The Bazaruto Brewing Company, Vilankulos

Richard, one of the four owners of the Bazaruto Brewing Company and the head brewer, welcomed us to the brewery and its adjoining bar in the northern part of Vilankulos. It was our second stop on the Beer Post mission, and we were excited to visit another craft brewery along our journey.

A Tour of the Brewery

Richard led us through the facility, where every step of the brewing process is designed with energy efficiency in mind. The team, for instance, built a custom cooling system that uses glycol and an ordinary home freezer to chill the beer — drawing just 300 watts instead of the 6 kilowatts a commercial cooler would normally require. This clever setup significantly reduces both energy consumption and operational costs.

The Bazaruto Brewing Company sources most of its hops and malt from South Africa, with some German hops occasionally making their way into the recipes. Local borehole water is filtered on-site and used for brewing. Every part of production is done by hand: from grinding the malt to bottling and labelling the beers. Nothing is automated. All the brewers are Mozambican, and two of them have backgrounds in agricultural food processing — an ideal foundation for developing new beers and refining brewing techniques.

Beer Tasting at the Bar

After the tour, we settled into the bar for a tasting session. The brewery offers three flagship beers that are also available in local stores: Kani Mambo (Golden Ale), Bazaruto (India Pale Ale), and Bazaruto Red (Red Ale). Kani Mambo means “thank you” in Tsonga and is the brewery’s bestseller, competing head-to-head with mass-market lagers. We especially enjoyed the two IPAs, brewed in the English style — less fruity, more balanced, and refreshingly different from their American counterparts.

But the flagship range is just the beginning. At the bar, visitors can sample small-batch creations such as Baz (a differently styled IPA), a stout, a ginger beer, and Hoyohoyo — named after a Xitsonga expression of festive, enthusiastic welcome. These brews are crafted exclusively for the taproom. Experimentation is part of the brewery’s DNA: the team frequently trials new styles, even branching into beverages like mango seltzer to test market interest. Brewers are encouraged to develop new recipes, collect feedback from regulars, and either scale up production or refine the idea further.

One thing we especially appreciated is that the Bazaruto Brewing Company doesn’t try to imitate existing beers. Each brew has a distinct character. The stout, for example, carries classic stout flavours but is far lighter than a Guinness — unmistakably its own creation.

Richard was an exceptional host: warm, knowledgeable, and overflowing with stories about brewing and the industry. A huge thank-you to him for spending the afternoon with us — and for opening the bar on a Thursday, when it’s usually closed!

Four Questions About Beer and Life

1. What is the history of the brewery?

Richard has owned a holiday home in Vilankulos since 2009 and always imagined retiring there with his wife. After serving as a pilot for South African Airways for 20 years, he concluded his career during the Covid-19 pandemic, when commercial aviation came to an abrupt halt. A passionate homebrewer, he saw an opportunity to combine his love of beer with his long-standing connection to the town. He soon found three local business partners who now manage the business operations while he focuses fully on brewing.

2. Which beer best represents your “house style,” and why?

While Kani Mambo is the commercial bestseller, Richard says the Bazaruto IPA best expresses the brewery’s style. It deliberately steps away from the ever-popular American IPA trend and stays true to the roots of English-style IPAs. The beer is crafted with caramel notes and hop flavours that lean toward red fruit rather than citrus — subtle, robust, and deeply satisfying.

3. What’s the best brewing disaster story you’re willing to admit to?

Richard’s favourite mishap isn’t from his time at Bazaruto, but from his early homebrewing years. Some friends once challenged him to brew an Eisbock — a beer made through freeze distillation. The experiment didn’t go as planned, much to the amusement of everyone involved, but it taught him invaluable lessons about tackling unusual beer styles.

4. What advice would you give to someone dreaming of opening a brewery?

Short answer: Don’t.

Longer answer: If you do, make sure you’re not doing it alone. Brewing, business management, marketing, and legal compliance each demand their own expertise. Trying to juggle everything yourself is a recipe for burnout. from the ever popular American style IPAs and more true to the roots of the English style IPAs. It has been crafted for caramel notes with stronger but more subtle hop flavour tending towards red fruit rather than citrus flavour from the hops.