“Good beer takes time, and is best made with a smile”

Master Brewer Jörg Finkeldey rarely answers a question without a smile. Sometimes it comes before the words, sometimes after, often accompanied by a brief laugh. The joviality is disarming, but it should not be mistaken for lightness of purpose. With more than three decades of international experience, from Namibia to Germany, the United States, Japan and the Pacific, Jörg is today the brewing mind behind The Thirsty Fox, developed by Oxenham. Together, they are helping to shape the craft beer culture in Mauritius. 

R.V.

“Oh! My life is beer!” Jörg Finkeldey says, smiling broadly, as if the answer hardly needs elaboration. The story of the master brewer of The Thirsty Fox, however, is a long one. It begins in Namibia in 1989 and stretches across continents: the United States during the early rise of craft brewing, Central and South America, Hungary, Japan and the Pacific.

Born in Africa to German parents and raised in a Germanic environment, Jörg studied chemical engineering in South Africa before heading to Germany to train as a brewer. He then joined Namibia Breweries as a production engineer, a move he still recalls with good humour. “It was an easy decision,” he says, grinning. “The alternative was uranium mining.”

“This job chose me”

Asked why he chose brewing, he pauses briefly, then shrugs, smiling. “This job chose me,” he says. “Sometimes there’s a hand guiding you towards your purpose.”

The lightness of the remark contrasts with the ingrained discipline. Over the years, he helped build brewpubs, commissioned large-scale breweries – including a 70,000-hectolitre facility in New Caledonia – and worked across environments where technical precision mattered as much as creativity.

Hard work pays off

His collaboration with Oxenham in Mauritius, he says, “works remarkably well”. The words come easily, accompanied by a smile, as if the conclusion were self-evident. 

He speaks warmly of the Oxenham family: hardworking, patient and attentive to quality. “Hard work pays off,” he says simply. “There’s a real sense of purpose and dignity in the way they approach things.”

“They even say they want to grow old with me,” he adds, laughing. “So, I suppose I’ll be here for another ten or fifteen years at least.”

“Career babies”

The Thirsty Fox, the craft beer brand developed by Oxenham, is something he refers to as one of his “career babies,” though he is quick to clarify that he does, in fact, have a family. “But those are not babies anymore,” he says, smiling.

“Science helps, of course, but creativity and ingenuity matter just as much”

The brand has steadily established itself in the Mauritian market. Ten products rotate throughout the year, spanning lagers, ales, Weiss beers and more expressive styles. The objective, Jörg explains, was never novelty for its own sake. It was to create beers that are balanced, technically sound and adapted to Mauritius’ climate. Beers that can stand comfortably alongside both international labels and local competitors.

“Brewing is art”

Despite his engineering background, the master brewer resists the idea that brewing is merely technical. “Brewing is art,” he says. “Science helps, of course, but creativity and ingenuity matter just as much.”

Craft beer, in his view, is defined by patience and personal investment. While industrial beers can move from brew house to bottle in ten days, Thirsty Fox beers take six to eight weeks to mature. The additional time, he insists, is not indulgence but necessity.

“Good beer needs time,” he says, smiling again, as if this were both philosophy and common sense.

So, what makes a good beer? “A good brewer,” he replies instantly, laughing. Then the more considered answer follows. A good beer, he says, is a drinkable, pleasant beverage. One that invites a second order without persuasion. Balance matters more than bravado. Malt sweetness, hop bitterness, aroma and texture must work together rather than compete. “If the situation allows and you want another one,” he says, “then the beer has done its job.”

A market ready to smile back

When Thirsty Fox launched in 2019, craft beer was still unfamiliar to many Mauritians. Since then, Jörg has watched curiosity grow. Consumers are more open to experimentation, more aware of styles encountered abroad, and more willing to engage with beer as something beyond refreshment. Craft beer, he insists, is not a trend to be chased but a culture to be built. Carefully, consistently and with respect for the drinker.

Throughout the conversation, the pattern holds: seriousness of craft paired with lightness of tone. It is possible, Jörg seems to suggest, to brew excellent beer without losing one’s sense of humour. And perhaps that, too, is part of the recipe.