Back on my birthday, I took this photo representing several of the Kenyan beers available here. I have tried nearly all of them and just wanted to say a few words about each of them in case you are at your favorite beer importer and need a recommendation. If you are one of those quitting “recovering alcoholics” I also have soda recommendations for you at the end... pansy.
More lagers than in a Canadian forest
So apparently Kenyans like the lagers, because all of them except the Guinness are lagers. The only one I don’t have pictured here is Whitecap, which is also a lager (and a good one at that), so porter lovers, black beer afficionados, wheat beer lovers, etc you are out of luck. Also, if you drink lite beer, you are out of luck (see food entry)
Allsopps
The cheapest of the batch pictured above also happens to be the one that tastes like Budweiser. This is not a compliment-it was the most watered down and my friends agreed.
Pilsner
Along with white cap are the oldest beers in Kenya although Pilsner is not anything to write home about, white cap has a better flavor overall and is available in a white and a dark lager.
Summit
Better than the Pilsner and Allsopps. I sat on the porch and drank this after a hard day, then went with David and climbed the mountain behind the house. It provided much more buzz than the other 2 and the flavor was much more smooth without aftertaste or being watered down.
Tusker
The most popular beer in Kenya and in my opinion-one of the best beers I’ve ever had. What makes this beer so good is that sugar and cornstarch are used in the brew as well as barley and hops. This beer is what kept me from pulling a Patrick after my IPOD was stolen.
Tusker malt-
Costs the same as regular tusker but you get 200ml less?!? The reason for its price increase is that it doesn’t have sugar or cornstarch. The flavor is excellent and a little bit stronger than regular Tusker, but I prefer the extra 200ml.
Guinness foreign extra
This ain’t your mama’s Guinness. I first had this in Dublin in January and enjoyed it greatly before the crushing disappointment of finding out it’s only available in Africa. Now that I am here, I really enjoyed this super-strength 6.5% alcohol version of Guinness. The flavor is much less peat-like than American Guinness, it has a darker head and can get you buzzed rather quickly.
Sodas
Only available in glass bottles in 300ml, 500ml, and 1L sizes (although you can get the bigger 2L in plastic in the grocery store). One way to get murdered in Kenya is if you walk off with your beer or soda bottle because each bottle is returned for a deposit by the seller. If you want to take home a bottle of beer, a bottle-fee is added to the price (I have been charged between 20-50 shillings for this-which may be as much as the drink) and it is refunded when you return the bottle.
The other day I was explaining the concept of the soda fountain and free refills to a Kenya native and they couldn’t really understand it-there are no soda fountains here and sure as hell no free refills.
Also, Pepsi has little to no presence here in Kenya and the market is saturated with Coke products. Top sellers are Fanta and regular coca-cola. It’s made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup which is why many argue it tastes better here-but it also could be because a coke is like a birthday present to Kenyans and most can not afford to get it unless it is a special treat. Coke also makes a few other brands here in Kenya that aren’t available in the US. One is Krest bitter lemon-which is exactly as it says, a slightly tart lemon soda that is excellent. Stoney is even better, a ginger beer with a heavy amount of ginger-a very unique and excellent taste for sure.
Hard lessons in Swahili-Sounds like he had a “hard” time crossing the street!
Jogoo alikanyagwa na dereva wa lori
The cock was hit down by a motorist
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