Beerhug!

There are beers from around the world whose names don't ring a bell. The adventurous can try them out

LAO
Lao or Beerlao is a range of beers (lager, light beer and dark beer) from Laos. The beer is made from locally grown jasmine rice, with hops and yeast imported from Germany. It has a 5 per cent alcohol content. It is available throughout Laos and also in Cambodia and Thailand. Lao is exported to neighbouring Asian countries, Europe and North America.

UMQOMBOTHI
This one is a traditional beer from South Africa and is especially popular among the Xhosa people (Nelson Mandela's ethnic group). Umqombothi is made from maize, maize malt, sorghum malt, yeast and water, and has an alcohol content of less than 3 per cent. It is used in weddings, funerals, meetings and social rituals like male circumcision.

T'ELLA
T'ella (or T'alla, Farso and Suwa) is a traditional beer from Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is brewed from cereals and 'gesho', a local shrub used in place of hops.

BOZA
Boza (or Bosa) is a traditional beer from the Balkan peninsula. It is a malt drink, made from maize, wheat or millet. It has an alcohol content as low as 1 per cent. Boza is said to have evolved in ancient Mesopotamia and Anatolia. But its golden period came under the medieval Ottoman Turks, under whom it spread to the Balkans.

KASIRI
Kasiri (or Kaschiri) is a traditional beer made from cassava by Amerindians in Suriname and Guyana on the Caribbean coast of South America.