Last year my roommates and I started getting into the show Man vs. Wild. It is hard to not like Bear Grylls. He is a man’s man with a cool accent and an adventurous spirit. One of the episodes took place in the Patagonian mountain range. From what I remember the terrain was tough and he encountered a massive glacier which he trekked across.
Quilmes is a beer that hails from Argentina with mountainous grandeur. It is the nations most recognizable and love beer (says so on the bottle). The colors on the label mimic the Argentinean flag and the company sponsors the countries football team. Unfortunately and interestingly enough it is owned by InBev the world’s largest beer conglomerate. In the end this probably helps Quilmes with the export market shares.
I did not have high hopes for this beer considering it looked like a classic foreign lager. After the pour I was somewhat surprised. It has a great delicate white head that rest atop a light straw colored beer. The ingredients smell rather cheap (rice and corn), but it has a distinct mineral aroma. Overall, I’d say it smells better than a cheap Euro or Mexican lager. The box says it is “made with fine fresh hops from Patagonia Argentina,” but they do not add any real aroma.
The taste is what surprised me most. While being very light in body and kind of watered down it did have a little life to it. The box calls it a “Patagonian cool beer” and I wholeheartedly agree. I instantly though of that huge glacier and the cold mountain water running down from the peaks, as shown in that episode of Man vs. Wild. It was very refreshing, crisp, rehydrating, and clean. Drunk very cold this beer is enjoyable if not good.
ABV: 4.9%
Grade: C+