Cannabis Ruderalis

Harar Brewery's Hakim Stout

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 talla or siwa is still dominant.

History[edit]

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[edit]

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]

Rank Name Score Count Style
1 Garden Bräu Ebony 2.82 4 Dunkel/Tmavý
2 Garden Bräu Blondy 2.77 4 Dortmunder/Helles
3 St George Amber Beer (Ethiopia) 2.72 61 Amber Lager/Vienna
4 Hakim Stout 2.72 193 Foreign Stout
5 Raya Beer 2.69 5 Pale Lager
6 Bedele Beer 2.60 22 Pale Lager
7 Habesha Cold Gold 2.51 11 Pale Lager
8 Walia 2.48 10 Pale Lager
9 Harar 2.38 128 Pale Lager
10 Meta Premium 2.25 63 Premium Lager
11 Bedele Special Beer 2.24 65 Pale Lager
12 Castel Beer (Ethiopia) 2.18 60 Pale Lager
13 Meta Beer Export Lager 2.18 71 Pale Lager
14 St. George Beer 2.16 208 Pale Lager
15 Dashen Beer 2.04 28 Pale Lager

Brands[edit]

  • Meta (ሜታ ቢራ)
  • Bedele (በደሌ ቢራ)
  • Dashen (ዳሽን ቢራ)
  • Jano (ጃኖ)
  • Habesha (ሐበሻ ቢራ)
  • Harar (ሐረር ቢራ)
  • Walia (ዋልያ ቢራ)
  • Raya (ራያ ቢራ)
  • Balageru
  • Azmera
  • St. George Beer (ቅዱስ ጊዮርጊስ ቢራ)
  • St. George Amber
  • Zebedar Beer
  • Heineken
  • Castel
  • Hakim Stout
  • Garden Bräu Ebony
  • Garden Bräu Blondy
  • Anbessa ()

Competition with home-brewed beers[edit]

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[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sisay Gessesse, Andualem (August 9, 2017). "Ethiopia to end malt import boosting local production". News Business Ethiopia. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  2. ^ Birhaner, De (March 5, 2017). "What are the best beers of Ethiopia? Dashen beer ranked last". Debirhan. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  3. ^ Nyssen, Jan; De Rudder, Fien; Vlassenroot, Koen; Nega, Fredu; Azadi, Hossein (2019). "Socio-demographic Profile, Food Insecurity and Food-Aid Based Response". Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains. GeoGuide. Cham (CH): SpringerNature. pp. 495–504. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_33. ISBN 978-3-030-04954-6. S2CID 199093960.

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