Cape Town Brewery Wins Best Beer in Africa!

A Cape Town brewery has claimed the Best Beer in Africa for 2026! Overall, SA dominated as the country with the most medal wins at the continent’s Beer Cup! ... The post Cape Town Brewery Wins Best Beer in Africa! appeared first on Good Things Guy.

May 26, 2026 - 14:30

Cape Town Brewery Wins Best Beer in Africa!

A Cape Town brewery has claimed the Best Beer in Africa for 2026! Overall, SA dominated as the country with the most medal wins at the continent’s Beer Cup!

Cape Town, South Africa (26 May 2026) – Local craft brewing has won big gold with Cape Town’s Woodstock Brewery walking away with the ultimate title of Best Beer in Africa at the 2026 African Beer Cup!

The African Beer Cup is the continent’s largest and most prestigious beer competition, which names and celebrates the finest brews flowing from Cairo to Cape Town. This year’s competition saw 244 entries spanning microbreweries to massive commercial giants across 16 African nations.

Every beer entered is evaluated not just once, but twice, by two entirely separate panels of expert judges. This year, a hand-picked cohort of 58 certified judges from a dozen countries across the globe flew in to sip their way through the field.

Out of all the entries, a total of 89 medals were awarded across a massive variety of categories, stretching from classic international lagers, IPAs, and stouts to innovative African styles using traditional grains and local hops.

This year, out of the 89 total medals handed out across the entire continent, South African brewers walked away with more than 60 honours, including the two highest accolades of the entire event!

The showstopper belonged to Woodstock Brewery, which claimed the coveted title of Best Beer in Africa for their Funky Monk’s.

The beer itself is an American Wild Ale (sour ale) blended from several beers of varying ages and meticulously matured in oak barrels over a number of years. It managed to beat out 243 other elite entries to secure the top spot.

While Woodstock is no stranger to the podium, having racked up a healthy collection of medals in previous years of the competition, this marks the first time in the African Beer Cup’s seven-year history that they have claimed the number-one spot on the continent.

“Winning Best Beer in Africa was something I started to feel was unachievable for us, purely due to how amazing the beer in South Africa and the entire continent has become,” said Woodstock’s head brewer Tinus Lottering. “An incredibly high standard has been set and I am honoured that Woodstock has met that expectation. A lot of what I learned from others throughout the years went into this creation and I say thank you to the brewers I often interact with. Doing this takes a village and I’m damn proud of the entire Woodstock Brewery team.”

It was a massively successful tournament overall for the Woodstock crew, who took home a total of six medals, including three golds and two silvers.

The reason for cheers don’t stop at Africa’s best beer. South African breweries put on a show at the cup this year.

Not only did local brewers take the main prize, but the Cape Winelands’ Soul Barrel Brewing also walked away with the prestigious BASA African Celebration Award (which champions the use of African ingredients) for their Live Culture ale, a mixed-fermentation brew made with 100% South African hops. This is the second time the brewery has taken home the trophy.

Overall, the Beer Cup concluded with SA taking a legendary national haul of over 60 medals, winning gold across categories including Non-Alcoholic Beer, Mead, Hazy Pale Ale, Amber and Brown American Beer, American IPA, Hazy IPA, European Sour Ale, Strong Belgian Ale, and Speciality Beer.

Who is ordering the Uber? We are lining up the pints.

South Africa’s Wins at the African Beer Cup 2026

Woodstock Brewery’s Funky Monk’s won Best Beer in Africa (Special Award)
Soul Barrel Brewing’s Live Culture won the BASA African Celebration Award (Special Award)
Darling Brew’s Cape Chameleon won gold (Non-Alcoholic Beer)
Cape Town Meadery’s Indicator Sweet Mead won gold (Mead)
Starke Brews’ Nectaron Hazy Pale Ale won gold (Hazy Pale Ale)
The Valley Brewery’s South Beer – Brown Ale won gold (Amber and Brown American Beer)
Woodstock Brewery’s Californicator won gold (American IPA)
Afro Caribbean Brewing Company’s Superdellic won gold (Hazy IPA)
Soul Barrel Brewing’s Ale of Origin won gold (European Sour Ale)
The Franschhoek Beer Co’s La Saison won gold (Strong Belgian Ale)
Woodstock Brewery’s Funky Monk’s won gold (American Wild Ale)
Woodstock Brewery’s Sweet Mary Jane won gold (Fruit Beer)
Soul Barrel Brewing’s East India Pale won gold (Specialty Beer)
Soul Barrel Brewing’s Live Culture won gold (African Speciality Beer)
Heineken 0.0 (Sedibeng Brewery) won silver (Non-Alcoholic Beer)
Cape Town Meadery’s Indicator Gluhwein Mead won silver (Mead)
AB InBev Africa’s Flying Fish Pressed Lemon (Newlands Brewery) won silver (Fruit Flavoured Beers)
Jack Black’s Brewing Company’s Lite Lager won silver (Standard American Beer)
Harper Brewing Co’s 4th Floor Premium Lager won silver (Pale Malty European Lager)
Woodstock Brewery’s Happy Pills won silver (Pale Bitter European Beer)
Richmond Hill Brewing Company’s Velvet Doppelbock won silver (Amber Malty European Lager)
Doctrine Brewing’s Twisted Talisman won silver (Strong European Beer)
Jack Black’s Brewing Company’s Atlantic Weiss won silver (German Wheat Beer)
Barrington’s Brewery’s The Newdigate won silver (British Bitter)
Jack Black’s Brewing Company’s Cape Pale Ale won silver (Pale Commonwealth Beer)
Darling Brew’s Break Free Red Ale won silver (Brown British Bitter)
The Valley Brewery & Flatrock’s Kak Lekker Ale won silver (Irish Beer)
Starke Brews’ Black Rhino Stout won silver (Dark British Beer)
Starke Brews’ Trail Builders Brew won silver (American Pale Ale)
Starke Brews’ Nelson Sauvin & Riwaka Hazy Pale Ale won silver (Hazy Pale Ale)
Barrington’s Brewery’s Punch’s APA won silver (Amber and Brown American Beer)
Richmond Hill Brewing Company’s Fever Dream won silver (Speciality IPA)
Afro Caribbean Brewing Company’s Better Judgement won silver (Hazy IPA)
Newlands Spring Brewing Company’s Passionate Blond won silver (Belgian Ale)
Afro Caribbean Brewing Company x Capital Craft Beer Academy’s The Beer That Stole Christmas won silver (Monastic Ale)
Soul Barrel Brewing’s Ale of Origin won silver (American Wild Ale)
Afro Caribbean Brewing Company x Starke Brews’ Chenin Saison won silver (Fruit Beer)
Woodstock Brewery’s Sugarman won silver (Wood Beer)
OC Brewery and Yeti Under Ground Movement with Bearded Brew’s Big Red Nitro Ale won silver (Speciality Beer)
Candy Cane Project’s Candy Cane Hoppy Lager won silver (Hoppy Lager)
Afro Caribbean Brewing Company’s Grootslang V3 won silver (Dessert or Pastry Beer)
Afro Caribbean Brewing Company’s Wife of Cam won silver (International Styles)
Darling Brew’s Cape Fox won bronze (Non-Alcoholic Beer)
Cape Town Meadery’s Bee Bliss won bronze (Mead)
Barrington’s Brewery’s Barrington’s Light won bronze (Standard American Beer)
Brewhogs’ Brewhogs Premium Pilsner won bronze (Czech Lager)
Jack Black’s Brewing Company’s Brewers Lager won bronze (Pale Malty European Lager)
Shackleton Brewing Company’s Shackleton Kölsch won bronze (Pale Bitter European Beer)
Newlands Spring Brewing Company’s Dunkel won bronze (Dark European Lager)
Triggerfish Brewing’s Great Weiss won bronze (German Wheat Beer)
The Valley Brewery’s South Beer – Pale Ale won bronze (Pale Commonwealth Beer)
Afro Caribbean Brewing Company’s Pirate Porter won bronze (Brown British Bitter)
Richmond Hill Brewing Company’s Two Rand Man won bronze (Irish Beer)
Signal Hill Products’ Striped Horse Milk Stout won bronze (Dark British Beer)
That Brewing Co’s That APA won bronze (American Pale Ale)
Afro Caribbean Brewing Company’s Obviously A Hazy Pale Ale won bronze (Hazy Pale Ale)
Starke Brews’ Autumn Amber won bronze (Amber and Brown American Beer)
Starke Brews’ Chainbreaker IPA won bronze (American IPA)
Starke Brews’ Cryo POP IPA won bronze (Speciality IPA)
Starke Brews x Dark Arts Beer Project x Feral Brew’s Our City Hazy IPA won bronze (Hazy IPA)
Darling Brew’s Warlord won bronze (Strong American Ale)
Triggerfish Brewing’s Crazy Diamond won bronze (Monastic Ale)
Richmond Hill Brewing Company’s Twin Fin Kellerbier won bronze (Historical Beer)
Soul Barrel Brewing’s Live Culture won bronze (American Wild Ale)
Richmond Hill Brewing Company x Hazeldean Brewing Company’s Two Moods: Mood I won bronze (Fruit Beer)
Richmond Hill Brewing Company’s November Child Chamomile Saison won bronze (Spiced Beer)
Barrington’s Brewery’s The Wreck won bronze (Wood Beer)
Richmond Hill Brewing Company x Yeastern Cape Home Brew Club’s Unanimous – Hoppy Red Lager won bronze (Speciality Beer)
Triggerfish Brewing’s Monsterfish won bronze (Dessert or Pastry Beer)
Starke Brews x Afro Caribbean Brewing Co’s Chenin Saison 2026 won bronze (International Styles)
Soul Barrel Brewing x Tolokazi Brewing’s Wild African Soul won bronze (African Speciality Beer)