Ingredients
Brewing materials
- Pale barley malt, partly imported and partly locally sourced
- Malawian maize grits as adjunct
- Bittering and aroma hops, at around 15 IBU
- Bottom-fermenting Carlsberg lager yeast, descended from the original Saccharomyces carlsbergensis isolate
- Water from the Shire highlands, treated to a soft brewing profile
At the bar
- 1 bottleCarlsberg Green Label, about 5 percent ABV, chilled hard
- Straight glasses or the bottle
- Optional: grilled maize, chips and kachumbari salad
Directions
- Know the history: the Blantyre brewery opened in 1968 as the first Carlsberg brewery built outside Denmark, and the green-label lager became the national beer of Malawi. The plant is now operated by Castel Malawi under licence.
- Mashing: milled pale malt and maize grits are mashed at around 65°C (150°F), the maize first cooked separately in a cereal cooker to gelatinise its starch before joining the mash.
- Lautering and boiling: the sweet wort is separated from the grain bed, then boiled for around 60 minutes with hop additions to set the bitterness and coagulate protein.
- Whirlpool and cooling: hot trub is spun out, and the wort is chilled through a plate heat exchanger to about 10°C (50°F).
- Fermentation: lager yeast is pitched and ferments over 7–10 days at 10–14°C (50–55°F), producing a clean profile with very low esters, which is the house character.
- Maturation: the beer is lagered close to 0°C (30°F) for two to three weeks, allowed to clarify and settle, then filtered bright.
- Packaging: it is carbonated, pasteurised and filled into returnable brown bottles and cans. Returnables are central to the Malawian trade, and empties are exchanged at every bottle store.
- To serve, chill to 4–6 C. In Malawi bottles come out of the fridge or a cold box and are drunk straight, often standing at a bottle store counter.
- Poured, it is bright pale gold with a fine white head, faintly grainy and sweet on the nose, lightly bitter and finishing dry and clean. Drink it with grilled maize or chips.
Technique
- This is a commercial lager. Nothing about it can be recreated at home; what a drinker controls is temperature, glassware and freshness.
- Maize adjunct is used across southern African lagers, both for cost and because it produces the light, dry beer people want in heat.
- Carlsberg Malawi produced several labels from the same brewery, including Green, Special Brew and the stronger Elephant, and locals order by colour rather than by name.
- Beer is only part of the picture: Chibuku, the thick opaque sorghum and maize brew sold in cartons, is drunk in far greater volume across the country.
Substitutions
- Outside Malawi, any clean international pale lager served very cold gives the same experience; Danish-brewed Carlsberg is close but slightly maltier.
- For the local alternative, Chibuku shake-shake, the traditional opaque sorghum beer, is the drink to seek out instead.
Variations
- Carlsberg Green Label, the standard 5 percent lager.
- Carlsberg Special Brew, stronger and sweeter, sold in the same bottle stores.
- Kuche Kuche, the lighter Malawian lager that competes with it.
History
Opened in Blantyre in 1968, this was the first Carlsberg brewery built outside Denmark, and the beer became a Malawian national fixture.
Frequently asked questions
What is Carlsberg Malawi?
Carlsberg Malawi is a wine & spirit from Malawi: green-label lager brewed in Blantyre, the bar standard nationwide. Opened in Blantyre in 1968, this was the first Carlsberg brewery built outside Denmark, and the beer became a Malawian national fixture.
How long does Carlsberg Malawi take to make?
Carlsberg Malawi takes 5 min service of preparation and 3–4 weeks brewing and lagering of cooking. The recipe makes 1 bottle, 500 ml. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Carlsberg Malawi?
Yes, within limits. Outside Malawi, any clean international pale lager served very cold gives the same experience; Danish-brewed Carlsberg is close but slightly maltier. For the local alternative, Chibuku shake-shake, the traditional opaque sorghum beer, is the drink to seek out instead.
What is the most important thing to get right in Carlsberg Malawi?
Carlsberg Malawi produced several labels from the same brewery, including Green, Special Brew and the stronger Elephant, and locals order by colour rather than by name.