Beer # 54 Tusker

Tusker Premium Lager

Kenya Brewery, Nairobi, Kenya (80% Owned by East African Breweries LTD, 20% SABMiller)

Premium Lager 4.2% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 500ml

 $3.30 (Canadian) At LCBO.

Tonight's offering is a product of a death. Shortly after the Kenya Breweries founding in 1922 by two white brothers, George and Charles Hurst, George found himself on the business end of a large male elephant (known as a Tusker). In tribute to his lost brother Charles named the newest creation of the brewery "Tusker" and the stylised portrait of the offending creature has graced the bottle ever since. Tusker is one of the most popular beers in Kenya with 30% of the market share and a burgeoning export business. Tusker is now sold in the UK, The USA, Japan, Tanzania, and Canada.

The ingredients for Tusker are 100% sourced locally, keeping as much money in the Nairobi area as possible. The barley is grown at the foot of Mount Kenya, the water comes from The Aberdare Mountains, even the yeast is cultured in the area. There is no listed ingredients by I garnered from the website that they do use sugar and cornstarch as fermentable adjuncts (sourced locally as well). One interesting fact that I found was that Kenya Breweries uses 6% of the total Nairobi water supply.

On to the tasting:

Clear gold in colour, with an off-white grey head that disperses quickly. Medicinal bitter hops on the nose with dusty grain background. First sip is light ethereal, mild citrus cold crisp and clear. musty medicinal hops make up the aftertaste slight syrupy mouthfeel, some sweetness. Light malt appears with aeration.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

                                                                                                               

Cost:  5/6  PASS

Colour:  5/6  PASS        

Beer Style:  5/6 PASS  

Re-Order:  5/6 PASS   

Experience:   5/6  PASS

Final Thoughts:

Once again, a good beer not one that knocks you off your feet. They have won gold medals, and it is because the style of the beer is very indicative of a pale lager. However it is certainly not something I will remember, or crave later on. I will probably remember the story of the hapless George Hurst longer.

Cheers

CJT