Bebidas De Puerto Rico, Part 1: Beer and Wine

Like most people on Earth, Boricuas enjoy their adult libations.  Among others, there’s the ubiquitous Medalla Light beer, but the island also boasts a number of high-end craft breweries to suit any taste!  The central region’s climate is also conducive to growing grapes, leading to wine and sangria production as well.

Perhaps enjoy this episode after 5:00pm.  Drink responsibly!

Como la mayoría de la gente en la Tierra, los boricuas disfrutan de sus libaciones de adultos. Entre otras, está la omnipresente cerveza Medalla Light, pero la isla también cuenta con una serie de cervecerías artesanales de alta gama para todos los gustos. El clima de la región central también favorece el cultivo de uvas, lo que también conduce a la producción de vino y sangría.

Quizás disfrutes de este episodio después de las 5:00 p.m. ¡Beba responsablemente!

SOURCES:
https://travellemming.com/puerto-rican-drinks/
https://www.losparaos.com/
https://travellemming.com/breweries-in-puerto-rico/
https://www.tapvillesocial.com/cheers-n-eats/2018/5/8/what-is-the-difference-between-ales-and-lagers#:~:text=The%20basic%20difference%20between%20these,%CB%9A%E2%80%9350%CB%9AF).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compa%C3%B1%C3%ADa_Cervecera_de_Puerto_Rico
https://www.medallalight.com/
https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/article/guide-to-breweries-puerto-rico
https://papapedro.com/
https://www.fincavistabella.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100031795616870
https://www.facebook.com/franciskawines/
https://stgria.com/
https://youtu.be/Sf50X_95wEQ?si=LwG674CRNQfCvWZo

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Transcript

The drinking age in Puerto Rico is 18!

Beer: 
Medalla:  This is the most popular beer on the island, considered the National Beer of Puerto Rico. There’s Medalla Light and Medalla Ultra-Light. This is like the Coors Light of the US, but probably better LOL…it’s everywhere and the go-to. 
Year founded: 1979
Origin: Mayagüez, which is on the west coast of the island, smack in the middle. 
It’s only 4.2 percent alcohol so it should take a lot to get you drunk.  For science nerds out there, it’s a golden-colored lager which means it was “fermented with bottom-fermenting yeast at cold temperatures (35˚–50˚F).”
Technically, the company that owns Medalla (it’s now called Compañía Cervecera de Puerto Rico; formerly Cervecería India) has been making beer since 1938 (Cerveza India). In the late 1970s they realized they needed a light beer, and Medalla was born. The name came from the 1979 Pan-American Games, which San Juan hosted for the first time, and where Boricuas won 21 medals. 

The company has two other beers besides Medalla Light: 
Silver Key Light, which is like water at 3.5% abv; and Magna Special Craft which is a premium Lager, the strongest one with 5.1% abv.
The company also has a subsidiary – a microbrewery called Del Oeste Brewery - which makes a lighter beer called Residente Maibock and a malt beer called Residente Tripel. Now, these are called Residente because they were created by a Grammy award winning Puerto Rican rapper René Pérez (whose stage name is Residente). 

But, Puerto Rico has a lot of craft breweries as well! I don’t really think of craft beer when I think of PR, but their offerings rival any hipster spot in LA! I’m not even a big beer drinker but some of these beers just sound so good!  They use fruits including mango, banana, papaya and coconut; they make stouts infused with cocoa or coffee, they make sours; and they make your regular old beers. 

FOK Brewing Co. – Caguas
What’s interesting: 21 daily flavors, 1000+ gallons brewed per week, free movies and live music on their patio. You can also bring your kids. 

The Beer Box – Aguadilla – 2012
What’s interesting: get a burger there and enjoy live entertainment on the weekends

Boquerón Brewing Co. – Cabo Rojo
What’s interesting: It’s the first nano brewery in PR (a nanobrewery is a brewery that brews less than 15,000 barrels of beer per year). I would try the Caja De Muerto 
Caribbean Ale just for the name. 

Ocean Lab Brewing Co. – Carolina
What’s interesting: It’s on the beach! And their beers are fruit or coffee infused. MMM

Miramar Brewing - Old Harbor – Carolina
What’s interesting: it’s Puerto Rico’s oldest craft microbrewery.

Cervecería del Callejón – Old San Juan

Rincón Beer Company – Rincón
What’s interesting: they also serve cocktails and food. The drinks are named after characters and events in Puerto Rican history. For example, one drink is called Indio Taino. The ingredients are rum, Orgeat (pronounced “or-zhaat”) syrup, Pimienta rosa, chocolate, and lime. 

Papa Rupe Brewing Co. – Ponce 
What’s interesting: It is located in a house built in 1893, which belonged to an important figure in Ponce’s history, a guy named Thomas Armstrong Toro. I am not sure what exactly he did, but there are scholarships and schools in his name!

Cervecería Takabru – Guaynabo – 2021
What’s interesting:  Opened during the pandemic and it’s the only place in Puerto Rico with a tap wall.

Cold Blood Brewery – Quebradillas
What’s interesting: They partner with food providers to offer pop-up kitchen

Reina Mora Brewing Co - Sabana Grande

The Aviator’s Brewery - San Lorenzo – 2013
What’s interesting: their beers are diverse and brewed with interesting ingredients such as coconut, bananas and papaya. 

Cacique Brewing Company – Orocovis 
What’s interesting: they just debuted a Mango Vanilla Sour Ale

Wine: 
Los Parao's Premium Drinks 
Year Founded: 1945 
Location: Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, on the east side of the island, whose claim to fame is El Yunque Rainforest. 
Specialty: Sangria. The Puerto Rican version is a punch made with red wine, rum, and fruit juices.  They sell 5 flavors:  Classic Punch, Passion Fruit, Tamarind, Rose, Mango and – of course, Rainforest.  You can get them in lots of places around the island, as well as in the US at select stores and online.

Another sangria:  
St. Gria
Year founded: 2017
Location: Hato Rey, which is in the San Juan area. They have three sangrias: sparking wine, whisky, and vodka ginger. 

Papá Pedro, Inc. 
Year founded: 2015 
Location: Maricao, Puerto Rico (on the west side, in the middle, in the mountains)
Specialty: a deep red wine (petite Sirah with Puerto Rican infusions – which honestly I am not sure what that means)

FVB Finca Vista Bella
Year founded:
Location: Utuado, in the mountains, not far from the center of the island.
Their brand of wine is called Chateau d'Amelia.
Red wines - Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon, Sangiovese
White wines - Pinot grigio & Chardonnay
Wines without grapes - Passion fruit , pineapple , honey and spices and Grosellas
They offer tours of the vineyards, as well as wine tasting and wine and food pairing tastings.

Franciska Wines
This is a vegan wine made with cacao fruit.  It’s the first of its kind in Puerto Rico. Cacao seeds are rich in antioxidants and properties that may help lower cholesterol and reduce heart disease risk. So that’s a big selling point. However, we are not doctors…alcohol is alcohol so drink responsibly! 

Honorable Mention, Sangria la corrupta, located in Bayamon, which is by San Juan. Appears to be a small producer of red sangria. They also have a passion fruit sangria.