Beer of the Weekend #147: Tusker
As promised in my earlier Bookworm post today, the second beer of the weekend is the beer enjoyed by Hemingway and his safari crew in True at First Light: Tusker, brewed by Kenya Breweries of Nairobi, Kenya.
Kenya Breweries is 80 percent owned by the East African Breweries. The other 20 percent is owned by SABMiller.
A special thanks goes to Bobblehead, who voluntarily bought the bottle for me at Dirty John’s last night. He didn’t have to, but did anyway.
Serving type: One 12-ounce (355 ml) bottle. There are — count ‘em — two dates printed on the bottle. One I assume (and hope) is the bottling date: 27 SEP 09. The other is the best by date: 27 SEP 10.
Appearance: Poured a clean, clear golden color into a pint glass. It was just a shade darker than straw. Two fingers of foamy white head developed and dissipated very quickly to leave a bubbly lacing and ring around the outside.
Smell: Sweet, almost light caramel, malts. It has a very pleasant, barnyard helles and vanilla aroma to it as well, enticing me to take a sip.
Taste: Surprisingly tasty for an adjunct. The light caramel and barnyard malts from the smell dominate the taste. A vanilla smoothness is also carried over from the aroma, but the beer is also crisp.
Drinkability: No wonder Hemingway drank it for breakfast. Tusker stands out on its own. Damn good lager.
Fun facts about Tusker:
-Style: American Adjunct Lager.
-Price: $2.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 35-40ºF. In True at First Light, the bottles were air cooled in the night.
-Alcohol content: 4.2 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, Indian cuisine, Latin American cuisine, Thai cuisine, Pan Asian cuisine, peppery cheeses (Monterey/Pepper Jack), and shellfish.
-According to the East African Breweries Wikipedia page, Tusker sales account for 30 percent of the Kenyan beer market.
-Here’s something I just realized: Beers of the World does not have an African section. Sad.
-Although brewed since 1922, Tusker was first marketed in 1923. It is named after the elephant that killed George Hurst, the founder of the Kenya Breweries, during a hunting accident. I remember hearing about this when “Three Sheets” did a show in Kenya.
-Tusker’s famous elephant logo was also introduced in 1923. I have to admit: the Tusker labels are pretty damn schnazzy. I’m going out on a limb to say Tusker has probably one of the most attractive labels and logos of any beer I’ve ever tried. The cap design is also high quality.
-Bottle nerdiness: The back label features this text:
-Tusker’s slogan, “Bia Yangu, Nchi Yangu,” means “My Beer, My Country” in Swahili.
-East African Breweries owns a Kenyan soccer club called Tusker FC. Until 1999, the team was known as Kenya Breweries.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
Kenya Breweries is 80 percent owned by the East African Breweries. The other 20 percent is owned by SABMiller.
A special thanks goes to Bobblehead, who voluntarily bought the bottle for me at Dirty John’s last night. He didn’t have to, but did anyway.
Serving type: One 12-ounce (355 ml) bottle. There are — count ‘em — two dates printed on the bottle. One I assume (and hope) is the bottling date: 27 SEP 09. The other is the best by date: 27 SEP 10.
Appearance: Poured a clean, clear golden color into a pint glass. It was just a shade darker than straw. Two fingers of foamy white head developed and dissipated very quickly to leave a bubbly lacing and ring around the outside.
Smell: Sweet, almost light caramel, malts. It has a very pleasant, barnyard helles and vanilla aroma to it as well, enticing me to take a sip.
Taste: Surprisingly tasty for an adjunct. The light caramel and barnyard malts from the smell dominate the taste. A vanilla smoothness is also carried over from the aroma, but the beer is also crisp.
Drinkability: No wonder Hemingway drank it for breakfast. Tusker stands out on its own. Damn good lager.
Fun facts about Tusker:
-Style: American Adjunct Lager.
-Price: $2.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 35-40ºF. In True at First Light, the bottles were air cooled in the night.
-Alcohol content: 4.2 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends barbecue, Indian cuisine, Latin American cuisine, Thai cuisine, Pan Asian cuisine, peppery cheeses (Monterey/Pepper Jack), and shellfish.
-According to the East African Breweries Wikipedia page, Tusker sales account for 30 percent of the Kenyan beer market.
-Here’s something I just realized: Beers of the World does not have an African section. Sad.
-Although brewed since 1922, Tusker was first marketed in 1923. It is named after the elephant that killed George Hurst, the founder of the Kenya Breweries, during a hunting accident. I remember hearing about this when “Three Sheets” did a show in Kenya.
-Tusker’s famous elephant logo was also introduced in 1923. I have to admit: the Tusker labels are pretty damn schnazzy. I’m going out on a limb to say Tusker has probably one of the most attractive labels and logos of any beer I’ve ever tried. The cap design is also high quality.
-Bottle nerdiness: The back label features this text:
Tusker Lager has been brewed in East Africa since 1922. Named after the elephant that killed George Hurst, one of the brewery’s founders, Tusker claims that special heritage of being one of the first beers in East Africa. Over the years, this unique lager has become a part of East Africa’s rich tradition.
Tusker is brewed with high quality malt, made from equatorial barley grown at the base of Mt. Kenya, choicest hops and water that springs from the renowned Aberdare mountain ranges. Tusker’s famous crisp, refreshing taste and finest quality has continuously earned Gold Medals in the prestigious International Monde Selection Awards.
-Tusker’s slogan, “Bia Yangu, Nchi Yangu,” means “My Beer, My Country” in Swahili.
-East African Breweries owns a Kenyan soccer club called Tusker FC. Until 1999, the team was known as Kenya Breweries.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
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