Call Centre Extended Hours To assist our students during this peak admissions and registration period, the CPUT Call Centre will offer extended operating hours from 14 January until 27 February 2025. 7:30am - 7pm from Monday to Thursday.

 

Beware Fake Mails and Scammers Beware Fake Mails and Scammers. If not sure, please call CPUT Call Centre at 021 959 6767

Thursday, 21 November 2024

CPUT takes top spot at Wild African Ale title

 CELEBRATED AFRICAN QUEENS: The CPUT team, captained by Lamla Mayekiso and mentored by Thembelani Xolo, took home two categories Gold prize in African Wild Ale, and Silver prize in Aged Beer at the annual Intervarsitybrew Brewing & Tasting Challenge. CELEBRATED AFRICAN QUEENS: The CPUT team, captained by Lamla Mayekiso and mentored by Thembelani Xolo, took home two categories Gold prize in African Wild Ale, and Silver prize in Aged Beer at the annual Intervarsitybrew Brewing & Tasting Challenge.

In a weekend filled with creativity, camaraderie, and incredible brews, the Department of Food Science and Technology (DFST) team won first prize, worth R10 000, for the Wild African Ale category and second prize of R3000 for the Matured category at the annual Intervarsitybrew Brewing & Tasting Challenge, held at Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein.

These winnings are presented in the form of vouchers for Bev Plus, which is the company the team uses to purchase beer ingredients and equipment. The team mentor, Thembelani Xolo, said the event’s history dates back 21 years. Xolo said the first SAB-sponsored microbrewery was installed at the University of KwaZulu-NataL (UKZN) Pietermaritzburg Campus in 2003. He said this partnership between academia and industry was driven by the now-retired SAB Senior Trade Brewer, Ben Lamaletie.

In the year’s challenge participants from 18 institutions had to create an original label and brew six distinct beers. Presentations by student brew teams, sensory training, blind tasting by certified judges, and technical presentations by influential people and professionals in the craft and commercial brewing fields were all part of the two-day event. All South African institutions are eligible to participate in the tournament, which aims to advance beer culture and craft brewing in the country while promoting safe drinking.

“The uniqueness of the initiative was for students to be educated and have fun at the same time while showing their skills in a national brewing competition.”

Six team members, Lamla Mayekiso, Bongisiwe Zozo, Queen Motjatsi Letsoalo, and Nondumiso Mathabela, were able to participate in all six beer categories. The other team members were Henning Schulte, Nomonde Motsoeneng, Simphiwe Makhathini and Anathi Roto.

Xolo from the Department of Food Science and Technology said the first national Inter Varsity Beer Brewing Competition took place in August 2008 on the UKZN Pietermaritzburg campus. He is mentoring students to operate brewing equipment, and beer production and organising field trips to several artisan breweries in Cape Town.

To prepare for the competition the department allowed students to join the team but could only accommodate 10 students then the department used a register method to select those that were eligible to partake in the completion. Students are trained in the development of recipes (ingredient selection, milling, and the different stages of beer brewing and bottling) according to different styles. They are then introduced to the Beer Judge certification programme guidelines used to brew and the selection of beer style for each category for competition. “We then conduct a sensory evaluation to see if each beer conforms with the style selected,” Xolo remarked.

Reflecting on the team’s performance, Xolo said: “I'm thrilled and gratified, and the team feels the same way, the student will receive a certificate they can utilise the victory on their resume for job application.”

He continued: “The innovation that was used in utilising traditional umqombothi beer without losing its character, such as ingredients and taste which the students can relate with. This concept was mind-blowing and exciting for them. The winning part was a bonus for everyone. Being able to compete and win in all activities involving the university's unique research speciality is very important to the CPUT.”

Bongisiwe said this year’s competition marked her first time joining the brewing team and she was brought in because of her background in Chemistry. “What made it particularly meaningful was that this year's theme celebrated African Queens who brew umqombothi back home. As is often the case in African brewing, it is predominantly women who craft these traditional beers. In light of this, we named one of our beers "Queen Modjadji," honouring the legacy of powerful women in the brewing industry as a whole.”

Mayekiso, the captain, said: “Being able to brew in a conventional way for me is very close to my heart as my mother is a traditional brewer. Our winning beer was our greatest accomplishment as a team. We all resonated with the style of beer as we all know what mqombothi sensory tastes like and what we developed was really the best beer.”

Xolo added that the goal of the CPUT brewery is to demonstrate that sorghum, an African grain, can be utilised as a primary component as well as an adjunct in creating a variety of beers. “We make every effort to be innovative and allow students to do research and development. If we continue to make the same beer, we will undoubtedly continue to have the Wild African Ale title.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce