Beer Question

cobraboy · #1 07-27-2004, 07:40 PM

I love Presidente pilsner as much as any pilsner. It's a joy to get it fresh in the DR. The stuff we get in the states is more skunky because it's just not as fresh (not to mention the green bottles don't help).

But I search for smaller breweries in DR, like micro-breweries or brew pubs. There is one in La Vega (don't know much about it except it is a low volume brewer), but that's about it.

Why aren't there any micro brews, or even brew pubs? Is there no demand for varietal tastes beyond Presidente, even in smaller batches? You'd think the European tourists would like more variety in DR beers.

Any thoughts from the "hop heads" out there?

planner · #2 07-27-2004, 08:19 PM

Apparently it is very very difficult to get licensing for a brew pub, it is controlled by the powers that be, read, Presidente......

I know of one brew pub, either set up or being set up in Sosua!

Conchman · #3 07-28-2004, 09:55 AM

There is always 'Soberana' (no kidding) and 'Boheme' but they dont lively my taste buds like Presidente. At one point a German brewery was going to start operating but their licensing was quashed like the other poster said.

bigD · #4 07-28-2004, 11:41 AM

The brewery in Sosua closed its doors due to a partnership dispute and now the lawyers have their greedy little hands in there sucking both parties dry. No offence to any honest lawyers out there in lawyer land ...

As far as those other breweries, Bohemia, Soberana, Ciscaya (sp?) .... they are all owned by a company called Interbrew out of Belgium which is owned by Phillip Morris the cigarrette company - by the way they also own Presidente, Miller, Corona, Labbatts .... and about 200 other breweries worldwide ....

Licensing in the DR is an issue - you can apply but for some reason the paperwork will never go through ... thats not what your expensive lawyer will say though ...

If anyone has interest in starting a brewery, please pm me .... I may have an edge ....

Mirador · #5 07-28-2004, 12:28 PM

According to a friend, professional in the brewery business, the problems with local beer is that it doesent have a shelf-life greater than one month. It's best to make it a practice to buy beer from very busy spots, like the 'colmadón' down the street.

Mirador

cobraboy · #6 07-28-2004, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by planner

Apparently it is very very difficult to get licensing for a brew pub, it is controlled by the powers that be, read, Presidente......

I know of one brew pub, either set up or being set up in Sosua!

Why would a big company like Presidente care about a brew pub selling small batches of draft beer in just one pub that also would serve Presidente? I wouldn't forsee any external distribution.

bigD · #7 07-28-2004, 02:19 PM

if you utter the word micro to the big boys, they start shaking in their boots - Presidente has a monopoly and basically dictates the beer market on the island - the share holders (public company) like the $300 - $400M USd that they ship offshore every year - even 1% of that and they take very close notice because they see the results in other parts of the world (US ~ 5%), ie. one brewpub starts up, sells in-house, then sells to the rest of the bars in town, starts distributing to other towns, adds more tanks, a bigger facility ... and they tell two friends ... and so on ... and so on ... and then it makes more sense for Pres to buy them out than to compete ...

in addition - bad beer goes bad quickly - clean beer takes longer - heavily pasteurized beer with real nasty perservatives can be transported in the blaring sun and stored in very hot places for a length of time with little effect on taste (hmmmm maybe it was bad to begin with) .... chill it down ice cold to numb the taste buds and slam the first few ... kinda takes the edge off - better yet - get the glow on with some Barcelo then switch to the swill ...

JDJones · #8 07-28-2004, 03:37 PM

There used to be a micro brewery on JFK in Santo Domingo that put out a fairly good beer. It was right next to the Miami Sub franchise.
Don't remember the name of the place, but it was a sports bar type atmosphere with a big 10ft screen hanging overhead.
The only problem was the price, waaay too expensive for a mug of beer.

Pib · #9 07-28-2004, 11:09 PM

JD Jones... you are right.

You wanna open a mini-brewery? Presidente will let you be. You'll have to deal with the stuff that they deal with but you won't have muscle, your prices will be higher and Dominican's fierce loyalty to Presidente will be your downfall. No need to send the boys to break your legs.

BTW, Quisqueya is owned by Cervecería Vegana, part of the Bermudez consortium last I heard.

cobraboy · #10 07-29-2004, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDJones

There used to be a micro brewery on JFK in Santo Domingo that put out a fairly good beer. It was right next to the Miami Sub franchise.
Don't remember the name of the place, but it was a sports bar type atmosphere with a big 10ft screen hanging overhead.
The only problem was the price, waaay too expensive for a mug of beer.

Did people like the product? Were there other problems with the pub? Do you have any idea of his brewing capacity?

Just wondering. Next to love, isn't beer the international language?