South African Regulations Define Traditional African Beer

On March 14, 2025, South Africa published amended regulations under the Liquor Products Act that established “Traditional African beer” as a separate legally defined product class. The regulations distinguished it from conventional beer, which was required to contain hops and derive a specified proportion of its fermentable extract from malted grain. Traditional African beer was defined as a fermented beverage made from sorghum, maize, finger millet, or pearl millet. It had to retain grain solids, remain in active fermentation or have fermentation continue naturally, contain no hops, and have an alcohol content between 0.5 and 3.5 percent. Although the regulation did not use the name umqombothi, the category formally recognized the production characteristics of the traditional grain beer commonly known by that name in South Africa.