Figaro Shakes
Cultural Ferment

Hwahwa: Zimbabwe’s Traditional Opaque Sorghum Beer, and the Iron Question

By Updated 2 min read

Hwahwa is Zimbabwe’s ancient fermented sorghum beer — an opaque, mildly alcoholic, probiotic-rich grain drink that has been at the center of Shona and Ndebele social and spiritual life for centuries. Made from malted sorghum through a multi-day process that includes souring, boiling, and wild fermentation, hwahwa must be consumed while still actively fermenting, making it a genuinely living drink that changes by the hour. It is simultaneously ordinary refreshment, labor-exchange currency, and ancestral offering.

At a glance

Hwahwa (Shona for beer, also doro) is Zimbabwe's traditional opaque beer of sorghum or finger millet malt, often with maize, soured by lactic acid bacteria and then fermented by yeasts, and drunk thick and fizzy within a day or two. A rural survey found the common seven-day brew averaged about 4.1 g alcohol per 100 ml and a median 52 mg/L of iron, hundreds of times more than lager; such beers are the dietary source behind African iron overload.

  • Opaque beer of sorghum or millet malt, often with maize, fermented in two stages.
  • Common brews: seven-day doro rematanda, its by-product muchaiwa, and one-day chikokiyana.
  • Seven-day beer: about 4.1 g alcohol per 100 ml.
  • Median 52 mg/L iron, versus 0.1 mg/L in clear lager.
  • Traditional beer iron, plus a gene, drives African iron overload.

Ferment profile

Origin
Zimbabwe (Shona: hwahwa, doro); related beers across southern Africa
Fermentation
Mixed (lactic + alcoholic)
Main microbes
Lactic acid bacteria (souring), then yeasts including Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Live cultures
Yes
Alcohol
Moderate (2–6%)

Hwahwa – the Shona word for beer, also called doro – is Zimbabwe’s traditional opaque beer: a thick, sour, lightly fizzy brew of sorghum or finger millet malt, often with maize meal, drunk while it’s still fermenting. It’s brewed at home for family and community occasions, and its factory-made cousin is sold in cartons as commercial opaque beer. Like South Africa’s umqombothi, it’s fermented in two stages – first soured by lactic acid bacteria, then turned alcoholic by yeasts – and drunk within a day or two (Xolo et al., 2024).

Brews and Strength

A survey of traditional beers in four of Zimbabwe’s provinces found that the commonest were a seven-day beer called doro rematanda, a by-product of it called muchaiwa, and a one-day brew called chikokiyana, made in similar ways across the provinces. The seven-day beer averaged about 4.1 g of alcohol per 100 ml, muchaiwa 2.8 g and chikokiyana 3.6 g – in the same range as commercial opaque beer (about 3.5 g per 100 ml) and close to lager (Saungweme et al., 1999).

The Iron Question

The same survey found very high iron in traditional beer: a median of 52 mg of ionic iron per litre in the seven-day beer, against 0.1 mg/L in clear commercial lagers and 3.6 mg/L in commercial opaque beer (Saungweme et al., 1999). That matters because traditional home-brewed beer is the dietary source of iron behind African iron overload, a condition in which iron builds up in the liver. A study of 36 African families found that it depends on both the beer and an inherited iron-loading gene: in people carrying one copy of the gene, drinking iron-rich traditional beer raised average transferrin saturation from 30% to 81% (Gordeuk et al., 1992). The authors of the Zimbabwe survey call for iron-overload prevention to cover all these beers. If you brew at home, use a food-grade plastic, glass or stainless-steel vessel rather than an iron pot or drum.

Grain Quality

Opaque beers are made from maize and sorghum that can carry moulds and mycotoxins: a study of South African maize-based opaque beer found several mycotoxins occurring together (Adekoya et al., 2018). Use clean, fresh, mould-free grain and malt, and discard any batch that smells rotten or grows coloured mould.

Relatives

Hwahwa sits in a family of African grain beers: West Africa’s pito, Kenya’s busaa and Ethiopia’s tella. For a non-alcoholic soured maize drink from the same region, see maheu.

Recipe: Home-Brewed Hwahwa (Opaque Sorghum Beer)

Makes
About 4 litres
Hands-on
60 min
Fermentation
About 2–3 days in two stages
Temperature
Warm room temperature, about 25–30°C
Difficulty
Moderate

Equipment

  • Large pot (stainless steel or enamel, not iron)
  • Food-grade plastic, glass or stainless-steel fermenting vessel with a cloth cover
  • Long spoon
  • Coarse strainer

Ingredients

  • 500 g maize meal (fresh, mould-free)
  • 500 g sorghum malt (or finger millet malt) (divided)
  • About 4 litres water (boiled and cooled)

Method

  1. Stage 1 (souring): mix the maize meal and a quarter of the malt with about 1.5 litres of lukewarm water into a thin paste. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 24 hours, until it smells sour.
  2. Bring 1.5 litres of water to the boil, stir in the soured paste and cook, stirring, for 20–30 minutes into a smooth porridge.
  3. Cool the porridge until just warm (below about 35°C), then stir in the remaining malt and about 1 litre of water.
  4. Stage 2 (alcoholic): cover with a cloth and leave at 25–30°C for 24–36 hours, until bubbling and pleasantly sour.
  5. Strain out the coarse husks, stir and serve within a day or two; keep it covered and cool, and never seal it in a closed bottle.
  6. Discard any batch with coloured mould or a rotten smell.

Frequently asked questions

What is hwahwa?

The Shona word for beer: Zimbabwe's traditional opaque beer of sorghum or millet malt and maize, drunk thick and sour while fermenting.

How strong is hwahwa?

A rural Zimbabwe survey measured about 4.1 g of alcohol per 100 ml in the common seven-day brew and about 3.6 g in a one-day brew.

Why is traditional beer high in iron?

Surveys find very high iron in home-brewed African beers – a median 52 mg/L in Zimbabwe's seven-day brew – far above commercial beers. Brew in non-iron vessels.

What is African iron overload?

A build-up of iron in the body linked to drinking iron-rich traditional beer, together with an inherited iron-loading gene.

Is hwahwa the same as commercial opaque beer?

They're the same style; commercial opaque beer is made in factories and sold in cartons, while hwahwa is brewed at home.

How long does hwahwa keep?

About a day or two; it keeps fermenting and souring.

Sources

  1. Saungweme T et al. (1999). Iron and alcohol content of traditional beers in rural Zimbabwe. Cent Afr J Med 45(6):136–140. Link
  2. Gordeuk V et al. (1992). Iron overload in Africa. Interaction between a gene and dietary iron content. N Engl J Med 326(2):95–100. Link
  3. Adekoya I et al. (2018). Mycobiota and co-occurrence of mycotoxins in South African maize-based opaque beer. Int J Food Microbiol 270:22–30. Link
  4. Xolo T, Keyser Z, Jideani VA (2024). Physicochemical and microbiological changes during two-stage fermentation production of umqombothi. Heliyon 10(2):e24522. Link
#East and Southern Africa
Share:

More Global Fermented Foods