“No mas. Not a beer to try after three pints of Antares Imperial Stout. I couldn’t take it anymore. Halfway through, my papillae were screaming “Oh for the love of (enter deity of choice here), please stop!” Come on, we can make it through this together.”

That was my first attempt at trying Antares Barley Wine almost three years ago in a dark pub hidden away on a tiny street off of Avenida De Mayo. The Clover, ah the memories.

Lo and behold, this week’s newest arrival on the local beer buying scene is Barley Wine. Why not give it another try, I thought, and this time, no aperitifs beforehand.

Cloudy honey color. Way too syrupy. Malty aroma with mild citrus notes. Difficult to tell that this beer is 10% by smell alone. The first few initial tastes saturated my nose, upon breathing, with pure grain alcohol badness. However, that did go away after my olfactory system shut down. Orange and licorice are in hiding from their bitter and sweet overlords. Sour finish that dissipates quickly.

Most of that may come off as harsh but the Barley Wine is not entirely horrible, just very rough around the edges, and I have to admit, the label is nice. If Antares could turn up a few flavor knobs and mellow out the alcohol, this could be a decent beer to sip on ever so slowly. Ever so slowly.

Now, I just need to wait for the rest of the Antares family to appear.

I only crack open the Fernet Premium on special occasions.

What’s up with all these booze posts lately? Am I on a bender? Wine in a box up next?

Two prominent aromas battling each other here. One has a quite pleasant sweetness of brown sugar and molasses. Dark Caribbean rum comes to mind. The other, metallic, like an old toolbox. Herbal notes are hiding right around the corner. Initial taste hits you with an explosion of mint followed by another huge burst of medicinal bitterness. Totally different than the aroma yet with a sweetness that is again, comparable to dark rums. For having an alcohol level of 45%, this herbal concoction is remarkably smooth on the tongue and throat. I say smooth because there was no fire going on, but lemme tell ya that my upper body tweaked and twisted a bit because of the taste. Mixed with Coca-cola, on the other hand, both aromas that I noted hit before, hit me in full force on the flavor front. Sickly sweet and not something that I could see being enjoyed like Fernet Branca y Coca–well unless you want to get plastered. Fernet Branca cuts through the sweetness of Coca-cola like a samurai sword while punching you in the groin at the same time. This one needs to be sipped after a hearty meal.

I don’t know how often “bitters” are used as reduction sauces, but I could definitely see this beverage standing up to the task. Lamb season is right around the corner so look forward to some experimentation.

This doesn’t apply to the recent trial of Antares Scotch, which by the way is currently sold out in the local supermarkets–luckily there is still some Porter laying around though. I really want to try the Scotch again since there was obviously something wrong with either me or the bottles I tried that day, but that is another topic. What I am about to talk about today are two beers that were so utterly vile that I gag and shiver just thinking about them. In case you’re thinking, “heh, if you were not sure about Antares Scotch, how can we trust you now,” just hold on. This is the real deal.

There is absolutely no possible way for me put into words describing one of these beers as elegantly as a commenter on Ratebeer.com did with Amsterdam Maximator….

Pours a clear shining golden color, but the white creamy head dissapears fast, leaving only a decent lacing. Aroma is harsh, medicinal with notes of vegetables and pure alcohol. There are hints of chemichals and distilled drinks. My nose says ’don’t drink this shit, man’. Flavor is ultra-sweet, alcoholic and crappy. The typical cheap beer to get wasted.Medicinal flavors come one after another until a burning alcoholic finish. It’s almost like drinking poison. I wonder what would be my liver’s reaction to this. Body is big, thick-full mouthfeel. Carbonation is medium. A very unclean Malt Liquor with a posionous sensation. I’m sure this could work to kill rats. The finish is extremely alcoholic and the aftertaste is the same you get after drinking bad-quality rum or tequila. Bad stuff.

Amsterdam Explorator was slightly better.

These situations suck because I feel like the proverbial kid in a candy store when new items, foreign or domestic, fill the shelves at various stores. Sometimes you win (Beagle, Antares, and Sugar & Spice cookies) and sometimes you lose (Amsterdam beer).

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Update:

The Scotch is back! This time in the standard portable 330ml bottle and let me tell you that there was definitely something wrong with either me or the other bottle during the first instance of trying this beer (see below.) Personally, I believe it was the bottle or batch for this fresh trial didn’t have any musty, chemical, or whatever is flavor that is often associated with huge corporate brews. No, the bottle I indulged myself with was rather rich and flavorful. The richness was quite surprising for a beer that only has 6% alcohol. Dark amber-orange color. Fruity butterscotch aroma. Malty bittersweet flavor. I wouldn’t call this my favorite out of the Antares line but definitely near the top.
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After a 3 month (I think) hiatus, Antares decided it was time to head back down south. This time Kolsch and Porter brought along their brother Scotch Ale, which is what I really wanted to try when they first appeared here. In larger 660ml bottles too! Well, I have tried it and let me say that I was extremely displeased with the crap that swirled around my mouth and shot down the ‘ol internal feeding tube. Something wasn’t right. I don’t know if the beer was exposed and re-exposed to extreme temperatures, the larger bottle had something to do with it, bad batch, or if Antares is becoming too “commercial” but something wasn’t right. Maybe constant exposure to Beagle’s awesomeness has tainted my taste buds, but Scotch Ale just tasted plain and bad. A couple notches higher than Quilmes Bock and I’m not going to go there.

Although Kolsch is kind of weak, there are still great flavors lying around in the background and I love the Porter. Both of them have a craft beer taste but this Scotch Ale appears to have big-time brewery flavor written all over it. I say “appears” because I’m not giving up hope just yet. In case there was a problem with the batch or shipment, I will try again and again.

Located in the mountainous seaside city of Ushuaia, Cerveza Beagle has been producing artisanal craft beer for, um, some time–I can’t find their founding date anywhere. In case you didn’t know, Beagle was the name of the infamous ship, HMS Beagle, which sailed around the southern part of South America and performed a variety scientific surveys. Charles Darwin was also on board studying nature or something. Anyway, that ship achieved such notoriety that someone decided to name a strait after it, the Beagle Channel, which just so happens to be where Ushuaia sits. Like many artisanal products that built a name for themselves, Beagle was born from the simple idea of making beer to share among friends. I have yet to visit their establishment, and their website is in perpetual “under construction phase”, so I don’t have a clear picture of their operation. That may change in the near future. I do know of three beers that they currently produce, Rubia-Ale, Negra-Stout, and Rojo-India Pale Ale. All of them are unfiltered and contain quite a substantial amount of yeast particles, so if you ever come across a bottle, pour with care.

Let me say that I’m not an experienced beer reviewer, as I posted in the Beer Is A Tasty Beverage posts, but I’ll make an effort.

Fuegian Rubia-Ale: 5.8% Alcohol. Nice honey color. Strong freshly baked bread aroma with fruity notes. Mildly bitter from start to finish. Long yeasty aftertaste. Finely carbonated. Overall, the more I try this beer, the more I like it, but I’ll say it is average for other unfiltered beers in the same class that I have tried. I’m not too keen on the very long bitter aftertaste, but I haven’t had much exposure to good beers recently so my taste buds are probably off a bit.

Fuegian Negra-Stout: 7.8% Alcohol. Dark coffee color. Finely carbonated. This beer screams of dark chocolate and coffee in both aroma and flavor. Slightly creamy texture but not overly so. Mildly bitter yet somewhat crisp from start to finish. Flavor-wise, if I didn’t know this beer had almost 8% alcohol, I would have never guessed. Of course, after a few, my judgement was impaired. Overall this beer is very well balanced with great complex flavors. I like to think of it as Guinness on steroids.

Rojo-India Pale Ale: 6.6% Alcohol. Caramel color. Fruity yet yeasty aroma. Creamy texture but with enough carbonation to add some bite. Hoppy with hints of citrus. Bitterness is nicely balanced by mild malty sweetness. Like Beagle’s rubia ale, that bitterness lingers quite a bit. Overall, this beer definitely fits into the India Pale Ale classification and is very well-rounded.

There are tons of other artisanal craft beers in Argentina that I still have yet to try, but Cerveza Beagle produces some really great beer compared to many others. Like Antares, they are now one of my favorite brewers of beer in this country. Perfect to sip on while the meat is roasting away. Also, I love the fact that their beer is unfiltered because each bottle seems to have its own unique properties.

The mainstream media is filled with articles these days about how you must try the beef and wine in Argentina. You must have a steak and malbec they say. Do they mention beer? Maybe. Fernet? I have yet to see it. Probably because these journalists haven’t enjoyed an asado in someone’s backyard or quincho (the indoor barbecue party playroom).

Although Fernet may be spotted at tables in parrilla restaurants, you don’t see it as often there as you do at a personal asado gathering. Where you’ll usually find a few guys at one end of the table having a lively discussion while ever so often refilling their glasses with this dark thick liquid-sometimes with a touch of Coca-Cola. Some start with Fernet and stick with it from the beginning to end while others crack open the bottle when no more meat will be consumed.

Fernet Branca, that’s what I’m talking about. If you’ve never tried it or anything similar, well, you need to take a swig at least once in your life. However, that first taste will probably bring back memories of your early life when you experimented with the taste of rubber bands. Some love it while others hate it with a passion that will even make a grown man cringe upon taking a whiff of this herbal alcoholic beverage. Me, although it isn’t something that is always stocked in the bar, I like it on occasion. A long time passed before I reached that point, let me tell you.

Give it a try. It’ll grow hair on your chest.

So just what kind of beers are at one’s disposal her in Argentina. Well like the majority of every other beer loving country you have largely distributed domestic brands, large/medium/small imported brands, craft/micro brews, and brew pubs. Please forgive me if my reviews are lacking any kind of quality below; not that any of my writings do. I’m not going to write about how the beer pours and if one head has a slight tan color with a creamy taste that delicately slides off the tongue. If you are looking for that go to RateBeer.com.

The Leader

The number one beer brewer in Argentina, I guess you could say the Anheuser-Busch of Argentina, is Quilmes. But psst, Quilmes is actually controlled buy Quinsa, a Luxembourg-based holding company in which Ambev has a stake and plus others or something like that. Pretty confusing, but hey, what company isn’t part of a holding company these days. Well, I’ll spare you the history of the early beginnings, acquisitions, shares, and holdings for another day. Maybe not. If you want to know more check out Quinsa’s site. Let’s just leave out all of the technicalities for now and just say that Quilmes is Argentina.

Quilmes Cristal, the flagship of the company, is everywhere. The logo sporting the national colors and also resembles the flag can’t be missed. Quilmes Cristal is a lager and is somewhat decent for a mass produced beer. Much better than most large-scale brews of pale-type lagers in the U.S.

They also produce:

Quilmes Bock - Quilmes bock doesn’t really taste like a real bock, so the the only bock you get is in the actual name. Yes it has a higher alcohol content and caramel color it is seriously lacking in the taste department and quite metallic. Tastes a lot better on tap, well that is if the keg is “fresh”.

Quilmes Stout - Pure crap. Take Quilmes Cristal, add some Coca-Cola syrup, and voilà! No really, that’s what it tastes like. Overly sweet and that sweetness leaves an aftertaste that is on par with letting a spoonful of sugar disolve on your tongue.

Imperial - A pilsner that is only offered in 3/4 liter or liter bottles. Most often offered in restaurants or supermarkets. I like it better than Quilmes Cristal.

To sum it up the national beer brewer doesn’t have what I want. Whoever created the Bock and Stout needs to be thrown in jail for illegal assignments of brews that have no similarities to what they are supposed to represent.

Other large domestic beers

Isenbeck
Palermo
Schneider
Salta
Iguana
(A few others)

Most of these are fit into the pale lager class but some do offer dark beer selections as well. Again, they are nothing to write home about. Next!

Large International

The majority of these beers are known throughout many parts of the world and are either imported or bottled in or around Argentina. In Buenos Aires, all of them can be found. In other parts of the country they should be available in and around any area that has a decent population size, distribution point, or supermarket chain store. As with the domestics, these are typically offered in liters and individual sizes.

Brahma (Brazil)
Heineken (Holland)
Warsteiner (Germany)
Budweiser (U.S.A)
Stella Artois (Belgium)
(forgetting a couple others?)

Prices vary. Brahma and Budweiser are usually around the same price as Quilmes. Heineken, Warsteiner, and Stella Artois are slightly more expensive. Maybe 1 to 1.5 pesos more for liters. I drink many of these beers a lot but they still don’t offer what I want in terms of BBQ beer. But heck, sometimes I’ll even go for a Budweiser on occasion just to remind me of home. Yeah yeah it sucks but sentimental memories need to be refreshed from time to time.

Imports

Visit a large supermarket chain, duty free, specialty store, and sometimes even a kiosk and you might just find a small collection of imports from around the world. Also an ever increasing amount of bars and restaurants, particularly in Buenos Aires, but that’s not a place that one frequents to buy beer to take home or elsewhere so that’s as far as all go for not in that area. Obviously there is no point in listing them all but I’ll list some.

Leffe
Holsten
Duvel
Chimay
Bavaria
Corona
Guinness
Negro Modelo
Grolsch
Asahi
(And many more)

Wait, didn’t I say before that I miss having a wide variety of beers to choose from? Now you are probably thinking that is some contradiction after seeing just some of the beers listed above. You see there is a wide variety of beer to choose from in Argentina. The key is access. The most accessible place is Buenos Aires and perhaps a few other large cities. The problem is, even there, you don’t have a liquor store down the block or road that carries a large selection like what I was used to in the U.S.

Craft / Micro brews / Brewpubs

El Bolson
Antares
Patagonia
Barba Roja
Beagle
(And many many more)

Argentina has a decent amount of craft beers and brew pubs but like without a good distribution system, they’re usually limited to their own regions, cities, or towns. Also, as with all craft/micro brew beer they have their ups and downs. Some are great with a vast variety of flavors, ingredients, or methods of production. Others taste fantastic draft but don’t hold up well in bottles. Some have too much carbonation. A few have too much of a sour note. Extremely sensitive to how they are stored or delivered. Etc. Etc.

And So Far The Winner Is…..

So out of all of the bland mass produced beers, fancy imports, and local micro brews there is one brand that sticks out, quenches my thirst, and makes me say AAHHHH after each pull. It–whatever you refer a beer to as–has become my BBQ buddy. Of course I haven’t sampled every beer that is available somewhere in this country, but this one has satisfied my needs so far in the taste department.

Antares Porter.

Actually I like a few of their brews but haven’t been able to sample all of them yet.

I came across Antares years ago at The Clover in Buenos Aires. I remember clearly because that bar and a couple others had probably the most extensive beer lists in the city at the time. Antares Imperial Stout and Barley Wine on tap in pints and these beers pack not only flavor but serious punch. 8.5% alcohol for the Imperial Stout with a whopping 10% for Barley Wine. With the Barley Wine, I can only ingest about half a pint. A little bit too syrupy for me and the flavor is also quite strong. Perhaps a good after dinner drink.

Unfortunately, after I moved to the end of the world, I lost contact with my beloved happy hour companions. For over a year, I had to drink with the common folk like Quilmes, Heineken, and Warsteiner. There is a brew pub down the street from me which has remarkable beer, but doesn’t bottle it. Not to mention they don’t have an age restriction at night so whole families with their kids running around screaming and chasing each other like its a freaking Chuck E. Cheese doesn’t create a pleasurable environment.

About a month ago the sun broke through the clouds and ended my misery. No, I did not shrivel up into carbon powder from the lack of a decent ozone layer up above. Norte, a supermarket chain, decided to bring some of the Antares love to the far reaches of the Earth. However, only Porter and Kolsch.

This was the first time I tried the Porter and it was truly love at first taste. Did it rank up there with some of the best beers I’ve ever had in my life? In this class, very close. But it did immediately bring flashbacks of great beer from the good ‘ol days. This Porter, in my tastes at least, closely resembles a mixture of say Oktoberfest and Porters offered in the U.S. Decent notes of chocolate, caramel, and coffee yet with a slight amount of fruitiness. Clean and crisp yet lacks the slight syrupy texture that many porters carry.

Just the type of beer I absolutely love to barbecue or grill with.

Try them out if you have a chance. They might just end up being the Samuel Adams of Argentina. Cerveza Antares. I don’t think they had a brew pub in Buenos Aires when I moved so I’m definitely going to have to add that to my destination list. Can’t wait to try the Scotch Ale.

Probably one of the top 10 things I miss about the U.S. is the large selection of beers, both international and domestic, available throughout most of the country. I miss the days of going to the liquor store or supermarket, finding new beers to try or stocking up on favorites that never fail. Having to wait three-damn-too-long-quarters of a year to be able to savor mouth watering seasonal micro brews. Parties or BBQs where everyone brings different beers to sample; except there is always one who ruins it by bringing Miller Lite. Attending a party where you don’t know what to expect until they point you toward the cooler and upon opening it you find 5 different brands of beer. Like opening up a treasure chest. For some wine has the same effect, but for me it is beer. I love beer. Good beer that is. And when I drink beer I like to drink it from the bottle, a nice cold 12 oz. bottle. In Argentina, things are a bit different, not always in a bad way, just different.

For one thing, liter-sized bottles dominate. Go to a local restaurant and you are more likely to see a group at a table sharing a liter bottle with small glasses than off the tap or individual cans/bottles. You go to the supermarket and you see the beer isle filled mostly with liter bottles then a small section of cans and bottles; offered individually or in six-packs. Liter bottles are cheap. Individual-sized bottles/cans are sometimes not that far off from the price of a liter bottle. Also, there is a system in Argentina where buying in bulk does not mean paying less. It rarely exists. Buy a six pack or a case of beer and you will pay the individual price per can. Sometimes there are promos where you get a beer for free but not often.

So when throwing an asado or having a party, you can see that it would be quite costly to have a cooler full of individual beers instead of the cheaper option of just having liters.

Up next: Beer that’s available.