A Caribbean Beer Adventure 4 – Carib

While on the beautiful island of St Kitts I sought out the ‘local’ beer – ‘Carib’

Carib Lager 5.2% ABV

Carib Lager originated in nearby Trinidad, the brewery in St Kitts opened in 1960, just outside Basettere, the island capital.

It’s brewed to a full 5.2% ABV.  Served in a clear 275ml bottle, the brewers are clearly expecting turnover of their brew to be sufficient as to not have to worry unduly about their brew becoming light-struck or ‘skunky’.

And with good reason, it pours with a generous head that subsides gently, leaving a healthy lacing.

The nose is hoppy, much like the Dominican Republic’s “Presidente“, but not unduly so.

The initial taste is a refreshing hop bite that gives way to a mellow refreshing pilsner style, just right for a hot sunny day.

Rating:

A Caribbean Beer Adventure – conclusion

It is always a source of amusement to my long suffering wife when she sees me lining up beers for photographs, but even she drew the line at bringing my regular grey backdrop away with us.

So, the result of several hours scouring shops and supermarkets, several hours tasting (and photographing beers) and one brewery tour, I would suggest that brews to seek out, in order of preference are :

• Presidente (Dominican Republic) -Rating:
• Carib (St Kitts) – Rating:
• Banks – draught or plastic bottle -Rating:
• Wadadli (Antigua) – Rating:
• Banks – glass bottle (Barbados) -Rating:

There you go… I know I missed a few, there was a brew called ‘Stag’ in St Kitts, and I wasn’t able to objectively review ’7′ the 7% ABV brew or ‘Stallion’ the new stout – both from Banks in Barbados, so if anybody out there encounters those brews I look forward to reading thir reviews.

That’s my two cents, have any of you tried Caribbean brews? What were your thoughts, and your favourites?

Let us know!