Abate Yimam’s path to becoming a master brewer

I wanted to start my own firm 15 years ago, but the time wasn’t right. My business partner and I formed iMizan GmbH a few months ago. We wanted to import gluten-free cereals, spices and coffee from Africa and sell them in Europe and America. Unfortunately, strict import laws and endless red tape proved to be almost insurmountable obstacles. We did some research online and discovered that there were already a few European firms trading in Ethiopian commodities. I already had some cereal samples, and one day I came up with the idea of using them to make beer. And so it was that I started experimenting with ingredients and concocting a handful of trial batches based on African recipes. It soon became clear that these gluten-free millets were capable of producing tasty, easy-drinking beers. Since we use malted barley in the brewing process, however, our beers aren’t entirely gluten-free (CAH1). They are thus classed as low in gluten, although the Coeliac Disease Society of German-Speaking Switzerland does certify our craft beers Mulu Amber and Georgis Premium as gluten-free. The finger millets Dagussa and Maschela are ancient and especially high-yielding crops that are now being cultivated in Europe, Africa and large parts of Asia. They’re still used as foodstuffs and ingredients in regional beers. Using these in conjunction with Swiss water and quality standards, we’ve succeeded in developing local beers steeped in African heritage. We hope our products will strike a chord with Switzerland’s discerning beer drinkers as the unique flavours of sorghum are something any true lover of beer should be keen to try. Every once in a while, things come full circle, and so it is that we’ve ended up making our beer in the very same venerable brewery where I did my apprenticeship more than 30 years ago.