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Sorghum beer based on Umqombothi African beers From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chibuku is a commercial sorghum beer based on the traditional Umqombothi homemade African beers; the main grains used are malted sorghum and maize but may also contain millet.[1]
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Type | Opaque Beer |
---|---|
Manufacturer | SABMiller National Milling Zambia]] |
Country of origin | Zambia |
Alcohol by volume | 3.3% to 4.5% |
Colour | Tan-pink to white |
Ingredients | Sorghum, Maize |
Variants | Chibuku Super |
"Chibuku" comes from Max Heinrich's habit of recording all consumers' comments and process changes in a book. Chibuku is an adaptation of the local Zambian Chibemba language word for "book" - "Chi" is the prefix meaning "big", "buk" = "book", and the terminal "u" is because most African nouns tend to end in a euphonic vowel.[2] The shake-shake comes from the ritual of shaking up the beer before taking the first sip. The beer contains starch, germ, and yeast (all typically removed in lagers and ales), and since the solids settle to the bottom of the carton, it needs to be shaken before sipping.
Chibuku was first brewed in Zimbabwe in 1962 by Delta Beverages Breweries after being brewed in Zambia in the 1950s. It is the traditional opaque beer brewed with the selected variety of sorghum locally grown in Zambia.
The alcohol content in a fresh Chibuku is relatively low, starting at about 0.5% ABV on day one. Still, as fermentation continues in the carton, the longer it is kept before drinking, the stronger it gets. It may achieve 4% ABV before the shelf-life expires after between 4 and 6 days after packaging.[3]
Chibuku is a pan-African brand of opaque sorghum beer made by various African brewers.[4][5] Part of the reason for the success of the brand is the commercial brewing process with systems to ensure a consistent quality product that is safe for consumers. Chibuku comes in 2 packs: Chibuku "Scud," a non-carbonated drink and Chibuku "Super," a carbonated sorghum beer.
Chibuku is often the choice of less affluent consumers who can't afford bottled beer, and this may still be the case for many of the consumers in Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Botswana.[6] However there are also consumers in the emerging middle class who enjoy the beer as a preference, because of the taste and for the health connotations.[7]
It is now brewed across 14 Delta Beverage Breweries subsidiaries throughout Zimbabwe
Chibuku is now brewed across Africa by various brewers.
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