American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
In the next of our series of craft beer in Peru, I have decided to dig a bit deeper. Why is it so distinct and delicious? After talking to a few brewers, I found that one primary reason is unique ingredients they choose to use. And that goes for their trend-setting cuisine as well…
Peru has fast become a renowned food destination, with famous chefs flocking in from all around the world to get a hold of the recipes and bring them to their homelands.
So when I heard the Mistura Food Festival, a legendary celebration with hundreds of food stands selling every single type of the amazing Peruvian food, I was interested. And when I heard that there would be a craft beer section there, for the first time in the event’s history – I was in!
Mistura is an annual food festival that draws over 400,000 visitors to Lima, where they can feast on everything from Ceviche, to grilled pork, to fresh bread and other exotic regional dishes. And of course there’s Pisco, the beloved spirit that’s made from distilling grape wine and the essential component of the Peruvian Pisco Sour but this year it’s no longer alone…
Mistura has finally seen fit to add a craft beer to its artisan mix. Five stands close to one of the exits (strategic, I guess) became my spot for the day. Luckily for us the sun was shining, the food came fast and the beer was cold (what else can I ask for?)
After grazing Mistura’s extensive grounds, sharing plates with my companions and filling my afternoon with spectacular food, I decided it was time to quench my thirst in the craft beer section. I was immediately confronted by some of Peru’s most popular and cutting-edge – players like Barbarian, Cumbres, Magdalena, Sierra Andina and Melkin.
This clearly wasn’t going to be easy. Where does one begin – who should I visit first?
“A good start to drinking craft beer is based on the first sip” – I thought to myself. Looking from a safe distance, where I could make a decision without being recognized by the brewers, (many who are friends of mine) I decided to take on the Barbarian stand.
Barbarian (no, I am not talking about a Viking) is a brewery that has positioned itself as one of the pioneers of craft beer in Peru in no time. For this event they brewed a majestic Brown Ale they called, Garaje (which translates into garage). Ales are on my “must drink” list wherever I go and, I´ve got to admit, this one just entered my “otra cerveza, por favor” (another beer, please), list.
Diego, Ignacio and Juan Diego are Barbarian’s owners and, like most brewers, they are fantastic people. Diego was on a beer-fueled roll that afternoon and got personal about ‘the biz’ of Peruvian craft beer. Some of his words that stuck with me were, hard work, competition, beer, and bureaucracy.
You see, in a country as competitive as Peru, where craft breweries are striving to make names for themselves – competition is tough. Especially when you have to deal with the country’s slow bureaucratic system and a monopoly (not unlike other places in the world) that quasi-controls the beer industry. However, hard work sometimes trump adversity and Barbarian´s Garaje Brown Ale, defiantly speaks to that truth.
But the beer of the day for me had to be the Maracumanto from Cumbres. Who would have thought that a blend of Aguaymanto and Maracuya fruits, (both traditional fruits of Peru) would perfectly fit a craft beer?
Jorge, the co-owner of Cumbres, is a brilliant brewer and seriously decent bloke, and he wouldn’t let me leave without sampling everything he had on draft. And although I liked the coffee beer blend with its bittersweet after-taste too, I could not shake the fruity buzz of Maracumanto and I insisted that ACB pick up the tab on a second glass of it, before he could kindly offer me another free one.
One slight disappointment, that I feel obligated to report (after all we try to be serious journalists on occasion here at ACB) was the location of the craft beer booths at the Mistura Food Festival. I get that this was a food festival first, but the craft beer section’s placement near the exit, rather than mixed among the big-name food booths, worked to marginalize the impact of Peru’s craft beer on the on this Latin leader’s culinary emergence….And who doesn’t enjoy a brilliant beer along with their artisan bites? Hopefully next year we’ll find Peru’s awesome craft beer, in more pairing-friendly locations, all over the festival’s grounds.
That said – The Mistura Food Festival remains a world-class celebration of Peru’s wonderful food (and drink) and there’s no way we’re missing it next year!
