THE INS AND OUTS OF CHILEAN BEER

By Kristian de Leeuw (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

BEER IN CHILE: A BIT OF HISTORY

The world’s most popular alcoholic beverage has a long history. Beer brewing is as old as
agriculture. In fact, it’s probably as old as or even older then bread - as either beer or
bread may have been a by-product of the other.

Indeed, a beer is more then just a beer: This tasty drink was once brewed by Babylon
women priestesses, while Egyptian Pharaohs also consumed beer as an important part of
their daily diet.

Still, the sacred drink needed a bit longer to find its way to Chilean throats. It wasn’t until
the colonial period that the Spanish settlers – not much of a beer drinking people to begin
with - introduced beer or “cerveza” in Chile’s central valley; at that time part of the
viceroyalty of Peru. Unfortunately the experiment failed, as the “mestizo” (mixed blood)
and indigenous population preferred their strong liquors over the lighter weight beer.

The successful introduction and widespread distribution of beer in Chile dates back to the
nineteenth century. At the beginning of the nineteenth century Valparaiso had
transformed itself into an international port city with a large contingent of foreigners
living there. Their growing demands for expensive imported beer, led British medic
Andrés Blest in 1825 to open up Valparaiso’s first brewery.

Other breweries followed, although the quality would remain mediocre. Brewing took
place in an artisan way with a British brewing process being maintained (fermentation
took place at 15 degrees Celsius). But during the 1850s the British brewing tradition was
replaced by German style brewing (with fermentation taking place at two or three degrees
Celsius).
After the independence (1810), the Chilean government tried to settle its southern
territories through immigration. This led to the arrival of the first German immigrants in
the 1850s. And as is the case with German immigrants any where in the world, wherever
they go, they take their beer along.

Throughout the second half of the twentieth century, German immigrants founded
breweries throughout the country (although two of Valparaiso’s breweries were owned by
Italians). But beer production and distribution took place mostly on a local level. That is,
until the arrival of the Anwaldter-family in southern Chile’s Valdivia.

Legend goes that pharmacist Karl or Carlos Anwaldter first started brewing to provide his
wife with her daily glass of beer, just like back home in Germany. Karl had a German
brewing degree and in 1851 he decided to found the Anwaldter brewery. Using imported
German machinery, Karl and after him his sons, would continue to expand and improve
the Anwaldter brewery. And by the turn of the century Anwaldter was producing high
quality beers that found their way to countries all over South America.

Records show that by 1876 a total of 70 registered beer producers (mostly of German
origin) existed in Chile, with breweries located throughout the country. Beer consumption
had originally been limited to foreigners and the country’s elite, but by the turn of the
century people all over Chile were drinking “cerveza.”

By the 1890s, large scale industrial brewing found its way to the Chilean beer producers.
And 50 years later, beer consumption had increased considerably -turning it into one of
the most popular alcoholic beverages in Chile.

But almost all Chilean beers were now coming from one sole industrial producer;
Compañía Cervecerías Unidas (CCU) - the company that to this day on is the country’s
largest commercial brewery.

Around 1900 CCU began consolidating breweries and by 1916 the company had grown
to such a size that it was even able to buy out its biggest competitor in Chile - the
Anwaldter brewery. From there on, Chile’s beer history gets a bit boring and things went
bad for Chile beer drinkers. Until just recently.

CHILE’S BEER INDUSTRY TODAY

Today CCU controls 86 percent of the Chilean beer market. Not only
does it own all the mayor Chilean beers – including the country’s
two biggest beer brands, watery Cristal and Escudo - it also owns other slightly better
tasting beers such as Royal Guard and Austral (from Punta Arenas, bought up in 2000).

And for those that think they can enjoy the original taste of Dutch beer brand Heineken or
German brand Paulaner; think again. These beers are made here in Chile by CCU - and
taste like it!

CCU is the country’s biggest producer of soft drinks, beers and other beverages (the
company also invested recently in Chile’s wine and pisco industry). The company is
owned by one of Chile’s leading economic conglomerates, the Luksic group. It is
licensed to produce beer brands such as Heineken and Paulaner, while other beers such as
Budweiser and Guinness get imported and distributed by them.

THE GOOD NEWS: CRAFT BEER

But there’s also good news. Nowadays there’s a bigger variety of
beer sold in Chile, including not only foreign beers, but also
homemade artisan beers. Craft beer or “cerveza artesanal” generally
refers to unfiltered all-malt beers that contain fewer additives than
mass-produced beers like Escudo and Cristal. This is a
difference that one especially notices the following day. Escudo and Cristal, if consumed
in large amounts, can destroy your entire next day - as you’ll most likely prefer to “stay
in” for the day.
Notwithstanding the big advantage of having a hangover-free day, there are more
advantages to drinking craft beers. And Chileans also seem to have picked up on that as
the craft beer industry here is rapidly expanding. The situation today is a bit similar to
that of the United States at the beginning of the 1990s. At that time American
microbreweries saw their market share increase as many US-consumers preferred to pay
a bit more for a naturally brewed beer instead of the industrial ones. Today records show
that the microbreweries have a market share of 5 percent of the total beer market in the
U.S.

In Chile a similar process is taking place with an increasing amount of microbreweries

setting up shop. These microbreweries focus on quality rather then quantity.
Unfortunately industrial beer production in Chile still accounts for 98 percent of total
domestic brewing, but things are definitely looking better for beer drinkers here.

The last couple of years artisan beer breweries have been popping up all over Chile and
the nation’s domestic craft beer market continues to grow by 12 percent each year.

Chile’s craft beer market is still very young though. The recent boom of Chile’s craft beer
started in the mid 1990s when “Kunstmann” and other small breweries revived the
German craft beer tradition of the nineteenth century.

To fight the beer “giants” of CCU, the country’s leading craft beer breweries recently
decided to join forces to increase their market share by founding the Association of
Artisan Beer Breweries. The brewer’s guild aims to promote artisan beers by organizing
and supporting tasting events and beer festivals such as the “Oktoberfest” held annually
in Malloco near Santiago.

CRAFT BEER: WHERE AND WHAT, AND WHY SO MUCH?

But an average tourist will find it hard to encounter craft beers in

typical Chilean restaurants, as most of them still only serve the
cheaper mass produced “cervezas.” Which also brings us to
another problem of Chilean craft beer; it’s still a very upscale alcoholic beverage.

You’re most likely to find your “cerveza artesanal” in the better but also more expensive
bars and restaurants in and outside Santiago. And you’ll feel that in your pocket. A good
craft beer also has its price card say, in Europe for instance, but in Chile the bill will hit
you even harder – especially compared to other products which are considerably cheaper
here then in most other continents.

An artisan beer will cost you anywhere in between a 1000 pesos (US$2 if you’re lucky)
and 3000 pesos (US$6 if you’re in a rip-off upscale joint). Most are bottled, although
some bars offer draft artisan beers as well.

As for buying a Chilean craft beer in a supermarket or store; that won’t be an easy job.
Chilean supermarkets outside Santiago tend to sell the locally brewed “artesanal.” But in
the capital most supermarkets only offer Kunstmann, as that gets distributed by CCU
(although most Chilean microbrewers say that CCU does more then just distribution
nowadays).
The only supermarket that has a nice variety of domestic craft beers is “Jumbo,” stores
which are mostly located in the upscale neighborhoods of the capital. Jumbo offers a
good -but expensive- variety of “artesanales.” Until now, stores that sell craft beers have
strangely enough been non existent (besides from the “aperetivo” internet store), and
asking for a “cerveza artesanal” in your local liquor store or “botillería” won’t get you
very far either. They only sell the industrial ones.

But the industry is growing rapidly. So, hopefully, we’ll see stores and “botillerías”
specialized in craft beers opening up soon.

INDUSTRIAL BEER; EASY TASTE AND CHEAP DRINKING

An industrial beer in most Chilean bars is served out as a half a liter or

liter draft beer or just from the typical 1000 cc-bottle. The big bottle is
definitely one of the greater advantages of the mass produced beer, as you can share it
with your friends. These bottles really are made to enhance the group feeling, especially
after drinking a couple of them when you’ll find yourself complementing your fellow
drinkers on just about anything. And they 1000 cc bottles are quite cheap as most cost
around 1000 pesos in supermarkets and liquor stores or 1500 pesos in bars and
restaurants.

To map Chile’s beer options is a hard task, especially considering the fact that the beer
industry is rapidly developing and diversifying in this country. In late 2007 we tried out a
new Chilean craft beer that wasn’t on the menu yet, nor had the waiter heard of it. It’s
hard to keep up with the latest craft beers. Therefore we start out with a selection of the
more traditional, industrial beers.

1) AUSTRAL: From Punta Arenas, tastes alright. Mass produced beer for those with a
slightly more refined taste.

2) AUSTRAL CALAFATE: comes in small bottles, supposed to compete with craft beers
but is in fact industrial and tastes bitter and sour.

3) BALTIKA: not to be mistaken with Russia’s most popular domestic beer which carries
the same name.)

5) BECKER: best option if you’re going for the mass produced beer.
6) BRAHMA (Brazilian brand, but you’ll find it anywhere in Chile). Tastes just like
Escudos.

7) CRISTAL: yellow tab water with alcohol in it.

8) CRISTAL NEGRA: Cristal’s latest invention; dark beer flavored carbonated water

9) CRISTAL RED ALE: looks and tastes like fermented sewage water.

10) DORADA: extra strong beer, alcohol percentage; 6.0

11) ESCUDO: watery taste, but it has a certain edge to it.

12) MALTA MORENITA: dark beer, easy taste, nice aromas, good for a breakfast “malta
con huevo” (check out the recipe below).

13) PAULANER: brewed since 1991 in Chile according to the German medieval
“reinheitsgebot” or purification law. That sounds cool, but it still tastes like an industrial
beer.
14) ROYAL GUARD: Chile’s oldest premium beer, not much body but goof choice if
you’re going to drink in big quantities.

FAMED CHILEAN BEERMIXES

1) “TSUNAMI” or “ERUPCIÓN:” A lethal mix of beer, wine and pisco. Add ice cubes to
cool it off.

2) “MALTA CON HUEVO”: Perfect drink for breakfast, especially when you have a
hangover or “caña.” Try to use a blender. Toss in one bottle of “Malta Morenita” beer;
add one or two eggs, four tablespoons of sugar and a dash of cinnamon. If you don’t trust
us on this recipe, check out the Chilean movie “Malta con Huevo.”

3) “YUGOSLAVO:” Mix a bottle of cheap white wine with a 1000cc bottle of preferably
Cristal.

LISTING OF CRAFT BEERS

1) CALLE CALLE, local Valdivian microbrewery. We’ve never tried it.

2) CAPITAL, from Santiago, a favorite among general crowds in the capital. A bit too
much sweet and sour aromas though.

3) COLONOS DE LLANQUIHUE, lager, from lake Lanquihue, easy taste, but full bodied.

4) CRATER, Golden Ale and Porter Ale, from Villarica, region IX, available in southern
Chile.

5) DEL PUERTO, Ale, Barba Roja, Barba Negra, from the port city of Valparaiso, home to
Chile’s first beer breweries. This beer is definitely one of Chile’s best. We recommend
the Ale.
6) DIE-M, Helles, Dunkel, Rot, We only tried the dark beer or “dunkel, but it tasted great.

7) D’OLBEK, Pilsen Lager, from Aísen, region XI, owner Carlos de Smet d´Olbecke is a
child of Belgian immigrants. Nice taste but misses body.

8) GRASSAU, lager and “trigo” (“weissbier or white beer”) together with cerveza Pucon
and cerveza Crater is the only beer from the Araucania region (region IX). Only available
at bars and supermarkets in this region. We would really like to taste the “trigo.”

9) J.BELLO, rubia and negra, another craft beer from Valdivia, we didn’t like the lager
very much. The “negra” or dark beer is nice though.
10) KROSS, Golden Ale and Stout, both great beers with full flavors, the Golden Ale was
voted Best Beer by the Santiagoradio-staff.

11) KUNSTMANN, Pale Ale, Dark, Lager and Miel.

12) MESTRA, Pale Ale and Negra

13) OCEANIK, Amber, Dark, nice, although both types are a bit to sweet. But the dark
beer’s bitter aftertaste makes up for that.
14) PUCON (this beer is still in the making, the brewery is expected to open soon, is
together with cerveza Grassau and Crater from Villarica, the only beer from the
Araucania region (region IX).

15) QUIMERA, Amber Ale and Imperial Stout. Microbrewery located in Santiago’s
Quinta Normal (Metro Quinta Normal), open for visits and guided tours. Experts say it’s
one of the best. We haven’t tried it though.

16) SZOT, Pale Ale, Amber Ale, Negra Stout, Strong Ale. Amber Lager (rubia al vapor)
Wide variety and generally consider to be Chile’s best microbrewery.

17) TAJANO, Rubia, Roja, Negra, new in town, from El Monte, metropolitan area,
opened up in 2007.

18) TUBINGER, Red Ale, Pale Ale, Dark Ale, two German language professors were wise
enough to switch teaching for brewing in 2001. Good beer. Brewed and sold in Santiago.

19) VALBIER, Red Ale (summer 2008 will see a Stout come on the market) Another beer
from Chile’s beer capital, Valdivia. Available in restaurants and bars in Santiago.
Valdivia’s best microbrew.

WHERE TO ENJOY A CRAFT BEER (IN SANTIAGO):

Just a couple of suggestions….

1) Café Pub Sicosis, José Miguel de la Barra 544, just off Bellas Artes metro stop.Wide
selection of bottled domestic craft beers. Keeping up to date with the latest microbrew
developments.

2) Eurohappy, Maturana 516, just off metro Cumming. Over two hundred beers from
around the world.

3) Berry, Rosal 321, enjoy an Oceanik on draft in a beautiful surrounding. On weekends

go upstairs and talk to our favorite barman, Carlos. A good variety of Chilean bottled
craft beers. They also serve a great Berry-hamburger.

4) HBH, big chain of beer bars. On several locations in Santiago. Limited assortment
though.

5) Budapest, three different locations in Santiago. One of Chile’s best craft beers, On
draft! Try the one at Av. Bilbao 5351.
Let us know what do you think. Send us an email with comments and info on your
favorite Chilean pubs and craft beers.

Kristian de Leeuw (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

WHAT IS HOPS? ...STORY OF ´CAPITAL´ BEERS

By Julia Thompson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

I’ve been to the breweries. I’ve seen the enormous boilers and mechanical stirring
machines. I can differentiate which beers have more hops than others, and I can even
taste subtle aromas of coffee when I drink a brown ale and of honey when I drink certain
pale ones. And, in the case of Capital’s pale ale, I am convinced of a citrusey bite at the
end of a long, hard sip. But why?

This was my next quest in my beer column adventure: to figure out why the heck a beer
claiming to follow the age-old German Purity Law (only hops, yeast, barley and water)
can taste like it’s been infused with lemon or spiced up with a teaspoon of espresso.

I learned almost all the answers from Capital’s founder and owner, Álvaro Artiagoitía,
who—to my pleasant surprise—was more interested in talking about beer in general than
solely promoting his own.

Last week, Suzanne—my friend and a marketer for The Santiago Times—and I went to
Álvaro’s office at his beautiful house. Despite being in Santiago’s Providencia district,
the house had the feeling of being very far away from the city. It had uneven wooden
floors, frumpy woolen rugs—probably bought somewhere in southern Patagonia—and an
enormous garden out back. Was I on a farm?

The house reflected Álvaro’s calm, joyful and humble disposition; he seemed very far
away from the cutthroat competition of the business world. Before we got into a deep
discussion about his beer, he asked me if I had ever seen hops or the barley that beer is
made from.

He showed Suzanne and me some fresh hops he took out of a refrigerator he keeps in his
office. To tell you the truth, the hops looked exactly like marijuana, except the buds were
a pale brownish color rather than green like ganja.

He explained to me that the hops plant and the Cannabis plant are closely related and in
the same plant family, Cannabinacea. The process of harvesting hops is identical to that
of harvesting marijuana.

“Both marijuana and hops are the sticky secretions of glands on their flowers and leaves,”
Álvaro said. “The female hops plants are the ones that produce the hops buds that you use
for beer-making, just like the female cannabis plant buds are what some people smoke.”

He pointed to his pile of hops. “These are the buds.” He squished a bud between his
fingers and put his fingers up to my nose. “Smell.”
The resin on his fingers smelled just like marijuana!

Álvaro continued, “The hops that you add at the beginning of the beer-making process
are what give the beer a bitter taste. If or when you add them at the end of the process, the
flavor of actual hops arises, perhaps giving the beer a flowery or citrusey aroma.”

So that is hops. I felt a weight lifted off my chest. Finally, I could conjure the hops smell
before the beer process and understand why beer has fruity or flowery aromas.

Excited at the prospect at learning all this technical information, I also asked Álvaro why
beer can have coffee aromas when there is no coffee added.

He presented two jars, both filled with barley. One was dark in color, and the other was
light brown. “So, let me explain why the beer tastes like coffee,” he said. “First, you get
barley seeds. You put a whole bunch of these seeds in water and add heat. Just as the
seeds open up, you take them out of the water and kill them by blanching and then
roasting the seeds. The reason you let them germinate first is to awaken the enzymes that
promote a sugary flavor. You then roast the barley at different levels of temperature and
humidity. For example, when you cook the seeds at a high temperature with low
humidity, the seeds are dry and dark—completely roasted. These are the seeds that have
the coffee flavor because coffee beans undergo exactly the same roasting process. A lot
of what you are tasting when you drink coffee is related to how the coffee bean is
roasted.”

Álvaro was in the wine business before the beer one. He and his wife owned a couple of
small vineyards in Chile. In the late ‘90s, they traveled to California, in part to promote
their wines and in part to learn English. What they didn’t know was that the trip would
really mark an absolute career change for Álvaro.

Before Álvaro moved to the States, he thought there was only one kind of beer: “the
regular one.” That regular one was Cristal, Chile’s watery national beer produced by
Compañía Cervecerías Unidas (CCU), which currently owns 86 percent of the Chilean
beer market. However, after Álvaro arrived in California, fate had it that he shared a
home with a man who home-brewed his own beer. “I had always loved beer,” Álvaro
said, “but I didn’t know there were so many different types of beer—like wine.”

So, Alvaro’s housemate took him to a bunch of different bars in California, where Álvaro
tasted “nearly 30 beers from different microbreweries, all with different tastes. I had
always been a wine-tasting man, so tasting beer came very easily to me. After drinking
my first couple of microbrews, I almost felt there were more layers of taste in a pint of
beer than in a glass of wine!”

Though Álvaro’s American friend wasn’t an authorized beer master, he taught him how
to brew his own beer in his home in California. I mean, in my mind, who really cares? I
see it like needing an Ivy League degree to be a good journalist; if you can make a quality
product or write a good story, the credentials don’t really matter.

In his office in Providencia, Álvaro walked over to his refrigerator, opened it, and stuck
his head in it for about thirty seconds, looking for something. The stench of something
rotting filled the room. He pulled out a bottle that looked relatively old. “This is the first
beer I brewed in California.” He presented the bottle to Suzanne and me with a grin
pasted across his face.

“Wow, cool,” I said.

“Can you drink it?” Suzanne asked.
“No, I hold onto it as a memory,” Álvaro replied. “I think by this point it wouldn’t be
very safe to drink.”

I found this very endearing in that saving-the-first-ball-that-you-hit-out-of-the-park kind

of way.

When Álvaro came back to Chile from California, he came with hops hidden in his
suitcases. He went home and set up his very own home brewery, where he made super-
hoppy IPA (Indian Pale Ale—very bitter beer) that he served to his friends and family.
“Their reaction was positive, but these people have never had hops—real hops—before,”
Álvaro recalled. “So, I think the bitter taste was a bit too surprising. It’s something
Chileans need to get used to.”

This experience explains why he chose to produce a pale ale and an amber ale instead of
a super-hoppy IPA. “I think the process of integrating quality beer into Chilean society is
slow. People just aren’t accustomed to strong flavors that come along with super-hoppy
brews and dark beers.”

Capital now has two beers on the market. Neither of them is very bitter, though both are
tasty and full-bodied yet light on the palate. The pale ale tastes a little bit like a Blue
Moon with a citrusey aroma not to be confused with sweet fruit but closer to a lemon or a
grapefruit.

The amber ale has a bit more body but still maintains a light, refreshing taste. The color is
a very pale red with pretty good transparency, suggesting Álvaro’s recipe might call for
longer fermentation at lower temperatures, yielding a clearer color, a less carbonated
flavor, and a smooth aftertaste.

Capital’s beers are different than the other Chilean artisan brews I’ve tried. They are both
very light, but in a good way, more similar to a light Belgian wheat beer than to the
earthy, full-bodied, hoppy taste of other amber ales and pale ales on Chile’s craft beer
scene.

Both Capital’s amber ale and pale ale are perfect aperitivos or friends for an all-night
dance party. The pale ale is also perfect with a pizza because it’s not too heavy on the
stomach. In fact, the other night I went out for a pizza at a specialty pizzeria called Voraz
on Avenida Providencia. The restaurant serves all of Chile’s craft beers, and I opted for a
Capital Pale ale. Arugula-covered pizza and a Capital pale ale—perfect.

By Julia Thompson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

TUBINGER: THE NEW BREWERY ON THE BLOCK
By Julia Thompson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

One of Chile’s newest—if not its newest—craft beers is Tubinger, owned, operated and
conceived by Christoph Flaskamp, a German man very passionate about beer. He’s so
passionate that he used to brew his own homemade ale in the backyard of his house
during a time when beer-making ingredients such as hops were very hard to come by in
Chile.
Passion drove Christoph into the beer industry. He was born in Germany, grew up in
Chile, and studied in England. After his studies, he returned to Chile, where he worked as
an English professor. He had always loved beer, and after he started brewing his own, he
decided to make his passion his profession.

For Christoph, who learned his craft under the guidance of a German brew master, the
tradition of beer became of utmost importance. “Beer has a very long and intricate
tradition. It’s important to create beers that respect and honor the traditions originated by
microbreweries before pasteurization and big-business brewing took over the market,” he
said.

With ruddy cheeks, an extensive vocabulary to describe beers and an intricate knowledge
of beer’s history, to me he seems to be the man who can and will forge the path toward
getting Chileans not only to drink good craft beers—like Tubinger’s—but also to
appreciate beer at the same level they appreciate a fine wine. I believe this because he did
call me out on a few issues regarding my knowledge of beer and Chile. I’ll get to that
later.

I asked Christoph for his thoughts on Compañía Cervecerías Unidas (CCU), Chile’s
largest commercial brewery. CCU owns 86 percent of country’s beer market, including
not only the major Chilean beers—such as the country’s two biggest beer brands, watery
Cristal and Escudo—but also Royal Guard, Austral and Kunstmann. In addition, CCU
has the license to produce beer brands like Heineken and Paulnar.

Since I have started this column, my mild distaste for CCU’s products has grown into
hatred. It’s almost as if I have found a life calling in sharing with everyone just how bad
CCU products and business practices are. Christoph agreed. “CCU is tricking all of Chile
into thinking that they have diversified their products when in fact all the beers,
regardless of their name and color, pretty much taste the same: like alcoholic water with a
bit of coloring.” I added that Kunstmann was a sad excuse for a microbrewery.

This is where I was corrected. Christoph explained to me that Kunstmann actually forged
the path for other microbreweries by reviving the tradition of quality beer production in
Chile. “Before Kunstmann, Chile went through a long period where the only beer
available was Cristal,” he said. “If it wasn’t for Kunstmann, none of us microbreweries
would have any business.” He added, “When you drink a Kunstmann in Valdivia, the
beer actually maintains the quality it had before the company owner sold out to CCU
because the beer is brewed in a separate factory from CCU’s, while the Kunstmann you
buy in Santiago is produced in CCU factories.”

So far, Tubinger has three beers on the market: a brown ale, a red ale and a pale ale. I
tried the brown and pale ales, and they are both great. The brown ale is nice because it’s
lighter than a stout but still has the earthy flavors that a stout carries. The Tubinger brown
ale is a rarity because most brown ales taste like watered-down mild ale—even in
England! Christoph told me he tried to “restore brown ale’s historic value as a dark ale
with a large portion of roasted malt.” The taste has a strong hint of chocolate with a
rounded, bitter aftertaste: wonderful beer!

As for the Tubinger pale ale, it’s refreshing and fruity without being too sweet. “Our pale
ale is not like others that sometime add sweeteners that just result in too sugary a
beverage,” Christoph said. “The fruitiness of our beer comes from top fermentation with
brewers yeast fermented at high temperatures and, of course, a good dose of German
Hallertaur hops.”

You can enjoy a Tubinger on tap at the Purammente Bar in Providencia on the corner of
Bilbao and Miguel Claro. The bar is also where the biggest group of Santiago city cyclers
meet in the early evening almost daily; they love their Tubinger! You can also find
Tubinger at Jumbo supermarkets and select restaurants throughout Santiago

For more information about Tubinger, visit their website: www.tubinger.cl

By Julia Thompson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

A NATIONAL SECRET: THERE IS SURPRISINGLY GOOD
BEER IN CHILE!
By Julia Thompson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

I am a beer drinker. Six months ago, I moved to Chile from New York, where I was a
regular at the many bars that have now become very popular in the States for their
excellent and diverse selections of beers. I always veered towards the darker beers like
Dogfish Indian Brown Ale, but sometimes indulged in a good pale ale like Sierra Nevada.
I came to Chile with no expectations about the country’s beer, but assumed I would find
some decent brands I could enjoy after a hard day’s work or to take the stress away from
spending day after day struggling with Spanish.

I was more than disappointed when I had my first Escudo, and even more disappointed
after drinking my first bottle of Cristal. I made a vow to myself that I would stop drinking
beer altogether and stick to Chile’s famous wines and notoriously strong pisco.

But my snobbery fail me after a few weeks, and I began getting used to the stale flavor of
Escudo and Cristal. I opted to drink the stuff as long as I poured it into a cold glass and
consumed it with a moderate amount of thirst. Some Chilean friends told me about
Kunstmann and Austral, brands my local botillería sold, but again, I was disappointed by
the sweetness of the beer. Neither brand lived up to the hype.

Weeks turned into months, and always stuck with the disappointing local brew. Then,
luckily, last week, my editor asked if any of us writers were interested in writing a
column about local artisan beers. I jumped at the opportunity, though I was really
doubtful that quality beer existed in Chile. I thought to myself, ‘Well, I enjoy writing
about food, wine and art, so why not beer?’

And just now I have had my first bottle of Szot Microbrewery’s “Negra Stout.” I had to
call a fellow American beer drinker and proclaim, “Liz, there IS good beer in Chile,
really, really good beer in Chile!” Negra Stout is just as a good stout should be: The taste
is bitter, the foam is creamy, the color is a rich brown, and you can taste the roasted
aromas of barley. Szot’s stout is the best beer I have tasted in Chile, with all the hops
needed to create a taste with a bitter kick. It is perfect for the palate, especially alongside
grilled meat or chocolate.

My experience might explain why the Wine-Lovers’ Club (Club de Amantes del Vino,
CAV) placed Negra Stout at the top of its ranking of beers sold in Chile, a list mostly
comprised of reputable European brews. Negra Stout also figures among the top 6
percent of beers in the world on the artisan beer-lovers’ website: ratebeer.com.
The owner and founder of Szot Microbrewery, Kevin Szot, explained to me that creating
combinations of beer and food is an intricate process. “It’s not just wine and food that
combine into delicious and newly realized-flavors (…). So does beer. The stout goes with
grilled meats and cheese, while the pale ale is the perfect accompaniment to lighter fares
like shellfish, appetizers and salads.”

Kevin started his brewery in December of 2007. Born and raised in California, he moved
to South America 20 years ago while working for Citibank and was stationed throughout
South America and Puerto Rico until 2006. He met Karen, his wife and current business
partner, during his first trip to Chile.

He believed Chile — a country where he was amazed at how bad the local beer was —
was the perfect place to start up a craft beer company. While he was living in Chile in the
‘80s, 100 percent of the market was owned by CCU, which produces Cristal and Escudo
and now boasts seven of the 10 most popular beers in Chile. To combat these bad-tasting,
big-business beers that “essentially come from the same tank,” he began his own line of
craft beers that now includes seven unique brews, including two lagers and five ales.

I met with Kevin early this week at his brewery, a tiny enterprise with only a handful of
tanks and four employees, at an industrial park in the outskirts of Santiago. Up until a few
months ago, Kevin and his wife had been doing all distribution, bottling and labeling by
themselves. Now they work with a distribution company, and the brewery is beginning to
grow.

What differentiates Kevin’s beer from other artisan brews is the varying types he
produces, all of which embody unique flavors and processes. All seven beers are
unfiltered, without preservatives and naturally carbonated by yeast. They also undergo a
second fermentation in the bottle.

Another award-winning and remarkable Szot beer is the “Rubia al Vapor,” which is
brewed in the San Francisco steam style. Steam beer is highly effervescent and is made
by brewing lager yeasts at ale fermentation temperatures. Szot’s Chilean version is better
and a tad lighter and richer in flavor than its San Francisco inspiration, “Anchor Steam.”

Of course, one has every right to expect excellent taste from an artisan beer, but it would
be unjust if I left out Szot’s beautiful label. It’s almost as if each bottle is — internally
and externally — a work of art. Kevin designed most of the labels himself, including the
microbrewery's signature label, which features an interpretation of a mid-18th-century
tapestry depicting a massive earthquake. Other labels were created by renowned Chilean
artist Paloma Valdivia, who now resides in Barcelona.

Kevin explained he is marketing a unisex beer, a product both sexes can enjoy rather than
one only attractive to men. This also could be attributed to his wife’s significant role in
the company. She told me, “I do just about everything. This job really requires a lot of
time devotion and passion.”

Szot Microbrewery’s distribution is now about 6,000 to 7,000 liters per month. When I
asked Kevin if the beer world beat the banking world, he responded: “We are going to be
fine, but I wouldn’t consider this a very lucrative industry yet. Still, I believe it has the
potential to be one. Since Chile has such a strong economy here in South America and
since Chileans are traveling more than ever, they are more interested in specialty products
than ever before.”

Fellow beer-lovers can find more information about Szot Microbrewery at www.szot.cl

By Julia Thompson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

KROSSING CULTURES THROUGH BEERMAKING

THE HISTORY OF BREWING COMPANY
By Julia Thompson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

Asbjorn Gerlach claims to be the only microbrewery owner in Chile with a brewing
master’s degree, and a very prestigious one at that from the Technical University of
Berlin. It’s been twenty years since his graduation, and he now co-owns the most
internationally renowned microbrewery in Chile—Kross Brewing Company—along with
three other fellows passionate about beer.

One of those partners, José Tomás Infante, came to the Santiago Times for an interview
last week. José, a good-looking, polite chileno with very stiff English—that is, until the
conversation turned to tastes and varieties of beer—told me the story of Kross.

The microbrewery came together by coincidence. Gerlach moved down to Chile about 20
years ago and began brewing his own stout in an industrial shed south of Santiago—
about 50 kilometers north of Rancagua—with no real intention to start a company. He
simply was pursuing his passion to refine his beer recipe—that is, until he met José
Tomás.

Prior to meeting José, Asbjorn had spent seven years brewing his stout for a couple of
Santiago pubs, making almost no money and serving only a few hundred customers a
week. He sold his premium stout to an Irish pub in Santiago.

José was a trained wine man working in the exportation sector of the largest winery in
Chile, Concha y Toro. While vacationing in Ireland, he became enchanted by beer.
“Every region has its own special beer with a unique taste,” he explained. “Before
Ireland, I didn’t know how much beer could vary in taste. I mean, think about it. The per
capita intake of beer for an Irish person is 200 liters a year, while a Chilean drinks 33
liters per year. That must mean something about the quality.”

When José returned to Chile from Ireland, he began tasting any beer he could find that
wasn’t affiliated with the industrial beers owned by CCU. CCU is the country’s biggest
beer producer, owning 86 percent of the Chilean beer market.

One evening, by chance, he visited the pub where Asbjorn’s stout was sold on draft. After
his first sip, he wanted to meet the guy behind “one of the only good beers in Chile.” José
contacted Asbjorn and suggested the two go into business together.
They coined their business name, Kross, because they didn’t feel they were doing
anything exactly traditional. Their beer name would symbolize the “Krossing” of cultures
with a beer that was neither traditionally German nor Chilean. It also symbolized a
“Kross” from simply specialized drafts to bottling and wider distribution.

Upon trying my first sip of Kross’s Stout, I was delighted; now, I could list four different
brands of beer in Chile that I considered fantastic. Kross’s Stout is a tad less alcoholic
than Szot's Negra Stout but still boasts the bitterness that Chilean industrial beers just
don’t have. It’s full-bodied with aromas of caramel and won a silver metal at the
Australian Beer Awards.

Kross’s Pilsner is my favorite Kross beer. It was a favorite at the New Zealand
International Beer Awards, another prestigious contest where Kross won awards. “We
won a silver for the Pilsner and Stout and a bronze for our Golden Ale,” José recalled.

Pilsner originates from the Czech Republic and is characterized by its chemical process
and ingredients. The barley ferments at a lower temperature. A specialized hops called
Saaz Noble, which grows only in central Europe, is added to the mix.

In Kross’s Pilsner, all that chemistry results in a citrusy taste with a tad of spice at the end
of the sip, almost like pepper. On the other hand, their Golden Ale is what I would
consider a sweet beer—not too sweet, but sweet enough that I prefer the Stout and the
Pilsner.

Kross has a total of four beers on the market: the Stout, the Pilsner, the Golden Ale, and
the Malbock, which I haven’t tried. José assured me I can buy all four at my local Jumbo
supermarket.

After winning awards in both New Zealand and Australia, Kross started exporting to New
Zealand. I asked José about exportation to the United States, because I want their good
beer in my country. He told me, “There is U.S. interest, but beer exported to the States
needs to be pasteurized.”

I can’t say that I was surprised. This emphasizes you really drink some of the best beer
here in Chile because it’s so natural. Kross’s beers, like the majority of Chilean
microbrews, all abide by the German Purity Law that states beers must be unfiltered,
unpasturized and without any added ingredients: just hops, barley and water.

José told me, “Kross is not opposed to distributing in the United States and is actually
excited about it, but it will take some time to acquire the best pasteurization equipment
that does not greatly change the flavor of the brew. This equipment is very expensive, and
we don’t want to risk changing the flavor of our beer just for wider distribution.”

Something about that little bit of yeast at the bottom of the bottle is really romantic,
telling me that the beer I am drinking is naturally carbonated. There is something
wonderful about a beer whose shelf life can’t exceed five months. When I first started
trying Chilean artisan beers, my immediate reaction was, “This beer is so fresh!”

All the carbonation comes from the yeast and nothing else. This may seem revolutionary
to a North American, when, in fact, it’s simply history in a bottle. It’s the way it was
originally done, the way German immigrants made their beer when they first emigrated to
Chile in the 1800s and the way new microbreweries in Chile are creating their beers:
naturally, with a twist of something different that comes from being in a country
thousands of miles away from Europe. The beer that results isn’t uniquely German or
Chilean but something of a “Kross.”

By Julia Thompson (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

DRINKING IN CHILE
MAD BRAD PROVES ONCE AGAIN THAT ALCOHOL IS THE SUREST PATH TO
SELF CONFIDENCE.
By Teddy Kahn (editor@santiagotimes.cl)

I have often used this column to disseminate potentially divisive opinions on Chilean
cuisine and its general inferiority to what I have experienced in pretty much every other
part of the world.

In this, my final act as The Santiago Times’ resident food pundit, I hope to strike a more
conciliatory, encouraging tone, and at the same time write about a theme that is close to
my heart.

So in the interest of harmony and promoting a better future for U.S-Chilean relations, and
mainly because the Weekend Edition was struggling for copy, I will address a topic that
truly forges a common ground among the peoples of the entire (well, non-Muslim) world:
alcohol.

Because alcohol is food (as the heroic Bavarian monks proved in the 15th Century when
they survived their Lenten fasts by brewing a nutrient-rich and extra-potent “Starkbier” –
a dark, delicious double bock with over 10 percent alcohol content that can still be
enjoyed today – but I digress), and as such can teach us much about a country, its culture,
and its national psyche.

I have noticed during my time here a certain element of self-doubt among the Chileans
I’ve encountered. They compare themselves, constantly and often unfavorably, with other
nations – particularly their rivals across the Andes. Too often, I would argue, they sell
themselves – and their country – short.

Chile is nothing if not a remarkably diverse place – geographically, culturally, and, not
surprisingly, alcoholically. From the German-inspired traditional breweries in the rustic
south to world-acclaimed vineyards that flourish (miraculously, it would seem) just
beyond the reach of Santiago’s sprawl; from the excellent micro-breweries right in the
capital but unbeknownst to the majority of Santiaguinos to the picturesque pisco fields of
the Elqui Valley, Chile provides an array of great ways to get drunk.

Why, then, do Chileans drink Escudo?

Escudo, for the uninitiated, is the standard national beer. Available at every bar,
restaurant, supermarket, mini-market, and house party the length of the country, it is
cheap, tastes like nothing much, and leaves you with a cripplingly dehydrated hangover.
So, the obvious answer is to my question is: It’s cheap. Which is fine. I have been known
to happily slug 12 Budweisers (the American Escudo, although I should be shot for
referring to it as such) on a warm summer’s evening.

But note the crucial detail in that sentence: 12. Budweiser is great for serious drinking
because it tastes like beer, nothing more and nothing less, packs a good punch but doesn’t
hit too hard, and is relatively easy on the bank account.

But if I want to sit down and relax with a beer or two, or am looking for a brew to
accompany a fine dining experience, there’s no way in hell I’m ordering Budweiser.
That’s when it’s time to explore the micro-brews, look for a non-Becks German export,
or go absolutely crazy and order a glass of wine. When we’re talking about one or two
drinks, the extra couple of bucks are worth it.

But in Chile, it seems, it’s always Escudo – regardless of the context. While I’ve enjoyed
many a litro de Escudo at a late-night carrete (party) while chatting up a few Chilenas, I’d
frankly rather have prune juice with my meal. Escudo does not complement anything,
taste-wise, except for more Escudo – both to wash away the unpleasant after-taste and to
smooth out those always-tricky social interactions with the locals.

Now, being a highly unpaid member of The Santiago Times writing staff, I can certainly
understand saving money. But I fear Chilean drinkers are not taking full advantage of all
their great nation has to offer. There’s so much out there beyond the familiar red shield
and trusty eagle of the Escudo label (I’ll admit, it’s a solid label).

But still, my final message to the Chilean people is this:

The peso is strong! The price of copper has reached an all-time high! The discouraging
economic forecast for 2008 has been modestly revised in recent weeks!

Now is the time to splurge on that cerveza Capital, a superb Santiago micro-brew; or try a
Kunstmann Bock, a sweet, slightly nutty dark beer from Valdivia’s favorite German
immigrant family; or the intriguing, locally produced Tubinger beer; or get to know a bit
of Chilean wine that does not come in box.

In short, appreciate for once the best of what your country has to offer, because it is pretty
damn good.

After all, the beer-drinker who never experiences life after Escudo is like the avocado-
eater who has never made guacamole.

By Teddy Kahn (editor@santiagotimes.cl)