Logo

Recipe: Heritage Chop Life Lager

From Accra’s Heritage Brewing, Ghana’s first modern brewpub, comes this recipe for their flagship lager—technically an ale, but cleanly fermented—featuring local maize and cassava as the bulk of its fermentables.

Subscriber
Photo: Lucy Corne
Photo: Lucy Corne

All Access Subscribers can download the BeerSmith and BeerXML version of this recipe. Subscribe today.

“‘Chop life’ basically means ‘Enjoy life—no matter the obstacles or what life throws at you,’” says brewmaster Danie Odendaal. “That is the ethos of this beer—a great lager made with local ingredients, easy-drinking, to sit down and enjoy with friends and just enjoy life. … We target using local ingredients in all our beers, as [they’re] ingredients that we grow up with in everyday foods but very seldom use in a beer application, but [they’re] so familiar to us.”

For possible ingredient substitutions, see the Brewer’s Notes below. For more on how Ghana’s brewers are working with local starches and winning international medals for their beers, see Grown in Ghana.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.048 (12°P)
FG: 1.010 (2.5°P)
IBUs: 18
ABV: 5%

This article requires a subscription

Subscribe today to continue reading and unlock unlimited access to our premium brewing content.

What you get with your subscription

3,000+ exclusive articles
700+ tested recipes
Digital magazine issues
100+ brewing video courses
Expert brewing guides
Cancel anytime
Already a subscriber?

Plans start at $4.99/month • 30-day guarantee

Trusted by thousands of craft beer enthusiasts and brewers worldwide

The Expanding Maltiverse (Spring 2025)
Printed in:
The Expanding Maltiverse (Spring 2025)
From innovative barrel-aging to brewing with rice, smoked malts, and modern chicha—discover the flavors and techniques shaping craft beer’s next frontier.
View Issue