Umqombothi

Based in the wine-growing region about 40 miles northeast of Cape Town, South Africa, Soul Barrel brewed this funky riff on umqombothi in collaboration with Tolokazi—a team of predominantly women brewers making traditional African beers.

Easier to brew than it is for many people to say—it takes a click of the tongue—this ancient sorghum beer is unlike any modern style we know. Thick, tart, and creamy, it’s deeply traditional—yet it’s also open to a brewer’s own creative twists.