BRAZILIAN BEERS
by Robert Kühn (www.motivartion.com)
Rio de Janeiro is a perfect location to drink beer. Cooled down
to just before the freezing, the Cariocas love
Skol, Brahma, Antarctica (all belong to InBev,
the largest brewer in the world) or Itaipava. These everyday beers are ok (as long as they served no warmer than 3 degrees cold), but they are in the long run a steady source of longing
for authentic flavors.
In Rio's supermarkets it is no problem to find a more or less large
selection of imported beers, but the prices are much more expensive
than it used to be at home. Not only German wheat beers are very popular, you also get expensive beers - even
original Trappist beer from Belgium.
After some time, the immigrant beer friend makes a surprising discovery: There are also very good Brazilian beers! In this section of my website, it should not be just about the Brazilian "gourmet" beers, but also about the comercial local beers, which differ in taste.
The list of beers is continually expanding. This ranking is not an objective assessment of the listed beers. The illustrated ranking corresponds merely my subjective judgment and makes no claim to universality.
Updated 21-12-2012
For ADULTS only!
1st place(8.5 points)
BADEN BADEN WEISS
(Wheat beer, 600 ml, 5.2% vol., Price 12.95 reais)
Full banana flavor. Fresh, lively and super tasty! Can compete with the best German products.
2nd place (8.4 points)
BADEN BADEN CRISTAL
(Pils, 600ml, 5% vol., Price 12.95 reais)
Champagne-like beer miracle. Unique, incomparable fragrance. Very bright appearance. Very, very mild, yet a true pilsner!
Place 3 (8.3 points)
Colorado CAUIM Cerveja Clara Pilsen
(Pils, 600ml, 4.5% vol. Price Reais 12.95)
Soft and spicy. Incredibly mild and round. Pleasing harmony. Gourmet beer!
http://www.cervejariacolorado.com.br
4th place (8.25 points)
Colorado DEMOISELLE
(Porter, 600ml, 6% vol., Price 12.95 reais)
Smells like coffee, tastes like coffee - but it is beer. Unbelievable! You can't taste any alcohol. A work of art. Excellent!
5th place (8.2 points)
BADEN BADEN RED ALE
(Red Ale, 600ml, 9.2% vol. Price 12.95 reais)
You can't taste alcohol, you can't smell it. Clears the nose. Excessive note of bitterness. A masterpiece for the later evening. A beer for old sailors!
Place 6 (8.1 points)
DaDoBier Belgium Ale
(600 ml, 8.5% vol., Pubs price Reais 20)
Naturally cloudy golden ale. Lively, very persistent carbonation. Sour, malty aroma of coffee. Harmonious body. Strong alcohol not noticeable.
Place 7 (8 points)
Therezópolis Gold
(Single Malt Lager, 600ml, 5% vol., Price reais 6.95)
Golden dark, sweet and spicy beer. Smells like spring. Fruity, fresh aroma. An experience!
8th place (7.95 points)
Sul Americana
(Single malt beer, 1 liter, 5% vol., Price 12,95 reais)
Fruity fresh aroma. Bittersweet, very malty note. Strong, lasting foam. Golden
color.
9th place (7.5 points)
DaDoBier
(Lager Pils, 970ml, 5.0 vol., Price 8.95 reais)
The miracle of this beer is its beguiling sweetness - while avoiding any penetrance in this direction. Although there seems to be no bitterness, we know that we're dealing with a real beer anyway! A miracle!
10th place(7.4 points)
CIDADE IMPERIAL
(dark beer, 355ml, 4.5% vol., Price reais 6.95)
Very light, refreshing beer with black soul. In the finish with pleasant acidity of coffee. Excellent dark beer, proving that dark beer taste like dark beer, even if it is not so sweet.
http://www.cidadeimperial.com.br/
11th place (7.35 points)
BÄCKER
(Pils, 355ml, 4.8 vol., price 8.95 reais)
Malty fresh beer. Mild, lingering aftertaste of country (Minas Gerais!) and cereals.
12th place (7.3 points)
CERPA export
(Lager, 350ml, 5.3% vol., Price 3.95 reais)
True pilsner feel neither too acidic nor too sweet, nice foam, bright color.
13th place (7.25 points)
Karavelle Keller
(Single malt beer, 600ml, 4.5% vol., Price 8.95 reais)
Very fresh, tasty beer! Cloudy, light beer. Only for special moments!
Place 14 (7, 2 points)
EISENBAHN Pale Ale(
Pale Ale, 355ml, 4.8% vol., Price 4,95 reais)
Pleasantly bitter pale ale. Amber. Fruity odor. Fresh! http://www.eisenbahn.com.br/web/site/index.php
15th place (7 points)
EISENBAHN Weizenbier
(Wheat beer, 355ml, 4.85 vol., Price 4,95 reais)
Slightly bitter, but tingly wheat beer. Spicy banana flavor, very little foam. http://www.eisenbahn.com.br/web/site/index.php
16th place (6.9 points)
OPA BIER
(Pale Ale, 600ml, 4.8% vol., Pubs price 20 Reais)
Smells like orange juice, looks like an "Altbier" and tastes as well like it. Amber to honey. Brewed according to the German Purity Law. Very little foam.
http://www.opabier.com.br/site/index.php
17th place (5.9 points)
Black Princess
(dark beer, 600 ml, 4.8% vol. 6.95 reais)
Mild, true black beer. Malty modesty, pleasant finish, exceptable sweetness.
18th place (5.8 points)
Petra Cerveja Escura Premium
(dark beer, 350ml, 4.4% alc. 2.50 reais)
Smells chocolaty. Malty finish. Delicious dark beer!
http://www.cervejapetra.com.br
19th place (5.7 points)
PETRA Aurum
(Single malt pils, 600ml, 6,2% alc. 9 reais)
Very acidic single-malt. Beautiful foam. Strong alcohol breaks through.
20th place (5.5 points)
XINGU Cerveja Escura extra premium
(Dark beer, 350 ml, 4.6% vol, 2 reais)
Strong, spicy appeal for such an easy black beer. Somewhat watery finish. Much less sweetness than competing beers.
http://www.kaiser.com.br/maioridade?returnUrl =
Place 21 (5.3 points)
Sol
(Pils, 350ml, 4.6% vol., Price 1.10 reais)
Absolute surprise in the low price segment. Real beer, hoppy - without interference.
http://www.kaiser.com.br/maioridade?returnUrl =
Place 22 (5 points)
BAVARIA
(Pils, 350ml, 4.6 vol., Price 0,99 reais)
For a light, pale pilsner amazing herb at the beginning. Very mild, almost watery finish. Less sour and sweet, as the competition in the price range. www.bavaria.com.br
Place 23 (4.95 points)
Cintra
(Pils, 350ml, 4.7% vol., Price 2 reais)
Light, true pilsner. No astray by too sweet or too sour. Optimal sailing beer, very light appearance.
http://www.cervejacintra.com.br/ # / home
Place 24 (4.85 points)
Cerpa Cerveja Pilsen
(Lager, 350m, 4.5% vol., Pubs price 5 reais)
Sour, strong citrus-like aroma. Very mild lager, almost no foam.
(Pils, 350ml, 4.5% vol., 1.20 reais)
Aqueous, but real beer. A light version of Bavaria? Ok for the beach. Little foam, very light.
http://www.cervejacrystal.com.br/idades/idade
Place 26 (4.7 points)
ITAIPAVA
(Pils, 269ml, 4.5% vol., Price 0,99 reais)
Very pale ale, sour smell, noticeable tart note, sour finish just before penetrance. Acceptable beach beer. www.cervejaitaipava.com.br
Place 27 (4.5 points)
ANTARCTICA ORIGINAL
(Pils, 600ml, 5.0 vol., Price in the bar 7 reais)
Mild beer with true intention. Fresh, very slight astringency, but with an echo of dominant acid, unfortunately. Established beer. https://www.facebook.com/Antarcticahttp://www.ambev.com.br/pt-br/nossas-marcas/cervejas?
28th place (4.2 points)
BOHEMIA
(Pils, 350ml, 5.07% vol., 2 reais)
This beer wants to be something: very mild bitterness, but - like all everyday beers to strong acid. An indecisive beer without metallic chemical irritation.
http://bohemia.com.br/cervejaria/http://www.ambev.com.br/pt-br/nossas-marcas/cervejas?
Place 29 (4.1 points)
EISENBAHN Pilsen
(Single malt beer, 355ml, 4.8% vol., 4.95 reais)
Ambitious beer - brewed according to the German Purity Law. Unfortunately, a bit musty and discordant.
http://www.eisenbahn.com.br/web/site/index.php
Place 30 (4 points)
Princess Black Gold
(Single malt beer, 600ml, 4.7% vol., Price 6.95 reais)
Fresh smell of hay. Beautiful foaming. For a premium "Puro Malte" the taste is too sober. Somehow unbalanced.
http://www.cervejablackprincess.com.br
Place 31 (3.9 points)
BAVARIA Premium
(Single malt beer, 350ml, 4.8 vol., Price 2 reais)
Aqueous tartness, very mild beer. Malty aftertaste.
Place 32 (3.8 points)
DEVASSA
(350ml, Pilsner, 4.7% vol, price R $ 1.30
Very bright almost white beer. Undecided taste. Synthetically bitter.
Place 33 (3.5 points)
ANTARCTICA
(Pils, 350ml, 4.9% vol., Price 1.10 reais)
Energetic elusiveness in taste. Acidic to dry with no apparent dominance. Metallic, chemical aftertaste.
Place 34 (2.3 points)
BRAHMA CHOPP
(Pils, 350ml, 5% vol, price 1.10 reais)
This beer starts in taste amazing herb. Shortly before to feel a real pilsner you are confused by cake-like flavors on the finish. Pils and tea party do not go together!
Place 35 (2 points)
Skol
(Pils, 350ml, 4.7%, price 1.10 reais)
Sour beer with chemical, light tartness. In the aftertaste metallic.
36th place (1.9 points)
ITAIPAVA FEST
(Lager Pils, 350ml, 5.2% vol., Price reais 2.50)
Sour neutral taste. Brazilian "Commercial" with
a
slightly higher alcohol content.
37th place (1.89 points)
ANTARCTICA SUB ZERO
(350ml, Pilsner, 4.6% vol., Price 1,50 Reais)
Very pale brew. Double filtering (below 0 degrees)
seems to bring no benefit. Chemical taste.
http://www.antarcticasubzero.com.br
Place 38 (1.9 points)
KAISER
(Pils, 350ml, 4.5% vol., 1.50 reais)Aqueous chemical aroma, aftertaste of printer's
ink.
http://www.kaiser.com.br/maioridade?returnUrl =
39th place (1.8 points)
NOVA SCHIN Pils
(350ml, 4.7% vol., Price 1,20 Reais)
Undefinable chemical score, tastes like tires.
Place 40 (1.7 points)
BOHEMIA Confraria
(Beer? 315ml, 6.2% vol., Price reais 4.95)
Promising white bottle, promising color (amber), but even the fast-dissolving foam is a disappointment. Smell like wheat beer, banana. Taste elusive, somehow bitter in the background, clove
dominant, but disappointing in every case. No soul!
http://www.novaschin.com.br/
Place 41 (1.6 points)
KAISER BOCK
(Bock beer, 355ml, 6.2% vol., Price 4,95 reais)
Promising sour smell, total disappointment in taste: watery sadness, bitterness in the far background, with Bock beer nothing in common.
Place 42 (1.5 points)
CARACU
(Black beer, 350ml, 5.4% vol, 2 reais)
Sweet, alcoholic drink. Licorice with penetrating exaggeration of sweetness.
http://www.facebook.com/CervejaCaracu
Place 43 (0.9 points)
NOVA SHIN Cerveja Escura Tipo Munich
(Black beer, 350ml, 4.2% vol., 2 reais)
Sour smell. Not even tastes like beer. Sour-irritating chemical grade.
http://www.facebook.com/CervejaCaracu