Brewery profile: Shongweni

South Africa is not a big, bountiful land of beer, at least not in terms of diversity or choice. In a nation of more than 50 million people, just three breweries command a 98% share of the entire beer market and there are just a dozen microbreweries.

Yet, on the outskirts of Durban, Englishman Stuart Robson and his wife Sherene are introducing some unusual, esoteric ales to the African continent.

From the small Shongweni Brewery, set-up in 2006, Robson is brewing bottle-conditioned ales and fruit beers using fresh, local ingredients and brewed using infusion mashes and ale yeasts in open fermentation vessels.

Through Pierhead Purchasing, a trade importer and distributor specialising in exotic beers and wines, Robson’s suds are now available in the country where he was born.

“I made my first ‘beer’ from a homebrew kit when I was 16 as a present for my dad’s birthday and just continued the passion through my degree in biology and later, when we had made the decision to set up the brewery, at Brewlab in the UK,” said Robson.

“As a young man I was fortunate that my local pub sold a variety of cask beers. I especially remember casks standing on the bar counter at Christmas, but my introduction to a wider world of beer came with a holiday to Europe where Belgian Abbey beers and French beers such as Jenlain came to my attention, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Before setting up Shongweni, Robson spent time with UK micro-breweries, bought a brewkit from Porter brewery and a bottling line from the Leek brewery. Bottle conditioned beers, it was decided, were a better bet than draught cask ale as Shongweni’s signature style.

“The local market was crying out for some real alternatives and we believed that we could produce beers influenced by the great beer styles,” said Robson. “We chose to produce bottle-conditioned beers as this provides us with control over the quality of the beer.

“Beer here tends to be keg beer and even then the skill of the bar staff in handling and dispensing beer often leaves a lot to be desired. As a new beer we could not afford to risk uncleaned dispensing equipment destroying our reputation before it has been built.

Located 700 metres above sea-level in an area known locally as the ‘Valley of 1000 Hills’ – “imagine the Lake District or Scottish lowlands but in a sub-tropical setting”, the brewery is home to an eclectic array of ales inspired by Europe and the US.

“Our fruit beers are inspired by Belgium but brewed with a sub-tropical climate in mind – they lean towards refreshment rather than a heavy, jammy palate,” added Robson, who brews three fruit-based seasonal ales using fresh, locally sourced mango, pineapple and strawberry.

Brewed like an ale yet served chilled like a lager, Robsons East Coast Ale has its origins in the golden ales but it’s designed to draw South Africans across the lager/ale dividing line.

The Durban Pale Ale, meanwhile, is based on the authentic IPA’s of Burton and London while the West Coast Ale reflects the ‘California Common’ style of beer – of which Anchor Steam is arguably the most renowned.

The Robsons wheat beer is Bavarian in style but, as there is a lack of local malted wheat, it is brewed with unmalted wheat and with a citrusy, Low Country lilt.

Opening South African eyes to ale has not been easy but growth has been steady and word and sip of Shongweni’s suds is spreading.

“The difficulty is predominantly in changing mindsets of firstly, consumers and then also the outlets who are used to being offered significant incentives by the large multi-nationals,” admits Robson.

“It is extremely difficult to obtain any beer that is not promoted by one of the major breweries. But that is in some ways good news for us since it makes our beers stand out even further in the local market as offering choice.”

British drinkers can get hold of Shongweni’s range of Robsons beers through Pierhead Purchasing.

Ben McFarland, 13.05.2010