Ingredients
What goes into the beer
- pale malted barley, about 160 g per litre of finished beer
- maize grits or unmalted cereal, up to 30% of the grain bill
- hops for bitterness, about 1 g per litre, at roughly 12–16 IBU
- bottom-fermenting lager yeast, Saccharomyces pastorianus
- brewing water, treated and low in carbonate
How it is served in Angola
- 1 bottleof Nocal, 330 ml, at 4–6 C
- 1chilled glass, or drunk straight from the bottle
- grilled food from the beach stalls of the Ilha do Cabo
- paracuca or roasted peanuts on the side
Directions
- Nocal is brewed industrially in Luanda, not at home. What follows is how the beer is actually made and served, rather than a recipe to attempt in a kitchen.
- The malt is milled to crack the husk without shredding it, and mixed with hot water in the mash tun.
- The mash is held at 63–68°C (145–155°F) for about an hour, the range where enzymes convert starch into fermentable sugar; maize grits, cooked separately first, are added to lighten the body and the colour.
- The sweet wort is separated from the grain bed by lautering and sparging with hot water at about 76°C (170°F).
- The wort is boiled for 60–90 minutes with hops, which adds bitterness, sterilises it and drives off unwanted volatiles.
- It is whirlpooled to drop out protein, then chilled rapidly through a plate heat exchanger to about 10°C (50°F).
- Lager yeast is pitched and the beer ferments cool, at 8–12 C for 7–10 days, which is what gives a lager its clean profile with none of the fruity esters of an ale.
- It is then lagered, held near 0°C (30°F) for two to four weeks, so that haze and rough flavours settle out and the beer becomes soft and bright.
- Finally it is filtered, carbonated, bottled or canned, and usually pasteurised for the heat of the Angolan market.
- It is served very cold, at 4–6 C, opened at the table and drunk from the bottle or a chilled glass alongside grilled food on the Luanda seafront.
Technique
- Nocal takes its name from Nova Empresa de Cervejas de Angola and is one of the country’s oldest beer brands, brewed in Luanda since the colonial period and now part of a much larger group. It sits alongside Cuca and Eka as an everyday national lager.
- It is a pale, light-bodied, low-bitterness lager designed for heat: the maize adjunct thins the body, the hopping is restrained, and the beer is meant to be drunk very cold and very fresh.
- Home brewing a true lager needs temperature control at 8–12 C for fermentation and near 0°C (30°F) for weeks of lagering, which is why lager is much harder to reproduce at home than ale.
Substitutions
- Outside Angola, any pale international lager with maize in the grain bill drinks much the same way; Cuca is the closest Angolan alternative and is more widely exported.
- For a non-alcoholic pairing with the same food, a chilled kissangua or a mucua juice with lime plays a similar refreshing role.
Variations
- Nocal served with a wedge of lime pushed into the neck, a common bar habit.
- Poured over ice in the hottest months, which Angolan drinkers do without apology.
- Drunk as part of a beach table with paracuca and grilled plantain.
History
Brewed in Luanda since 1953, making it one of Angola’s oldest beer brands alongside Cuca.
Frequently asked questions
What is Nocal?
Nocal is a wine & spirit from Angola: pale lager poured with grilled fish along the Luanda seafront. Brewed in Luanda since 1953, making it one of Angola’s oldest beer brands alongside Cuca.
How long does Nocal take to make?
Nocal takes not a home recipe of preparation and about 4 weeks from mash to bottle of cooking. The recipe makes 1 bottle, 330 ml, per serving. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Nocal?
Yes, within limits. Outside Angola, any pale international lager with maize in the grain bill drinks much the same way; Cuca is the closest Angolan alternative and is more widely exported. For a non-alcoholic pairing with the same food, a chilled kissangua or a mucua juice with lime plays a similar refreshing role.
What is the most important thing to get right in Nocal?
Nocal is brewed industrially in Luanda, not at home. What follows is how the beer is actually made and served, rather than a recipe to attempt in a kitchen.
