Road tripping for the hops: Craft breweries of Gauteng

WWhen a Castle or a Windhoek isn't enough to satisfy your beer cravings, we are lucky enough to have access to a growing craft beer industry that will make you spoilt for choice - if you find yourself in a province with a healthy brewing scene that is.

Gauteng has been hot on the heels of Western Cape's dominance in the craft beer scene, and you'd be hard-pressed to go to any bar in Pretoria and Johannesburg without some craft beer offering.

Many travel to the Cape winelands specifically to taste their way through their vineyards, so why wouldn't you travel to hop your way through Gauteng's independent brew scene?

Pretoria

Zeppelin Brewery
In the east of Pretoria, Zeppelin Craft Brewery is themed after an underground bunker from WWII and you can taste their range while sitting under trees. Their range includes a blonde, red Irish ale, IPA and stout.

Hazeldean Brewing Co
Based on a farm just outside of Pretoria, Hazeldean Brewing Company is busy renovating their old barn and milking parlour, but until then you can taste them at the Cowhouse Market every Saturday and Sunday. Their beers include their award-winning Vienna Lager, Premium Pilsner, Radler Shandy, Hazeldeen Amber Weissbeer and the Hazeldean Milk Stout.

Drayman's Brewery and Distillery
This brewery has been around since 1997 in Silverton, and besides beer they also distil single malt whisky and the Hakkiesdraad mampoer. They sell the beer bottles in 1-litre bottles, which include their Altstadt Weissbier, Düssel Altbier, Emperor IPA, Jolly Monk ruby beer and Berghof pilsner ale.