Overview
- Why Triggerfish Brewing was on my South Africa list from day one
- First impressions of Triggerfish Brewing in Strand
- The story behind Triggerfish Brewing
- Why the brewery’s identity feels so authentic
- The tasting: standout beers at Triggerfish
- A brewery tour full of craft beer spirit
- The hidden gem: Crazy Diamond and vintage beer tasting
- Food at Triggerfish: what to eat with the beer
- Why Triggerfish is one of the best brewery visits near Cape Town
- Final thoughts on Triggerfish Brewing
Why Triggerfish Brewing was on my South Africa list from day one
Some breweries end up on your itinerary because they are convenient. Others because someone recommends them. And then there are those breweries you simply have to visit.
That was Triggerfish for me.
Why? Because Triggerfish was already a name I knew from the early craft beer days in Hamburg. As far as I remember, Triggerfish was imported by — or linked to companies around Axel Ohm, the South African-German former pro surfer and absolute beer messiah, who today runs his own brewery in the heart of Hamburg: ÜberQuell. If my memory is not playing tricks on me, I am quite sure I already drank Hammerhead IPA back in those days. Axel, if you happen to read this: please let me know whether I’m right — or whether this is simply one of those beautiful beer memories I created for myself. Either way, Triggerfish had a place on my South Africa list long before we landed.
First impressions of Triggerfish Brewing in Strand
The appointment with Megan was arranged quickly, and soon we found ourselves driving south of Cape Town to Strand, where Triggerfish Brewing is located in Paardevlei.
And what a location that is.
The brewery sits inside a heritage industrial precinct, an area once associated with explosives and ammunition production. That historical background already gives the place a unique edge, but the first real welcome comes in the form of a Mad Max-style car parked in front of the terrace and entrance of the taproom and restaurant. Cool, slightly wild, memorable — exactly the kind of first impression a craft beer fan appreciates.
After a warm welcome, Francois, the son of the founder and a trained brewmaster, greeted us and wasted no time at all: tasting trays appeared, beers were poured, and suddenly the visit had fully begun in the best possible way.
We sat down on the terrace, beers in front of us, South African sunshine around us, and started talking about the history of Triggerfish Brewing and what the brewery stands for.
The story behind Triggerfish Brewing
The story starts before the official founding in 2010.
Francois told us that everything really began when the family moved to Maine, USA, in 2008 because of his father’s job. There, craft beer became more than just an occasional interest. The fascination grew seriously, and soon enough his father joined a homebrewers’ club. The first equipment was bought, and the first batches were brewed in the family garage in Maine.
After moving back to South Africa, the brewing spirit came with them.
The home brewery found its way to the Western Cape, and production continued. In the early days, bottles were sold at Lourensford Market and Slow Market Stellenbosch, almost like out-of-the-trunk craft beer for curious drinkers, beer lovers, and people about to become both.
The feedback was so positive that the brewery had to grow step by step. What began as garage brewing slowly expanded into the fully working brewery in Paardevlei that visitors can experience today.
Why the brewery’s identity feels so authentic
What I liked immediately is that Triggerfish does not feel like a brewery built around a marketing story. It feels like a brewery built from real life, real interests, and real people.
With the family’s background in diving, the outdoors, and nature, the brewery was named after the triggerfish — a fish divers know well and usually respect, especially when it comes close to its eggs. It is not just a random name. It fits. And the naming continues throughout the whole range, because the beers are named after fish as well, giving the brewery a consistent maritime identity.
That kind of authenticity matters. It gives the brand soul.
And the results speak for themselves: more than 60 different beers have been brewed over time, and numerous awards have been won along the way.
The tasting: standout beers at Triggerfish
Francois guided us through a beautiful selection of beers that showed exactly what Triggerfish Brewing is all about: creativity, technical skill, variety, and character.
Sweetlips – Blonde Ale // 4.2% ABV & 14 IBU
This was the very first beer ever brewed and released by Triggerfish, and I loved the thinking behind it. A Belgian Blonde Ale is not the easiest or most forgiving style. If you want to prove brewing skill, you choose a beer that exposes mistakes instead of hiding them.
And Sweetlips does exactly that in the best way: it is fruity, slightly sweet, refreshing, and gently bitter, a proper sunny-day benchmark beer that shows control and balance.
Great Weiss – Weissbier // 4.4% ABV & 9 IBU
Apparently, nobody in the brewery originally wanted to brew a Weissbier. But regular guests — many of them German — kept asking for one. So Francois’ father finally gave in. Good decision.
Because this beer is fantastic. Banana notes, full body, and the kind of satisfying mouthfeel that makes you smile after the first sip. As a German, I have to say it: I have had many Weissbiers in my life, and Triggerfish absolutely knows what it is doing here. If you are in South Africa and suddenly feel a little homesick for a proper wheat beer, Great Weiss might be your answer.
Picasso – Hybrid Pilsner // 5% ABV & 31 IBU
Named after the Picasso Triggerfish, this one is a clever and highly enjoyable hybrid. It combines sweet malty notes with the crisp refreshment of a pilsner, delivering a little more body and a slightly darker colour than expected, without losing drinkability.
A really smart beer and a great example of how Triggerfish likes to play with style without losing clarity.
Ocean Potion – American Pale Ale // 5% ABV & 26 IBU
Every good craft brewery needs a reliable APA, and Triggerfish delivers exactly that. Ocean Potion is tropical, clean, approachable, and very easy to enjoy. No gimmicks, no shortcuts, just a proper pale ale with broad appeal and excellent drinkability.
This is also one of those beers that instantly makes you think about food pairing.
Four Legs – Alt // 5% ABV & 26 IBU
How often do you get the chance to drink an Altbier outside Düsseldorf? And how often in a South African craft brewery taproom? Exactly.
That alone makes this beer special. It may be a little brighter and perhaps lighter in malt profile than some classic German examples, but for the South African climate it works beautifully. It sits in a really interesting space between darker malt-forward styles and more refreshing ales.
Hammerhead – IPA // 6.2% ABV & 45 IBU
There it was.
The beer I had connected with Triggerfish in my head for years. And not just any IPA: Francois explained that Hammerhead was South Africa’s first bottled IPA. That alone gives it historic craft beer credibility.
But it also delivers in the glass. It is everything an IPA should be: bold, bitter, hoppy, and expressive. A proper flagship, and absolutely one of the standout beers of the tasting.
Monsterfish – Russian Imperial Stout // 11% ABV & 64 IBU
Some beers announce themselves with style names. Others with numbers.
Monsterfish does both.
At 11% ABV, you already know this is not a lightweight. And yet the alcohol is hidden so well inside layers of vanilla, bourbon, coffee, chocolate, and dark fruit that it becomes dangerously drinkable. Francois clearly enjoys big beers, and this stout is a love letter to that passion.
Rich, sweet, deep, powerful — and extremely good.
Of course, I have to ask forgiveness here: I simply cannot go into detail on every single beer we had. There were too many, and they were too good. If I told you ten or fifteen times in a row that another beer was a ten out of ten, you might start doubting me. So I’ll put the challenge to you instead: go there, try them yourself, and let me know which beer wins you over.
A brewery tour full of craft beer spirit
After working through a serious number of tasting samples, it was time to move a little, and Francois took us through the brewery itself.
This part of the visit made Triggerfish even more likeable.
Yes, the brewery has grown over time. Yes, it now has proper infrastructure and a strong identity. But it still feels small, hands-on, and truly craft.
At one point, Francois explained how one of the stainless steel vessels became too small. So what did they do? They had a welder from around the corner increase the height by about 30 centimetres. It worked. So they did it again. Honestly, tell me something more craft than that.
It is this spirit that makes breweries memorable. Not perfection polished to death, but smart, practical, community-rooted solutions that keep the beer flowing and the vision alive.
Even better: the original 20-litre brew pot from the earliest days still exists and is still used for prototypes and test brews. That says a lot about the brewery’s mindset. Growth has happened, but without disconnecting from the roots.
Francois also told us about the earlier phase after moving out of the garage, when brewery and taproom were squeezed into an incredibly small space of maybe 12 square metres. Brewing, tapping, serving and selling almost happened in one single move. And still, the local community showed up — ten people, twenty people, fifty people — enjoying the beer and throwing food on the braai. That kind of atmosphere must have been magic, and in a way it still lives on in Triggerfish today.
The hidden gem: Crazy Diamond and vintage beer tasting
Because Triggerfish beers are not pasteurised, distribution is more difficult and the supply chain more challenging. That is one reason why the brewery remains relatively local and not yet widely available everywhere.
But sometimes limited reach means special rewards for visitors.
Inside the cold room, there were hidden treasures waiting.
Crazy Diamond – Belgian Strong Ale // 13.2% ABV & 70 IBU
This is a limited release brewed only every second year and originally started as a collaboration with the sadly closed Cockpit Brewhouse. With quadruple fermentation and six months of ageing before release, this beer already sounds serious before you even taste it.
But then things got even better.
Francois had old kegs of Crazy Diamond vintages from 2025, 2021, and 2015, and then said the magical words: let’s try some old beers.
Now we were talking.
Food at Triggerfish: what to eat with the beer
A brewery visit is never only about the beer if the kitchen also knows what it is doing.
And at Triggerfish, the kitchen definitely does.
We tried wings, hake bites, burger, and fries, and it was exactly the kind of beer-friendly comfort food you hope for in a taproom: satisfying, full of flavour, and made for pairing.
My personal recommendation for your visit: go for the hake bites with Ocean Potion. That pairing works beautifully and feels perfectly in place near the coast.Tasting these vintages side by side was one of the absolute highlights of the visit. The 2025 was bold and creamy, in line with what you might expect from a Belgian Quadrupel-inspired beer. The 2021 was more complex, different, layered, and harder to define. And the 2015 vintage — an eleven-year-old unpasteurised beer — was simply mind-blowing.
Fresh, sweet, strong, elegant, slightly stout-like, yet still clearly Belgian in body and character. One of those tasting moments that stay with you because words do not fully capture them.
Why Triggerfish is one of the best brewery visits near Cape Town
Triggerfish Brewing has everything I am looking for in a brewery visit:
It has history, but no arrogance.
It has quality, but no stiffness.
It has creativity, but stays grounded.
It has character, community, and a genuine local identity.
And there is more. If you are planning a visit, make sure to check the events schedule. On weekends there is live music, and on Sundays the Triggerfish market brings together excellent beer from Tap by Triggerfish and food stands by locals. That sounds like exactly the kind of atmosphere you want from a proper brewery community hub.
So if you are looking for a craft brewery near Cape Town, a beer destination in Strand, or simply a place that combines excellent beer, strong personality, and real craft brewing spirit, Triggerfish should absolutely be on your list.
Final thoughts on Triggerfish Brewing
One more small but memorable detail before I close: besides brewing, Francois is also a passionate blacksmith and forges all kinds of pieces in his spare time. As someone whose very first job was in a metal workshop, that gave us an immediate extra topic to talk about — hammers, rebars, grinding, all that good stuff. It was one of those unexpected little human connections that make a visit even more special.
And then Francois topped it off by gifting me a handmade bottle opener stamped with his initials. I still feel honoured. And I am very much looking forward to opening as many beers as possible with it in the future. It will probably also be my excuse to tell people, again and again, “Once I was in South Africa and visited Triggerfish Brewery in Strand…”
Thank you again to Megan and Francois for having us.
From the first hello, we felt genuinely welcome. Not in a polished, corporate way, but in the best brewery way possible: open, warm, curious, generous. The kind of place where you instantly feel like you are not just visiting a business, but stepping briefly into a real community.
And that made it hard to leave. But leave we had to — for now.
One thing is already certain, though: we will be back. Maybe it is not in the calendar yet, but mentally, it is already booked.
