The most bustling metropolis in East Africa is Nairobi located in Kenya. The city goes by many names out there including The City in The Sun or Silicon Savannah (thanks to its tech community) or The only city in the world with a national park within it. It is a city of many talents. However, what you might also notice when you visit Nairobi is its drinking community. The country and indeed Nairobi has a very strong beer culture.
The bars, nightclubs, and pubs will most likely be filled every day after work with Kenyans enjoying beers, meals and conversations with each other. Want to know what are the most loved beers in Nairobi for your next visit? You came to the right place. Read on!
1. Tusker lager
Made by East African Breweries Limited (EABL), the largest beer maker in the country, Tusker is quite a delicacy. You will find a lot of Kenyans taking this just before they have some roasted meat and ugali.
This beer has 4.2% alcohol content by volume. The motto is “Baada ya Kazi burudika na Tusker” which means “after work enjoy with Tusker”. There is not a single place you won’t find this bottle in the country.
During my stay here, my uncle’s dog would be groomed with the best dog shampoo for shedding and dry skin then I would take it for a walk. Passing by the nearby bar to take a beer while walking the dog became the norm for a couple of days.
2. White Cap Lager
One thing I noticed was that this beer known as White Cap was quite popular with younger citizens in Nairobi. The ladies love it more too. It has a good soothing taste, which might be one of the reasons for its popularity especially with the women.
Its name has a rich reason behind it. The tallest mountain in the country, Mt. Kenya, is capped with white snow at the top. And so came the name “White Cap” to appreciate the mountain. You can see the mountain on the bottle labels. You can see it better if you actually made a point of leaving home and driving down to Mt. Kenya, about 2 hours away from Nairobi.
3. Summit Lager
Keroche Breweries is a popular local brewer. The first to be founded by a Kenyan local by the name Tabitha Karanja. It is quite popular in Kenya mostly outside Nairobi. It has lots of richness not just because of the taste but also the story behind an entrepreneur who I got to learn is quite resilient.
If you visit Kenya and manage to leave the comfort of your home and that fancy filterless air purifier, you can enjoy a taste of the Summit Lager with some friends on a nice Saturday by the outdoor eateries anywhere in the city.
Now, there are many other beers like the Pilsner Lager, Tusker Malt and Tusker Lite. However in my beer tasting escapades around the country, I found the 3 above to be more popular, loved and enjoyed a lot by the citizens. In addition to that, Nairobi is really magical; that part about having a national park in the city is actually true. In this city, you are only a few minutes away from a safari with great views into the emerging skyline across the whole metropolis.
