Beer in Ethiopia: history, traditions and breweries
A country with its own hop substitute, a brewery with the blessing of an empress and one of the fastest-growing beer markets in Africa.
History
Long before the first brewery, women in Ethiopia brewed tella. They toast bread made from barley, maize or sorghum, mix it with water and let it ferment with the leaves and twigs of the gesho shrub. Gesho gives the beer a gentle bitterness – without any hops. Tella is still part of baptisms, weddings and religious festivals today.
Addis Ababa, 1922. The capital of the old empire was opening up to the world, and Empress Zewditu allowed something new: Mussie Dawit Hale founded the country’s first brewery. The beer was named after Ethiopia’s patron saint, Saint George. St. George is still the beer people associate with Ethiopia.
Dark years followed. In 1935 Italy invaded and occupied the country until 1941. In Asmara in Eritrea the Italian engineer Luigi Melotti founded a brewery in 1939. After the war beer production kept growing, and in the 1960s the Meta Abo brewery was built near Sebeta.
In 1974 Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown. The new military government, the Derg, nationalised the breweries. But it also built new ones: in 1984 the Harar brewery was built with help from Czechoslovakia, and Bedele followed later. Beer became a state business.
After 1991 the breweries were sold again. St. George went to the French group BGI, Heineken bought Harar and Bedele in 2011, Diageo bought Meta in 2012. New breweries such as Dashen in Gondar (2000) and Habesha near Debre Birhan (2015) joined them.
Today Ethiopia is one of the fastest-growing beer markets in Africa. The big companies compete for customers – with football, music and songs. In the villages, though, tella is still brewed as it has been for centuries.
Traditions and drinking culture
Many families brew their own tella and serve it in small tella houses. It is cloudy, slightly sour and usually low in alcohol.
Beer comes with injera, the sour flatbread, and spicy stews. During the fasting periods of the Orthodox Church many people eat no meat. The toast is “Le-tenachin!”, to our health.
Fun facts
- Instead of hops, the home ale tella is made with the leaves of the gesho shrub.
- St. George, Ethiopia’s first brewery, was founded in 1922 with the permission of Empress Zewditu.
- The Harar brewery was built in 1984 with help from Czechoslovakia.
- The Dashen brewery in Gondar uses gesho in its beer.
Typical beer styles
Beer cities and their stories
Addis Ababa
The St. George brewery, the country’s first, was founded in the capital in 1922. Today Addis Ababa is a city of millions with bars serving St. George, Habesha and craft beers.
Gondar
In the old imperial city with its castles, the Dashen brewery has stood since 2000; it uses gesho in its beer.
Harar
The walled old town in the east of the country gave its name to the brewery built in 1984 with help from Czechoslovakia. It is also known for the dark Hakim Stout.
Debre Birhan
In the highlands north-east of Addis Ababa, the Habesha brewery has been brewing since 2015, one of the new breweries of the Ethiopian beer boom.
Breweries and their stories
St. George
Ethiopia’s first brewery, founded by Mussie Dawit Hale. Nationalised in 1974, and since privatisation part of the French BGI group.
Known for: St. George
Harar
Built under the military government with help from Czechoslovakia. Since 2011 the brewery has belonged to Heineken.
Known for: Harar Beer
Dashen
One of the first breweries after the era of state companies; it uses gesho in its beer.
Known for: Dashen Beer
Habesha
One of the new breweries of Ethiopia’s beer boom; its beer went on sale in 2015.
Known for: Habesha Cold Gold
Timeline
- 1922Addis Ababa
With Empress Zewditu’s permission, St. George, the country’s first brewery, is founded.
- 1935whole country
Italy occupies Ethiopia until 1941.
- 1974Addis Ababa
The military government nationalises the breweries.
- 1984Harar
The Harar brewery is built with help from Czechoslovakia.
- 2000Gondar
Dashen brews in Gondar – with gesho in the beer.
- 2011whole country
Heineken buys the Harar and Bedele breweries.
- 2015Debre Birhan
Habesha is launched – the beer boom is in full swing.