Peruvian Craft Beer Is Linking Cultures

 

Allie Bobak – International Correspondent & Imanol Castrellon

People are leaving the comfort of their home to go out on a cold, grey night in Lima to drink beer. What is going on? Why? Who did this? Well, as in many nations around the world, some crazy brewers got together and decided to throw a drinking event. This one was called the Beer Sessions- Winter Addition (keep in mind- opposite seasons down here) and it was an insanely good time!

While doing our in-depth reporting, something really stuck out to us at this event. The massive success of these beer sessions has created a rising conglomeration of intercultural exchange. 

In Peru, a country ranked 35^th as the World´s Best country to live in, beer is seriously bringing people together.

Peruvian craft breweries have managed to establish a pretty damn good “rep” outside the nation´s borders. Chileans, Colombians, Canadians even “Kiwis” congregate at events like Beer Sessions- Winter Addition and build everlasting bonds with complete strangers over the course of a heavy night of drinking and a raising glass with a “salud” to seal that friendship.

This festival´s honorable mention, goes to Sierra Andina Brewery, and specifically their new brewer, Ben Kent, freshly shipped down our way from Los Estados Unidos.

Ben has been home brewing since 1994.  Decades later, in 2011, he left his career as a carpenter and general contractor to follow his dreams and brew beer.  He got a job as an Assistant Brewer at the Colorado-based Breckenridge Brewery.  After a while he was looking for the next leap and challenge in his career- and specifically in an emerging market.

“I can remember the first few craft beers I ever had, and I remember that epiphany. I wanted for other people to have that and I wanted to bring them that” Ben says. “In Colorado everyone has had craft beer.  So the next step was to move to an emerging market and be able to give people their first craft beer and let them know what craft beer can be. “

Ben’s driving brewing philosophy is as pure as it is direct and he’s committed creating “extremely good and extremely true to style, classic craft beer.”

But for this festival there was a change, and Sierra Andina brought out the Cerveza “Leñador” (translation: Lumberjack)–An alchemy so rare that the most reliable lineage could be traced (not quite) to the lost Inca civilisation and their Chica de Jora.

This was a textbook example of the mixing of brewing cultures and techniques that’s happening now in Peru – a traditional Barleywine aged with oak wood and Pisco (the most traditional of Peruvian spirits). 

The result was truly exquisite, both for its innovation and robust flavours including vanilla, hops, and of course, Pisco. And it was the perfect representation of all that Peruvian beer is doing of this nation, both in terms of beer and culture