It was only around 30 years ago that one of Argentina’s bigger industries developed quietly along the relaxed and sun soaked slopes on the Eastern edge of the Andes mountains. It started small but this new industry of wine grew to a point in which today, it is enjoyed by households all around the country and world. Within the last decade a similar movement has taken root, yet unlike its alcoholic counter-part, the artisan beer businesses – or breweries – have slowly been popping up in varied locations all around the country.
The Quilmes beer franchise reigns as king in most supermarket freezers, bars or parrillas yet it has become more and more common in Buenos Aires to stumble across unique beer brands before unseen. This new appearance of artisan beer, (craft beer) and microbreweries over the last decade have increased much more than the general Argentine consumer may believe.
The Red Ale at Cossab brewpub in Boedo. (Photo/Brian Funk)
In fact, today Argentina has more than 800 distinct brands, and around 70 microbrewery distributors in the whole country. Craft brewer Matias Kobelt estimates that in the last four years alone, the artisan beer production has doubled from 1.7 million litres to around 3.6 million litres. It is still just a small 0.2% of the total beer market in Argentina, but it is enough for breweries with names like Barba Roja, El Bolson, Otro Mundo, Antares, Zeppelin, and Mandinga to survive in the market and grow.
Owner of the Microbrewery Otro Mundo, Pablo Fazio says one main reason for the growth has to do with the quality of the product and as a result these innovative beers have had a positive effect that goes into educating the public’s beer palate.
“Today in the city it has to do with the satisfaction of the consumer,” explains Fazio. “It happened with wine, and what happens is it grows, and the consumer begins to sophisticate themselves to the taste, and one thing leads to another.”
Craft beers contain all the typical beer ingredients (malted barley, hops, yeast, and water), although they differentiate themselves by avoiding preservatives, and chemicals, and oftentimes include other bold flavors such as honey, coffee, fruits, and nuts.
The artisan beer industry has treaded forward, but it has been a upward climb which received a boost from the most unlikely of situations. As the old saying goes in times of crisis exists opportunity and this seems to have been the case with the microbrew industry after the crisis of 2001. Following the economic collapse, bars carrying imported beers found themselves unable to purchase many of the gourmet tastes that their clientele wanted.
Artesian beers both national and imported are stacked up behind the bar in the neighbourhood pub Cossab in Boedo. (Photo/Brian Funk)
Fazio admits that it wasn’t until the after the crisis that he began to take interest in craft brewing. He registered for a craft brewing class at the University of San Martín where he met professor Marcelo Cerdán. One step led to another in this beer fantasy and Fazio offered a business plan and a partnership with Marcelo as his brew master.
Otro Mundo started under the radar like most microbreweries with only one product which Fazio says nobody knew about. In order to spread the word, he developed a communication strategy while Cerdán worked on the beers quality in order to increase sales in supermarkets.
The market has blessed Otro Mundo as today they distribute in over 239 places in Capital Federal and the Buenos Aires province alone. The brand name has even grown to the point in which Otro Mundo beers are exported to countries such as Canada, the United States, Spain, Italy, Paraguay, and Mexico.
Fazio think much of the success of the microbrewery has to do with the quality, and the beer’s distinct origin especially in the international market. “It’s a total novelty that Ale production is happening in Argentina,” he says.
Fazio explains that Otro Mundo’s goal is to someday have more brewpubs serving their beer much like their microbrew predecessor Antares. However, the company is still small, a pub means a large financial compromise and the product needs to remain constantly available.
The waitress pours some draft microbrews from the tap at the Cossab brewpub. (Photo/Brian Funk)
Beer in the Barrio
The Boedo neighbourhood brew pub Cossab knows about the successes and limitations of craft beer all too well. Around 2003, this artisan beer first began as a brewpub. The bar previously served some small food snacks, and imported gourmet beers before the crisis caused a change of plans. With a little bit more food, more homemade brews, and more hard work, the bar much began to catch the attention of all the neighbourhood locals.
Pub manager Kobelt says the beer dedication and spirit of the bar has always drawn both tourists and locals.
“We attract a lot of people because we maintain this environment of a brew pub, and neighbourhood bar for people of the neighbourhood to be able to try their own local brew, this is something that doesn’t exist in Buenos Aires,” says Kobelt. “There are only three in the entire city, and our beer continues to be good. It’s rich and constant and this is why people continue to want to drink it.”
Cossab has followed in the footsteps of their European and North American counter-parts by developing more unique tastes with beers like their honey ale, bitter, and India Pale Ale. The pub also has more common styles like the blond ale, red ale, and stout. Cossab’s unique flavours have allowed the pub to survive, but to grow they have to produce more beer. The bar is open from Wednesday to Sunday, but could benefit by having two more days.
Kobelt says a factory which they are expecting to have completed by early next year will help them to provide a constant flow of draft, and bottled beer. This development promises that they might be able to reach a wider public.
The Home Brewer
The growing public interest in artisan beer has sparked the curiosity of many beer lovers all around Argentina. Local porteño Alvaro Zapata is a good example of a beer aficionado who has only since July been immersing himself into the world of different barley malts, hops, and yeasts.
A homebrewer since September, Alvaro Zapata shows the malted barely that goes into his beer. (Photo/Brian Funk)
As a cook in the Felix Collective, Zapata says the idea of making homemade beer came from the collective’s policy in trying to create food and drink in the most natural ways possible. So when the idea arose, Zapata and fellow beer maker Walter Venegas began to investigate, read books, or websites online, and talk with other beer makers.
“Beer is something that you can make with very little materials or materials that you already have, you don’t need to spend a lot of money,” says Zapata.
With the help of the Felix Collective space and cooking materials, Zapata’s first beer (a Pilsner) has had some trial and error testing as the first five concoctions have yielded improvement yet not quite the perfected taste.
As a strong advocate of autonomous food alimentation, Zapata admits that profiting from beer isn’t so much his objective, but instead enjoying the fruits of his beer labour, and the satisfactory opportunity presented to contribute to the Felix Collective’s drink menu.
Microbrew production doesn’t promise much immediate profit, but with hard work it can yield a rich and enjoyable drink that has its delicious and refreshing benefits. A veteran so to speak of the craft beer industry, Fazio says he hasn’t regretted his decision to invest his time and funds into craft brewing.
“It’s hard for me to imagine more than what I’m doing. It’s a path of personal realization,” he says. “I don’t do it for the money, but it has to do with me. I would like that maybe the things could be a bit easier, and a bit more complete, but I don’t complain.”
A Changing Market
The big time Argentine beer producers still dominate the overall sales and production of beer, yet the presence of new microbreweries have made the big brands look beyond the typical Pilsen lager.
Despite to the small percentage of microbreweries in the beer market, many artisan craft brewers encourage new tastes and competition.
The new labels from Otro Mundo's second annual art series. (Photo/Brian Funk)
“We’re convinced that the more beer makers there are, the better the industry will be. As brewers we want more beer and competition,” says Kobelt. “We want that more people in distinct parts of the country begin to try craft beers. I would like that the people replace industrial beer for craft beers.”
Most of the Argentine market is unaware of the small microbrews, yet awareness is growing. Kobelt says one interesting indicator of the changing tastes has to do with Argentina’s largest beer producer Quilmes. As the Argentine craft beer market has progressed it has continued to challenge Quilmes’ portfolio. In fact, just two years ago they decided to develop a Red, Stout and Bock line of beers.
Fazio acknowledges that Otro Mundo is never going to be Quilmes, and prefers that the company stays true to their crafty persona. Recently, the brewery launched its second art series of new creative beer labels. The labels give more life to the beer and more exposure for the participating Argentine artists like Fernanda Cohen, Jorge Alderete, and Pablo Bernasconi.
Agustina Pellegrino
