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Recipe: South African Umqombothi
This traditional, spontaneously fermented sorghum beer is like nothing else you’ve ever tasted—thick, tangy, rustic, and meant for drinking within a few days.
Made from cornmeal and malted sorghum, umqombothi is a traditional South African beer that undergoes a natural, spontaneous fermentation to wind up fairly thick, opaque, and low in alcohol, with a notable acidity and slight barnyard character. The women who brew it also sell it fresh and uncarbonated, meant for drinking within a few days.
They don’t typically measure their mashes precisely—they just have a feel for how much they need. Let go of your usual brew-day habit of measuring everything—in fact, below, we’re leaving out vital stats such as gravity and ABV. This is not about aiming for specific targets; it’s about instincts. If it feels right, add more water. Don’t worry much about temperature control. Just keep everything clean and trust your senses.
(How to say “umqombothi”? The "q" is a click, somewhat akin to the sound you’d make if imitating a horse’s hooves.)
For much more about the ancient umqombothi-brewing tradition and how it continues today, see the Style School article in our Spring 2024 issue.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: about 5 gallons (19 liters)
MALT/GRAIN BILL
8.8 lb (4 kg) maize meal/cornmeal
17.6 lb (8 kg) malted sorghum
YEAST
Ambient yeast and bacteria; the sorghum malt kickstarts the fermentation.
Made from cornmeal and malted sorghum, umqombothi is a traditional South African beer that undergoes a natural, spontaneous fermentation to wind up fairly thick, opaque, and low in alcohol, with a notable acidity and slight barnyard character. The women who brew it also sell it fresh and uncarbonated, meant for drinking within a few days.
They don’t typically measure their mashes precisely—they just have a feel for how much they need. Let go of your usual brew-day habit of measuring everything—in fact, below, we’re leaving out vital stats such as gravity and ABV. This is not about aiming for specific targets; it’s about instincts. If it feels right, add more water. Don’t worry much about temperature control. Just keep everything clean and trust your senses.
(How to say “umqombothi”? The "q" is a click, somewhat akin to the sound you’d make if imitating a horse’s hooves.)
For much more about the ancient umqombothi-brewing tradition and how it continues today, see the Style School article in our Spring 2024 issue.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: about 5 gallons (19 liters)
MALT/GRAIN BILL
8.8 lb (4 kg) maize meal/cornmeal
17.6 lb (8 kg) malted sorghum
YEAST
Ambient yeast and bacteria; the sorghum malt kickstarts the fermentation.
[PAYWALL]
DIRECTIONS
Day One, the sour mash: Mix the maize meal and half the malted sorghum together in a clean bucket. Add about 13 quarts (12 liters) of warm water and stir well—with your hands, if you want—ensuring that there are no dough balls. Cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes, then uncover and add another 10.5 quarts (10 liters) of cold water, again mixing well. Cover with a cheesecloth and leave overnight.
Day Two, the boil: Depending on the ambient temperature and desired level of sourness, you can optionally wait another day to do this step. A telltale sign is bubbles rising to the surface of the mash, as well as a yogurt-like aroma. Once you’re happy with the acidity, boil about 8.5 quarts (8 liters) of water in a large pot—outdoors, if you can. Lower the heat and carefully add the mash, stirring gently and often to prevent the mash from scorching on the bottom of the pot. Allow the mixture to boil gently for about an hour; it will slowly darken and thicken as the grains gelatinize. Scoop a small amount into a bowl, sprinkle with sugar, and have a brew-day snack. This sour porridge is called umhiqo, and munching on it is an unmissable part of brewing umqombothi. After an hour, transfer the cooked mash back to the bucket or fermentor, and add about 6.3 quarts (6 liters) of cold water. Mix well, cover with a cheesecloth, and leave to cool overnight.
Day Three, fermentation: You’ll awaken to find a very thick porridge. Add cold water and mix by hand until it reaches the consistency of loose oatmeal—you’re looking at 10–16 quarts (10–15 liters) of water, but worry less about figures and more about how the mixture feels. Once you’re happy with the consistency, add the remaining 8.8 lb (4 kg) of sorghum, and more water to maintain the right consistency. Cover the bucket and leave it in a warm place to ferment overnight.
Day Four, straining: After 24 hours, fermentation should be evident, with plenty of small bubbles rising to the surface of the mash. If you’re happy with the level of activity, you can strain the mash using a fine colander, sieve, or some sort of MacGyver-ed cheesecloth contraption. The main goal is to separate the liquid from the grains—but this is a rustic beer, and there will be some solids left in suspension. If you’re not happy with the level of fermentation, leave the mash to ferment overnight again and strain the following day.
Day Five, serving: You should now see very obvious signs of fermentation, with a creamy, tan-colored kräusen covering the surface of the beer. It’s up to you whether you serve straightaway or give it another day if you prefer a little more alcohol and a more assertive acidity. Serve the beer while still fermenting, either chilled or at room temperature.
BREWER’S NOTES
This is a very traditional version of the beer, but there are many variations. Some people add yeast on Day Three instead of the extra sorghum. You can also add some sugar at this stage, to boost the alcohol content. For a recipe from South Africa’s Soul Barrel Brewing—which incorporates traditional umqombothi into a mixed-culture ale aged in wine barrels and won a gold medal for it at last year’s African Beer Cup—be sure to check out or Spring 2024 issue.
