Cerveja Devassa Tropical Ale

I know what you are thinking, "Tropical Ale, what the hell is that?".  To be honest, I thought the same thing before taking a shot at this beverage.  First off, not as tropical as I thought.  I thought it would be more mangoes and maracuja (passio fruit) but instead it has a carmel pear/apple thing going on.  Second, the multiple malts and the European hops are what helps settle this unique taste.  It keeps your senses thrown off a bit, but you will want to come back for more. Lastly, I may have finally found out how to judge a beer based on the taste and flavor, not so much the name and label.  Mais um obrigado!!

KOP Rating 6/10

Cerveja Krug Bier Austria Amber

A couple of weeks back, one of my good friends from the US sent me an interesting article called "Beyond Brahma" from allaboutbeer.com. What grabbed my attention the most was a beer I had seen around called Krug Bier.  I know, not the most appealing name.  I'd seen a Krug restaurant in town and had the Krug Austria Pilsner before; however, I did not know the brewery was also located in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

I am not the most avid fan of Ambers, but I decided to give it a shot.  It is, as most beers are in Brazil, very malty, yet has a slight bite to it that you normally don't get from Amber beers.  What is also very distinct about this beer is that for a beverage so dark in color, it feels very light.  I am guessing that the malt was toasted, not roasted, somewhat akin to coffee.  Not really my style of beer, but very different than what I thought it would be.

KOP Rating : 5.5/10

Here is the link to the article:  http://allaboutbeer.com/live-beer/travel/featuresa/2011/09/beyond-brahma/

Cerveja Chopp Soft Beer (aka - Choppy in a bottle)

One night, after we had been drinking and eating with friends at Mambo, a fantastic restaurant (but that's another story), we decided to go to a bar called Leo Gourmet.  Most everyone was very excited to eat some frango fritas (little fried chicken dollops) and have cheap Heineken.  Well, when we arrived at the bar, we noticed that they had a beer marketed as "Chopp in a bottle" and thought, hell, let's give it a shot. 

So, let me start by saying that this is probably one of the worst beers I have had in a long time.  First of all, anything that has the word "soft" in it and isn't referring to ice cream or fountain drinks isn't going to be good.  Second, well, it was flat, like Kansas flat.  Lastly, you can't have a Chopp in a bottle, it just doesn't work. 

KOP Rating : 1/10

Cerveja Backer Medieval

I guess I would have to say that slowly but surely I am become a Backer fan.  Not so much in there regular line (although the Pale is very good, obviously not so much with the Pilsner) but more of the off-shoots.  Backer Medieval is a cerveja that is truly unique to Brazil.  To start with, the beverage is topped with a wax seal.  I suppose this is so you can burn the wax to make you feel as though you entered a dingy tavern in middle ages.  As you can see, I clearly just popped the seal and the results were the same for me.  A golden belgian-style ale mingled with a fruity aroma and marked with the scent of clove.  I'd say the folks a Backer have some kind of alchemy going on with this one, but what do I know of Brazilian Monks..?

KOP Rating 6.5/10

Cerveja Colorado Indica

It took me a long while to find a truly good IPA and I am not reluctant to say that Colorado Indica is that beer.  Maybe it's because the only other beer I knew as "Indica" is the Lost Coast Indica IPA or because Indica reminds me of other fine tasty things I left back home.  Either way, this 7% bitter beverage is brewed with English hops and a minimal amount of malt (finally) to give it a perfect grapefruit-ish flavor, just how I like it! Not an ale that is consumed on the regular, given the price of $12.49 reals per 600 mL, but it is one worth having again and again.

KOP Rating 8/10

Brahma Cerveja

Brahma cerveja, oh what can I say? It seems you are the most well liked beer in Minas today. You are lovely on a warm day, the more chilled the better. Even if it was cold, I'd drink you wearing a sweater. Now this is not to say that you are the beer I always buy. But whenever you're around, the empty cans seem to multiply.

KOP Rating 4.5/10

Backer Cerveja Pilsner

It seems that most of the beer that I have been drinking and enjoying have been some off-shoots of Backer (Tres Lobos) or has been Backer itself.  Well, I decided since this little number has two medals from a 2007 and 2009 Beer Expo and it might also be something to enjoy.  Let me tell you, medals don't make a beer.

Backer Cerveja Pilsner is a crisp blonde ale with a smooth taste, more like a take on a German style pilsner beer, but a little off the mark for me.  It seems to lack much flavor, which is what Brazilians mostly like, so I can understand the medals and all.  For the most part, I am not a fan of the water-down, low fermentation beer that is consumed as a refreshment (isn't that what all the other Brazilian beer is for?).  Maybe it's just a way to get more Brazilians to try microbrews, I don't know.  I can tell you this though, the 600 ml Backer Cerveja Pilsner bottle is better to look at than to drink.

KOP rating 4/10

Cerveja Bohemia Pilsner

My experience with Bohemia pilsner started when I went into the local Super Nosso and I saw a Bohemia booth in the beer section. For some reason, no one was present at the booth, but from what I could make out in Portuguese was if you purchased a half-rack (12-pack for those not familiar with the nomenclature) you received a free goblet.  This sounded like a good deal to me. I went up to the grabbed my half-rack and headed to the checkout counter to pay for my beverages and acquire my goblet.  Well, this is where it gets interesting.  Since no one was actual at the booth to give me the glass, I literally had to talk (if you could call it that) to about 5 different people before I could get anyone to actual help me.  I think they thought I would just leave, but little did the know how stubborn a foreigner who doesn't really understand the language can be.  Most the employees laughed at me, but after about 15 minutes, I was able to walk out of the store with my newly acquired goblet and ready for a Bohemia.  

After the first sip of this delightful beverage, I could tell it was a beer I would enjoy drinking on a warm day. The light floral aroma of hops mingled with the European malts was akin to slow Brazilian samba.  With a price-tag of around 1.99 reals for 355 ml, it's a beer that you can drink more regularly, even more so if you have a nice goblet! 

KOP Rating 4.5/10

Baden Baden Red Ale

When I first came to Brazil, I was very disappointed in the variety of beer selection available (albeit, I probably wasn't looking to hard, but still).  It was not until I was out at dinner with some friends when I first heard the words "Baden Baden" mentioned.  Up to this point, beers with names such as Skol, Brahama, Bohemian, and Orginal, dominated the conversations, not Baden Baden.  When I asked where I could get such a beer, they told me it was available right down the street at our local Super Nosso and I went off to find it.  Let me tell you friends, I was no longer disappointed in Brazilian beer.

From the first swig of the high octane 9.2% behemoth, I was transported back state-side to where beers had a certain power and passion.  I was instantly drawn to the tones of toffee and the floral hops, which I was not familiar with accompanying a red ale, but oh, how I enjoyed them so.  With a price of around $10 reals, this isn't your everyday kind of beer, but Baden Baden Red Ale is a beverage I would love to sneak into a suitcase to share with loved ones back home.

KOP rating 8.5/10

Cervaja Itaipava

Something like the Keystone light of cheap beers, and if you know how much I love Beer Pong, then this is actual a pretty decent beer (if you want to drink a lot of cheap beer).  With only a 4.5% alcohol content, Itaipava lets you enjoy the day as much as beverage itself.  A crisp finish, reminiscent of a chilled wind in spring, allows the smooth clean taste to subdue your senses into believing this is more than just an inexpensive pilsner.  Don't fool yourself, it's a passing feeling.  But with a price-tag of $1.49 reals for 473 mL, it's a beer that you can't really pass up.

KOP Rating 4/10

3 Lobos Pele Vermelha American IPA

This is the first IPA from Brazil that I found and actually kind of liked.  It is 6.9% American style IPA made by 3 Lobos, which is a line created by Backer brewery.  The beer has a reddish color and an orange-fruity taste, with more malt than hops.  This beer is a great attempt to produce an IPA with a full bodied flavor.  

KOP Rating : 7/10