Chile Forum

During a trip to Pisco Elqui, we found a very good local beer called Guayacan: http://www.cervezaguayacan.com/es/

In particular, the Guayacan Pale Ale is very good (the flavor is excellent). I don't know where to buy this beer in Santiago, so anyone who knows, please respond.

Nice to know!
I found great craft beer at Huilo-huilo http://www.huilohuilo.com/en/atraccion/ ... ft-brewery
but they only sell it there, very local. Their Pozo de Oro was really really goooood

We have tried the Guayacan and agree it is quite good. I have only found it for sale in restaurants. It seems to be common that artisanal beers make it into restaurants/bars first and then branch out to supermarkets and liquor stores. My friend's restaurant, Ozaki, carries it. She teases my husband because he told her she needed to increase the beer selection and she started serving that and a few other brands. So she tells him she carries it just for him. There is also a place that sells Middle Eastern food at Tobalaba and Eliecer Parada.

Yep, they actually make decent beer here now (though it's relatively expensive)! For some years several of us have been making our own out of desperation . I'm not normally much of a light beer drinker but I think their golden ale is really rather good (at least in summer).

I understand they do home deliveries in La Serena, so maybe they would put some on the Turbus for you if you buy a couple of crates? Seems worth asking -- obviously they'd like to expand their small operation a bit and this is good publicity.

Cheers!

James.

isolde100 wrote:During a trip to Pisco Elqui, we found a very good local beer called Guayacan.

In particular, the Guayacan Pale Ale is very good (the flavor is excellent). I don't know where to buy this beer in Santiago, so anyone who knows, please respond.

They sell this beer at Paris in Santiago (in the locations that have the WAIN partnership.) We picked some up last week at the Paris right by the metro stop in Providencia, San Pedro de Valdivia I think? Great thing is that they carry all of the Guayacan beers, and you get a discount (125 pesos/beer - small, but hey!) when you buy all three.

Yea, the biggest problem with the small micro brews here is quality control, and specifically keeping their production clean.

The huilo huilo is a good example. I had a few bottles that were good, then the rest all had that sour contaminated flavor (on relatively young unexpired beers). We then toured their brewery, and it was obvious what the problem was. The place was filthy, they were tracking tourist through thee brew room with muddy feet, and all the instruments looked like they had never been cleaned. Tried every beer, from diffrent batches, and they were all rotten.

The temps also in their brewery were below freezing at night, where they were storing the beer that still had active yeast in them.

I have seen it with several other breweries also.

Right now my favorite is colonos. Especially the may bock, but they are closed for expansion from what hear.

admin wrote:Yea, the biggest problem with the small micro brews here is quality control, and specifically keeping their production clean.

The huilo huilo is a good example. I had a few bottles that were good, then the rest all had that sour contaminated flavor (on relatively young unexpired beers). We then toured their brewery, and it was obvious what the problem was. The place was filthy, they were tracking tourist through thee brew room with muddy feet, and all the instruments looked like they had never been cleaned. Tried every beer, from diffrent batches, and they were all rotten.

The temps also in their brewery were below freezing at night, where they were storing the beer that still had active yeast in them.

Heartbreak, since when this beer is good, it is really good! For those unfamiliar with the Huilo-Huilo, the beer is labeled Petermann, and I'd definitely recommend trying the Pozo de Oro as well. Maybe you'll get lucky and get an amazing bottle. My husband fell in love with the beer, and emptied out his pockets to buy as much as he could when we encountered it. We even have some tasting notes for this and a few other Chilean beers on the blog.

Yea beer is a precision, unforgiving process. Not something chileans are known for.

Once they get established it seems they work out the problems. Unfortunately as production increases, they tend to sweeten the recipes, cut the hops, and dumb down the flavor as to not offend the wider crystal drinking beer palet of chileans.

Most best microbrews are down south.

I saw Guayacan beer today at París department store (Metro Los Leones). They had the pale ale, golden ale and stout. I think the cost was 1,250 a bottle. There was a 10% discount if you bought a 3-pack that included one of each variety.

jen wrote:

isolde100 wrote:During a trip to Pisco Elqui, we found a very good local beer called Guayacan.

In particular, the Guayacan Pale Ale is very good (the flavor is excellent). I don't know where to buy this beer in Santiago, so anyone who knows, please respond.

They sell this beer at Paris in Santiago (in the locations that have the WAIN partnership.) We picked some up last week at the Paris right by the metro stop in Providencia, San Pedro de Valdivia I think? Great thing is that they carry all of the Guayacan beers, and you get a discount (125 pesos/beer - small, but hey!) when you buy all three.

gringalais wrote:I saw Guayacan beer today at París department store (Metro Los Leones). They had the pale ale, golden ale and stout. I think the cost was 1,250 a bottle. There was a 10% discount if you bought a 3-pack that included one of each variety.

Gringalas, I guess I was off by one metro stop, though am impressed that I came so close given that I live waaaay outside of town.

Oops, Jen, I hadn't seen you already posted that.

No problem gringalais, you owe me a beer now