02/06/2026
🍻 Henley Hoppers Brew Day Winter Warmers Incoming! 🍻
This past Saturday, the Henley Hoppers gathered bright and early at Henley Hoppers HQ Swagga Breweries for our latest club brew day as part of the Brewcraft Saturday Sessions.
For those who don't know, Brewcraft sponsors all the ingredients for participating clubs and breweries, with the finished beers going head-to-head on 27 June when they're poured and judged alongside beers from brewers across the Gauteng.
The competition is always fierce, with some outstanding brewers bringing their very best to the taps. Before brew day, our members voted on the recipes we wanted to enter, and two clear favourites emerged: ☕ Coffee Vanilla Oatmeal Stout rich, smooth, and packed with comforting winter flavours. 🐉 Dragon's Kiss Cinnamon Red Ale a malty red ale with a warming cinnamon twist that's perfect for the colder months.
We arrived at Swagga on a cold, misty morning and wasted no time getting the mash underway. Before long, the brewery was filled with the smell of malt, steaming mash tuns, and plenty of brewing banter. Between stirring wort, checking temperatures, sharing tips, and solving the world's brewing problems, the day flew by as the beers slowly came to life.
Now the brewing is done, and the waiting begins. The yeast is hard at work turning sweet wort into beer, and over the next few weeks we'll be keeping a close eye on fermentation before packaging and preparing both beers for competition day.
A huge thank you to Brewcraft for the opportunity and to everyone who came out to help make the day a success. We can't wait to see how these winter warmers turn out and, more importantly, to share them with everyone on 27 June. Here's hoping the dragons behave themselves and the coffee keeps flowing!
