Richmond Hill Brewing Company shines at annual African Beer Cup Awards

Nelson Mandela Bay’s Richmond Hill Brewing Company shone brightly at the African Beer Cup Awards this week — bringing home a medal for every single beer it entered.

The Richmond Hill Brewing Company won the Best Beer in Africa award in 2023, but this year they were beaten by a Cape Town brewery. Still, it did not leave empty-handed, claiming gold, silver and bronze across multiple categories.

Held on 24 May 2025, this year’s African Beer Cup saw 260 brews from 14 African countries go head-to-head, judged by 58 expert panellists from around the world.

According to a media statement from the competition organiser the African Beer Cup entries are judged twice, by two different panels, to ensure fairness and compensate if one of the judges is having an off day.

Richmond Hill Brewing Company brought medals home for the following beers:

• Gold in the best Speciality India Pale Ale style beer for its beer Fever Dream, and Bronze in the same category for Coastal Cult.
• Silver in the category for the Best Historical Beer for Twin Fin, a Kellerbier-style drink.
• Gold for the best fruit beer for its collaboration with the Yeastern Cape Brewing Club for their beer named Forbidden, and the silver medal in the same category for Two Moods, designed and brewed with the Hazeldean Brewing Company.

Master Brewer at the Richmond Hill Brewing Company, Niall Cook, said they were very proud of their achievements.

“Forbidden Milkshake is an interesting beer. It is expensive, it sells at R65 a can. We made it in collaboration with a home brewing club. It is called forbidden because, among other things, it has a high alcohol content at over 7%,” he said. Brewers add mango and granadilla purée to this beer.

“That is unusual,” he said. “That is also one of the reasons for the beer’s name.”

He said he believed that collaboration with brewing clubs was vital. 

“We all came together to brew Forbidden,” he said.

He added that although craft beer had had a slow start in Nelson Mandela Bay, it had now gained real momentum.

“Now it is much more prevalent and a lot easier for people to embrace the idea,” Cook said. “Richmond Hill Brewing Company has a remarkable history at the African Beer Cup, having previously won numerous awards, including Best Beer In Africa in 2023.” 

He added that their gold medals really showcased the innovative and high-quality brewing techniques of the company. DM