Colombian Beer

Typical Colombian beer is similar to many Mexican imports that we drink in the States; like a Tacate or Corona.  There are 3 standard beers that you can find just about anywhere. 

Medellin’s favorite is Pilson it tastes like a Budweiser and EVERYONE in the city swears by it. 

Poker is also a favorite but it seems to be mostly in Bogota and is not very popular in Medellin.  

Then there is our typical favorite the Club Colombia.  These are a little more pricey (meaning a $1 rather then 75cents a beer) but worth it.  There are 3 kinds of Clubs: the standard gold, which taste like all the other typical Colombian beers. Roja, which is a standard weekend drink for Dale and I, it is mild and light but with a bit of an amber ale flavor.  Then there is negra which is MUCH more expensive then the others and I have only tried it once it tasted the similar to the other two to me.  Although we have our favorites really they all taste very similar and aren’t the flavorful craft brews that we have grown accustomed to.

Luckily there are some craft beers available here too.  One craft brewery is called Apostal; a large brewing company that is available in select cities throughout Colombia. Apostal has five different types of beer that Dale and I were lucky enough to try with a sample pack.  I recommend this brewer you cannot go wrong with any of these flavorful beers.

The Tipo Weizen is a fruity wheat beer that is something between a Bluemoon and a Stella.

The Tipo Helles is a light golden ale with simple clean flavor.

The Tipo Marzen is an amber ale with a big flavor starting flavor with no lingering after taste.

The Tipo Dubbel is very flavorful and fruity similar to the Weizen but deeper in flavor.

The Tipo Bock is nutty with a hearty thick flavor without being as creamy as a stout.

Medellin also has it’s own microbrewery called 3 Cordilleras which makes beer that you can buy throughout Medellin in stores and at bars.  They have 4 standard beer flavors: Negra, Mulata, Mestiza, Blanca, (soon to be 5 with the new Rosa coming out this week.) 

I have two favorites by 3 Cordillera: the Negra and Mulata.  The Negra is a typical nutty brown ale it is a decent brown and since it is the only true nut brown in Colombia it satisfies my thirst.  The Mulata however in a world full of amber ales is the best with great flavor.  Dale likes the Mestiza, he thinks that it tastes like your standard Pale Ale. It has a quick punch of hops but nothing that lingers on the tongue too long or has a real complex flavor. Just a nice mild hoppy smoothness that gets close to the IPA taste that he loves so much.

This weekend 3 Cordillera’s but on a beer and music festival called Vibra Mi Tierra.  This was the best festival I have had the opportunity to attend.  It had something for everyone!  The main attractions included a taste testing of home brewed beers.  People who brew at home brought in their batches to share and talk about the flavors that they created and the processes they took.  The explanations were mostly in Spanish but their enthusiasm for their beers were clear and one group even explained their beer to us in English.  

                                                  

Many local businesses had stands out for people to shop at and local restaurants brought their best foods for us to taste.  We tried chimicangas from Revolucion Mexicana 1910 and chirzos from Patria Mia but the options were limitless.  And as though that was not enough to entertain us for the day some amazing bands played all day including Puerto Candelaria and Monsieur Perine.  Puerto Candelaria put on an amazing show they had everyone singing, dancing, yelling and screaming.  They are the Colombian Gogol Bordello and played some amazing gypsy punk.  I have to say the best moment of their show was when they played Ghost Busters but the familiar words that I grew up singing were being sung in Spanish- I could not stop laughing.  Monsieur Perine was not as energetic as Puerto Candelaria but she didn’t seem to need it.  Her presence alone got the crowd going and everyone knew each and every word as they sang with her.  She sounded like No Doubt having all the attitude from Gwen Stefani’s prime.

Puerto Candelaria Video at Vibra Mi Tierra 2012

Monsieur Perine

Lead singer: Monsieur Perine

The entertainment was beyond compare and the location made it all that much more incredible.  The festival was at the lovely Botanical Gardens in an organic amphitheater that seemed to grow out of the surrounding trees.  The way it was lit at night made it seem like we were dancing and singing in the forest rather then a typical pavement of a parking lot like in the States.  All in all it was another great weekend in Medellin.