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A Tour of Caribbean Breweries and Beers

The word "rum" brings the Caribbean immediately to mind. All those delicious rum drinks have given the Caribbean a reputation for great "spirits." How many people know that there are many tasty beers indigenous to the islands? Join me on a quick tour of Caribbean beers and breweries.

Aruba has its own special Arubian beer, Balashi beer. Winner of the "Monde Selection" gold medial in 2000, Brouwerij Nacional Balashi is created from a secret recipe using Scottish malt (imported), German hops, and the pure island water. The beer is a smooth, golden Pilsener.

Antigua Brewery makes it flagship beer, Wadadli, in addition to several other beers it brews under license from their home companies. "Wadadli", a pale lager beer whose name derives from the original native people's name for the island, has become synonymous for beer in Antigua. Water for Wadadli is collected by the brewery and desalinated in-house for strict quality control of the production of the full-bodied, bittersweet lager beer.

Barbados boasts Banks Brewery. This brewery makes a variety of beers, including Banks Beer (a pilsner lager), Banks Light (lower alcohol content), Tiger Malt, a non-fermented, non-alcoholic product with a full malt taste, XXTRA Strong Brew, which is dark and has a flavor of hops, and a Millennium 2000 beer, a light, smooth medium-alcohol pilsner lager beer. There's even a "Beer Gear" shop on the brewery property to assist you in shopping for your beer accessories!

Kalik (Commonwealth Brewery Limited) is the beer of the Bahamas. You can get it in Regular, Light or Gold, and souvenir packs of the three beers are available. The brewery is on the island of New Providence.

The Cayman Islands produce Stingray Beer, a pale lager beer, and Stingray Dark, a dark lager. Dominica produces Kubuli, made with the island's natural spring waters. Bottled waters are produced, too, and some beers are produced as licensed from other companies, such as Guinness.

Carib Beer is a product of Trinidad and Tobago. The company web site features a section on Brewery History, Beer Profiles, an events calendar and much more. Carib beer is a clear lager beer with a refreshing taste. Take some time to browse the site, and make a visit to the brewery the next time you visit Trinidad and Tobago.

No discussion of beers would be complete without a few words about Beerme.com. Lots of good info about beers and breweries is here for you to browse, including a Beer Hall of Fame, a guide to breweries world-wide, including the Caribbean, a bookstore, photos of beermats and labels, and more.