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

Beer # 50 Aguila, Bavaria Brewery Colombia

Aguila 

Bavaria Brewery, Columbia (Owned by SABMiller)

German Styled Pilsener 4.0% ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330ml

$2.05 (Canadian) at LCBO.

"Aguila" means eagle in Spanish. That is the majority of the information I could find on the web about this beer. Brewed by the Bavaria company, which was started in 1889 as  Kopp's Deutsche Brauerei Bavaria and Aguila was launched in 1913. Bavaria was one of the largest Brewing operation in South America when it was purchased by SABMiller in October 2005. The beer's website although seems to contain nothing about the beer except a warning in Spanish that drinking to much "es perjudicial para la salud" (hazadous to the health). And they have something called "Las Chicas Aguila 2011" I won't explain... just click over and see.

On to tonight's tasting:

Clear gold in colour with an off-white head made up of small bubbles. Head is very narrow and short lived. Oily hoppy aroma light citrus herbs and mineral. First sip is light and clear. Mineral character of the water stands out, sharp bitterness, and herbal, with a  stale finish. Aeration brings out florals and herbals. Aftertaste is bitter herbs.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

                                                                                                               

Cost:  5/6  PASS

Colour:  3/6  SO-SO        

Beer Style:  3/6 SO-SO    

Re-Order:  3/6 SO-SO   

Experience:   4/6  PASS

Final Thoughts: Unremarkable, probably best left to the beaches of Columbia, where a light crisp beer like this deserves to be drunk.

Thanks for tuning in If you have any comments on the new format (good, bad, or ugly) please feel free to use the comment form below.

Cheers

CJT