travel their country and support local establishments.
While International Beer Day is an opportunity to come together with family and friends to celebrate all things beer, we encourage South African to drink safely, responsibly and in moderation.
Media Enquiries:
Nicole Mirkin (Press Officer)
084 552 3122