Saturday, August 4, 2007

Red Stripe Light Lager

In my last (very long ago) post, I mentioned Jamaica's history from Arawaks to Ziggy Marley and everything in between. I also reviewed Red Stripe, the beer in Jamaica. For this one, I'm not only reviewing Red Stripe's lighter brother, but I will give you a paragraph or two of my observations of the island nation, which celebrated its 45th birthday on August 6th. Since I didn't get around to it in my last review, I'll also give you some background information on the brewery itself. If you wish to skip these thoughts, click here to skip right to the beer.

I had heard of Jamaica's poverty long before I came here. The web comic Least I Could Do had a story arc where the main character Rayne and his best friend Noel traveled to a Jamaican Sandals resort for couples (though they themselves are not one...hilarity ensues). After they arrive at the airport (presumably Montego Bay's), Rayne notes the rampant poverty that was evident immediately upon leaving baggage claim. It was this image that ran through my head as my wife and I traveled by a hot, humid Japanese bus along the A1 from Montego Bay to our resort.

Well, that and my memories of a church mission trip I made to Tijuana, Mexico almost a decade ago. There were marked differences between Jamaica's north coast and the slums of Tijuana: the water's better in Jamaica (and won't give you Montezuma's Revenge), the Jamaican shacks have electricity (well, most of them), better roads, better scenery, and the air was fresh and clean, unlike south Tijuana's air, which smelled like a garbage dump. But, in both cases, the people were very happy, or at least seemed that way. They were down-to-earth, hospitable people who made do with what they had.

Jamaica, like Mexico, can tend to get a little violent. When I watched the TV-J 10 o'clock news in my room, the lead story was that of a multi-victim drive-by shooting in Kingston (which, as I mentioned previously, is the most dangerous city in the West Indies). No motive was given for the shooting; it appeared to be a random act of violence. I was initially shocked that such a thing could happen, but then I remembered that many of these things happen everyday in any major U.S. city and that they too are splashed across the top of the local news. "If it bleeds, it leads" must be a universal saying in the news industry.

Other news was much more positive. Barrington Irving, a Jamaican-born pilot, became the first black man to fly solo around the world. The Jamaican cricket team was doing well, or so I was told. It is an election year, so politics were abundant, first with a story on one of the Prime Minister's bodyguards who was accused of stealing cars, and then with the race between candidates in the JLP (Jamaican Labour Party, conservative leaning, symbolized by the Liberty Bell) and the PNP (People's National Party, democratic socialist leaning, symbolized by the Head) that was hotly contested. Internationally, floods in India and Bangladesh and the recovery effort of the Minnesota I-35W bridge disaster were reported. What surprised me was the lack of weather coverage, especially since the island is in hurricane-infested waters, but then again, since the average temperature is between 86 and 90°F, it may not be needed.

(NOTE: This was written before Hurricane Dean came within 60 miles of Kingston, meaning it pretty much hit the island.)

Jamaica has an interesting dichotomy between the massive multinational beach front resorts (or the massive foreign-owned mansions) and the ordinary citizens struggling to make enough to live. The Jamaican government appears to be making progress in some respects. Unemployment has apparently been cut in half over the past 20 years, tourism is thriving (at least it was before Dean), and infrastructure, such as new high-speed tollways, are at least partially open. Each party appears to have a plan to improve schools and health care. However, as in the U.S., there is skepticism over whether any changes will take place for the better. As our bus driver said on the way back to Montego Bay, "They're all the same." Spoken like a true cynic.

In conclusion, Jamaica is a land not unlike my own, but with many differences. They have remarkable beaches that are almost too good that are almost too good to be true, but everything has a price. Sports are different, where cricket and fútbol are the dominant pasttimes, and the people are easy-going and understanding. Just don't forget to tip.

Now, on to the beer.


The Red Stripe Brewery is based out of Kingston with plants on the north coast (we passed one between Montego Bay and our resort). They also have a brewpub in the Montego Bay airport (probably Kingston's too). It was founded in 1918 by Kingston natives Eugene Peter Desnoes and Thomas Hargreaves Geddes, and the first version of Red Stripe was brewed a decade later, an ale too strong for the locals. Paul H. Geddes created the smoother lager in 1934, which they've used ever since. The brand was shown prominently in the 1962 Bond movie Dr. No, which was based mostly in Jamaica. Its American slogan is "Hooray beer!" and the Jamaican one is "Don't just live, live red."

In the past year or so (few years?), the folks at Red Stripe released a light version of their beer, the unimaginatively-named Red Stripe Light. As of this writing, it's unavailable stateside. Aside from the Desnoes and Geddes logo and the familiar Red Stripe text on the bottle, not much is recognizable. The bottle shape is of the everyday tall variety, as opposed to the distinctive stubby bottle shape of its regular counterpart. The glass color is also different, being clear instead of brown. Not a wise choice, seeing as how brown bottles prevent spoilage by sunlight, which is something that clear and green bottles are notorious for. My guess is that these changes were made to differentiate the two in a market or pub that dominantly serves Red Stripe. The clear glass especially does the trick, especially considering those limited edition regular Red Stripe bottles that are in the tall variety but still retain their browned glass.


Here are the stats:

Red Stripe Light Lager
BREWERY: Desnoes and Geddes, Kingston, Jamaica (a member of the Guinness family)
FIRST BREWED: 2001 at the latest
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 3.9%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS:
SERVING TEMPERATURE:
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS:

When I poured this beer, its color was a clear light golden, but I was especially disappointed with the head. While it was a clean, white color, it wasn't as fluffy or as long-lasting as regular Red Stripe's. It looked more like a series of bubbles than a head, which quickly dissipated. The beer itself almost tasted like water with a little beer mixed in and reminded me of many a Latin American lager, but brewed with better water and without a metallic taste. The good thing about no taste, however, is no aftertaste. It finished clean with no bad memories lingering on my taste buds.

So, if you have an affinity for Central American beers, or don't like any beer that will potentially get you drunk, then this beer is for you. Otherwise, stick with plain ol' Red Stripe to get beer that tastes, well, like beer. I will.

Ya mon!

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Red Stripe Lager

First of all, I'd like to say that I'm sorry the beer reviews haven't exactly been flowing in. I've been a little busy with my wedding and its preparation to write in the blog. Rest assured that beer did play a prominent role in the bachelor party and the wedding, which was stocked with Widmer Hefeweizen, Sam Adams Boston Lager, and Bud Lite (not all of us are beer snobs), along with some random leftovers. Most of the whereabouts of these beers are unknown, presumed consumed.

So as a treat for you, I have not one, but two beers reviewed coming up. Not only are these beers from a foreign country, but the reviews themselves originated in a foreign country: Jamaica. This act shows to what lengths I will go to ensure that this blog is internationally focused on the merits of beer. (Also ignore the fact that I went to Jamaica on my honeymoon. Totally unrelated.)

Because I think it's interesting, I'll give a little background of Jamaica's history. If you wish to skip these thoughts, click here to skip right to the beer.

Jamaica is a little bit of paradise nestled just below Cuba and east of the Yucatán Peninsula. The island has been blessed with crystal clear Caribbean water, lush green forests, beautiful white and black sand beaches, and bright color tropical flowers. Such a veritable jungle couldn't be left alone to the native Arawaks, who called it Xamayca, or "land of wood and water," so the Spaniards, following Christopher Columbus' visits to the island in 1494 and 1503, colonized the island as Santiago ("St. James"), albeit half-heartedly. Columbus' family was offered the island in return for his services to the Spanish crown, but were angered with the lack of immediate profit on the island (read: gold and silver), so they did nothing but turn Jamaica into a cruelly-ruled Spanish colony and decimate the Arawak population, who was replaced and/or supplemented with African slaves.

The Jamaican peoples' fortunes improve a little when a British armada arrived on the island in 1655, overrunning the Spaniards in just one day. The Spanish colonists fled to teir other holdings, mostly in Cuba, though some stayed on the northern coast in secret, fighting a couple of battles for the island beginning in 1657. They were defeated by the Brits by 1660, and the Spanish once again retreated to Cuba. The British saw potential in Jamaica, especially in sugar cultivation, so in 1661 they appointed a governor who directly reported to the crown, and all children born to British subjects in Jamaica were free citizens of England.

The plight of the Jamaicans was not over, however. A slave rebellion was crushed in 1690, a major earthquake destroyed Port Royal (near Kingston) in 1692, a massive fire destroyed what was left of Port Royal in 1704, and the Maroons (escaped slaves and their descendants who live in the eastern mountains of Jamaica) were captured and killed during a fierce battle in 1734. Their fortunes improved with a 1739 treaty that gave the Maroons semi-autonomy over their territory, which is still enforced today. Jamaica's population continued to grow as American colonists loyal to Britain left the U.S. during the Revolutionary War to emigrate to Jamaica. The economy started to slump, however, as sugar prices dropped and slave ownership was outlawed in all British territories by 1838.

Determined to keep Jamaica modern, the Brits established a telegraph service between the island and Europe in 1869, and introduced coins backed by the Bank of England soon after. Roads, employment, education, tourism, and irrigation all improved in the late 1800's. Then, as luck would have it, another earthquake hit Kingston, destroying it. The British Parliament and the Church of England sent lots of poundage to rebuild the city exactly as it is today (well, the street plan anyway). Jamaica made contributions to the two World Wars: aiding the Brits in Palestine during WWI and supplying the Allied forces with bauxite (aluminum's raw material) and workers in munitions factories in WWII. Suffrage-wise, Jamaican women won the right to vote in 1917, three years before it was allowed in the United States, and universal adult suffrage came about in a new constitution in 1944.

Still, the Jamaican people clamored for independence, and they received their wish, first in 1957 with autonomous internal self-government, then with true independence on August 6, 1962. The British crown was still the official head of state, and still is today. (This is a characteristic of former colonies, albeit a highly resented one in Jamaica, as evidenced by the controversy over this policy when Queen Elizabeth II visited the island in 2002.) Britain's Princess Margaret and the United States' Vice President Lyndon Johnson observed the changeover that day. In 1966, Haile Selassie I, the emperor of Ethiopia, visited Jamaica, bring along with him his religion, which many Jamaicans converted to after his visit. This religion focuses on sacramental marijuana smoking, Ethiopia-specific Bible passages, and the "I" (inner divinity), and in 2003 there were 265 thousand believers. You may know it as rastafarianism, named after the Ethiopian emperor Selassie, formerly known as Ras Tafari.

Now this is where I veer off the Frommer's-inspired history a little bit. The 1980's was a very dangerous time to be a tourist in Jamaica. Kingston, its capital, was (and still is) the most dangerous city in the Caribbean. Many Jamaican resort cities, such as Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril, weren't much better. Crime was high, unemployment was high, and the island suffered major damage from Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. In the 1990's, however, the island started turning around. Infrastructure was rebuilt, resort cities hired extra cop patrols to reduce crime, and unemployment was eventually cut in half. Violence continues to flare up occasionally, and Kingston is still bad, as are many touristy areas at night. Muggings aren't uncommon, but the most you may encounter is someone trying to hock a conch shell or write your name on a piece of wood (don't accept either).

Now, on to the beer.



There are a few defined constants in Jamaican culture. The national food is salt fish and ackee. The other national dish is jerk chicken. The national fast food is the meat patty. The national pasttime is cricket. And the national beer is Kingston's own Red Stripe. This stuff is sold everywhere on the island, and is the dominant beverage on signs for convenience stores and pubs. It's Bud's cooler, better-tasting, Caribbean-accented Jamaican brother, and it is a source of pride for all Jamaicans. It is a big supporter of Jamaican sport, including Cricket, which is another source of pride especially when they beat England. It is a sponsor of the 2007 Cricket World Cup (the link may not work correctly until after you have verified your birthday and re-entered the URL), which is held in the West Indies, and they released a special collector's edition bottle in celebration. "Hooray beer!" indeed.


Here are the stats:

Red Stripe Lager
BREWERY: Desnoes and Geddes, Kingston, Jamaica (a member of the Guinness family)
FIRST BREWED: 1934 (its current incarnation)
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS:
ABV: 4.7%
ORIGINAL GRAVITY:
MALTS:
HOPS:
SERVING TEMPERATURE: 39°F (4°C)
FOODS TO PAIR WITH:
AWARDS:

The first thing that I noticed about this beer was its large white head. It managed to retain its shape and puffiness even as I downed the beer. It was brewed a clear golden color. Its taste was not bitter, but didn't have anything extremely memorable. Anyways, it's still better than most stateside macrobrews (I have a weakness for regular Coors...is that bad?). Its finish was clean, leaving a slight bitter hoppy aftertaste, though it didn't linger. A word of advice: drink it cold, like D&G recommend.

In the end, Red Stripe is a great beer to quench your thirst whilst you're eating jerk chicken on a warm Caribbean evening. It may not be the best beer in the world, but it's a step above most beers from south of the Rio Grande/Gulf of Mexico.

Ya mon!