Sorghum Beer
Before 1962, most black Africans could not buy European beer or liquor in South Africa, though a few men were given exceptions and could buy regular beers if they reached a certain "standard of civilization." The apartheid authorities didn't believe blacks could handle strong alcohol, so most South Africans were left drinking traditional sorghum beer. To add insult to injury, municipalities had a monopoly on brewing and serving sorghum beer, mass-producing the beverage with little respect for the end product. Not unlike Prohibition in the U.S., the laws resulted in a flourishing illicit beer trade and the creation of backyard shebeens, small and illegal drinking spots. Even with the fall of apartheid, there are still an estimated 182,000 shebeens in South Africa, many of which serve sorghum beer. South African sorghum brew isn't for everyone: it's a sour, pink beer that keeps fermenting in the carton. Still, brewers in the U.S. have started brewing their own sorghum brews — this time in bottles — hoping to make it as mainstream, though perhaps not as head-splitting, as the vuvuzela.