It has a thick, creamy, and gritty consistency (from the maize), a heavy and distinctly sour aroma, and an opaque, buff-colored appearance.

Umqombothi is cheaper than commercial lager beers brewed from barley and flavoured with hop flowers.

To see if the brew is ready, the traditional testing method is to light a match close to the vat.

This is because the fermenting mash produces large amounts of carbon dioxide, which does not allow for the combustion of the match.

When the brew is ready, the fermented mash is filtered through a large metal strainer to remove the spent grains.

When guests arrive at the brewer's home to taste the beer and join in the celebration, they traditionally bring a bottle of brandy as a symbol of gratitude.

Umqombothi is used to celebrate the homecoming of young men, known as abakwetha in Xhosa culture, after ulwaluko - initiation and religious male circumcision.

[1] A study[2] found sorghum and maize used as ingredients in umqombothi often are contaminated by mycotoxin-producing molds Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., Rhizopus spp.

The Eastern Cape province of South Africa has a very high incidence of esophageal cancer.