Beer in Ethiopia explained

Beer is the most popular industrial alcoholic beverage in Ethiopia with lager being the most consumed type of beer. In the rural sector, the home-brew tella or siwa is still dominant.

History

The first brewery in Ethiopia was established in 1922 by St. George Beer (named after the patron saint of Ethiopia). Brands like Meta and Bedele are also older in Ethiopia but have since been acquired by foreign companies and re-branded.

Industry

Ethiopia's beer industry has grown tremendously in the last two decades. It transformed into one of the most competitive industries in Ethiopia, with millions of birr spent on advertisements alone. The industry's competitiveness has led to more investment in farming, such as in malt production.[1]

Top 15 beer brands in Ethiopia according to RateBeer.com (as of 2017)[2]

RankNameScoreCountStyle
1Garden Bräu Ebony2.824Dunkel/Tmavý
2Garden Bräu Blondy2.774Dortmunder/Helles
3St George Amber Beer (Ethiopia)2.7261Amber Lager/Vienna
4Hakim Stout2.72193Foreign Stout
5Raya Beer2.695Pale Lager
6Bedele Beer2.6022Pale Lager
7Habesha Cold Gold2.5111Pale Lager
8Walia2.4810Pale Lager
9Harar2.38128Pale Lager
10Meta Premium2.2563Premium Lager
11Bedele Special Beer2.2465Pale Lager
12Castel Beer (Ethiopia)2.1860Pale Lager
13Meta Beer Export Lager2.1871Pale Lager
14St. George Beer2.16208Pale Lager
15Dashen Beer2.0428Pale Lager

Brands

Competition with home-brewed beers

As living standards increase, the more affluent segment of rural society frequently shifts from home-brewed beer to lager beer. Industrial breweries have seen this emerging market and prepared specific brands targeted at farmers: Balageru (meaning: the rural people) and Azmera beers (meaning: "good cropping season").[3]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Ethiopia to end malt import boosting local production. Sisay Gessesse. Andualem. 9 August 2017. News Business Ethiopia. 31 August 2017. 1 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170901023219/https://newbusinessethiopia.com/ethiopia-to-end-malt-import-boosting-local-production/. dead.
  2. Web site: What are the best beers of Ethiopia? Dashen beer ranked last. Birhaner. De. 5 March 2017. Debirhan. 31 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170922010856/http://debirhan.com/2017/03/12435/. 22 September 2017. dead.
  3. Book: 2019 . SpringerNature . Cham (CH) . 495–504 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_33 . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . GeoGuide . Nyssen . Jan . De Rudder . Fien . Vlassenroot . Koen . Nega . Fredu . Azadi . Hossein . Socio-demographic Profile, Food Insecurity and Food-Aid Based Response . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 199093960 .