Favourite Cuban Beers

[El Presidente]

 

I am not a big beer person but two of my favourite Cuban beers are Hatuey and Tinima

Budlight they are not 

I haven't seen them around for years. 

 

 

[Nino]

Cristal.

In cans if possible.

Gracias.

 

[johnl617]

Drank nothing but Cristal in a can while in Havana. I miss it so much.


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[griller]

48 minutes ago, johnl617 said:

Drank nothing but Cristal in a can while in Havana. I miss it so much.


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Me, too. However, I seem to remember drinking a few Bucanero while in Guanabo for a day at the beach.

I miss Cuba very much & can't believe it has been almost 21 years since my visit.

[El Hoze]

I like Cristal. Good easy drinking beer. 

I posted this recently, but they have this beer “Palma” in the US now (Florida at least). It is very clearly stylized/branded to look like Cristal but brewed in Nicaragua. 

[Fuzz]

4 hours ago, El Hoze said:

I like Cristal. Good easy drinking beer. 

I posted this recently, but they have this beer “Palma” in the US now (Florida at least). It is very clearly stylized/branded to look like Cristal but brewed in Nicaragua. 

 

Should be sold in glass topped 6 packs. That knock off brand is currently owned by a company in California, and manufactured in Nicaragua. The company even advertises that it is inspired by the number one sold beer in Cuba. Sold only in California and Florida.

[Ken Gargett]

7 hours ago, Nino said:

Cristal.

In cans if possible.

Gracias.

 

for me, definitely Cristal. but definitely not in a can if it can be avoided. hate beer in cans. too often, that tinny, metallic taste ruins it. 

hatuey was a hemingway favourite from memory. although the name always reminded me of the sound you made spitting it out. 

[bugman78629]

Yaaaaasssss.......

 

 

[Ryan]

I've never seen Hatuey or Tinima for sale. One of the odd ones I've had was Mayabe. Not good. It tastes like ear wax.

Bucanero I find a bit harsh, though it'll do in a push. Cristal is nice, generic "cold lager in a warm country" taste.

Over the last few years Presidente, Dominican beer, has been common, probably due to a shortage of something. That, and Heineken. 

Cuban Cristal is available in some European markets where it's called "Palma Cristal". Bucanero is called "Cubanero". Probably trademark issues.

[El Presidente]

3 minutes ago, Ryan said:

I've never seen Hatuey or Tinima for sale. One of the odd ones I've had was Mayabe. Not good. It tastes like ear wax.

 

Both are sold in odd places. One is the cafe/bar downstairs at the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes de Cuba (modern art museum). 

 

 

[Ken Gargett]

39 minutes ago, El Presidente said:

Both are sold in odd places. One is the cafe/bar downstairs at the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes de Cuba (modern art museum). 

 

 

i remember that.

i've seen cristal on sale in brizzy, though not for a while. 

[Nino]

5 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

for me, definitely Cristal. but definitely not in a can if it can be avoided. hate beer in cans. too often, that tinny, metallic taste ruins it. 

hatuey was a hemingway favourite from memory. although the name always reminded me of the sound you made spitting it out. 

Funny, I prefer it in cans as it tastes fresher to me, the bottled Cristal tastes kind of stale to me.

Bucanero is too bitter/strong for me, never liked it.

Presidente is a sorry excuse for beer ...

[riderpride]

Cristal is nice and light - great for slamming somthing cold back after a long day out and about and definately cans Nino! Bucanero is my pick, but I don't recall hatuey. I'll seek it out next time. 

I heard that Labatt's is a JV partner in Bucanero as well 

 

Cheers

[helix]

Stick with cans. Cubans bottle washing machine .........................hmmmmmmmmmmmm???

[Monterey]

Cristall is like drinking bud light, with less taste.  Shocked how many people like it.  Bucanero is a step up, slightly.  I just stick with the mojitos and leave the beer drinking for back home.  But I' live in one of the microbrew capitals, so I can be a tad picky about my beer.

It would be a toss up for me between water out of the tap in Cuba or Cristal.

[Nino]

I remember an old joke about the difference between drinking Bud and making love in a canoe ... but it is NSFW 🙂

Happy to live in a Macrobrewery country full of beers with Belgium and the real Budweiser & Pilsner Urquell next door.

[Ryan]

I do remember hearing, a few times, in Cuba that Cuba didn't have the means to recycle Cristal bottles, but that Heineken bottles could be. I've no idea why that might be, but the people telling me seemed quite sure.

[Ryan]

Heineken made a smart move in Havana in 2019. As far as I could see, no local beers did this.

[SpecialK]

1 hour ago, Nino said:

I remember an old joke about the difference between drinking Bud and making love in a canoe ... but it is NSFW 🙂

Happy to live in a Macrobrewery country full of beers with Belgium and the real Budweiser & Pilsner Urquell next door.

know the joke.... and it's near water  

[Corylax18]

1 hour ago, Nino said:

I remember an old joke about the difference between drinking Bud and making love in a canoe ... but it is NSFW 🙂

Happy to live in a Macrobrewery country full of beers with Belgium and the real Budweiser & Pilsner Urquell next door.

I learned about the REAL Budweiser in Cuba, I think during dinner with you. Maybe at Amigo's del Mar? They had it on the menu and my Dad and I where completely confused. We where expecting the much worse, American Version. The real thing is much better, its called "Czechvar" here in the States:

 

Just like Cuban Cigars, Cuban beer can be very Hit or Miss. 

A Fresh, ICE COLD Cristal is the perfect beer for a hot, humid Cuban afternoon. A Warm, skunky, one is not. 

In general, I prefer beer in bottles, but I've had much better luck with Canned Cristal than the Bottles. I dont know if its a shoddy seal job on the caps or they store the bottles out in the sunlight after production, but I've had far more skunky, old tasting bottles than cans. 

Has anyone ever tried Caney or Varadero Beers? I've never seen/tasted either, but this truck was parked at Jose Marti, Terminal 1 about 3 years ago. They where unloading Presidente unfortunately.

 

1 hour ago, Ryan said:

Heineken made a smart move in Havana in 2019. As far as I could see, no local beers did this.

I saw some Cristal Cans with the Logo in November 2019. They weren't nearly as wide spread as the Heineken Bottles, but they where around. You probably saw them and either missed it or forgot it. Look just under the Ash:

 

[Habana Mike]

While Cristal and Bucanero are the predominant beers available, you can find beers like Cacique, Tinima or Bruja mostly at the local outlets or late night eatery stands. 

Quite cheap especially if you have a friend buying for you with pesos.

Cuba is certainly not a beer mecca though their lagers can be refreshing in the hot tropical climate.

If I recall, Foxy calls it party water...

[Lomey]

I'm a beer drinker and actually liked Bucanero.  Drank a few at the little bar in the Hotel Conde de Villanueva.  Great memories of that day.  I also had what I was told was a Russian beer in a green bottle if I remember correctly at a lunch place that was the absolute worst beer I've ever had.  Those were the only 2 beers I had in Cuba.  I wish I could have tried more.  

[bugman78629]

[Nino]

9 hours ago, SpecialK said:

know the joke.... and it's near water  

Hahahaha ... actually freaking close to water 🙂

 

9 hours ago, Corylax18 said:

I learned about the REAL Budweiser in Cuba, I think during dinner with you. Maybe at Amigo's del Mar? They had it on the menu and my Dad and I where completely confused. We where expecting the much worse, American Version.

A Fresh, ICE COLD Cristal is the perfect beer for a hot, humid Cuban afternoon.

In general, I prefer beer in bottles, but I've had much better luck with Canned Cristal than the Bottles. I dont know if its a shoddy seal job on the caps or they store the bottles out in the sunlight after production, but I've had far more skunky, old tasting bottles than cans. 

 

 

Yes, it was at Amigos del Mar and I could not believe my luck to find the real Budvar beer in Cuba.

And at the Casa where that picture was taken they were able to find me a few cases for my stay there a few months later.

Nothing beats a cold light lager in a tropical country.

[bugman78629]