An independent start-up manufacturing entity established under the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative, Specialty Beer Ghana Limited (SBL), has officially launched its ‘Tale’ branded African craft beers onto the market.

SBL currently produces four kinds of speciality ale or fermented beers; namely: Hibiscus IPA, Ginger Triple, Farmhouse Ale, and Cocoa Stout Tale. Tale Beer is made with over 70 per cent un-husked grains locally sourced.

To ensure the clarity of the beer without stripping any flavour or aroma, the beers are passed through a centrifuge filtration system.

The beer range consists of green, yellow, red and black tales, which is a tribute to the national colours of Ghana.

The company invested in developing these beer recipes with the assistance of a Belgian university using mainly adjuncts such as broken rice, now replacing malted barley which cannot be sourced in Ghana.

President Akufo-Addo, on Saturday, commissioned the Specialty Beers production facility as an enterprise operating under his government’s 1D1F initiative.

In his remarks, he said: “This goodwill very much inspires my government and me. We have devoted our tenure in office to supporting local industries through our Industrial Transformational Agenda – 1D1F. Through this, we have established over 254 factories across Ghana, among other impactful projects.”

Speaking during the launch of Tale Beer, the Managing Director of Specialty Beers, Kristof Henot, mentioned that the quality of the beer and its African richness were crafted with the Ghanaian at heart.

“Brewing in Ghana invites us to do things differently. Apart from water, malt and hops, we add locally grown rice and maize as a cereal base to our mash and use local botanicals alongside hops to create unique taste and aroma profiles.

“Our different flavours, such as cocoa, hibiscus flower, lemongrass, ginger or lime leaves, make all our beers from 100 per cent natural ingredients without additives, colourants, conservatives or sugars.

“We are keen on telling our Ghanaian story through our beers; hence, the use of Ghanaian symbols as the Tale logo contains an interpretation of the eagle’s talon, symbolising power, strength and unity. Every tale has a different colour,” he said.

“For years, we have relied on imported strong beer. Being local manufacturers, we have chosen to fill this gap and give Ghanaians a choice of beer with great taste that makes for an easy, enjoyable drinking experience,” he added.

Tales are tasty African craft ales with a story. The perfect blend of African ingredients and Belgian brewing technology. A high-end selection of unique African craft beers brewed in Nsawam, Ghana.

“The introduction of Tale Beer in Ghana demonstrates our commitment to usher and help establish businesses in Ghana to support our teaming youth in employment and skill development,” he added.

SBL is located at Kwasi Tenten in Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern Region. The beer can be bought at selected premium bars, mainstream bars, and shopping malls across the country.

The construction of the factory started in May 2021 and the first brew test run was completed in April 2022. SBL has an annual production capacity of 10,000 hectolitres.

The second phase of the project is intended to develop exports to the wider sub-region under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) arrangement.