As soon as we had stepped over the border from Malawi into Zambia, the hunt for a drinkable beer was on. After being permanently scarred by Malawi’s Shake Shake, there had to be something better here. Whilst we didn’t have a long time in Zambia, we did manage to try the nation’s two most popular beers. We unfortunately discovered that they also love their traditional local brew… essentially Shake Shake with another name.
Mosi (4.0%) – Named after the world famous Mosi-oa-Tunya (Smoke that Thunders aka Victoria Falls) this easy drinking lager was a welcome relief. Zambia was hot, this beer was cold, and drinking them in a pool whilst wild elephants meandered about the camp grounds of Marula Lodge was unforgettable. It’s definitely true that your surroundings can change your perception of how good or bad a beer is. Whenever I see a Mosi it will stir memories of the incredible time we spent there, and cloud my mind of the true quality of the beverage. I don’t think I’ll be able to accurately rate this until I have one sitting bored off my arse in a hotel room, killing time before a horribly long bus journey or similar.
Mosi Gold (5.0%) – Yet another African Crystal Malt beer. It’s actually not that good. Comparable to Tanzania’s Ndovu, Uganda’s Nile Gold etc. just worse… but now I’m wondering if my judgement was clouded by the fact I drank a 6 pack in a sketchy hotel where all of the staff were on scam duty. Probably not, it’s just a bit crap. Stick to the standard Mosi.
Shake-Shake (?.?%) – Various differently branded cartons of the same muck. I won’t relive this nightmare. For more info see my review of Shake-Shake in Malawi.
Coming soon to my tastebuds are the beers of Zimbabwe. I have a sneaking suspicion they might also be partial to a bit of Shake-Shake… maybe I’ll start liking it? No.
The post Beer Review: Zambia appeared first on Quit Job. Travel World..