The Intervarsity Brewing Competition is an annual event that seeks to promote responsible beer consumption amongst students that drink beer. Importantly, it allows students to acquire brewing skills to work within the brewing industry or develop their own craft breweries. 

This year, it was attended by 13 tertiary Institutions, including the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, from the 23 to 25 August. The competition is co-hosted by South African Breweries (SAB), Central University of Technology (CUT) and University of the Free State (UFS).

To participate in the competition, each tertiary institution chooses beer style categories to brew, condition and package prior to the competition. The beer styles are set according to the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) and the beers are “blind” judged according to the BJCP 2015 guidelines. Prizes are awarded to the best beer in each category.

The UJ team entered four beer styles (African Premium Lager, Indian Pale Ale, Winter Warmer and Munich Helles) and won the 2019 Best Indian Pale Ale category, including a cash prize of R10 000. This is the second award for the UJ team following the Best Winter Warmer Ale Award in 2017. 

The UJ team was represented by five team members (Mr  Witness Qaku – Mentor; Mr Tshisonga Khuthadzo – MSc student; Mr Eddie Lulamba – PhD student; Miss Nomthandazo Msimango and Miss Gugu Mahlangu – BTech students) from UJ’s Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology. The Department has a micro-brewery that acts as a teaching aid for students.