West Africa · Drink
Tchapalo (Fermented Red Sorghum Beer)
An earthy, slightly tart, and effervescent indigenous low-alcohol ale crafted from malted red sorghum and natural wild starter.
The story
In the northern savanna regions of Côte d'Ivoire, Tchapalo is the sacred lifeblood of Senufo and Lobi cultural rites, prepared almost exclusively by master female brewers known as tchapalières. It flows at agricultural cooperations, funerals, and initiation ceremonies as a social unifying force and nutritional tonic. Historically, brewers clarify the unboiled wort using the mucilaginous bark of the Grewia venusta tree (biékoni) before boiling it for hours over wood fires to achieve its signature deep mahogany tone and lactic tang.
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