OnTap Magazine

APIWE NXUSANI MAWELA HOMEBRU veryone that knows me knows how passionate I am about brewing with sorghum grain, having produced a few beers myself using sorghum. The use of sorghum as a brewing grain is traditional across the African conti- nent, where sorghum based alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages have been made on small homebrew scale for centuries. The use of sorghum in commercial beers is used in many African countries due to the tax breaks these companies receive when using locally sourced grains versus import- ed barley. Guinness stout, for instance, is made in Nigeria from a sorghum mash and malt extract. In South Africa, a good example of beer brewed with sorghum is Utywala, a Saison style beer by Ukhamba Beerworx. Before covering the brewing tips, let me first tell you about the sorghum grain. • Sorghum is an African crop which has been cultivated in southern Africa for over 3,000 years. • The scientific name is Sorghum bicol- or but is widely known as Amabele in most South African languages. • There are two basic types: o White sorghum which is sweeter and is used main- ly for meal, rice and grist. o Red Sorghum which is less tasty but is less susceptible to being at- tacked by birds. Red sorghum also makes good beer. • Sorghum cereal is gluten free, ideal for people suffering from celiac disease. o Celiac disease occurs in 1/100 people in the United Kingdom and is one of the most common life-long conditions in Western countries. o According to the Allergy Foun- dation of South Africa, the incidence of celiac disease in South Africa is unknown and probably under-diag- nosed. • South Africa is a net importer of Sor- ghum, with more than 50% of imports mainly from Botswana and small por- tion from Ukraine. • The United States is the world largest sorghum producer at 9,5 million tons, followed by Nigeria with 6,9million tons. E BREWINGTIPS BREWING WITH SORGHUM ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2024 | 53