the woodstock brewery story
It all started back in 2014 when a finance whiz, Andre Viljoen spotted a rundown historic warehouse on Google Maps. Living in South Korea at the time, he moved back home and began working hard to turn this building into a vibrant hub of great beer, live music, and memories to last a lifetime.
COVID-19's 2020 alcohol bans idled our tanks and team, but Andre pivoted, inspired by a local soup kitchen he supported, he turned the brewery's copper vats into "The Mother Soup Project." Scaling from 5,000 liters daily (15,000 meals) to 14,000 liters, we served 5+ million nutrient-rich soups along with donated bread from Blue Ribbon and produce from Gift of the Givers and FoodForward SA.
This "Meals on wheels" fed shelters, townships, and families citywide and volunteers buzzed in our taproom for prep. As bans eased, it became Mother City Kitchen, adding literacy, food gardens, and skills training.
In Andre's famous words, "It saved us as much as we saved others."
We aimed ofo ur small-batch beers to infuse global styles with local soul giving us crisp lagers like Born Slippy for sunny vibes and seasonal rotations like our wood-aged sour Sugarman.
At the 2024's South African Brewers Cup we brought home 2 golds (Rhythm Stick, Danzn), 1 silver (Slice of Life), and 1 bronze (Californicator), while 2025's African Beer Cup added 1 gold (Moose Hammer), 2 silvers (incl. Sugarman), and 1 bronze (Happy Pills). We have worked hard to provide our customers with only the best and we hope to do more in the future.