SABMiller to brew cassava beer

Luanda - Angolans will soon drink pints of beer made from cassava, as brewing giant SABMiller says it's developing a new lager made from the tubular root that is the staple of the local diet.

The new "clear beer" - as opposed to regular home-brew style stouts or black beers - is currently being worked on in a Johannesburg laboratory with plans to roll out the trial in Angola early next year, the company said.

"Because barley hops are expensive to import, this pushes up the prices of beers and SABMiller's aim is to halve the cost of beers across Africa to make them more accessible for the local market," SABMilller spokesperson Jonathan Oates told AFP.

The new beer, inspired by the successful sorghum-based Eagle lager in Uganda, will create local farming jobs by boosting demand for the root vegetable cassava, he said.

"As well as creating a new product for the market, it is creating a demand for cassava plants locally. The idea is that we will help the farmers get set up and offer them any technical advice they need," Oates said.

"It's giving people who grow cassava plants on a subsistence basis the chance to become commercial farmers."

Normally Angolans grind cassava to make a flour that is cooked into a paste-like carbohydrate staple called funge.

The new beer is part of $250m in investments that SABMiller has made in Angola over the last 18 months, including a new $125m brewery outside the capital Luanda.

SABMiller currently bottles Coca Cola at two sites in Angola and distributes Peroni and Castle beers.

"SABMiller remains positive about the potential of the Angolan market and in conjunction with our partners, we are continuing to invest in what will be a bright future for the business," Mark Bowman, managing director for SABMiller Africa, said.

- AFP