I was in La Paz recently, and had drinks at the Sol y Luna restaurant (Calle Tarija, I think?), which by the way has a great beer menu. Granted, when I asked for two Belgians and then Pilsner Urquell and they had none, I was brought two German lagers and told that’s all they had at the moment. But, the Flensburger dunkel came in a flip-top bottle and those are gold as a homebrewer, so I ended up trucking that thing around the rest of the week.
Anyway, the more impressive part of that menu were the local microbrews available! They had Saya (and Paceña) on tap, as well as bottles from Sucre-based Ted’s and the brand-new Vicos. They also had Cerveceria Kushaav, a La Paz brewery I had heretofore never heard of. Back in my hostel lobby, lo and behold, they also had bottles available!
So, now I’m back home in Santa Cruz and drinking through the first bottle of Aleksandra Golden Ale (5.3% ABV, probably an English yeast), and I must admit it’s a unique experience for a Bolivian beer. Malty, but the hops are both present in the grassy aroma and very much so in the taste (the description emphasizes the fruity aspect, which is present, but it’s just very well-rounded and balanced overall). I’ll be the first to admit I have little breadth in terms of my experience with hop identification, but I think I detect Cascade hops in there. Certainly it’s reminiscent of the Columbus hops I’ve been using a lot lately, but not as harsh. If it’s available here in SCZ, I’d try to have it on hand to show friends.
Beyond Aleksandra, they also have Coqueta, a 4.4% ABV porter, and El Salar (also 4.4%, but I’m not sure of the style). All appear to be bottled conditioned
Now to add it to the list of microbreweries in Bolivia! Salúd!
Embracing Limitations 