To look at this beer, you’d never know that its main ingredient is a “starchy tuberous root” (to quote Wikipedia) Impala, launched in 2011, was the world’s first commercial beer brewed with cassava. Produced by Cervejas de Moçambique, the Mozambican arm of SABMiller, the beer offers an affordable alternative to mainstream beers – and a safe alternative to moonshine-like homebrews. It has also given Mozambican agriculture a boost, creating a couple of thousand jobs for smallholder farmers.
I sampled the beer on my recent trip to Maputo for the IBD convention and was surprised. I think I was expecting something cloudier, something perhaps a bit more akin to sorghum beer but in fact it’s quite lagery. Aroma-wise there’s some interesting stuff going on – a faint fruitiness and a bit of bubblegum. When you first sip, there’s a hint of grainy sweetness and a slight sourness in the background that’s not unpleasant. Then the finish hits – a long, lingering dryness that, for me at least, made me want to go back for another sip, if only to get rid of the dry, slightly astringent feel. At 6.5% it’s a fairly hefty brew and you can certainly taste the alcohol.
Overall though, Impala is a fairly refreshing and uncomplex brew that is very good bang for your – pardon the pun – buck.
1st time I had this beer was also quite surprised, like yourself I expected of different flavours. Have you tried Eagle – clear sorghum beer also by SABMiller
Hey Apiwe – I did judge the “local raw materials” category so probably tasted it but it was all blind judging so wouldn’t have known which it was!
Did you get to try (or pick up) any of the Eagle Beers (Eagle Dark, Eagle Extra, Eagle Lager) when you went to the IDB convention?
I know the convention was not in Uaganda … But I see one these did well in one of the categories – I would be interested to see your review on them, especially the Eagle Extra which I could and managed to drink quite a bit of!
I might have tasted it during judging, Jonathan, but it was ll done blind. It would be great if delegates brought along a case of beer for tastings though!