Brewing the Republic is a documentary on the growth and excitement of craft beer in South Africa. Our aim is to provide a visual scope of where we are as a beer loving nation. We want to showcase a handful of beers and breweries around the country, as well as speak to the passionate people who work behind their beers. There has never been a better time to drink beer in South Africa.
What started out as just a couple of beers and a run of the mill “I need to do something new” talk, Troye and Roscoe popped a couple of beers, lit a braai and kept asking “What can we do that is different?“.
Little did they know, the answer was literally in their hands. Not the braai tongs silly, the beer! The idea to make a documentary about beer in South Africa was born on that fateful day in July 2016.
We’re glad you asked! Cause why would you trust a random couple of guys drinking beer and braaing?
Let’s take a little looky loo at the braai man himself.
Troye, a budding member of the local craft beer community, has been brewing home made beer for years and even taken the exam to become a proficient beer taster and has judged at several beer festivals. Not only does he know what makes a good beer, he even offers a fun yet educational series called Beertime that can be found on Facebook and heard on Tuesdays at 12pm on 2 Oceans Radio (internet only). Some would say he is the real McCoy of beer.
If he isn’t enjoying a cold one, he’s attempting to tell a funny story. Keyword: attempting. Regardless, Roscoe is a filmmaker whose been working in the creative industry since 2009, creating content for multiple brands such as Vodacom, Red Bull, DHL Stormers, Fitch and Leedes to name a few. Jack of all trades and a Master of enjoying beer, it seemed fit for Roscoe to utilize his skills and knowledge of making things look good with that of Troye, who knows enough about the Golden Liquid to make any beer drinker swoon.
Take it easy lemon squeezy, we getting there! Let me riddle you this:
Do you like beer? Have you noticed there's a lot more beer variety everywhere?
Where the hell is all this new beer coming from?Who has time for this?
Well guess what, we making a film about that! We are exploring many of the breweries that have embraced the nectar of happiness, interviewing brewers and owners, filming how beer is made and most importantly tasting what they have to offer – which we can vouch is fantastic!
We wish. Unfortunately we save any enjoyment of indulgence of the good stuff in our own time. Whilst embarking on this journey we keep it professional, filming all the necessities to create something amazing for everyone to appreciate. But we won’t lie, it is rude to deny a free beer from the brewer, so we do get to have a perk on the job!
Not so much. Although we like to think we are the best and can do it all, we can’t. Invite us for a braai and we can man that grill like champs. But ask us to make a salad you got us stumped. So for us to get the best product (and the most enjoyable braai!) we have our faithful team that believe in this as much as we do (I wonder if they want us to organize a salad?)
This is Schalk, probably living the dream now that he can tell his friends that he is filming a beer documentary! His other love includes anything and everything cinematography. His knowledge and workload he takes upon himself to get the best cinematic shots is a great attribute to have on the team. He also laughs at anything which helps with Roscoe’s self confidence.
This is Tahni, our Editor. Thank the pope she thinks we somewhat funny so she doesn’t ring our necks when we speak a lot of nonsense in between takes. Besides enduring our weirdness, Tahni has an eye when it comes to compiling the shots, making the story flow in a seamless way, giving her the status of “Unsung Hero”.
Then last but not least MS, the Sound Guy. You know that person on a film set with the pole and the fluffy thing at the end? Well that’s essentially him. But not only is he wearing head phones looking boss on set (I mean look at that jacket, am I right?), he is being a boss in the post production ensuring that our interviews, sound effects and ambience sounds give the film the necessary audio it deserves.
Milestones –
Tipping Point: R45 000 is what we hope we can gain in order to complete the road trip with so that it can pay for all the petrol, accommodation and other necessities along the way.
The Dream Goal: We are looking at getting R255,000 in total in order to help pay for all the experts that will assist us in making this a successful project. To be honest, it seems quite a lot but to put it into perspective, many film production budgets and the amount of labour that goes into making it can easily amount to millions.
We have kept everything as minimal as possible without sacrificing quality. We feel this is a suitable financial number to pay all the necessary fees that is required to pull this project off.
Well first and foremost we want to be able to complete our filming of the rest of the breweries in South Africa. Even though there are over 200 breweries in this country, we have shortlisted 40 breweries and have so far completed 18. The other 22 are still based in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Kwa-Zulu Natal.
The next thing we want to do is begin the long and tedious process of putting the footage together. This is no small feat as it takes a lot of time and patience to get the best possible scenes for everything we have planned.
Only once we’ve edited the footage can we get some help from professionals that range from Colorists, Music Supervisors, Distributors etc.
Our goal is to showcase South Africa’s budding beer industry, promote tourism and educate the public about beer.
Ah schucks thanks guys! We do try and be positive wherever we can!
A group of beer loving creatives wanting to make something special for everyone. We looking forward to hearing more from you and hope you enjoy this journey with us as much as we will enjoy making the final product for you.