Latin American craft beers “intoxicate” with coffee, chicha and quinoa

Latin America, where beer consumption corresponds to almost 90% of all alcoholic beverages, is experiencing the rise of artisan preparations based on indigenous products such as coffee, chicha, quinoa, exotic fruits and Amazonian plants with which it seeks to conquer to international palates.

Compared to industrial beer, artisanal beer goes beyond the popular blonde, black and red varieties and introduces ingredients such as panela, a Colombian sweetener extracted from sugar cane, or passion fruit, known as the fruit of passion in the center and south of the continent.

By distancing themselves from industrial methods, craft beers, which are made in small production batches, “have the advantage of offering differentiated aromas, ingredients, notes and textures,” said John Tello, director of Expocervezas 2021, the largest specialized event. from Colombia.

These, added the expert, “adjust to very specific tastes and create personalized experiences, which captivates the most demanding audiences.”

The exotic, the winning formula

In general, “the production of craft beers, with world quality, grows every day in Latin America, having as a novelty the variety of its ingredients. In fact, every year we see more Latin American beers that win awards in Europe and the United States, ”commented brewmaster Tomás Delfino.

Currently, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Colombia lead the production of this kind of products, but each of the countries in the region seeks to give it its own touch.

Proof of this is the Ecuadorian case, where to enter this segment they have used “local products such as chicha de jora, vanilla, banana, cocoa, the Amazonian guayusa plant and colada morada,” said Katherine Gárate, administrator of the Brewery Association. Artisans of Ecuador (Asocerv).

For the entity’s spokeswoman, which groups 90 breweries, although the pandemic affected sales “it was an opportunity to reinvent itself”, grow to the point that there are already 280 brands in the Andean nation, and harbor the illusion of “exporting significant amounts from 2025 ″.

As part of the boom in this kind of drinks, the V edition of the Middle of the World Brewery Cup 2021 was held on October 2 in Quito, in which 170 national and international breweries competed, in 56 professional categories and three special ones.

In the contest, Ecuador won 25 gold medals and the “Best of Show” award, with Fandango, which was chosen as the best beer in Latin America in the new “Chicha Beer” category.

Also, Juan Carlos Tafur, manager of the Colombian Mela’s Craft Beer, stated that “craft beers allow to develop riskier bets, with a controlled production, and add additional elements such as fruits, panela, chocolate or coffee, which generate extreme flavors. they enjoy from the aroma and provide unique sensations to the palate ”.

And, as the businessman Kim Lino discovered when he arrived in Latin America from his native South Korea, in this land everything is “different”.

In this way, when starting up the Lino Brewing Company craft brewery in Colombia, he understood that even water, given its mineral content, can change the flavor of the product, so he made more than 200 attempts before obtaining the drink he was looking for. for your clientele.

High expectations

In terms of figures, Mexico, the cradle of the industrial beer brand Corona, produced 118.7 million liters of the drink last year, leading manufacturing in Latin America.

Brazil followed, with 114.7 million liters in 2020, according to the German statistics portal Statista.

A good part of that production left Latin America and headed to other countries where industrial beers made in this part of the world are already more than recognized, and where artisan beers hope to arrive soon to open new markets.

Precisely, when talking about exports, it is necessary to refer to the leading brand in Peru, the Barbarian Craft Brewery, acquired in 2019 by AB InBev, the largest beer manufacturer in the world.

The key to the success that the Peruvian company has achieved so far, which already holds 52 national and international medals, is that “due to the excellent gastronomy of the country, the palate of Peruvians is also very demanding with beers,” he said. to Efe the founder and marketing manager of the company, Ignacio Schwalb.

For this reason, he added, “creativity has been developed in the use of local inputs such as quinoa, jora corn, purple corn and jungle honey,” thanks to which they have been able to make sales in the United States, Spain, Chile and Brazil.

In addition, they put on sale annually around 40 different beers, of which 6 or 7 make them constantly, and the rest are innovations or seasonal drinks.

This, Schwalb explained, “keeps the brand fresh, fun and gives something to talk about”, in such a way that by the end of 2021 they expect “to grow by 250%”; open three or four stores, which will be added to the seven they already have in Peru, and venture into the franchise sector, which shows that the future of Latin American craft beers is as seductive as the taste of the drink itself.