THB

Ingredients

Grist and brewing

• Pale two-row barley malt, the base of the grist
• A proportion of local rice or maize as adjunct, for a light body
• Noble-type bittering hops, at around 15–18 IBU
• Bottom-fermenting lager yeast
• Soft water from the Antsirabe highlands

At the bar

• 1 bottleTHB Pilsener, 5.4 percent ABV, chilled to 4–6 C
• Straight tumblers or the bottle itself
• Optional: sliced mango, brochettes or fried zebu, the standard accompaniment

Directions

1. Understand the brand: THB stands for Three Horses Beer, brewed by Star Brasseries at Antsirabe in the central highlands since 1958, and it holds the overwhelming majority of the Malagasy beer market.
2. Milling and mashing: the malt is milled and mashed with soft highland water at around 65°C (150°F) to convert starch into fermentable sugars, then lautered to run off clear wort.
3. Boiling: the wort is boiled for about an hour with hop additions, which isomerises the alpha acids for bitterness and sterilises the wort. THB is bittered lightly, in the international pale lager style.
4. Cooling and pitching: the wort is chilled to 10–12°C (50–55°F) and pitched with lager yeast, which ferments slowly and cleanly at the bottom of the tank over 7–10 days.
5. Lagering: the green beer is then held near 0°C (30°F) for two to three weeks. This is what drops the yeast, mellows the sulphur notes and gives the crisp, clean finish.
6. Filtration and packaging: the beer is filtered bright, carbonated to about 2.5 volumes and filled into the distinctive returnable 65 cl brown bottles that circulate around the island.
7. To serve, chill hard. In Madagascar THB is drunk very cold, straight from the fridge or from a bucket of ice, and the 65 cl bottle is shared between glasses.
8. Pour down the side of a tilted glass, then straighten to raise a thin white head. The beer should be pale straw gold, clear, lightly bready with a soft, quick bitterness that ends dry.
9. Drink it with brochettes at a hotely, or with mango and salt in the heat of the coast. THB Pilsener is 5.4 percent; the lighter Special is around 4.5 percent.

Technique

• This is an industrial lager and cannot be reproduced at home in any meaningful way; the honest craft is in understanding the process and serving it properly.
• Rice or maize adjuncts are standard in tropical pale lagers. They lighten the body and colour and make the beer more refreshing in heat, which is exactly the point.
• Lagering time is what separates a clean pale lager from a rough one. Rushing the cold conditioning leaves green apple and sulphur notes.
• The returnable bottle system is a real feature of Malagasy life: bottles are exchanged rather than bought outright, and the deposit is a meaningful part of the price.

Substitutions

• If THB is unavailable, any well-made international pale lager served very cold is the nearest equivalent; look for something light-bodied with low bitterness.
• THB Fresh, the shandy-style lemon version, is the low-alcohol option served in the same bars.

Variations

• THB Pilsener, the flagship at 5.4 percent in the 65 cl bottle.
• THB Special, lighter and marketed as a premium version.
• Queen’s, Skol and Gold, the other Star Brasseries labels poured alongside it.

History

Brewed at Antsirabe since 1958 by Star Brewery, it dominates the market so completely that its initials are shorthand for beer.

Frequently asked questions

What is THB?

THB is a wine & spirit from Madagascar: three Horses Beer, the pale lager poured in every Malagasy bar. Brewed at Antsirabe since 1958 by Star Brewery, it dominates the market so completely that its initials are shorthand for beer.

How long does THB take to make?

THB takes 5 min service of preparation and 3–4 weeks brewing and lagering of cooking. The recipe makes 1 bottle, 650 ml. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in THB?

Yes, within limits. If THB is unavailable, any well-made international pale lager served very cold is the nearest equivalent; look for something light-bodied with low bitterness. THB Fresh, the shandy-style lemon version, is the low-alcohol option served in the same bars.

What is the most important thing to get right in THB?

Rice or maize adjuncts are standard in tropical pale lagers. They lighten the body and colour and make the beer more refreshing in heat, which is exactly the point.