Looking for beer lovers and homebrewers

[ClaireJ]

Hi! *My boyfriend and I just moved to Buenos Aires from DC (arrived yesterday and are already loving it here!). *We're hoping to find suggestions for the best places to get interesting beers in the city. *We're living in Boedo and already know about Cossab (can't wait to check it out because it sounds amazing), but are there other places that we should be checking out? *Where are the best stores to buy beers for drinking in the comfort of our apartment? *And what are the best Argentinean beers to try?

We're also homebrewers, and although we don't have the space to start brewing here, we would absolutely love to meet up with some other homebrewers, if there are any around. *We've been brewing for a couple of years and have brewed over 20 batches (with a wide range of styles, including IPAs, Belgian beers, and stouts), so we'd be happy to lend some experience and helping hands to others.

 

[JoeBlow]

Wrong country, Claire.

In my experience, and in my humble opinion--which people often disagree with--there is one decent beer in Argentina: Buller's stout (Buller's is in Recoleta).

Sorry to be blunt, but would love to hear about some good DC beers, though!
--Beer lover!

 

[Napoleon]

1) In regards to beer, Argentina is about where the US was back in ~1980.

2) Buena Birra Social Club is a "Puerta Cerrada for beers".

3) Buller in Recoleta & Downtown is another option (listed above)

4) Antares in Palermo Soho and Las Canitas is a brewery out of Mar del Plata

5) Bangalore (Palermo Hollywood), Gibraltar (San Telmo), and Shanghai Dragon (Palermo on Araoz) are all owned by the same guys and have some beers worth trying.

6) Cruzat (on Sarmiento) has a couple of their own beers and many from around the world.

7) Puerta Roja (San Telmo) has a few decent locally brewed beers on tap.

8) Breoghan Bar (San Telmo) brews their own beer and I really want to like it, but I just don't. They seem really nice and passionate about their beer, but I've been twice and thought that it was substandard both times.

9) Cervelar (Microcenter on Viamonte & Colegiales on Elcano) offers a couple of local beers on tap and lots of domestic "cervezas artesenales" (craft beers) in a bottle. The Colegiales location is more of a nice bar with patio and the microcenter location is more for a quick drink after work (or at lunchtime) and a place to buy a couple o' few good beers.

LASTLY:

There's a good microbrew named "Gülmen". Here's a page listing where you can buy it. I would venture to say that these locations will also be good options for finding beer that doesn't suck.

http://www.cervezagulmen.com.ar/puntos_venta.php

And you're going to want to look at this blog: http://www.logiacervecera.com/2012/05/cervelar-colegiales.html

Especially the list of beers on the left side column.

 

[Napoleon]

PS- Turn on your "PM" setting.

 

[JoeBlow]

A couple of other experiences:

Several years ago a friend went to Ushuia and brought me back a bottle of beer made by Beagle. It was very good, but I have never seen it in Capital. (Has anybody ever seen it here?)

When I first tried Antares Barley Wine it actually had some body to it, but now it seems to have lost some of its complexities --whatever the heck that means

Just before the governent began restictions on imported goods about two years ago, I was trying to find an investor who might be interested in funding a project to get Sierra Nevada (from the US) into Argentina. Fortunately, that didn't pan out; not only because of the restrictions, but also because Sierra Nevade went to pot some time that year and is now a watered-down version of its old self (a tragic story in beer making if ever there was one).

PS If anybody wants to organize a field trip to Buena Birra, I'd be up for finally trying their beer!

 

[JoeBlow]

I just looked for Beagle on FB.

https://www.facebook.com/CervezaBeagle

As fate would have it, yesterday they posted saying their 3rd shipment is on its way to Capital, and will be available here:

https://www.facebook.com/bodega.cervecera?ref=ts

 

[daviddc]

When I visit BA in October I'll be drinking Malbec; however my favorite beers in DC are Dogfish Head.

http://www.dogfish.com/

Sorry, I can't bring any with me for you to sample.

 

[ClaireJ]

Thanks for the helpful information! Definitely a lot to go on and explore - certainly enough to keep me busy for the next few months (especially inbetween all these tasty Malbecs). I'm especially excited about the Buena Birra Social Club and would love to do a little field trip with others on here who are interested!

As for DC breweries, Dogfish Head is definitely one of my favorites (although they're technically in Delaware), but some of their beers miss the mark (which is to be expected since they must have somewhere near 50 beers!). I'll certainly be missing their Indian Brown Ale and 90 Minute IPA. The new breweries that have been opening up inside the city (DC Brau, Chocolate City, and Three Stars) are all also really good, though you can't find them anywhere outside the city quite yet. Actually, that was one of the saddest things about leaving DC as the beer scene there keeps getting better and better. Really expensive though - $6 (USD) for a glass (12 ounces) at the cheapest, even the locally brewed stuff, and regularly $10+ for nice beers!

 

[Napoleon]

As for DC breweries, Dogfish Head is definitely one of my favorites (although they're technically in Delaware), but some of their beers miss the mark (which is to be expected since they must have somewhere near 50 beers!). I'll certainly be missing their Indian Brown Ale and 90 Minute IPA. The new breweries that have been opening up inside the city (DC Brau, Chocolate City, and Three Stars) are all also really good, though you can't find them anywhere outside the city quite yet. Actually, that was one of the saddest things about leaving DC as the beer scene there keeps getting better and better. Really expensive though - $6 (USD) for a glass (12 ounces) at the cheapest, even the locally brewed stuff, and regularly $10+ for nice beers!

I'm currently in the States and I passed Dogfish Head's Indian Brown Ale, but I picked up a 6 of the 60 Minute IPA. It's quite tasty. Better than anything I've tasted in BA.

And you're going to be in for some "sticker shock" when it comes to the price of "microbrews" in Argentina.

They're sold by the bottle, not the 6-pack. Six beers is simply "6 x Single Price". So, depending on what exchange rate you're getting for your dollars, you could end up paying over $20 for mediocre 6-pk. The "artesenal" beers from Patagonia (the region, not the brewery) go for AR$15 to AR$20 per bottle. And a pint (~16oz-17oz) or an artesenal draft beer can be AR$25 to AR$35 at bars. I don't know where you'll be earning your money, but the prices of beers are going to be close to DC prices.

LASTLY...

Don't get excited to try "some hoppy IPAs". They don't really exist in BA. Even if it's called an IPA (pronounced "EE-pah"). A Barley Wine (especially from Antares) is going to be your best bet for the IPA flavor that you're used to from the States.

However, some decent IPAs are brewed in the country of Argentina, but haven't been imported into the city of Buenos Aires due to tax reasons... and perhaps union (read "mafia") extortion. But if that list of beers on the left column of that second link I posted is accurate, there might be some IPAs from the region of Patagonia hitting the shelf in the near future. So perhaps Argentina is more like 1995, than the 1980 that I suggested earlier.

 

[ClaireJ]

Wow, lots of negativity on here... luckily those prices are still cheaper than DC (seriously! DC has the most expensive beer prices in the US), and I don't like hoppy beers anyway