Tasting

What does Tusker Lager taste like? Light, dry, and mild, with a hint of grain and bread and a gentle bitterness on the finish. The color is a clear gold, the head white and rather short-lived. It's a beer for warm afternoons that doesn't ask for much attention.

In Nairobi, it's often drunk straight from the bottle, as cold as possible. This is less a matter of connoisseurship than practicality: in warm weather, a lager only stays cool for a short while. When served in a glass, it's tilted and poured slowly so the foam doesn't overflow. For a lager, around four to seven degrees Celsius is considered the ideal range.

Small breweries invite comparison. The Big Five Breweries brewpub both brews and pours on site, with beers named after Africa's five great animals. At Sirville Brewery, you'll find Tsavo Lager, Mara Pils, Amboseli Ale, and Aberdares Bitter Ale. Lining up several glasses side by side reveals the progression from pale and light to bold and bitter.

With an IPA like the one poured at Bila Shaka, you first catch the hops — citrus and resin — before the malt follows. With a bitter ale, bread and caramel dominate. A lager, by contrast, isn't meant to stand out; it's meant to accompany.

Busaa tastes unlike any of these. It's cloudy, thick, mildly sour, and tastes of maize. It's generally not sold commercially but brewed in homes and shared together. First-time tasters should know that hygiene standards and alcohol content can vary widely.