A tiny part of the PhoenixBev group’s production, young Manawa vibrates with a singular insularity! Take a tour of the well-guarded craft brewery.
Delphine Raimond
When Dewald, the South African brewer, was presented with the idea of developing a new brand of beer with flavors inspired by Mauritian culture, he immediately agreed and – in the midst of a pandemic – moved to the island with his family to take up the challenge.
Upstairs in the first building, I discover a gleaming, luminous glass room, seven 1,000-liter tanks, and a double tank from Italy with a closed, energy-saving water circuit. Dewald explains to me the delicate process of making this nectar, talking about dosage, adjustment, natural filtering, constant control of sugar and alcohol levels, adjustment of hops (from the fertile lands of New Zealand) which, in larger quantities, give Manawa its character. Every two months, a seasonal beer with fruit, flowers and bark completes the four variations.
“A beer has to suit the majority of palates and its flavour has to be consistent! So you have to be very specialized and not change a single step!” Curious by nature, Dewald tested all the ingredients on arrival, risking a few gustatory surprises! I learn that the white contains lemon, coriander and 1% (no more!) cardamom.
Only two people work here, with two others in bottling and labelling, using a responsible deposit system. In a continuous circuit, each vat fills 2,400 bottles every 21 days – the necessary fermentation time. A small production limited to local consumption. While the IPA is the best-selling beer in Mauritius, the white is favored by La Réunion, the only export country.
