On Tap magazine celebrates the culture and science of beer

Andrew Thomas, owner of In House Publications, and editor Lucy Corne, tell media update’s David Jenkin what it’s all about.

Please give us a brief introduction to yourselves and your backgrounds?

LC: I’m a trained journalist, been working as a freelance travel writer for just over a decade. I got into beer writing almost by accident in 2011 when I moved to South Africa (from the UK) and discovered a nascent craft brewing scene here. Since then, life has become all about the beer!

AT: I have been in the publishing industry for 22 years, mainly in the medical field, publishing specialised medical journals. I also publish a travel and leisure magazine for doctors called Diversions. I call it armchair travel for doctors.

In terms of the content, you’re going for a balance between the culture of beer and the more technical side of brewing – would that be an accurate way to describe it? What else do you focus on?

LC: Yes that’s right – the magazine captures beer culture in general, so we have some articles aimed at those new to the beer world (The Beerginner’s Guide), some for new homebrewers, and then features for the more advanced homebrewer or craft brewer looking at the technical side of brewing. It’s not all about brewing though – it’s beer culture in general, so we cover human interest/interviews with brewers, pairing food and beer, cooking with beer, travelling for beer, plus a section on other boutique drinks (Against the Grain).

So tell us a little about On Tap’s beginnings – what was the motivation behind it?

AT: On Tap started over a cup of coffee. Always looking for new ideas, the topic of beer came up and the question “is there a beer magazine in South Africa” was asked. I had no idea if there was one. This was in April 2016. Three months later, I had a moment and decided to do some research on the craft beer industry in South Africa.

Astonishingly, Google provided a plethora of information, more than I could digest. I made contact with various craft beer enthusiasts in Johannesburg and established that that there was no craft beer magazine and, more importantly, a dire need for one. First block ticked, I’m doing this. Next block to tick, who do I approach as an editor?

Having lunch with Kevin Ryan from The Wort Hog Brewers – a South African-based beer brewing club dedicated to the art and science of making good beer – he said to me, if you speak to 20 beer geeks, 18 will suggest Lucy Corne. I contacted Lucy and she loved the idea and came on board as editor – second and most important block ticked. The rest is history. Two months later, in September 2016, the first issue of On Tap was out. Cheers to that.

So would you say On Tap is first and foremost a print magazine with an online version, or vice versa? Where do you stand on the digital vs print debate?

LC: We are definitely primarily a print magazine – perhaps a gamble in this digital day and age, but so far, the response has been great. We hope to grow the online presence in the future, but, for me personally, there’s nothing quite like flicking through actual pages rather than reading on a screen. In my house, books and magazines will never die.

What can you say about the evolution of SA’s beer culture - compared to other parts of the world, how do we rank as beer connoisseurs?

LC: The South African scene is still very much in its infancy, but as a visiting beer writer (from the UK) recently put it, we are “a country of fast learners”. For so long, we have had nothing to choose from other than various brands of pale lager, so it is an ongoing challenge to convince people to change to a different beer style.

But the growth has been huge – from less than a dozen breweries in 2010 to almost 200 today. As brewers are becoming more daring, so are consumers. Craft beer is still very much a niche product and always will be, but it’s amazing how it has infiltrated shops, bars and restaurants in the past few years. I used to be thrilled if a restaurant had one craft beer on offer. These days, if the menu doesn’t feature at least five, I won’t give a place a second glance.

For more information, visit ontapmag.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Twitter or on Facebook. 

Find out more about Lucy Corne in our article, 5 Minutes with the Brewmistress.