Here’s what I learned in a nutshell about Cape Town, South Africa’s beer industry: they like wine. So if you want a beer, then I hope you’re okay with mass-produced lagers.

I had some preconceived notions that I’d be trying exotic brews with fancy flavors. My dreams were slowly brought back to reality as soon as I left the airport; my first sighting of anything beer related was a Heineken billboard. The second sighting was for Castle lager. Brewed by SABMiller, Castle is South Africa’s very own pilsner style lager and it actually tastes mass-produced if you can imagine.

The typical restaurant will have pages of fine wines available, differing at every establishment you visit. However, the beer menu seemed to be the same just about everywhere. I would find Heineken, Castle, Hansa, and a Namibian brew called Windhoek.

While talking to waiters and bartenders, I did not have gain much hope for the future of fine brewing in South Africa. For the bartender, everything was about the wine. Mixed drinks were a close second. Beer was a distant third priority, almost treated as an afterthought. Hansa was the bright spot for me because I found Hansa Marzen Gold to be surprisingly complex when compared to the other offerings.

In Cape Town’s defense, they are a city with a large tourist population. So maybe they are catering to the masses? I have heard rumors and whispers about the growing popularity of a brewing culture. If that is true, it has not yet reached the restaurant and nightlife scene.

To end with a practical note: In South Africa, like some other foreign countries, light beer means low alcohol content not low calories, so when traveling don’t assume light beers are made to keep you skinny.

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