A while ago, I wrote about some of the beers you can (and should) try when visiting Chile and Peru. That article mostly covered beers like Cusquena or Kunstmann Lager, the sorts of beers you can find at most restaurants or stores.
But today, I explore four Chilean craft beers from various breweries.
Chilean Craft Beer: Some Background
For any of my American readers (I’m pretty sure that’s most of you), craft beer is not the same around the world as it is here in the States.
You can’t throw a rock without hitting a craft beer in the U.S. But in other countries, like Japan or Chile, craft beer is not as common. That’s not to say it doesn’t exist or thrive, but that it’s just not on the same scale or level as it is in the States.
The more craft beer I try in other countries, the more I come to appreciate local flavors and ingredients that make the beer. You can’t make an honest-to-goodness Heady Topper in Chile, and you can’t produce the Juster NU-B in the United States.
4 Chilean Craft Beers, Reviewed
On to the main event.
I have four beers to review, each a different style and from a different brewery.
These were gifted to me in a box from Tierra Cervecera. This isn’t a plug, just a way you can find some of these beers, too.
IRA – Cervezería Granizo
First is the IRA from Cervecería Granizo located in Quilpue, Chile. IRA, in this instance, stands for “India Red Ale,” and it stands at a stout 7.0% ABV. As you might expect with any sort of red ale, this beer was pretty malty for an IPA. The can told me I was going to get caramel notes and rose aroma, but I mostly got that malty sweetness that comes with high ABV sluggers.
I respect breweries that do red ales, but I’m pretty picky with the ones I like. My concern when I try red ales like this is that the brewery is the type of place that pushes ABV higher and higher for the sake of it. I won’t make any assumptions about Granizo, but you know if this is the type of beer for you.
Hazy Pale Ale/NEPA – Cervezería Jester
What’s there to say about a hazy pale ale?
NU-B by Jester was a clean, 5.2% ABV hazy pale ale that pretty much hit the profile right on the nose. As the can claimed, the beer was hoppy without being offensive (if your pale ale is offensive, then you’ve probably done something wrong).
The can also noted that the beer was very easy to drink, and I agree with that.
Jester is located in the northern part of Santiago, which kind of dashes most of my hopes of visiting. I know NEPAs aren’t the most difficult style to make, but this one was done flawlessly, and it makes me want to try some of their other brews.
Stout – Cerveza Cuello Negro
Cuello Negro is based in Valdivia, which I understand to be a beer drinker’s destination in Chile. While the logo clearly shows a black swan, some sites translate this to “Black Cock,” so you know, look out for that.
The Stout Foreign Extra (foreign extra stout, if you didn’t piece that together) was everything you’d expect from a foreign extra stout – low IBU, great gravity, and a “keeps you warm in the winter” 8.0% ABV. The brew featured delicious, sweet flavors from the oats and malts, and drinking it felt like putting on a warm blanket.
This was the perfect beer for winter, though I expect it’s not as fun to drink in the sun.
Helles Lager – Alameda Beer Co
I have a lot say about “Como Jurgen por su Hausen.” From Alameda Beer Co, based in what looks like a pretty lively part of Santiago, Jurgen is a helles lager, and it’s a pretty tasty one at that.
Now let’s talk about the name.
Como Jurgen por su Hausen is both a mishmash of Spanish and German AND an idiom. “Como Pedro por su casa,” which translates to “like Pedro in his own home,” meaning someone who is too comfortable. This can be a positive or negative connotation, but basically, it’s when someone acts as if they live there, when they don’t.
So, we take this idiom and Germanify it with “Jurgen” and “Hausen” which is fun because then the beer name rhymes.
Not sure if there’s anything to it beyond that. Just a fun beer name.
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