The first Thursday in August is celebrated by beer lovers worldwide as IPA Day. The day was started by beer writer Ashley Routson back in 2011 in the USA – you can read the full story over at All About Beer. As far as I can recall, the first IPA (India Pale Ale) Day celebration in South Africa was one year later, with Devil’s Peak spearheading a King’s Blockhouse bar crawl, and Banana Jam (in the days before there was a brewery upstairs) managing to scrape together eight IPAs on tap (including a couple of homebrewed versions).
These days IPAs abound, whether hazy or clear, session or imperial, black, red, white, brown, Belgian, brut or cold. IPA in its many, many variations is still the darling of the global craft beer scene and Thursday 1 August is the day to celebrate it in all its forms. Here are seven places to toast to IPA Day in South Africa:
The IPA – a style so mighty it even has its own dedicated glass
1. Afro Caribbean Brewing Company, Cape Town
The OG of IPA Day in South Africa, Afro Caribbean hosts an excellent party in Banana Jam’s upstairs brewery every year. This year there will be eight IPAs on tap, including two new hazies, Now Now and Just Now, as well as the return of favourites such as Alien Hop Addiction, King of the Jungle and Space Llama, winner of the Best Beer in Africa in the 2021 African Beer Cup.
2. Woodstock Brewery, Cape Town
Another staunch celebrator of IPA Day, Woodstock always celebrate with a selection of small batch beers available on special IPA Day taster trays. This year there are four to taste: Double Red IPA, Nitro Black IPA, Brut White IPA and a Strawberry Milkshake IPA, all dry hopped with Spectrum, a liquid hop product from BarthHaas.
3. Capital Craft, Pretoria
When I think back to that first IPA Day in South Africa, when Greg Casey struggled to fill eight taps with India Pale Ale, it wows me to read that Gauteng’s premier palace of beer, Capital Craft, will have more than 40 IPAs available on IPA Day this year – some on tap, some in can, some in the bottle. There’s also a homebrew club meeting at the bar that evening, so if you’re keen to start making your own IPAs at home, pull in for that first.
4. Charlie’s Garage, Cape Town
It’s always IPA Day at Charlie’s Garage in Noordhoek, the place for those that like their IPAs to be bitter and bold. Expect the taps to be loaded with IPAs and be sure to get a designated driver, for Charlie’s beers have a notorious kick. If you feel like getting started early, I’m planning to brew a session IPA with Charlie that morning – pull in to toss in some hops and join us for a beer.
5. Biggest Little Beer Shop, Cape Town and Karoo Craft Breweries, Paarl
The Biggest Little Beer Shop, one of Cape Town’s very best beer stores, has teamed up with Karoo Craft Breweries to bring you a limited edition double NEIPA. You can grab a pint of Apocalypse Breakfast Cereal (7.6% ABV) at BLBS or at the KCB taproom while stocks last.
6. Hazeldean Brewing Co , Pretoria
Drop by Hazeldean Brewing Co. on the outskirts of Pretoria to sample their new NEIPA, Hayfield Haze. They’re running a special on Thursday for IPA day – buy two pints of IPA and get a free branded buff to take home.
7. Aegir Project Independent Brewery, Cape Town
Aegir Project launches new beers most Thursdays, so it only makes sense that this week the launch beer is an IPA – specifically Nose Dive, a 6% ABV East Coast (aka hazy) IPA. Grab a pint and watch some epic surf wipe outs on the upstairs screens, or buy some cans and head home to enjoy IPA day while drinking beer in your pyjamas by the fire.
8. Spinal Tap, Cape Town
Observatory- based beer bar Spinal Tap is having a tap takeover for IPA Day. There will be five IPAs on tap: the 2024 wet hop IPA from Newlands Spring, 10,000 Miles, the session IPA from brand new Twice Blessed Brewing, Barking Dog’s Session IPA, Purple Haze from Charlie’s Garage and Tomahawk, shipped down from Johannesburg’s Agar’s Brewery especially for the occasion.
Know of other events taking place in South Africa for IPA Day? Please give me a shout with the details so that I can add them to this post and to the events calendar.
