Lucy Corne-Duthie: A Force in South African Beer

Meeting Lucy Corne-Duthie…

My wife and I are at the back of The Silver Stamp in Las Vegas, a 1960s/70s-themed bar with a great beer selection. We’re amidst brewers, beer judges, and writers, all buzzing with excitement about the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference® and BrewExpo America® and World Beer Cup.

As we sip our beers, a new face joins our group—Lucy Corne-Duthie, a 2024 World Beer Cup judge and award-winning writer from Cape Town, South Africa. Like a force of nature, her presence instantly unites our separate tables into one lively conversation. The evening turns into a harmonious celebration of beer and friendship. And I’m eager to learn more about this intriguing person.

Lucy Corne-Duthie

Lucy Corne-Duthie is a freelance writer, author, and enthusiastic traveler. She is originally from Great Britain but now resides in Cape Town, South Africa. Lucy began her writing career with travel books and articles for publications like Lonely Planet.

Lucy Corne-Duthie’s interest in beer started at an early age.

In 2005 Lucy met her future husband, Shawn Duthie. A Canadian, Shawn worked in pubs in England. Lucy and Shawn started visiting breweries when traveling. They moved to South Korea to teach English and became involved with the local homebrew club. And that’s where Lucy’s passion for craft beer really took off. Lucy said, “When Shawn looked up the homebrewing club in Seoul, we found out that in a city of 15 or 20 million people, the guy (another Canadian) lived in our building!! It was meant to be. The first time I tasted his signature beer I was hooked on craft beer. It was a Double IPA called Death by Hops.”

After moving to South Africa in 2010, Lucy shifted her focus to writing about the emerging craft beer scene in Africa and promoting the South African craft beer industry.

A Leap of Faith

In 2010, the South African craft beer industry was still in its early stages and relatively small. But Lucy visualized the potential for this emerging market. Now 150 or so craft breweries operate across South Africa, accounting for about 2% of the total, in-country premium beer market.

Lucy discusses her transition to beer writing.

Lucy’s new focus on South Africa craft beer and her beer blog success led to a book contract. She authored “African Brew: Exploring the Craft of South African Beer.” The book, with photographs by Ryno Reyneke, provides a fascinating journey through the history and culture of South African beer. The book covers everything from the early, porridge-like beginnings of beer to the modern craft beers that are popular today.

As Lucy’s success blossomed her passion and inquisitiveness grew. She studied for and passed the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) exam. The BJCP is a globally recognized organization that trains, evaluates, and certifies individuals as beer judges. Being BJCP certified shows that you have a solid understanding of beer styles, brewing processes, and evaluation techniques.

Sprinkled in with her other activities, Lucy runs numerous beer appreciation and education courses for industry and the public. Her blog, The Brewmistress, provides up to date information on South African craft beer industry news, upcoming events, beer reviews, homebrewing, and beer education.

She authored another book, called “Beer Safari: A Journey Through the Craft Breweries of South Africa.” The book takes readers on a geographical journey through the South Africa’s microbreweries, providing a comprehensive guide to the vibrant craft beer scene.

Read Beer Safari before visiting South Africa.

Afterwards, On Tap magazine (South Africa’s first beer magazine) hired Lucy as their editor. She worked at On Tap for 6 years. Lucy said, “It was supposed to be a sideline job, but beer totally took over every area of my life – in the best possible way!”

Boosting a Growing African Craft Beer Culture

In 2019, Lucy and husband Shawn founded the African Beer Cup. The African Beer Cup is the largest beer competition on the continent. The contest is held in conjunction with BeerEx Africa (formerly Craft Brewers Powwow), an annual conference established to help boost South Africa’s growing beer culture. Entries to the African Beer Cup are welcomed from breweries small and large operating in any African country. The African Beer Cup encourages and promotes high-quality craft beer production. The competition helps elevate the status of African craft beers. Further, the event provides a showcase for the diversity and uniqueness of African beers. Said Lucy: “Brewers who win medals have scored export deals, seen massive boosts to sales, and in some cases managed to attract new investment.”

In 2023, Lucy partnered with BeerEx Africa. She oversees the conference agenda. In this role, Lucy leads most of the organization activities, including finding speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors; planning all the side events; organizing the workshops and talks; as well as other critical conference agenda tasks. The conference and expo have expanded to attract brewers and beer enthusiasts from across the continent. The event includes vendors, interactive demonstrations, and workshops. Most importantly the conference and expo provide networking opportunities for brewers, industry experts, product manufacturers, suppliers, and other industry stakeholders.

BeerEx Africa and the African Beer Cup play a crucial role in promoting and developing the African craft beer industry and creating worldwide recognition of the quality of African craft beer.

When asked about the current and evolving beer culture in Africa, Lucy replied: “In South Africa, the number of breweries has been stagnant for a few years, but the beer quality overall is better than ever. Innovation is also at an all-time high, with some breweries constantly pushing the boundaries. One of the most exciting developments in recent years is that brewers here are embracing local ingredients, such as sorghum and millet, as well as local fruits, herbs, and spices in their beers. So we are creating some beers that simply can’t be found anywhere else. Elsewhere on the continent, there are generally only two or three breweries per country, but there’s some really exciting stuff going on. For example, in Ghana and Rwanda, some breweries use 50-80% local grains and starches in their beers, including sorghum, rice, and cassava.”

Eyes to the Beer World…

Continuing to advance her knowledge and perspective of beer, Lucy passed the Certified Cicerone exam in 2018 and the Advanced Cicerone exam in 2022. As such, Lucy became the first Cicerone and Advanced Cicerone in Africa. Becoming an Advanced Cicerone is a significant achievement in the beer industry. As of March 2023, only 167 Advanced Cicerones existed worldwide. An Advanced Cicerone certification demonstrates a deep understanding of beer styles, brewing processes, and sensory evaluation. In addition, achieving recognition of Advanced Cicerone signifies a high level of expertise and commitment to anyone in the worldwide industry of beer.

Not content to focus on just Africa, Lucy has judged for other prestigious beer events, including the Brussels Beer Challenge, European Beer Star, Aro Rojo (a Mexico-based international beer competition), Concurso Brasileiro de Cervejas (a Brazil-based beer competition), and the world’s most prestigious beer competition – the World Beer Cup.

…and the World Beer Cup

The World Beer Cup is often called “The Olympics of Beer Competitions.” It’s the most prestigious beer competition in the world, organized by the Brewers Association since 1996. The competition celebrates the art and science of brewing. Breweries from around the globe submit their best beers for judging by an international panel of experts.

The selection process for choosing the World Beer Cup judges stresses rigorous criteria. A selection committee chooses judges from a list of internationally recognized brewers, consultants, industry suppliers, and writers. The selection committee applies these key criteria for choosing judges:

Formal Beer Sensory Training: Judges must have undergone formal training in beer sensory evaluation.
Ongoing Beer Sensory Experience: They should have continuous experience in beer sensory evaluation.
Industry and Peer Recognition: Judges should be recognized by their peers and the industry for their expertise.
Knowledge of Beer Styles and Brewing Process: Must possess a deep understanding of different beer styles and the brewing process.
Judging Demeanor: Judges must have the right demeanor for judging. This includes the ability to communicate fluently in written and verbal English.

Lucy served as a World Beer Cup Judge in 2018 and 2024.

Lucy recognized that judging in the World Beer Cup provided an opportunity to connect with beer industry legends, provide access to extraordinary sources of knowledge, promote the Africa beer industry, and gain prestige among her peers. About becoming a World Beer Cup judge, she said: “I contacted some big names in the industry who I had met and tasted with at conferences and other events and asked them for references, so I had quite a line-up of people vouching for me. Shawn and I were in the process of setting up the African Beer Cup then (in 2018) and he pushed me to apply to WBC to see how a major competition runs. It was quite a culture shock compared to the homebrew competitions I was used to judging here at that time!”

Still a Writer at Heart

Even while accomplishing the amazing milestones above, Lucy continues to write. Her more recent award-winning articles include:

“Women-Led, Women-Brewed — Kweza Craft Brewery in Kigali, Rwanda.” Good Beer Hunting; Jan 2024.
“Get to Know Umqombothi, a South African Tradition.” Craft Beer & Brewing; Jun 2024.

The article “Women-Led, Women-Brewed — Kweza Craft Brewery in Kigali, Rwanda” from Good Beer Hunting highlights the story of Kweza Craft Brewery, Rwanda’s first microbrewery. What sets Kweza apart is that it is entirely owned, led, and operated by women. The brewery aims to empower women by employing them in brewing operations and sourcing all ingredients from female small-scale farmers. Lucy paints a remarkable story of innovation, empowerment, and sustainability in the craft beer industry.

Her response to a question regarding her proudest work accomplishment reflects Lucy’s love of writing. Lucy said: “Over the past two years I have won a gold medal at the North American Guild of Beer Writers (NAGBW) Contest and two golds at the British Guild of Beer Writers. I live in a country where people often say, “beer writer – is that a thing?!” So I feel like the underdog in these competitions and winning awards against some truly world-class writers really means a lot.”

On Blending Work and Personal Life

Integration of work and personal life presents challenges to all of us. The goal is to create a seamless blend that enriches both.

When asked about her non-work activities, Lucy replied: “That’s a tricky one – virtually all my friends are linked to beer in some way and sometimes I can’t recall the last time we had a conversation that wasn’t about beer!! Although I am also an avid gym goer. I go to boxing, weights and dance classes 5 or 6 times a week. I have an 11-year-old son, who of course keeps me very busy and I do try to get involved with school life where I can. And I sing in a band, although that is related to beer – all the band members work in the beer industry in some capacity. And we play every now and then at brewery events or beer festivals.”

Mötley Brüe is a cover band made up of people that work in the South African beer scene.

Impacting the Future

According to market research company Blueweave Consulting, the South African beer market is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 6.70% in terms of value and 6.90% in terms of volume from 2024 to 2030. Blueweave Consulting projects South Africa beer production to reach a volume of 5.0 billion liters by 2030. South African craft beer is now a meaningful component of that growth.

Beer industry icons now recognize the importance of the South African beer market. For example, Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing are the featured speakers for the 2025 BeerEx Africa conference.

The work of Lucy Corne-Duthie and other South African beer enthusiasts help propel South African craft beer success. And Lucy’s love of beer and the beer industry drive her to make further impactful contributions.

What’s next? Lucy said: “I’ve never been to California and there are so many legendary breweries there that I would love to visit. Judging at GABF is another must on my list, hopefully in the next couple of years. That’s an event I really have to get to. I would also love to write another book or two on beer, hopefully in the next two years.”

As we look to the future, it’s clear that the craft beer industry in South Africa is poised for even greater heights. With enthusiastic individuals like Lucy Corne-Duthie leading the charge, the possibilities are endless. Let’s raise a glass to Lucy, the future of craft beer in South Africa, and beyond. Cheers!