Though a lot of Guinness will be consumed in Ireland today, even more might be drunk in Africa, which accounts for 35% of the beer brand’s global consumption. A piece over at Smithsonian.com explores the continent’s love affair with the Irish stout revealing that Africa’s Guinness consumption surpassed even that of Ireland’s in 2007.
It was first introduced to West Africa in 1827 as West Indies Porter, but eventually came to be known as Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, under which name it remains known today. Following Nigerian independence in 1960, Guinness established one of its first breweries outside of the United Kingdom which is now one of 13 Guinness breweries across Africa. Over the years, Guinness has made an effort to connect to its African market with everything from its base grain (instead of barley, “it’s typically brewed with maize or sorghum, which produces a more bitter taste compared to barley,”), which is grown by local farmers, to its marketing campaigns, which have “played into cultural ideals of a strong African male” since the ’60s. Guinness may have adopted Africa as its favorite export market, however, it’s unlikely the continent will be dyeing rivers green anytime soon. [Smithsonian.com] [Photo: Flickr/Jon Atherton]