Club Colombia Roja
Cervecería Bavaria

 

330ml brown bottle. Stamp at the neck is 'LT03 04:59 VEN02SEP25'.
Clear, deep amber colored body. Thin, persistent white colored head. Leaves behind short strings of lacing.
Aroma of caramel and toffee with some floral hops.
Taste is sweet with a brief bitter bite at the end. Flavors of toasted grain, caramel, molasses, and earthy/floral hops (hint of citrus too). The malts persist in the aftertaste.
A little more than medium mouthfeel. Coats the mouth and tongue. Slight metallic note. Very good carbonation.
From caramel to molasses and back again. Good looking beer.

Pours a rich amber with little to no head. Aroma is medium caramel, grainy background, earthy hops. Taste is fairly solid body of caramel with medium bitterness, earthy hops present. Hops listed on label show Saaz & Williamette but getting a touch of citrus...very pleasant. Overall pleasant mouthfeel with trace of lingering malty caramel. Would be happy to order another one.

On vacation in Colombia and trying some new beers. Poured from an 11.2 oz. can. Has an amber color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of malts, sweetness. Taste is molasses, malts. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall it's a bit on the sweet side, but not a bad beer.

 

 

 

 

 

Feb. 2012: Shared 330 ml bottle at local tasting, as Club Colombia Extra Fina Roja, thanks to abemorsten. ABV is 4.7%. Orange to amber colour, low head. Moderate aroma, a little toffee and caramel, a little fruit and grain. The flavour has moderate notes of toffee and caramel, not as bad as I feared.

Club Colombia is probably the highest profile and most well-known Colombia-based beer brand. Don't get your hopes up about it being a "local" brew, it was bought by SABMiller in 2005. I'm not sure how well the recipe compares to the good old days, but locals here say it has stayed pretty consistent over the years. The Roja is an amber lager with medium body and mouthfeel, and is IMO the best of the 3 major varieties, with the Negra (a black lager) being a very close second. I've never seen this in the US, so I imagine you would have to travel south to find it, but for a "macro" it's quite a few cuts above. I wouldn't say it's worth a special trip to the country in and of itself, but if you're here it's a treat.

 

 

 

 

 

A02, A03