It was a Sunday night and we needed a mission. An impromptu beer tasting sounded like the right thing to do. We piled into a station wagon and headed to the nearest beer shop and loaded-up on one of each bottle of beer that we could find. We drove back home and pulled out glasses, popped the caps, poured, and started sampling. It was 5 people versus 10 beers. Below are the results.
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Beer: St. George
ABV: 4.5%
Size: 33cl
Company: BGI Ethiopia
Style:
Lager
BGI
Ethiopia is the largest brewer in Ethiopia and St. George is the motherload. Up
and coming for BGI is Amber and Castel. You see the ubiquitous yellow sign of St. George
fighting a dragon in every village and street corner. The draft house near
Mexico Square in Addis Ababa is worth a visit and is teaming with locals. If
you're lucky, one of the customers sitting at one of the tables surrounded by 10 empty glasses will hook you up with a pint.
What was said:
“beer pong beer”
“party beer for the folks
you don’t like too much”
“post yard work beer”
“simple”
“free wedding beer” |
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Beer: Walia (Ethiopian New
Years Beer)
ABV: 5%
Size: 33cl
Company: HBSC
Style:
Lager
HBSC aka Heineken and
perhaps soon SABMiller (who recently made a bid to take over the company) pumped out
a new brew just in time to usher in the Ethiopian New Year last month. The
label has since changed and is now called Walia. A more fitting title might be Whoa!
What was said:
“weird smell”
“Budweiser backwash”
“too bad to take to anyone’s
party”
“smells like the floor of a
frat house after a big party”
“I rather have a Milwaukee’s
Best”
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Beer: Castel
ABV: 5.5%
Size: 33cl
Company: BGI Ethiopia
Style:
Lager
Another
BGI product that has a little bit more going for it than St. George. The
advertisements around town are geared towards the more polished beer
aficionado. The new bottle design forgoes the paper label in place of letters
in a relief style. A very non-threatening looking beverage.
What was said:
“better than the first two”
“good enough for your
distant cousin’s 43rd birthday”
“uneventful, yet again”
“smoother going down”
“afternoon beer where
there’s nothing else”
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Beer: Bedele Special
ABV: 5.5%
Size: 33cl
Company: Bedele Brewery
Style:
Pale Lager
Another
company developed by Czech brewers (see: Harar) bites the dust. The once government owned
Bedele Brewery was one of the two snatched up by Heineken. The company hosts Bedele (not tasted) and Bedele Special. If
you’re a fan of the can, you’re in luck. Bedele Special now available in a
six-pack.
What was said:
“crisp and refreshing”
“a more challenging lager”
“from sandbox to litter box”
“nothing much, but a better
fizz”
“old garbage disposal” |
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Beer: Dashen
ABV: 4.5%
Size: 33cl
Company: Dashen Brewery,
Gondar
Style:
Pils
Situated outside of Gondar in Northern Ethiopia, A
favorite with the expats. Rumor has it that the beer tour is excellent and has
free samples. Our school had a field trip to the brewery and all the kids got was a quiz from their teacher.
note: This was tasted warm and will post an update soon. |
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Beer: Meta
ABV: 5%
Size: 33cl
Company: Meta ABO Brewery
S.C. Ethiopia
Style:
Lager
Also
in the frenzy to snatch up Ethiopian breweries, the Diageo Group staked its’
claim on “The Pride of Ethiopia” - Meta. Meta is brewed with malted barley,
hops, and spring water. The Meta facility outside of Addis is a perfect place
to spend an afternoon. Take a swim in the pool, see the waterfall, enjoy lunch,
and drink a beer.
What was said:
“nice for a yellow beer”
“sweet puppy breath, best
light beer”
“taste like Ethiopia”
“sweet smelling, honey”
“Is this a social
experiment, are you giving us the same beer each time?”
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Beer: Meta Premium
ABV: 5%
Size: 33cl
Company: Meta ABO Brewery
S.C. Ethiopia
Style:
Lager
Meta’s
blue label, established in 1967, states: “Crafted with pride, beer matured
longer for a superior flavor.” Creeping up on the expat radar and soon to be a favorite.
What was said:
“taste like Friday night at
the local”
“an all-nighter beer”
“Tuesday’s $1 beer”
“these chemicals will hurt
you at 3 am”
“make me want salty
nuts…er…peanuts or cashews”
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Beer: Harar
ABV: 5%
Size: 33cl
Company: Harar Brewery,
Ethiopia (Owned by HBSC)
Style:
Lager
Yet
another company owned by Heineken. I was
told that when Heineken came into the fold, it laid off more than 500 people at the company in
addition to making changes in both the brew times to the original recipe. I was fortunate enough
to try both Harar and Hakim Stout in the older bottles. There are subtle, but
noticeable differences in both. While both are still drinkable, I prefer the
original taste.
What was said:
“I
want to like it, but can’t”
“a
real Bud? No, a fake Bud.”
“teenaged
summers”
“slightly
bitter, has a bite, sort of like a pils form Eastern Europe”
“slightly burnt honey
taste” |
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Beer: Amber
ABV: 5.5%
Size: 33cl
Company: BGI Ethiopia
Style:
Lager
New
on the Ethiopian beer scene in recent years, it has been a favorite and a hit
with both the locals and feringi (Foreigners). A bottle will set you back a few
cents more, but worth it. BGI thought it needed to compete with Harar’s Hakim
Stout and Amber was their answer.
What was said:
“smells
like a cute girl named Amber”
“more
challenging than others, super sweet”
“Oktoberfest,
spicy”
“Ethiopian
beer is saved”
“sweet
caramel”
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Beer: Hakim Stout
ABV: 5.5%
Size: 33cl
Company: Harar Brewery,
Ethiopia (Owned by HBSC)
Style:
Stout
I
wouldn’t exactly call this a stout. When I first tasted this a few years back,
it had a unique flavor, slightly bitter, burnt caramel, with a long finish. It
was unique. Heineken has toned it down a
bit in order to appeal to more customers. I’d be happy if they brought back the
old label and recipe. If you make it to Harar go to the beer garden and taste
the unpasteurized versions of both the Harar and Hakim Stout, they are delicious.
What was said:
“open
2 hours early to de-fizz and we’re talking beer”
“smells
like trouble”
“malty,
bitter, lacks the true flavor of the original recipe of this beer”
“extra
sugar”
“smells
better than it tastes”
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| The damage. Not tasted but worth a mention: The Beer Garden Inn (Garden Brau) Blondie and Ebony Click here to check out their website.
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Name: Chasing Amy
Age: ”Young enough to
still get cute haircuts”
Race: Texan
Favorite Quote: “He’s
British and a pilot, so I went home with him.”
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Name: Duty Free Nate
Age: Smells like Amber
Race: Barfly
Personal Goal: Pull an all
nighter at the Kebelle
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Name: Chewbobca
Age: Grayer by the day
Race: Wookie
Favorite pastime: Walking in
circles
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| Old label. |
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| Before Walia. |
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| Detail from a six-pack box. I love the design before the company hired someone who works with photoshop and Illustrator. |
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