St. George Beer Review - Easy Drinking Ethiopian Style

May 1, 2023 Cameron Mackenzie

If ever a beer could be symbolic of a country’s culture, it might be Ethiopia’s St George Beer, created in 1922. As the country’s oldest beer, St George is sweet for a lager. But it's really in its label that you are first brought through Ethiopia’s rich and complex culture.

In full medieval get-up, St George is pictured slaying a dragon; a nod to the Coptic Christians that make up about 60% of the country’s practicing religion. Over the label are the logographic symbols of Amharic, Ethiopia’s unique language.

From the label alone, you’re already thrust into two conflicting moods: What’s a Roman Catholic knight doing in an East African context? Just like other countries in the Horn of Africa – e.g., Egypt and Eritrea – Ethiopia is similarly the cradle of civilization and shares pre-historic influences and ancient religions. Drinking the beer feels like a similar cognitive dissonance where old traditions meet and mix.

Its initially sweet aromas are quickly overturned by the bitter and carbonated effect of that first sip. By the second and third sips, however, you slowly enter into the realm of ‘easy drinking’.

The beer surprisingly has a clean flavor which shows why many Ethiopians drink it daily. The reality is, Ethiopians love their beer, with an annual consumption of 10 liters per person. With that, it feels right that St George is so accessible in its flavors and tastes.

The carbonation from the extra sugars is presumably added on purpose to neutralize the sour taste of ‘Injera’; a bread-like sourdough that Ethiopians eat three times a day. The brand boasts of ‘expertly selected malts’ but, truthfully, these are difficult to taste because of the high carbonation. At 4.5%, St George is one of the lightest beers in Ethiopia. Making the beer this accessible might even lose some of its complexity in flavor – but maybe the beauty is in its simplicity.

A few sips into St George Beer, and it feels like drinking something like Sprite. It goes down easy but you probably couldn’t drink more than two. As far as lagers go, therefore, the experience is less emboldening. Instead, you have on your hands a very light drink that could no doubt be paired with anything.

And that’s precisely the point. Ethiopians typically drink beer as they sit in circles dipping Injera into a gebeta (a circular tin platter for sharing) with mixed vegetables and meats. Ethiopian food is salty and spicy, making St George Beer the perfect pairing.

It’s no secret anymore why the second-largest populated country in Africa would choose this beer as their favorite. But with international beer brands competing for favor in Ethiopia (Heinken, Castel), can the simplicity of St George stay popular? Like with all traditions, only time will tell if today’s taste buds will take.

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