Uruguayan Beer
Posted on March 13, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Expat Tips |
4 Comments
If you like beer and are headed towards Uruguay, be prepared. The beer is inexpensive but there is little variety to choose from, especially in the interior. The Uruguayan beer market is essentially a monopoly, controlled by QUINSA, which is owned InBev, the world largest beer manufacturer. This same company also has a virtual monopoly in Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil. And if you look at their brand portfolio, you will find so many familiar names that it’s almost scary.
Of all beers sold in Uruguay, only four brands are actually made in Uruguay: Pilsen, Norteña, Zillertal and Patricia. All four are made by the Fabricas Nacionales de Cervezas (FNC) which is controlled by QUINSA. If you patronize the average bar on the average street those are the brands you will encounter, over and over again. However at any large Uruguayan supermarket, you will also have access to several “world” beers from InBev’s portfolio, sometimes at prices only a little higher than the local brands.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a big beer drinker so take my opinion for what it’s worth. But if you do like the taste of the average domestic beer in the US, I think you will also like Uruguayan beers. On the other hand, if like myself you prefer heartier and bitterer beers, you will probably end up asking for the wine-list instead, because Uruguayan beers are all similar. Please take a look at this site for a more independent assessment. Interestingly, the Uruguayan Pilsen received a better rating than Budweiser. I must say I agree wholeheartedly. I believe InBev licenses the rights to make Budweiser in Canada and to distribute it outside the US. Which may explain why it is so inexpensive in Uruguay. By the way, Pilsen is the best selling brand in Uruguay.
I would like to warn you that when you order beer at a restaurant and there are two or more people, the waiter may automatically bring you a one-liter bottle and glasses. If you prefer, you can order small individual bottles or a can, but keep in mind that it is considered gauche to drink from the bottle.
Other posts in Expat Tips- Pros and Cons of Shipping Furniture Abroad
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- Usufruct and Inheritance Issues
- Tipping Custom in Uruguay
- American Income Tax While Living Abroad
- Visa Requirements to Travel to Brazil
- Inheritance Laws in Uruguay
- Uruguayan Spanish Conjugation
- Obtaining the Uruguayan National ID
- Steps To Obtain Permanent Residency in Uruguay
- Tipping Custom in Uruguay
- Uruguayan Mate Custom
- Types of Cheeses Made in Uruguay
- Overview of Uruguayan Dulce de Leche
- Overview of the Jams and Jellies Available in Uruguay
- Review of Milk Types Available in Uruguay
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- An Overview of Inexpensive Table Wines of Uruguay
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4 Responses to “Uruguayan Beer”
I would agree that the range of beers I found available on my visit, was very limited.
However whilst they do not compare to cask conditioned beers, IMHO I thought the quality was far better than anything widely available in the USA. (most of which is like p..s)
Even so called more specialised beers often turn out to be nothing more than a marketing spoof, that is, often produced by sub-contract breweries, which is shameful.
The beer in URY is clearly marked 5% abv, you try looking for the abv value on any beer widely produced in the USA.
Real Budwieser is produced in Prague, and is a much better quality product than that made available for the masses, alas they know no better.
(Bit like watching Fox News, or reading IL, entertaining to a degree, however it just dulls the mind).
Cheers and good health, Adrian.
I though Patricia was made by Salus (which is owned by the Danone Group of France). Am I wrong? I’ll ask a friend who works with Salus to confirm this. Whatever happened to the Doble Uruguaya brand?
Nowadays Patricia seems to belong to FNC (see this link) http://www.presidencia.gub.uy/_WEB/fotos/2006/03/2006032702.htm
and also according to other docs I found on the web.
Salus is bottled in the same area, Minas, but I am not sure what percentage of it is owned by InBev and what percentage by Danone, was 30,60 at one point. According to this doc, apparently Salus and Patricia were controlled by the same company in the past. http://www.parlamento.gub.uy/sesiones/pdfs/comision/20030226c0010.pdf
The old Doble Uruguaya brand is still owned by FNC and according to this marketing doc, http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:oGR57cwwyBMJ:www.anunciantes.com.uy/pps/seminario_hipersegmentacion.ppt+cerveza+%22doble+uruguaya%22+site:uy&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us
they gave up resurrecting the brand.
If any of you have newer info or more details on this subject please post it. Thanks
I do like my beer, and I like the local brands, but they are limited in type. They’re basicly all Pilsners, which are my choice.
I guess on the wine front, that would be like a country that only produced good Merlot with a few out of country selections.
Steve