 Pigfoot (2225), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
May 13, 2008
Sprecher Mbege Ale, Fire-brewed, African-style.
Label adorned with colorful parrots and bananas.
Ale brewed with banana extract.
16 ounce bottle, 5.2% abv.
Thoroughly clouded, and peach-y colored, with a slim, but sure, white layer of foam.
Flowery aroma, then sweet, then the banana takes over...slice of lemon on the side, maybe, but banana is all over this, and it’s an even, balanced, appealing aromatic, at that.
In the taste, banana, banana, banana....and little else. . Light bodied, slightly malty, with a light, faintly fruity finish. No hops here, but that would be correct to style, I’d think.
Maybe this brings me closer to tasting a true African banana beer, but I’d still like to think I can make that trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro and try some of the real stuff.
Worth the $2 I paid for the bottle. Yeah, I thnk so, it’s unique enough, the novelty is worth it just to try and say you did.
Share one or two with friends while listening to Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s song "Umqombothi (African Beer)", available on iTunes, still the only song I know of sung from the perspective of a brewer.
PorterPounder (2828), Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Aug 1, 2008 St. Petersburg, Shep’s Deli - stubby 16 oz bottle. Pours a murky dark and dank orange with absolutely no head. Aroma of overripe bananas and Carbona carpet cleaner. Slightly odd flavor - obviously a gluten free product - but the flavor nowhere approximates the flavor of beer. Some scuppernog grapes, hint of bananas and an odd, rotten fruit finish. Slightly better than the Shakporo by the same brewer - but again, thank God that my body can process whatever it is they left out of this - cause I would be in a world of hurt if this is all I could drink.
badlizard (1449), San Diego, California, USA
Jul 12, 2008 bottle from wholefoods. Copper brown with a fizzy head. Sweet and spicy aroma. Tart taste with some strange grainy and fruity tastes that don’t really work. Didn’t care for it.
redlight (1048), Winter Park, Florida, USA
Jun 24, 2008 Banana peels, sorghum aromas, i can definitely tell this is a glutten free beer. Pours cloudy orange with a thin white head that doesn’t last long. Fruity, citrus like flavors, very cidery and thin mouth feel. Not horrible but i like my glutten!
phishpond417 (1418), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
Jun 6, 2008 A very interesting beer indeed. Soft, sweet and a very tropical mouthfeel. Pours a orange body with a full fluffy white head. A wonderful aroma, tropical fruits and citrus on the nose.
jbuzz (465), South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Jun 2, 2008 Big 20 beer tasting at Three Cellars Milwaukee.
Distractingly banana. Very banana, did I say banana?
|
