UCT is country’s top beer brewing varsity

Renowned for its academic excellence‚ the University of Cape Town (UCT) is apparently also somewhat unrivalled among the country’s institutes of higher learning when it comes to the craft of beer making.

The university was named on Saturday night as the winner of the 8th Annual SAB Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge 2015 at an awards ceremony held at the SAB Cyril Ramaphosa World of Learning in Kyalami‚ Johannesburg.

The university’s Munich Dunkel‚ named Don’t Dunkel with My Heart‚ claimed the Ben Lamaletie IBD Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge floating trophy‚ the top honour of Castle Lager Best Bru Award‚ as well as the Carling Black Label Champion Lager Award.

UCT’s winning brew was noted by judges as being “well balanced with the correct level of roastiness and well to style. It stayed true to the proper use of munich malt with low bittnerness and the correct balance of maltiness.”

UCT’s team members‚ Alex Opitz (team leader)‚ Catherine Edward‚ Brian Willis‚ Bronwyn White and Rob Huddy‚ competed against 13 of some of South Africa’s top tertiary institutions‚ relinquishing the title from 2014 defending champion‚ Cape Peninsular University of Technology.

Winners in the remaining categories are:

Best Lager: Don’t Dunkel with My Heart (University of Cape Town)

Best Cider: University of Pretoria (New England Cider)

Best Speciality Beer: Cape Peninsular University of Technology (The Tipsy Inyanga)

Best Label: University of the Free State

Best Winter Warmer: University of Potchefstroom

Full List of Category Winners:

Ben Lamaletie IBD Intervarsity Beer Brewing Challenge floating trophy and overall Castle Lager Best Bru Award:

University of Cape Town (Don’t Dunkel with my Heart)

Carling Black Label Lager Award:

1st: University of Cape Town (Don’t Dunkel with My Heart)

2nd: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (Full Nelson)

3rd: Cape Peninsular University of Technology (Brewmaster’s Daughter)

Competing universities this year included University of Limpopo; University of Potchefstroom; University of Stellenbosch; Cape Peninsula University of Technology; University of KwaZulu Natal; University of KZN Westville Campus; University of Cape Town; University of Pretoria; University of Pietermaritzburg; University of the Free State; Rhodes University; University of Johannesburg; Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; Witwatersrand University; University of South African (UNISA).