6 minute read
Solar-powered microbrewery makes the perfect Serengeti sundowner
A solar-powered microbrewery that produces four unique beers as well as clean drinking water for guests and surrounding communities is the latest innovative eco-initiative at the award-winning Sayari Camp in the northern Serengeti.
It has to be the world’s ultimate sundowner experience. Watching the sinking sun burnish the golden plains of the Serengeti while sipping on an ice cool beer fresh from a microbrewery just footsteps away that is powered by those same solar rays.
The bush microbrewery is the first of its kind in the world and the latest eco-friendly feature to be introduced at the award-winning Sayari Camp, which has since it arrived in the Lamai Wedge region of the northern Serengeti in 2008 sought to have as light as ecological footprint as possible in one of the national park’s most remote and unspoilt locations.
Currently four unique beers are being produced on site for the exclusive enjoyment of guests at the camp’s 15 luxury suites. Quality, clean water is integral to the brewing process so the microbrewery has the added advantage of being able to purify water and carbonate it for soft drinks using renewable energy. This removes the need for bottles and cans in camp, reducing waste along with its transport carbon footprint. The microbrewery can produce one million litres of drinking water a year – enough to cater for everyone at the camp as well as supplying the nearby park ranger station and surrounding communities. It’s a vital service in as remote a region as the Serengeti, where water quality is poor.
Cheers - Enjoying a solar-powered beer on safari at Sayari
Images courtesy of: Sayari Camp
Gerard Beaton, operations director at Asilia, the eco-tourist company that owns Sayari among a portfolio of exclusive carbon-neutral camps across East Africa, says the microbrewery’s purification process results in “pristine” water, with all contaminants removed.
“To guarantee perfect and even quality, the module is equipped with an integrated water-treatment system where all impurities are removed, including micro plastics,” he says. “The purified water is then re-mineralised to be included as ingredient in all beverages.”
Images courtesy of: Sayari Camp
Simple steps to great beer
The beer-making process requires little more than the touch of a button. Each of the four beers – Rioba Blonde Ale, Hudhurungi Brown Ale, Mholanzi Pilsner Lager and Chungu Indian Pale Ale – have their own pre-packaged extract of grains and natural flavourings, which are loaded manually, but the ensuing water treatment, beverage mixing, brewing and cleaning are all automatic.
Beaton says: “In a few simple steps all pre-packaged ingredients are inserted manually. The fully automated brewing process then takes seven to ten days depending on selected beer type, after which the beer is pumped to internal storage tanks and chilled to desired temperature before serving.”
Beaton says the straightforward method produces impressive results. “Brewing great-tasting beer doesn’t have to be complicated. This process of extract brewing can produce amazing beer also because the extracts and ingredients are of such high quality nowadays. With hops and yeast, you still have lots and lots of varieties you can play with and for which we selected the chosen beers.”
The microbrewery was designed by Swedish Sustain Tech company Wayout. Beaton says Asilia felt an instant chemistry with the start-up, which is similarly committed to scaling back plastic waste and pollution,and was soon the recipient ofonly the second microbrewery everproduced at Wayout’s assembly plantin Linköping.
On tap - The microbrewery slots in with Sayari's attractive bar area
Images courtesy of: Sayari Camp
“Wayout and Asilia’s mission andvision are very aligned – in terms ofleaving no footprint on the planet,empowering local communities andusing business as a force for good,”Beaton says. “Ideologically they are a great fit as we are a pioneering safari company (often the first to go into an area) and we like to partner with other pioneers on our journey.”
The container-sized microbrewery arrived at Sayari pre-assembled and ready to go after a long, but ecologically optimised journey by rail, sea and road from Sweden. It now has pride of place in the camp’s lounge bar. The console’s four 500 litre-capacity storage tanks – one for each beer – keeps the premium brews refreshingly cold and the drinks are dispensed from a series of taps in its serving interface.
Sustainable power
The brewing is powered by a series of solar panels, which convert sunlight into direct current. An inverter then adjusts the power to alternating current so it can safely connect to the microbrewery and power it around the clock.
The microbrewery is just a part of Sayari’s systemic sustainability. The rest of Sayari is also powered by solar energy and there are no single-use plastics in the camp. Asilia’s camps and lodges endeavour to exist in sympathy with their surroundings. Sayari, the company’s flagship camp, has been designed to blend in with the wild landscape with its stunning, spacious rooms built on wooden plinths and its rim-flow pool set between natural rock formations. It is one of only a very few camps allowed in this remote region and occupies a prime location just south of the Mara River, offering incredible access to some of the most important crossing points for wildebeest in the Great Migration.
Blending in
Asilia wants to protect these boundless game viewing opportunities and so do its customers, who pay a US$ 5 ‘conservation contribution’ for each night of their stay at Sayari, which is donated to local community projects. Sayari has so far donated US$ 121,500 to assist local not-for-profit Honeyguide, which uses a canine tracker team in its antipoaching operations in the region.
Sayari has also sought to spread the anti-poaching message among the Kuria people, who call the region home. Hunting for bush meat is a tradition within the tribe going back centuries and wildebeest are a popular target. The camp offers hunters alternative employment as trackers and guides on their safaris and also showcases the Kuria’s rich culture at its on-site information centre.
Sayari is a must for any ecotourist with a thirst for adventure who also enjoys sharing their safari stories over a guilt-free brew or two.
Taste the sunshine – the four Sayari beers
Rioba Blonde Ale : (4.4% alcohol)
Rioba means ‘sun’ in Kuria and this is a thirst-quenching summer ale. The blonde beer is straw coloured in appearance and has characteristics of both ale and lager with a distinct note of tropical fruit that makes it unique to Asilia.
Hudhurungi Brown Ale: (4.5% alcohol)
Hudhurungi means ‘brown’ in Swahili and this refreshing, easy-drinking ale gets its dark appearance from a range of speciality malts. The beer’s dark-fruit malt flavours, with hints of raisins, plums, figs, nuts, biscuit, caramel and toffee, are tempered by a slight bitterness.
Mholanzi Pilsner Lager: (4.7% alcohol)
Mholanzi, which means ‘The Dutchman’ in Swahili, is a clean, refreshing beer similar to European pilsners in character.
Chungu Indian Pale Ale: (6.6% alcohol)
Chungu, which means ‘bitter’ in Swahili, is an amber-coloured beer, which, due to the ale and crystal malts used in the brewing process, has a pleasing toasty and hoppy flavour.
Images courtesy of: Sayari Camp
