Friday, 19 December 2008

• African Beer Tasting

  On a recent trip to Full Throttle Bottles in Georgetown, I found three different beers from Africa.  Although all similar in style, I had an inkling that they would all have noticable differences.  The lineup:

  Brasseries du Maroc - Casablanca (Morocco)

  Meta Abo Brewery - Meta Export Lager (Ethiopia)

  Kenya Breweries - Tusker Premium Lager (Kenya)

  While doing a little research on these beers, the thing I found most interesting is the category into which these fall.  All three, stylistically, are "American Adjunct Lagers."  In short, this means that though a portion of the beer is made with malted barley, more cost effective ingredients (i.e. rice and corn) are used to make the flavors more mass marketable (bland). 

  First up, the Casablanca.  Oddly enough, there was a very slight haze in this beer.  This didn't bother me at all but this style is known for being bright (beer terminology for extremely clear).  Nice level of carbonation, absolutely no head retention, and a very typical light golden color.  The nose is very limited.  Slightly sweet with a little bit of grass.  Nothing great, but nothing all that off-putting either.  That feeling bled over into the flavor department as well.  Very light flavors with a decent balance of sweet and bitter.  All in all, a very boring beer, but just as good as any macro-lager you'll find in this country.

  Next in line was the Meta Export Lager.  The color of this beer is a clear version of the Casablanca.  A very pale gold but this had a little bit less carbonation.  The initial smell is pure sweetness, much like overcooked corn.  After a little time spent in the glass, aromas of butterscotch started poking through.  For the beer geeks out there, this would be a great example to pinpoint the smell of diacetyl (the compound responsible for this smell that is serious flaw in lagers such as this).  In the mouth, the sweet, buttery characteristics overpower any hop bitterness that may be lingering beneath.  I would not recommend this beer at all.

  Lastly, the Tusker Premium Lager.  In the glass, this is by far the most carbonated of the bunch, which is helping to maintain the slightest bit of head.  Again, pale gold in color.  It really was amazing to see how close all of these were in color.  Like that Meta, this was also extremely clear.  The lightest nose of the group led to me thinking of Perrier with lemon.  That hunch was confirmed upon the first sip. Very thin, high carbonation, and a minerality that couldn't be missed.  If this were a wine, I would most likely attribute that to terroir, but I have to assume that all of the ingredients used by this brewery are imported, so that idea goes out the window.  The lowest alcohol of the tasting (4.2% abv) makes this a great session beer on extremely hot days. 

  My father joined me in this tasting and his vote went to the Casablanca.  I feel it was perfectly adequate and by far, the best representation of the style.  Because of the fact that I'm not big on the style to begin with, I have to say that the Tusker was my favorite.  This one got the nod from me because of sheer drinkability. 

  I would have no problem suggesting these if it weren't for the price.  These were all purchased as singles for around $2.00.  One can easily find something comparable for about $.50 a pop.  Fun to say I've tried, but I probably won't be seeking these out anytime soon.

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