Margate welcomes brewer gathering

BREWERS from all over South Africa will converge on Margate beach from July 3 to 5 to take part in a craft beer, wine and seafood festival.

The ‘Hook, Vine and Craft Beer festival’, as it will be called, will provide brewers will the facilities to offer tastings and to exhibit and serve their various brews.

Exhibitors will include the South Coast’s very own Basset Breweries, based in Pennington. Its products include ‘Befreckled Red’, an Irish Red ale, ‘Pennington Pride’ a smoked British porter, ‘Umdoni Gold’, a Belgian style golden ale, ‘Barking Blonde’, a European blonde ale plus a special limited edition seasonal ale, the first being their new winter ale, ‘The Dog Father’.

The organisers have also invited The Toti Brewing Company, Lions River Brewing Company and Old Main Brewery. According to Justin Mackrory, Ugu South Coast Tourism chief executive, more than 30 different craft draft and bottled beers will be on offer at this event. The festival could become one of the biggest craft beer happenings in this province.

Look out for Holger Meirs’ ‘The Beer Book.’ which takes you on a journey of discovery in the South African World of Beer.

Also taking part in the festival will be wine makers of Farragut 1303. This medieval bespoke wine spans from the 500BC period of western Europe, through to 1303 AD. Farragut 1303 wines are cultural wines, which are reproduced from centuries old methods. The wine on offer is rich and exquisite with a heavy seductive taste and aroma and will have lots of body.

A wine bar, set up under the palm trees on Margate beach, will offer a selected range of wines that can be paired with the plated seafood, fish and flame-grilled chicken that will be available.

A great line-up of guest entertainers at the festival will include gifted former Russian Philharmonic Orchestra electric violinist Marianna Eriksenc, on Friday, July 3 at 6pm, the hilarious Tequila Twins on Saturday, July 4, at 6pm, and the Kickstands on Sunday , July 5 at noon.

Entry to the festival costs R35 per person . For more information contact Vicky Wentzel 0828127944 or mail Vicky@wozaniafirca.co.za