Local beers reviews for Kenya and Tanzania
March 27, 2010
Richard Cassada
Let’s face it. Kenyan and Tanzanian beers suck. Beer is not commonplace or frequently consumed in these two countries. Tuskers has a virtual monopoly on the market in Kenya and is very aggressive about protecting their territory. I have been told that they go so far as to buy competitors beers, leave them in the sun for a while and then put them on the market. Tuskers responded to the demand from its consumers for another beer by simply putting the beer in different colored bottles. From what I know about Kenya so far, this is business as usual. Guinness also has a presence here and you can find Heineken with some effort. Guinness also sells a nonalcoholic malt beverage called Malta. With this said, I will attempt a review of the few local beers and one very local Tanzanian banana beer. That’s right, you heard it correctly. Banana beer.
Tuskers Premium Lager – Kenya
This beer has the characteristic off odor of many African beers. It comes in a large, heavy bottle and is the monopoly beer of Kenya. It is very pale yellow and has a light, mildly hoppy flavor. There is also a metallic taste that seems to permeate all African beers. It is clean and crisp and great for sitting on the veranda in Nairobi while breathing in the noxious fumes from the unmaintained vehicles. It is a standard, uninteresting beer.
Kilimanjaro Premium Lager – Tanzania
This lager is light and clean but before you reach the point of tasting, you have to get past the slightly rancid odor and mild bitterness. It has a pale gold color and has a sweet finish and a hint of hops. After a long hot safari, it is preferable to dehydration.
Serengeti Premium Lager – Tanzania
This beer is an improvement from Kilimanjaro but only in removing its negative aspects and not adding positive aspects. It has a light, malty, slightly fruity flavor. It has a light golden color but unfortunately has a slight chemical taste. The taste is slightly sweet. It does not have the disagreeable odor of Kilimanjaro and is the one beer that I look forward to after a day of backpacking.
Homemade Banana Beer – Tanzania
While in the market in Mto Wa Mbo - A small town adjacent to Lake Manyara in the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania, I asked my safari guide if there were any local microbreweries in the area. After explaining to him what a microbrew was, he called our camp cook to buy some local banana beer. At that point, he took me to the local market to let me sample some of the local bananas. Banana beer is made from red bananas so named because of their red peels. The banana is much larger and sweeter than the bananas to which we are accustomed in the states. This high sugar content has the predictable effect on the fermentation of the beer. The brewing of banana beer is a relatively simple and straight forward process that would probably turn the nose of most beer enthusiasts. The bananas are mashed to a pulp, boiled and left to ferment for a week. Millet is then boiled and added to the mix after the week of fermentation. The resulting product is understandably coarse and a bit rancid although it does have a pleasantly smoky taste. This taste is from an unidentifiable source as I could not determine its origin. It tastes nothing like beer or bananas and comes much closer to rancid cider. The alcohol content is through the roof and the carbonation from the high sugar content is substantial. Half a glass each had our group on the happy side of our safari tents. When I first opened the bottle, I noted that it was entirely unfiltered. The millet (and whatever else) was still in situ. I attempted to decant the beer. The guide and the cook were aghast that I would not want to chew on the chunks of millet. They grabbed the bottle, swirled it and each poured a glass. Although not recommended for its culinary qualities, it is definitely local fare to be sampled.
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