For the beer lovers! There is nothing better than travelling the globe and sampling the culture, food and of course the local beer. With many flavours and brands to choice from, here is a list of the most noted and ‘best’ beers that you can find in some of the countries we travel on our Acacia Africa Overland routes age 18 +
South Africa – Castle Lager Castle Brewery was founded in Johannesburg in 1894. It later merged with other breweries to form South African Breweries and now has become the world’s second largest beer producer after merging with MillerSAB from the USA. Castle won many awards, from gold medals to the “World’s Best Bottled Lager” award. It is advertised as “somewhat dry, somewhat bitter, never sweet”.
Namibia – Windhoek Lager Windhoek Lager, named after the countries capital is exported throughout the region and in 20 countries worldwide. It comes in a “Light”, “Special” and a “Draught” version and has a light, clean and crisp taste with aromas of barley and hops. The country, a former German colony, has a long history of brewing and makes pale lagers. If you happen to be in a bar in Namibia, you might also want to try the famous Namibian beer Taffel or Hansa Pilsner beer.
Botswana – St Louis St Louis Lager is Botswana’s national beer, and comes in a premium special variety and alcohol free. It is said to be light, crisp and refreshing due to the hot and dry climate of Botswana, and is brewed by Kgalagadi Breweries in Gaborone.
Zimbabwe – Zambezi Lager Zambezi is a pale full bodied premium lager, with a unique bitter taste. Brewed in the capital Harare using the finest variety barley, and the highest quality of maize, malt and hops, it’s a tasty tipple. Other popular Zimbabwean bottled beer includes Zambezi Light, Bohlingers Lager and Golden Pilsner (of Czech origin).
Zambia – Mosi Lager Mosi Lager is Zambia’s most popular local brew. Named after the Victoria Falls (Mosi oa Tunya) it has a clear golden body with a small lacing white head, and the aroma is light and grainy and low bitterness. There is a micro-brewery, the Zikomo Brewing Company in Lusaka that sells Dr. Livingstone’s Lager, Zikomo Copper Ale, Safari Stout and Baobab White, which is brewed with the fruit from the baobab tree. Definitely worth a visit while you are here.
Malawi – Carlsberg Carlsberg (a Danish Brewery) officially opened in 1968 in Malawi. At the time the Danish hated the brews they were served and decided to take a stand! There are two types called Carlsberg ‘Green’ or ‘Brown’. The green is a lager and the brown is a cross between a bitter and a stout. In 2003, Carlsberg launched a local brew called Kuche Kuche, a slightly weaker lager with a pleasant taste.
Tanzania – Kilimanjaro Lager At 4.5 percent ABV Kilimanjaro is a light and refreshing lager with an aroma of corn and malt and it is best enjoyed as an afternoon beer. Other popular brands of refreshing lagers include — Safari, Serengeti, Kilimanjaro and Ndovu.
Kenya- Tusker Tusker beer is available throughout the southern region, and is a refreshing lager with a great looking logo. Tusker also comes in a “Malt” variety. The brand name for “Tusker” came about shortly after the founder of Kenya Breweries Ltd, George Hurst, was killed by an elephant during a hunting accident. It has a thick, foamy head, and a clear, bubbly straw appearance with a full, sweet, bready, barley malt taste.
Uganda – Nile Special Nile Special and Nile Gold are the flagship beers of the Nile brewery – based in Jinja, on the banks of the Nile River in Uganda. Nile special has a light golden colour, a sweet aroma of malt and grain with a bit of fruit sweetness and clean finish.
Other beers to try is Eagle Extra, Club Pilsner and Bell lager Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in Southern Africa, and Adam Lukaszewicz, one half of the Getting Stamped blog team knows his ale well. A self-proclaimed beer lover, Adam will be travelling on our 43-day Kenya To Cape Town on 04 May and sampling a few cold ones along the way. The jury is still out on his favourite pick, so if you want to know whether a cold Kenyan Tusker (“Keroro”) will win out over a Kilimajaro Lager in Tanzania, stay tuned to Getting Stamped
Blog written by: Michelle Lewis – Acacia Sales and Marketing