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Kovsie Brew triumphs at the 2025 Intervarsity Brewing Competition

06 November 2025 | Story Azil Coertzen | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS) showcased its innovation-driven student talent as the Kovsie Brew team secured multiple awards at the 2025 Intervarsitybrew™: Brewing and Tasting Challenge – South Africa’s premier student brewing competition.

Co-hosted by the Central University of Technology (CUT) and the Beer Association of South Africa (BASA), the prestigious annual event brings together student brewers from universities across the country to demonstrate creativity, technical skill, and a passion for craft beer.

A year of dedication, experimentation, and on-campus brewing innovation

The three-day competition, held in Bloemfontein from 23 to 25 October 2025, featured participants from 17 universities and a chef school, highlighting its growing national reputation. Each team was challenged to brew six different beers and design an original label, while taking part in presentations, sensory training, blind tastings conducted by qualified judges, and technical sessions led by industry experts. The Intervarsitybrew™ also promotes responsible drinking while celebrating scientific knowledge, creativity, and collaboration.

Representing the UFS, the Kovsie Brew team, consisting of eight student brewers – Casey van Baalen, Jana Bischoff, Ruan Jacobs, Tyla Baker, Joni Muller, Martin Visser, Hendre Heymans, and team captain Azil Coertzen – was guided by mentors Dr Vaughn Swart, Dr Christopher Rothmann, and Prof Errol Cason. The team worked throughout the year to refine their craft and push boundaries in student brewing.

In 2025, the Kovsie team brewed an impressive 14 beers, experimenting with different styles and flavour profiles. They hosted tasting sessions with mentors and peers, attended the Clarens Beer Festival for industry feedback, assisted with the brewing of 500 litres of pale ale at the UFS Paradys Experimental Farm, and actively participated in Free State Fermenters meetings – where some members earned awards based on Beer Judge Certification Programme (BJCP) standards.

Award-winning brews with standout creativity and technical excellence

For this year’s Intervarsitybrew™, the team presented six competition beers:

Hazy IPA (IPA category) – A hop-forward, tropical brew that won first place in its category.
British Ordinary Bitter (Summer category) – A refreshing, malt-driven ale showcasing classic English brewing.
Coffee Imperial Stout (Aged category) – A dark, flavourful stout praised for its smooth finish.
Margarista Gose (Wild category) – A citrus-inspired, tart beer earning second place in the African Wild Ale category.
Jalapeño Sour (Sour category) – A daring blend of heat and acidity, taking third place in the Sour/Fruit Beer category.
Czech Lager (Lager category) – A clean, crisp lager representing traditional European brewing.

Their standout performance earned them three major accolades:

Best IPA – Hazy IPA (sponsored by Fermentis and Anton Paar)
Second place: African Wild Ale – Margarista Gose (sponsored by SAB and Heineken Beverages)
Third place: Sour/Fruit Beer – Jalapeño Sour (sponsored by Shimadzu)

Reflecting on the team’s success, mentor Dr Vaughn Swart expressed his pride: “After the disappointment of a total loss last year, their determination and creativity truly shone through. Watching them transform into success has been deeply inspiring. Their growth, not just as brewers but as passionate, resilient individuals, reminds me why mentorship and shared passion matter so much. This year’s wins are a testament to the team’s perseverance and to the spirit of Kovsie excellence.”

The Kovsie Brew Team extended its gratitude to its supporters – the Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, the Centre for Mineral Biogeochemistry (CMBG), and LiquidCulture Yeast – as well as the Intervarsitybrew™ organisers for continuing to foster a vibrant brewing culture at the UFS.

The UFS proudly celebrates the Kovsie Brew team’s achievements, which reflect the institution’s commitment to nurturing innovation, collaboration, and scientific excellence – brewed to perfection, the Kovsie way.

News Archive

SRC elections of our Bloemfontein Campus

2011-07-26

The Student Council elections of our university at the Bloemfontein Campus will take place on 29 and 30 August 2011. These official election dates were announced by Mr Rudi Buys, Dean: Student Affairs, on 25 July 2011.

Nominations open on Wednesday, 27 July 2011 and the elections, which are constituted according to the SRC Constitution, shall be handled by the Independent Electoral Agency, which shall be instituted by the SRC Constitution with this in view.

“The elections introduce a new era in student leadership and governance, because student representation will now constituted in such a way that affords the majority of students the opportunity to vote directly for their representatives. Senior leadership structures are extended in the new Constitution, in order to allow more students to hold senior positions,” states Mr Buys.

The SRC elections follow on the approval of a new Constitution that was accepted by our Council on 3 June 2011.

The Constitution was drafted over a period of eight months by the Broad Student Transformation Forum (BSTF), consisting of students, in order to design a new dispensation in student structures. The BSTF, which decided on new models of student representation in collaboration with independent facilitators, consists of more than 70 student organisations and residences. The changes to the Constitution were decided on and accepted by the BSTF, after recommendations from four student study groups, which investigated student leadership and governance in depth, at national as well as international level, were taken into account. The study groups visited nine (9) other SA universities, as well as investigated student representation at internationally renowned universities like Cornell, Yale and Stanford in the United States of America.

Ms Modieyi Motholo, Chairperson of the Interim Student Committee, says that she is very proud of what the students have achieved with the new Constitution. “I wish to accord recognition to all the students who lead the process for all their hard work. Constitutional revision is a strenuous process and it is nothing short of a miracle that the students could not only reconstruct the Constitution, but also have it accepted in less than a year.”

The important changes include, amongst others:

Candidates no longer stand on behalf of parties in the elections, but as independent candidates for 10 predetermined portfolios for which students can vote directly;
Students also directly vote for a President and a Vice-President;
Nine (9) SRC members serve ex-officio as SRC members by virtue of being chairpersons of nine additional student councils established by the Constitution. Amongst others, the councils include a postgraduate student council, an international student council, a student media council and a student academic affairs council;
More stringent eligibility requirements are set for candidates, namely that students who wish to run in the elections has to, amongst others, sustain an academic average of more than 60%, and hold proven student leadership experience (which could be verified by the Independent Electoral Agency).

“With the SRC elections, students have the opportunity to firmly entrench the changes in student governance on which they have decided on by themselves firmly, as a sustainable model for democracy at our Bloemfontein Campus. It speaks volumes that the number of leadership positions for which candidates can make themselves available, in essence has been increased by the number of additional student sub-councils from 21 to 67, because it brings about much more direct representation for different students across the campus,” says Mr Buys.

“I firmly believe that the upcoming student council elections will be a success,” says Motholo. “I wish the students, who are prepared to sacrifice a year of their lives in service of the student community as a member of the SRC, all of the best.”

The Qwaqwa Campus’ election schedule shall be announced within the next week, as well as the date of the institution of the Central Student Council (CSC).

Media Release
26 July 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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