After what feels like far too long the Hey Joe Brewing Co finally opened their doors. When we got ourselves out to Franschhoek we could understand why it took so long. The devil is really in the details and the brewery is immaculate. We were hoping to catch Head Brewer Anja van Zyl out there unfortunately she was attending the Craft Brewers Powwow in Cape Town. Never-the-less, it is immense and so we thought best to bring the Hey Joe Brewing Co Wit in as the Friday Beer.
We very purposefully mention the Craft Brewers Powwow. It is not only a conference for those in the industry but it is also now the host of the African Beer Cup. The sole purpose of which is to crown the best beers in Africa. We’re not going to get into the full details around it, but what is important to know is that Anja and Hey Joe Brewing walked away with two Silver Medals; one for their Blonde and the other for this, the Hey Joe Brewing Co Wit. Nor bad for a their first competition.
The fact that they are already brewing award winning beers should be enough to convince you that Anja knows exactly what she’s doing. When we were at the brewery she arranged for her Assistant Brewer Vernal Gennike to take us around. Being a Belgian inspired brewery nothing has been spared to keep it as authentic as possible. The equipment is not just impressive, it’s beautiful. The attention to detail was evident even at the bottling line where labels are applied prior to filling. They can do this because of the very specific water resistant labels they use. The stain glass windows have been considered and represent brewing styles – it’s all very impressive.
We really could go on but we would rather start planning our next trip out there. In the mean time you can now find Hey Joe Brewing in a many good bottlestores. So, treat yourself to the Hey Joe Brewing Co Wit and maybe pick up a couple of their other beers for good measure. And let us know what you think.
Cheers!
P.S. You can read Joe’s story here.
Thank you Barely & Hops for the blog article. We are so pleased to feature on your platform! Hopefully this won’t be the last! Cheers to the good times, Brand Manager of Hey Joe Brewing Co. Evan Hamlyn