May 10, 2014

Beer in Belize pretty much begins and ends with Belikin.

In fact, all beer produced in Belize does in fact begin and end with Belikin. From what we were told on Caye Caulker the family that owns and runs Belikin worked it out that they could have a monopoly …. a beeropoly?

However the patriarch is no longer of this earth and his kids (who are probably filthy rich and cannot imagine a time when they do not fully control the beer production in Belize) do not really care if Belikin’s iron grip gets loosened.

Again all of that is hearsay coming probably 9^th-hand from a sun-baked island dweller. Beeropoly or not, if you want to drink Belizean beer, it’s going to be Belikin.

Belikin is another fairly tasteless lager found in warm places, not known for producing quality beers. Light in color and low on flavor, Belikin is meant to be consumed while wearing flip flops on a beach, or sitting on a the edge of a dock. It is not meant for savoring.

Belikin, like Sol, is a fine everyday drink. Especially ice cold. Warm beer is bad enough, warm Belikin is unfathomably bad. Bad enough you would consider not finishing it. I would finish it because I paid for the damn thing, but I would like myself a little bit less for doing so.

Belikin does make other varieties; most common is Belikin “Stout.” I do not profess to be a stout drinker, as it typically tastes too much like coffee, which I do not drink either. However Belikin Stout, is no stout. It is not robust, it is not smoky or coffee-like in any way. It is a darker version of regular Belikin. It has the slightest bit of maltiness a beer can have to even be considered malty.

Please note the only way to distinguish Belikin and Belikin Stout is by the cap. All Belikin bottles have painted labels and are reused, making the printing on the bottle itself the same for both beers. The normal Belikin has a green cap, while Belikin Stout has a blue cap.

Two other facts you should know when drinking the beer of Belize. Belikins are small. In fact they contain only 9.6oz rather than the typical 12 in American bottles. So you will need to buy more to get the same amount of beer. Additionally Belikin bottles, as they are reused are very heavy as the glass is much thicker, tricking you into thinking you have some beer left in you, when it is in fact bone dry.

Moral of that is less beer in heavy bottles, made for many confused faces until the mystery was solved. Of course over several more Belikins.

Oh and one other tip especially if spending time on Caye Caulker and plan on drinking lots of Belikin. Skip the grocers and go straight to the distributor. It is at the end of Calle Del Sol opposite side of the island from Front Street. They sell Belikin (as well as other beer and soda) by the case. $50 Belize ($25 US) gets you a case of Belikin. Add $2 Belize and you get it cold. You do pay deposit on the bottles and crate, but you get that back when you return them. $2 per Belikin is the best deal on the island.

You can find other options, one of which I will cover, as well as a couple global imports – mostly Guinness, or some Asian beers sold at one of the numerous Chinese grocery stores on the island. Guinness is Guinness, so there is no point in drinking it. Random Asian beers, well I’d rather wait for Asian to do that.

The one other beer I had in Belize was Lighthouse Lager.

This had even less flavor and tasted more like old water than Belikin, so I stuck with my tiny, but trusty Belizean brew.

In non-brew news Caye Caulker brought on the addition of rum.

I like rum. Since I started drinking spirits, I have had a fond place in my heart for a good rum.

But rum is not something I have purchased or drank for many years. It is simply not my go-to when looking for a cocktail (that would be gin).

However when on a Caribbean island – yes Caye Caulker is in the Caribbean Sea and it has a very Caribbean/Rasta vibe  - the liquor to drink is and will always be rum.

So we spent many a night polishing off handles of rum. Caribbean Rum.

The white rum made by Cuellos Distillery of Belize is absolute gut rot. It cannot and should not be consumed on it’s on under any circumstances. Mixed with Coke, it just ruins the coke. In a punch, I am fairly certain it just instantly spoils the fruit. But we still drank a bunch of it.

The dark Caribbean Rum on the other hand is actually quite nice in both Coke and in punch. It will never be confused with a quality spiced rum, or one that has been aged for any length of time, but it is infinitely more drinkable that the rubbing alcohol in a rum bottle that white shit was.

So dark rum punch and Belikin made for some fun nights with new friends. 

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