Beerworks has been something of an itinerant brewer on the Cape Town craft brew scene for a number of years. Beerworks founder Tim Bugler was one of the original members of the Woodstock Brewers Co-op, brewing under his ‘Buglers’ brand. Since the sad demise of the Brewer’s Co-op – largely as a result of the numerous lockdown-induced alcohol bans – Tim has been brewing at Charlie’s Garage in Noordhoek. ‘It’s a great place to brew and I really enjoyed doing the Brewdog DIY Challenge with Charlie’ says Tim, ‘But I have always wanted to set up my own brewery and taproom and the Spice Yard offered just the space I was looking for’.
The light and airy premises are one of many small units in a converted industrial complex close the heart of the Salt River / Woodstock craft beer scene. The former bakery needed very little in the way of alterations and even after the addition of a cold room it has plenty of space for Tim’s 400 litre brewing system which has now found a permanent home after a tour of many brewing sites around the Peninsula.‘We want to create an environment that encourages people to venture into craft beer in new and different ways’ says Tim. ‘We’ll provide a space where people who are new to brewing can come and brew their first beer, and more experienced brewers will have the opportunity to brew something unusual that might even end up on our Wall’.
The Wall will be the focal point of the taproom – where a variety of small-batch speciality brews will complement the regular favourites. Beerworks will have the capacity to brew large volumes for events and festivals, but at the same time there are ‘home-brew’ systems that can brew between 12 and 50 litres of something different.
Tim is pleased to be in partnership with long-time friend and associate Hester Bergh. Hester is in charge of marketing and social media while the brewing responsibilities sit with Tim. ‘At the moment we are finalising the design and layout of the brewery while waiting for the all-important liquor licence’ explains Tim. ‘We can’t wait to start brewing and being able to open the doors of our taproom to all beer lovers’.