Let’s Ring In the New Year (2023) With A Few Ugandan Beers Along the Way…
Plus a spirit and wine to retire 2022.
In a few hours, we’ll be counting down the clock here in Uganda to ring in the new year. I can think of no better way than to post about the top four Ugandan beers I’ve enjoyed sipping on this year. These made the list based on taste, buzz factor, and the way they enhanced food – maybe I’ll throw in another post on the amazing things Ugandans eat. There are definitely many more than the four, but the keyboard is starting to look a little blurry. (A little sidebar here, I notice when I’m buzzing that I tend to use a lot of infinitives, so please excuse the messy writing.)
My favorite beer to drink in Uganda, hands down, is Nile. This is a smooth lager that I enjoy with almost any Ugandan food (or American food). It’s equivalent to a pint of anything in London, but not always as cold. In the summer, the duukas (corner bodegas) were charging 5,000 UGX for a cold bottle (about $1.35 USD), then giving me back 1,000 UGX if I returned the bottle. Now, some places are asking 6,000 to 8,000 UGX in Christmas time! Still worth it if you enjoy beer and good food as much as I do.
Right behind Nile is Bell. Same bottle size, price, and lager taste. The only thing I notice is that by the third or fourth bottle, the after taste is similar to rubber bands soaked in tepid water – don’t ask me how I know how that tastes. Even with a good ten minutes worth of intensive toothbrushing, the flavor stayed in my mouth the same way that one earwax flavored jellybean stayed stuck in between my teeth when I was tricked during junior high. It took a modest glass of Waragi to purge that after taste; I’ll get to Waragi soon enough.
Coming in at number three is Club – also another lager of the same size and taste. Two things baffled me about this one: first, the bottle says, plain as day, 3,000 UGX but is sold everywhere for 5,000 UGX! Second, I never reconciled the connection between the name and the animal logo. Ugandans, please help me understand this one. My complaint is the alcohol level is 4.5% compared to Nile’s 5.6% yet it takes more to feel the buzz than Bell (at only 4.2%)!
Because I’m not a fan of IPA beer, Banange comes in last. Although, the Amber was a bit better than the IPA. Still, banana beer is not disappointing. And with an alcohol level of 5.2%, I was definitely needing a few bites of Matooke to manage the buzz. Coincidentally, the word ‘banange’ in Luganda is equivalent to how we use ‘no way!?’ or ‘can you imagine?!’ in English.
In terms of liquor and wine, allow me to throw in the following two suggestions: Waragi and Four Cousins.
Waragi is no joke. I tried to be brave and take it straight out the bottle and into the glass. I knew something wasn’t right when I begin seeing double. A relative told me that Waragi is a portmanteau of ‘war gin’ but I have yet to verify this bit of information. If true, that explains why it does what it does. It’s ten times cheaper than any other liquor you’ll find in Uganda.
While not from Uganda, Four Cousins wine is a South African import that goes really well with stews served alongside Matooke, Posho or crisps. Being from the South-West, I’m a bit biased and prefer my California table wines when in America. But, when in Rome do as the Romans. I haven’t tried every flavor, but the dry reds are better than the sweet whites.
With that dear readers, I end 2022 with deep-hearted wishes and a successful 2023 or as they say here in Uganda, “Nkwagaliza omwaka omujja 2023”!