Top Beers to try in Brazil

Discussion in 'Latin America' started by rhoadsrage, Apr 25, 2012.

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  1. rhoadsrage

    rhoadsrage Initiate (0) Jun 23, 2004 Illinois

    I did lots of research before I left for Brazil (Porto Alegre) several months ago. These are the top beers I wanted to try. Some I did and some I never found. Please let me know which ones you like, and if you find some of these beers or others let me know how they taste.



    Falke Vivre Pour Vivre
    One of the few, if not the only Brazilian Sour beer. A fruit lambic.

    Amburana Lager Way Beer
    This beer is aged on Amburana wood which is only found in South America

    Bacuri Forest
    Made with the bacuri fruit from the amazon.

    Dado Bier Ilex
    Beer brewed with Yerba Mate. I had it served ice cold at the brewpub and it was interesting for one try but others said it was way to sweet when it warmed up.

    Seasons Green Cow IPA
    A Brazilian IPA

    Bamberg Tcheca (Not the Pilsner)
    This is supposed to be a great Bohemian Pilsner, not to be confused with Bamber’s more common pilsner which is mediocre.

    No De Pinho From Canoinhense
    This beer is uses Pine Knots (no de pinhos) in the schwartzbier. I can’t remember if they are used for fuel or aging. But this was brewed by Rupprecht Loeffler (passed away in 2011 at age 93) and canoinhense is said to be one of Brazil’ oldest microbreweries.

    Colorado Indica IPA
    And IPA from an expatriated American brewing in Brazil. He knows how to use hops and it has that nice Porto Alegre character (water minerals maybe?)

    Bamberg Rauchbier
    A very nice rauchbier that pairs great with hot weather.

    Gottlich Divina w Guaraná
    A pilsner with the guarana fruit or seed? Used in brewing. Guarana is in the maple family and the seed has twice the caffeine as coffee beans.

    Maria Degolada Annex Bier
    This was my favorite beer of my trip to Porto Alegre. It is a great tripel. The bottle says it is spiced but everything blends and is very subtle. Maria Degolada is a very interesting local legend. I thought the beer was only sold at the Bierkeller (a local speakeasy) but I found it at Bier Markt where you can also buy it for carry out.


    Seasons Funhouse Belgian Blonde
    This was a very nice Belgian Single with good complexity and very nice to drink.
     
  2. PaulQuinn

    PaulQuinn Initiate (0) May 27, 2011 Canada (BC)

    Half of these beers are from Porto Alegre's region breweries that are hard to find elsewhere so I haven't drank most of them.

    For me, the best Brazilian micro brewery with some what of a nationwide distribution is Eisenbahn. Their Rauchbier, Dunkel, Weizenbock and Strong Golden Ale are very nice. The Weizenbock being very close, if not in par, with the likes of Pikantus, Vitus, Aventinus, etc.

    Another one widely available is Baden Baden with its Red Ale and 1999. Colorado, that you mentioned, has some drinkable beer but is not my favorite brewery. It is good that they always try to add some unique ingredient in their brews but, imo, it usually doesn't live to expectation.

    As for not so easy to find beers there is a new and great beer (probably with a limited production) which it Way's 8S. From what I gather there was some input from Brewdog's brew master among others.

    There is also Wäls Dubbel, Trippel and Quad which are regular and its Petroleum that I didn't get to drink yet but people say is good. I've heard good things about Seasons (you included) but didn't had the chance to drink any of them yet.

    There are more, but I'm too sleepy to try to remember and some which I remember but are not worthy talking about. If you ever come back good luck hunting them all.
     
  3. sfoley333

    sfoley333 Pundit (799) Oct 26, 2006 Brazil

    Falke, which is from the state of Minas Gerais, didnt release Vivre Pour Vivre at first, instead they gave it to friends and used it for tastings and I remember the bottle count being rather low. However last year, some bottle shops down here got a limited supply but sold them at a very high price. I have a bottle but havent opened it yet.
    Wals is also from Minas and they make IMHO some of the best beers in Brazil. In Sao Paulo their beers are easier to find now and price wise they are good for the quality. Petroleum, which was really created by the founders of DUM brewery, and their Quad are two of the best beers that I have tried in Brazil.
    Colorado is another good brewery however it isnt from Porto Alegre, it is actually located in Ribeirao Preto which is in Sao Paulo state. Besides that the founder and brewmaster is Marcelo Carneiro, a Brazilian not an expat. Just last year, Firestone's brewmaster Matt Brynildson was visiting Marcelo and they brewed an imperial IPA called Vixnu which they finally started to sell in bottles a few months ago. Bamberg, which is also located in the state of Sao Paulo, makes great german style beers at a fair price and is easy to find in Sao Paulo. Every now and again they pair up with a few other brewers to produce limited release beers such as their Biertruppe vintage #1, which was the first Barrel aged beer in Brazil.
    Another brewery to try is Bodebrown which is located in Curitiba and they make a really good double IPA and Wee heavy.

    The craft beer scene has really boomed since I first came to Brazil in 2004. In the last 2 years the availability and production has increased along with a wider selection of styles and imports. You can currently get American craft beers form breweries such as Rogue, Anderson Valley, Brooklyn, Flying Dog, and Sam Adams all of which were not available two years ago. All of these beers are having an influence on the craft movement down here and it will only get bigger and better with time.
     
  4. rhoadsrage

    rhoadsrage Initiate (0) Jun 23, 2004 Illinois

    I was wondering how regional brands were. I had read an article about how Inbev grew up in Brazil and lots of the beer laws are still on the books, making it hard for craft beer to get out there. I do love Eisenbahn and their beers make it to the states.

    Yeah I was impressed by the very well done German styles. I hope to spend some time in Recife but it won't be till 2013 or 2014. We will see.
     
  5. DoubleJ

    DoubleJ Grand Pooh-Bah (4,397) Oct 13, 2007 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah Society

    From the list, I've had the opportunity to taste:

    Way Amburana - tasty doppelbock that I had on-tap at Curitiba. And it's not too over the top.

    Bacuri Forest - this one I approached with a lot of curiousity. A collegue of mine was generous enough to send a bottle to me. I shared the bottle with a few people here in California, and to our surprise it was very good stuff. Perfect hot weather beer too.

    DaDo Ilex - this was a priority during my first trip to Brazil in 2009. I found it to be too strong with the erva-mate, and not enough with the beer. I prefer chimmarão.

    Green Cow IPA - it's a different take on the usual IPA. It's still reasonably hoppy and satisfying, but the flavors provided by the hops seem more German than American.

    Tcheca - love this beer. I've had it a few times and instead of being delicate like other pilsners, this one just bombards the palate with hops.

    Colorado Indica - it's inevitable you'll have one of these in Brazil. It's got a strong cult following, and it is a reasonable beer, though it doesn't wow me, as say, the newly released Vixnu.

    Bamberg Rauchbier - yummy rauch, one that's a little better than the Eisenbahn version.

    Maria Degolada - I haven't tasted this one yet, but I do have a bottle of it that I will open and taste one of these days. I received a bottle as a gift from Victor (the owner of the Bierkeller), and he said that was the last bottle he had.
     
  6. Damasceno

    Damasceno Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2012

    The pine knots in Nó de Pinho are used as fuel. Rupprecht Loeffler ("Seu Lefra", as the mister was affectionately called by me and all other brazilians) is a legend around here, in Brazil.

    I live far away from Porto Alegre (Dado Bier) and Blumenau (Eisenbahn), but Falke and Wäls are close. I'll get some bottles for trading soon. :slight_smile:
     
  7. Eriktheipaman

    Eriktheipaman Initiate (0) Sep 4, 2010 California

    Awesome to see a new member from Brazil. I don't follow South American threads very much but they seem to be far and few. Welcome!
     
  8. Damasceno

    Damasceno Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2012

    Thanks a lot for the reception! I'll be really glad if I can share some great brazilian beers with BA members. :slight_smile:
     
  9. Keene

    Keene Initiate (0) Sep 11, 2009 Washington

  10. fmccormi

    fmccormi Initiate (0) Oct 24, 2010 California

    I'm actually headed to Rio tomorrow for about a month, and I'm looking forward to trying a few new ones, though I've had my share of national brands (I think mine is still the only review of Itaipava Premium:-). Saw Wäls in one grocery store in Copacabana last time I was in the country, I believe, but it was pricey and I didn't want to spend much more money. But, this time, I'm looking forward to trying it.

    Will it be possible to find some of these other breweries in Rio? Like Seasons? Didn't have a lot of luck, last time.
     
  11. PaulQuinn

    PaulQuinn Initiate (0) May 27, 2011 Canada (BC)

    You can easily find most of those Minas Gerais and São Paulo breweries, like Wals, Falke, Colorado and Baden Baden, in Rio, even at supermarkets. Seasons should be harder, I'm not from Rio but I've seen some Seasons in São Paulo so I believe that if you look around a few specialized beer stores you can find some but I'm not sure.

    Also, if you by any chance brought any beer with you I'm sure you could find a trade.
     
  12. PaulQuinn

    PaulQuinn Initiate (0) May 27, 2011 Canada (BC)

    Just an update, a friend told me today that he had a Seasons at Delirium Cafe, which is probably the best beer bar in Rio anyways so... Although it's not cheap. Not that you could find cheap good beer here, but Delirium should be worst.
     
  13. fmccormi

    fmccormi Initiate (0) Oct 24, 2010 California

    Damn. Y'know, I'd definitely check it out, but frankly I'm kind of poor. I shouldn't spend as much on beer as I do as it is, so maybe some other time when I'm legitimately on vacation. This is a research trip (in theory—hard not to enjoy visiting Brazil for whatever reason it happens to be!).
     
  14. PaulQuinn

    PaulQuinn Initiate (0) May 27, 2011 Canada (BC)

    That's a bummer. Anyhow, enjoy your stay. Cheers.
     
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