OnTap Magazine

brewers do add yeast though, and some will add table sugar for a faster fermentation – and a stronger alcohol kick. Once fermentation slows – usually after about 24 hours – the beer is strained and served. And now, a whole new list of rituals is called up. It begins with the brewer, who must be the first to taste the fruits of her labour. She skims off the foam that’s formed on the still-fermenting beer, pours a helping onto the ground for the ancestors and then takes a sip, proving to all that the beer is fit for consumption. The beer – poured into a communal clay pot most commonly called an ukhamba – is then passed to the host, who takes a sip to deem whether it is good enough to serve. If it passes muster he begins to pass the ukhamba around the circle, with each drinker taking a long gulp, not knowing if or when the pot will make its way to them for a second helping. Hats must be removed and standing while drinking is unacceptable – those taking the ukhamba will do so sitting, crouching or on one knee. The beer is somewhat sour, grainy – in both flavour and texture – and often has an almost barnyard-like aroma thanks to its wild fermentation. If it’s a good batch, as the ukhamba is drained a conical lid will be placed facing up, signifying that a refill is requested. If imbibers have had their fill, the lid is positioned facing downwards and the sipping is complete. ALIVE BUT DYING OUT Umqombothi is a sacred beverage served at all sorts of ceremonies including weddings, initiations, funerals and to celebrate the birth of a child. But there are also commercial versions for every day drinking, almost all of which are produced by United National Breweries (UNB). With breweries in the North West, Eastern Cape, KZN and Gauteng, UNB is a sleek operation with a long history of sorghum beer brewing and a distribution model that would make a milkman weep with envy. Umqombothi, you see, is every bit as delicate as milk when it comes to storage and shelf life. Indeed, to the untrained eye it even looks like milk from afar. UNB’s products – which include iJuba, Tlokwe, Leopard Special and the best known of all, Chibuku – are all packaged in the one-litre cartonsmost often associated with milk. The reason for this is simple: umqombothi is packaged as a live, actively fermenting beer. Fermentation has two major by-products – alcohol and CO2. And if that CO2 has nowhere togo, it creates carbonation and with it, pressure – the sort of pressure that could cause a sealed vessel to burst or explode. Storing umqombothi in a glass bottle is a guaranteed way to create a bottle bomb – a dangerous prospect. So it is packaged in cartons with a small vent that allows the CO2 to safely escape en route to the drinker. It is perhaps ironic that something so alive is in danger of dying out. But traditional sorghumbeerisunderthreat.“Umqombothi is typically only brewed for special occasions such as weddings, traditional ceremonies and such,” says Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, a master brewer who is passionate about preserving the umqombothi tradition. “As people leave their rural roots and move to the cities, fewer and fewer are learning to brew sorghum beer. As it is a five-day process, they tend to arrive home in time for the event, but will have missed the brewing of the beer and so the knowledge is not being passed down.” The beverage actually enjoyed a brief renaissance in 2020, courtesy of the lockdown and associated alcohol bans. Ingredients for umqombothi are easily found in a supermarket and so social media was temporarily filled with photos of people trying their hand at traditional African beer, often for the first time. For many, it was also the last time for the low alcohol brew didn’t quite hit the mark. At around 3% ABV, and thicker than a Kauai smoothie, umqombothi is likely to fill you up long before it warms you up. But if the funky flavour and unfamiliar texture didn’t impress, hopefully the desire to keep a millennia-old African tradition alive will be reason enough to schedule another brew day in the not too distant future. This article was originally published in issue three of Jack Journal, a bi- annual coffee-table magazine from global winemaker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Bruce Jack. The Jack Journal celebrates the things that inform and are influenced by the world of Bruce Jack Wines. It covers subjects as diverse as social upliftment, surfing, poetry, wine and of course, beer. Available nationally through Exclusive Books, Pick n Pay, CNA and Woolworths and direct from the winery: www.brucejack.com . JACK JOURNAL Umqombothi, you see, is every bit as delicate as milk Day two of a traditional brew - getting ready for the boil Frothy and ready to serve 22 | Autumn 2022 | ontapmag.co.za