SALM TEAM 
The highly anticipated African Beer Cup Awards for 2023 was held on Saturday, 22 April 2023, with South Africa’s Richmond Hill Brewing Co winning the award for ‘Best Beer in Africa’. Their RHBC Barrel Aged Sour, was awarded the best beer in Africa prize amongst other awards in categories which included the BASA African Celebration award and Best Non-Alcoholic Beer, followed by other category winners, which can be found here.
The event was designed to recognize and celebrate excellence in the brewing industry across the African continent, providing a platform for brewers to showcase their expertise, creativity, and innovation while competing for recognition as the best in their craft.
This year’s African Beer Cup awards ceremony took place in Cape Town and had over 230 different beers enter from 20 countries across Africa. The judging process of each beer was a complex one , with the beers judged by 52 highly experienced judges from 16 different countries.
Co-founders of the African Beer Cup, Lucy Corne and Shawn Duthie, shared that the African Beer Cup was born out of “a love for beer and a desire to nurture a stronger beer culture across the African continent”.
BASA was proud to sponsor both the non-alcoholic beer category as well as the African Celebration Award for the third year now. Commenting on the event, BASA CEO, Patricia Pillay, said: “The African Beer Cup Awards is a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the high quality and diverse range of beers that are being produced in Africa. The competition categories span across a wide range of beer styles, including traditional, experimental, and specialty, providing ample opportunity for recognition for brewers of all types. It is fantastic to see the display of young talent and craft, which strengthens beer culture as a key driver of Africa’s economy.”
In addition to recognizing breweries for excellence in brewing, the African Beer Cup Awards for 2023 also aims to encourage responsible drinking by promoting awareness and education on the importance of moderation and drinking in moderation.
Chairperson of the Craft Brewers Association of South Africa (CBASA), Wendy Pienaar, commented: “On behalf of the Craft Beer Association of South Africa (CBASA), I would like to congratulate Richmond Hill Brewing Co for their outstanding achievement in winning the Best Beer in Africa award at the African Beer Cup Awards for 2023. We are proud of their accomplishment and their contribution to the brewing industry in South Africa.”
BASA wishes to congratulate each participant for the effort that was put into ensuring the beers they entered were world class. A special congratulations to the winners Richmond’s Hill.
Dj Chilu 
