Cerveza Quilmes

On a recent trip to Sacramento, I wandered into one of the best beer stores in Northern California: BevMo!, a liquor, beer, and wine store. I tell you this: When I saw their beer selection, I was a kid in a candy store. I've never been giddy about much in my life, but I was giddy about their beer selection. I couldn't decide on one single beer, so I found a "beers of the world" 10-pack, featuring South American, European, and American beers. One of those beers is an Argentinian selection, Quilmes.

Originally brewed by the Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes in the Quilmes district of Buenos Aires, Argentina (hence the name) in 1890, Quilmes Cerveza is a light lager that has become the pride of the South American nation. Quilmes is the beer in Argentina, sponsoring the national soccer team and even using the country's colors on its label. The brewery itself was opened in 1888 by German Otto Bemberg. The brewery produces other Quilmes brands, including Quilmes Bock and Quilmes Stout.



Here are the stats:

CERVEZA QUILMES
BREWERY: InBev/Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
FIRST BREWED: 1890
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 4.9%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS: Bittering: ; Aroma:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: Potato Chips

Not much is known about this beer, but I will fire off an e-mail (in bad Spanish) to try and fill in some of those blanks. The ones that are there are from Beers of the World, the Quilmes website (http://www.quilmes.com.ar, in Spanish), or the Quilmes label.

The instant I poured the beer, I noted a faint aroma that reminded me of regular Coors. The beer was a nice golden color with a massive white foam. I felt that it had a nice light taste, not harsh at all, and had a nice aftertaste that tasted like grains. Becky, my fiancée, also tasted the beer and described it as a light summery beer with no aftertaste, perfect for relaxing. I am inclined to agree. Who knows, I may even stock my next barbecue with coolers full of Quilmes.

Okay, probably not.

¡Salud!