This post has been inspired by my brother-in-law, Philip Kelleher. For his birthday, Katie (my sister, who I prefer to call Batie - miss you lots!) gave Phil a really neat birthday present. His present is to have one new beer every day of the year. Quite the feat. Katie has different types of beers shipped to them from a "beer of the month" club. This is then supplemented with different brews from various restaurants, pubs, breweries, and random grocery stores. Phil keeps track of all of his different beers in a blog, where he rates them in wine-spectator-esque manner (points up to 100).
While I claim to have absolutely no knowledge of beer, and usually am not even a huge fan of beer, I found out soon after arrival in Uganda that there are a few different beers brewed right here in this small country. This came as quite the surpise to me. Despite the fact that neither barley nor hops are grown in Uganda (although they are currently undergoing a trial growth of equatorial barley in Eastern Uganda), this small country is home to six or seven (or even more, depending on how you see it) "local" beers. Given this fact, I felt the need to try all of the beers brewed in Uganda to find out the very best one. So here is my best attempt to evaluate Ugandan brews...
I would like to start out with a few minor points. First off, all Ugandan beers are relatively mild. Despite their advertisements as "lagers," most of the beers here taste like light beers. Which is good, as they can be quite refreshing when the temperatures reach the 90s. Secondly, the standard bottle size here is 500mL (that's a half a liter, about the size of a personal bottle of soda that you might buy at a convenience store). With alcohol content of upwards of 6%, you better make sure you are eating while drinking the beer, or you may find yourself with a nasty headache in the morning. Thirdly, the beer is cold and cheap. Dirt cheap. A local beer will usually cost around 4000-5000 Ugandan shilings, which equates to less than US $2. It's almost cheaper to drink beer here than to order bottled water.
Side note: I planned to post this blog a couple of weeks ago; however, in doing my "research" during the initial phase of writing this post, I realized that I had missed out on at least a few local brews. Wanting to do this blog complete justice, I felt it was my duty to seek out and evaluate these other brews for my avid readers...
Nile Special Lager (5.6% ABV). Nile Special Lager is brewed in Jinga, Uganda, right along the source of the Nile. It is advertised as a "true reward from the source." Nile Special has won the Gold Award 8 times and the Grand Gold twice at some international beer competition in Brussels, so it must be pretty good. I find it to be the most pleasant of the Ugandan brews. Though relatively light, it is probably the most flavorful of the Ugandan beers, but not too hoppy or bitter. As I write this blog, I just finished a bottle of Nile with dinner. That may be influencing by decision to name this my favorite Ugandan beer, but it has been my go-to at restaurants since about the first week.
Nile Gold Crystal Malt Lager (4.8% ABV). As you probably figured out, Nile Gold is brewed by the same company is Nile Special, right along the source of the Nile. I believe that it is supposed to be the "premium" version of Nile Special, but I find it to be less flavorful than Nile. It's still light and refreshing, and will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was the beer I enjoyed after surviving our Nile rafting experience...
Bell Lager (4% ABV). I first discovered and tasted this beer while at Murchison Falls National Park. It is brewed and bottled within the confines of Kampala. It is advertised as using "only the finest ingredients to capture the true taste of Uganda's heritage." I'm not sure how a beer can capture the heritage of an entire country, but I give them props for trying. Again, Bel is very light and not quite as potent as Nile. It's a good beer to drink while resting from the heat during a safari trip, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it. Make sure you drink the half liter quickly, because the taste becomes quite unpleasant when warm...
Club Pilsner (4.5% ABV). Brewed and bottled in Jinga. Very, very light beer. To be honest, it doesn't have much flavor at all. It is advertised as being "brewed longer for easier drinking, slower for great taste." I think the taste is a bit too slow, and I find myself wondering if the brewing is so "easy" that they forgot to leave out essential ingredients like hops. While not a good addition to dinner, it tastes very refreshing when it's ice cold and served on the beach...
Castle Milk Stout (6% ABV ). This is a very dark beer, but not quite as bitter as Guiness Extra Foreign (described below). It has hints of dark chocolate, but was still too bitter for me. Mike, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the richer flavors of this dark brew.
Moonberg Lager (4.9% ABV). While this beer was more difficult to find (and we eventually ended up purchasing it in the grocery store instead of a restaurant), it was worth the effort. The label reports that the beer is "brewed according to German Purity Law of 1516." Not sure what this is, but it must be good... Moonberg Lager is much more hoppy than the other beers, and a bit too bitter for my taste, but a nice change from the usual Ugandan brews. The back of the bottles boasts "You will love the taste! What you hold in your hands is a symphony of African soul, German craft, the sun, the moon, and the love for creation. Moonberg Lager has been designed to achieve the three most beautiful things: bring you joy, lift your sprit, and open your hearts. Cheers!" That is quite the promise. I'm not sure that the beer pulled through on all aspects, but I did enjoy it...
Moonberg Premium (4.9% ABV). As with it's "brother beer," Moonberg Premium was a bit more difficult to obtain; however, as opposed to the Lager, this beer wasn't quite as hoppy or bitter. In fact, it was quite refreshing. I wish that we had discovered it earlier, as I may have otherwise enjoyed it with a bit more frequency. The label, again, has very high promises. It claims that the beer is "brewed to satisfy your body, mind, and soul." Not sure about my body, mind, or soul, but my taste buds were satisfied after drinking the beer, and that has to count for something, right?
Tusker Lager (4.2% ABV). Although commonly found in Uganda and bottled in Kampala, this brew is not uniquely Ugandan. It is actually a Kenyan beer that is widely distributed throughout Africa. Therefore, to be a purist, I cannot officially include it within the Ugandan beers. However, I will include it in my blog because it is likely one of the best beers I have had here. The label advertises that "every crisp, clean mouthful summons up the taste, sunshine, and love of life of its African roots." Though I cannot say that I taste all of these sentiments while drinking the beer, I do find it to be very enjoyable. Though still light in color, Tusker is not as light in flavor as most of the others. It would still probably be considered a tame beer by most beer-drinkers, but for me it has just the right amount of flavor and bitterness, without going over the edge. In addition to the overall high level of drinkability, the beer also has a great label which is very hard to resist!
Guinness Foreign Extra (6.5% ABV). Again, this beer is not uniquely Ugandan, but is advertised plentifully and not readily available in the United States, so I felt it should be included. Guinness Foreign Extra is bottled within the confines of Kampala, but is most definitely an Irish brew. The beer is incredibly dark and bitter; what one has come to expect form Guinness. Mike reports, however, that he enjoys regular Guinness more, as Guinness Foreign Extra is "too bitter for a stout." I don't know what this means, but I trust his beer knowledge over my own...
There are two additional Ugandan beers, Senator and Eagle, which we have been unable to find thus far during our time here in Uganda. When we asked about them at a local restaurant, we were told that they were considered "too cheap" for restaurant clientele, but were in fact very good beers. Perhaps we will search out a more seedy establishment when we return to Entebbe for one day prior to our departure back to the States...
While I claim to have absolutely no knowledge of beer, and usually am not even a huge fan of beer, I found out soon after arrival in Uganda that there are a few different beers brewed right here in this small country. This came as quite the surpise to me. Despite the fact that neither barley nor hops are grown in Uganda (although they are currently undergoing a trial growth of equatorial barley in Eastern Uganda), this small country is home to six or seven (or even more, depending on how you see it) "local" beers. Given this fact, I felt the need to try all of the beers brewed in Uganda to find out the very best one. So here is my best attempt to evaluate Ugandan brews...
I would like to start out with a few minor points. First off, all Ugandan beers are relatively mild. Despite their advertisements as "lagers," most of the beers here taste like light beers. Which is good, as they can be quite refreshing when the temperatures reach the 90s. Secondly, the standard bottle size here is 500mL (that's a half a liter, about the size of a personal bottle of soda that you might buy at a convenience store). With alcohol content of upwards of 6%, you better make sure you are eating while drinking the beer, or you may find yourself with a nasty headache in the morning. Thirdly, the beer is cold and cheap. Dirt cheap. A local beer will usually cost around 4000-5000 Ugandan shilings, which equates to less than US $2. It's almost cheaper to drink beer here than to order bottled water.
Side note: I planned to post this blog a couple of weeks ago; however, in doing my "research" during the initial phase of writing this post, I realized that I had missed out on at least a few local brews. Wanting to do this blog complete justice, I felt it was my duty to seek out and evaluate these other brews for my avid readers...
Nile Special Lager (5.6% ABV). Nile Special Lager is brewed in Jinga, Uganda, right along the source of the Nile. It is advertised as a "true reward from the source." Nile Special has won the Gold Award 8 times and the Grand Gold twice at some international beer competition in Brussels, so it must be pretty good. I find it to be the most pleasant of the Ugandan brews. Though relatively light, it is probably the most flavorful of the Ugandan beers, but not too hoppy or bitter. As I write this blog, I just finished a bottle of Nile with dinner. That may be influencing by decision to name this my favorite Ugandan beer, but it has been my go-to at restaurants since about the first week.
Nile Gold Crystal Malt Lager (4.8% ABV). As you probably figured out, Nile Gold is brewed by the same company is Nile Special, right along the source of the Nile. I believe that it is supposed to be the "premium" version of Nile Special, but I find it to be less flavorful than Nile. It's still light and refreshing, and will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was the beer I enjoyed after surviving our Nile rafting experience...
Bell Lager (4% ABV). I first discovered and tasted this beer while at Murchison Falls National Park. It is brewed and bottled within the confines of Kampala. It is advertised as using "only the finest ingredients to capture the true taste of Uganda's heritage." I'm not sure how a beer can capture the heritage of an entire country, but I give them props for trying. Again, Bel is very light and not quite as potent as Nile. It's a good beer to drink while resting from the heat during a safari trip, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it. Make sure you drink the half liter quickly, because the taste becomes quite unpleasant when warm...
Club Pilsner (4.5% ABV). Brewed and bottled in Jinga. Very, very light beer. To be honest, it doesn't have much flavor at all. It is advertised as being "brewed longer for easier drinking, slower for great taste." I think the taste is a bit too slow, and I find myself wondering if the brewing is so "easy" that they forgot to leave out essential ingredients like hops. While not a good addition to dinner, it tastes very refreshing when it's ice cold and served on the beach...
Castle Milk Stout (6% ABV ). This is a very dark beer, but not quite as bitter as Guiness Extra Foreign (described below). It has hints of dark chocolate, but was still too bitter for me. Mike, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the richer flavors of this dark brew.
Moonberg Lager (4.9% ABV). While this beer was more difficult to find (and we eventually ended up purchasing it in the grocery store instead of a restaurant), it was worth the effort. The label reports that the beer is "brewed according to German Purity Law of 1516." Not sure what this is, but it must be good... Moonberg Lager is much more hoppy than the other beers, and a bit too bitter for my taste, but a nice change from the usual Ugandan brews. The back of the bottles boasts "You will love the taste! What you hold in your hands is a symphony of African soul, German craft, the sun, the moon, and the love for creation. Moonberg Lager has been designed to achieve the three most beautiful things: bring you joy, lift your sprit, and open your hearts. Cheers!" That is quite the promise. I'm not sure that the beer pulled through on all aspects, but I did enjoy it...
Moonberg Premium (4.9% ABV). As with it's "brother beer," Moonberg Premium was a bit more difficult to obtain; however, as opposed to the Lager, this beer wasn't quite as hoppy or bitter. In fact, it was quite refreshing. I wish that we had discovered it earlier, as I may have otherwise enjoyed it with a bit more frequency. The label, again, has very high promises. It claims that the beer is "brewed to satisfy your body, mind, and soul." Not sure about my body, mind, or soul, but my taste buds were satisfied after drinking the beer, and that has to count for something, right?
Tusker Lager (4.2% ABV). Although commonly found in Uganda and bottled in Kampala, this brew is not uniquely Ugandan. It is actually a Kenyan beer that is widely distributed throughout Africa. Therefore, to be a purist, I cannot officially include it within the Ugandan beers. However, I will include it in my blog because it is likely one of the best beers I have had here. The label advertises that "every crisp, clean mouthful summons up the taste, sunshine, and love of life of its African roots." Though I cannot say that I taste all of these sentiments while drinking the beer, I do find it to be very enjoyable. Though still light in color, Tusker is not as light in flavor as most of the others. It would still probably be considered a tame beer by most beer-drinkers, but for me it has just the right amount of flavor and bitterness, without going over the edge. In addition to the overall high level of drinkability, the beer also has a great label which is very hard to resist!
Guinness Foreign Extra (6.5% ABV). Again, this beer is not uniquely Ugandan, but is advertised plentifully and not readily available in the United States, so I felt it should be included. Guinness Foreign Extra is bottled within the confines of Kampala, but is most definitely an Irish brew. The beer is incredibly dark and bitter; what one has come to expect form Guinness. Mike reports, however, that he enjoys regular Guinness more, as Guinness Foreign Extra is "too bitter for a stout." I don't know what this means, but I trust his beer knowledge over my own...
Haha - I love it! And I love you, Gibbo!!
ReplyDeleteGreat reporting libs. Makes me want to fly over for a night at the bar. Do you think a Nile or Moonberg would survive the flight back?!? ;)
ReplyDelete