Come in South Africa: Steve samples Umqombothi

For those who don't know, I've left Guy, Justin and Paul (new Darlo Venue Manager) to head off overseas with my wife Kel for one last hurrah before children cramp our style! I've switched off my phone and rarely check my emails but I do plan to post an occasional blog entry if I do anything of interest beer-wise.

First stop is South Africa and I'm sending this from the picturesque winery town of Franschhoek, about an hours drive from Cape Town. While in Cape Town, however, I was lucky enough to visit some of the shanty towns (or townships) close to the city. Quite an experience but one suitably completed with a shared beer with some locals in a smoky shabeen (see photo). A simply incredible experience.

The beer, called Umqombothi from the Xhosa language, is a beer made from maize (corn), maize malt, sorghum malt, yeast and water. The beer has a heavy and distinctly sour aroma. The beer does not have a very high alcohol content, usually less than 3%. In appearance, the beer is opaque and light tan in colour. It has a thick, creamy and gritty consistency (from the maize). Kel even tried some and liked it (a big deal for a traditional non-beer lover). Maybe this is something we should brew for the Local Ladies??!

I've learnt much about this beer here if you want to learn more too..