Brewery: Namibia Breweries Ltd
Location: Windhoek, Namibia
Style: Reinheitsgebot Lager
ABV: 4.0%
Version: Bottled
Source: Courtesy of Emma at Splendid Communications

With the South African World Cup kicking off, Diageo obviously decided the time was right to introduce the Southern African lager in their portfolio to the drinkers of the UK. Hence the four-pack of Windhoek lager that arrived a few weeks ago.

Windhoek is a pils-style light lager, brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot standard – apparently a German Beer Purity Law dating from 1516 that allows only water, hops and barley to be used in the production process (surely there’s some yeast in there as well?) and it pours a light golden colour with a thin, frothy head:

Taste-wise – served cold from the fridge (as recommended) or at room temperature; I tried a couple of each as I worked my way through the four-pack – it’s light, refreshing and easy-drinking. There’s a slight vegetative quality to begin with – the hops asserting themselves up-front, I’d guess – which gives way to a slightly maltier after-taste. It’s not too highly carbonated – which I think is the main problem that puts me off the majority of factory lagers – and is generally well-balanced.

In other words: a perfectly pleasant, easy-drinking bottled lager. I wouldn’t necessarily pick it as one of my all-time favourite lagers – Hop Dameon Green Daemon, BrewDog 77 Lager and the recently-sampled Meantime Helles are the ones I’d probably go for, or any of the Czech-style black lagers I’ve had to-date – but if someone offered me a bottle then I’d definitely be happy to drink it to toast their good health.

I haven’t seen Windhoek lager in the local supermarkets just yet, but I was up in Bury the other week and passed an enterprising café that was offering a ‘South Africa Special’: two bottles of Windhoek and biltong pizza for £9.99, so it’s definitely over in the UK if you’re intrigued enough to seek it out.

Many thanks to Emma for sending along the samples!

Around the BeerBlogosphere:

• The Beer Justice went to the UK launch in London and then posted a collection of Windheok’s entertainingly surreal and vaguely sinister TV adverts…