OnTap Magazine

there’s not much to be found in the way of ales. St George Amber and Hakim Stout were the only readily available beers that stepped outside the pale lager box and both of them failed to wow: good for refreshment after a day’s work but nothing that’s going to get you bragging on Untappd. But then Ethiopian beer suddenly got interesting. My hosts grew tired of hearing my pleas for a more rewarding beer and introduced me to The Beer Garden Inn, home of Garden Bräu. Ethiopian beer was saved. After sampling the light ale affectionately named ‘Blondy’ and the dark ale which goes by ‘Ebony’, I was truly treated to the best beer I had during my time in Ethiopia: The APA (pronounced Uppa) or Addis Pale Ale. It was clean, full bodied, rich in colour and most pleasantly hoppy. Granted, I had drunk virtually nothing but light lagers of varying quality for the past three weeks, and the APA was probably at best just lightly hopped but it was enough to leave me with a smile and pleasant thoughts of the hope of a future revolution of beer in Ethiopia. Sadly, I later learnt that the Addis Pale Ale had been discontinued due to its higher price point, but I have hope that the locals will gradually learn to love the fuller flavoured brews. For now it seems that the most flavourful and adored brew in the country will remain coffee, but hopefully The Beer Garden Inn will be the start of a new era of beer appreciation in the beautiful highlands nation. On arrival in Addis, evidence of Ethiopia’s love for beer continued to grab my attention. A CHEAT SHEET ETHIOPIA’S BREWERIES: Ethiopia’s only brewpub, Garden Brau BGI Brewery This large scale brewery produces the fiercely Ethiopian brand, St George, as well as Castel and Amber. It is owned by Groupé Castel (France). Meta Abo Brewery Owned by Diageo, they brew Guinness Extra Stout and Malta Guinness, a non-alcoholic malt drink as well as Meta Beer. They have also launched a new clear sorghum beer, Azmera. Habesha Brewery A locally inspired brewery (with heavyweight Bavaria among its shareholders) that brews Habesha beer. Heineken Ethiopia Brews Walia Lager and Radler, Bedele and Bedele Special, Harar Lager, Hakim Stout plus two non- alcoholic brands and of course, Heineken. Dashen Brewery Based in the Northern Ethiopian region of Gondar, Dashen is co-owned by Vasari Global, Duet Group - a UK-based asset management firm - and the TIRET Group, an Ethiopian endowment fund. Vasari also own KWV in South Africa . Garden Bräu Currently Ethiopia’s only brewpub, Garden Brau is based at the Beer Garden Inn, home to a small hotel, a shiny Kaspar Schulz brewhouse and we dare say Addis Ababa’s most flavourful brews. The brewery is headed up by Banshebi Tejiwe, an ex-Meta Abo brewmaster, and backed by Mario Delicio of Cape Town-based Dematech. On Tap / Autumn 2018 / 27