A group of CPUT brewers are set to defend their title at this year’s SAB Intervarsity Brewing Cup.
In 2014, CPUT walked away with the top prize, thanks to a group of Food Technology students who scooped the “Ben Lamaletie” IBD Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge Floating Trophy, the top honour Castle Lager Best Bru Award, as well as the Carling Black Label Champion Lager.
The win was a huge achievement for CPUT which is one of the newcomers to the competition, having made its debut in 2013.
This year’s team is already hard at work, having started their brewing process in June.
BTech Food Technology student Brian Gomes says they are working on three brews, which includes a larger, specialty beer (Belgian wit) and a cider.
Gomes says this year the competition organisers have tasked students to incorporate African plants in their specialty ale.
Gomes says they researched various indigenous plants and also approached traditional healers to found out more about herbs and their individual properties.
“I found an indigenous plant that will add a sweet flavour to the specialty ale,” he says.
The team is currently working on fine tuning their specialty beer and has already completed their larger, which is now maturing.
The group will compete against chemical engineering, biochemistry and microbiology students.
