Beer In Panama - Part 1 - Taste, Cost & More

October 25, 2014

Will you like the beer in Panama?

You can get a sense of whether or not you will by reading this post.

- The beers of Panama

- How they taste

- How much they cost

- A bit of Panama beer history

In Part 2, you can learn about the Panama's micro-brews.

Panama Beer in a Nutshell

• 2 macro-beer breweries
• 3 most popular beers are pale lagers
• Handful of locally-made "import" beers (eg, Coors)
• Some true import beers are sold
• Panama City now has a few Micro-breweries (see Beer in Panama, Part 2 for that)

Opinions on the Taste

I like beers with alot of flavor and hops. I am not a lager drinker.

However, the 3 most popular beers in Panama are all largers.

So, to be fair to the Panama beers, I am including other people's beer reviews.

Of course, the only way to find out if you like the Panamanian beer is to come down and drink it yourself.

You can afford to try them all - repeatedly. You can buy a local lager for less than 50 cents.

3 Most Popular Panama Beers

Okay as you have probably read - or experienced - there are 3 main beers in Panama.

They are all pale lagers.

2 of the beers, Panama and Balboa, both have 4.8% alcohol, compared to 3.8% for Atlas. So if you are looking for a cheaper buzz, buy Panama or Balboa. All 3 beers are about the same price - cheap.

If you are a Budweiser drinker, you will most likely enjoy these beers. Light beers are always better in hot places anyway. Much more refreshing than an ale or stout.

1) Balboa

A pale lager with 4.8% alcohol.

Taste

This is my favorite Panamanian Lager. It is the only one I drink. I know of another expat in town who feels the same way. However, our opinion is not shared by most people.

Many restaurants and smaller grocery stores do not sell it.

My Balboa-loving friend brings his own Balboa to expat get-togethers because he knows the only beer there will be Atlas or Panama, and maybe Soberano. (I shudder at the thought of Soberano.)

The beer lovers at roamingaroundtheworld.com describe Balboa this way:

"wasn’t much different in taste from the Panama Lager. This watery beer probably had a bit more of the corn flavor and I couldn’t really pick up on any hops. Still it was refreshing at the beach and didn’t have any harsh off-putting tastes."

The non-snob beer review at nonsnobbeer.com says:

"The beer is a little more sweet than Panama, which means you start to notice when you're tired of drinking it."

Localbeerblog.com says

"Balboa is kind of like Atlas's big brother. It's marketed to the young and adventurous as a more "hardcore" option. Balboa has a very similar flavor profile as Atlas, but with just a hint more pale malt flavor and less watered-down. The alcohol content is stronger as well at 4.8%."

History

"The Balboa" was Panama's first beer. The Panama Brewing & Refrigerating Company made the first bottle in 1910.

2) Panama

A pale lager with 4.8% alcohol.

Taste

My opinion: It is okay. Not much flavor. Don't like the after taste. It is my 2nd favorite beer in Panama. I do love that it is called Panama.

roamingaroundtheworld.com describes Panama this way:

"mostly tasteless watery yellow fizzy beer. But there was some corn sweetness, some very slight hop flavors and perhaps even a tad of sour citrus. So I suppose that gives it a slight edge over some of the other similar-styled beers we’ve subjected ourselves to."

The non-snob beer review at nonsnobbeer.com says:

"It's similar to an MGD in the sense of being borderline too-bitter, really light, and marginally flavorful. But it's sure easy to kill ten of these."

Localbeerblog.com says

"Panama (4.8% ABV) is pretty decisively the most well-balanced of the three. There is a touch of spice in the nose, and unlike the other two, we get the slightest bit of hops flavor and bitterness. As far as I can tell from the packaging, Panama does not use any adjuncts. (There's something to be said for Reiheitsgebot.) Panama has also received three consecutive Grand Gold Medals from the Belgium-based quality control group, Monde Selection."

History

Panama is made by Cerveceria Baru SA in David, Panama. This brewery was created in 1959. The first beer it made was Cristal, a pilsner. 6 months later, in 1960, Cerveceria Baru started making Panama beer. You still see Cristal beer sold, but not often. I think it tastes similar to the Soberano beer. That is, not good at all. In 2002, Heineken bought Cerveceria Baru.

3) Atlas

A pale lager with 3.8% alcohol.

Taste

It is a terrible beer. It gives me a headache. I cannot think of anything that would make me drink one.

It is the most popular beer in Panama though.

Its taste according to the beer affectionados at roamingaroundtheworld.com:

"although it wasn’t awful, we preferred Panama Lager and Balboa more. Its lower ABV gives it less bang for your buck and a bit more watery than its peers. Nonetheless its still a decent beach beer in the hot sun if you’re looking for something bland to quench your thirst."

Localbeerblog.com declares

"Atlas is the lightest of the three lagers, both in alcohol content (3.8%) and flavor. I detected a bit of corn in the taste, which many large breweries use as an adjunct to try to save some money (it's cheaper than barley). Not a whole lot going on here, but I can see how an ice cold Atlas could be very refreshing in the 100 degree heat of Carnaval"

History

In 1928, the new Atlantic Brewing and Refrigeration Company started making Panama’s number one

selling Atlas beer.

Too Much Beer Merger

Right before WWII, too much beer was being made in Panama. The market was saturated.

So the 3 breweries at the time (Atlantic Brewing, Panama Brewing, and the Milwaukke Brewering Company) merged to form the Cerveceria National.

In 2005, the SABMiller group, one of the world’s largest brewers, bought Cerveceria Nacional.

In 2010, Cerveceria Nacional became the first brewery to produce Miller Light outside of the United States.

Now there are only 2 macro-breweries in Panama.

• Cerveceria National
• Cerveceria Baru

Both are owned by large international brewing conglomerates.

"Import" Beers - Brewed Locally

You might think the Budweiser you are buying in Panama is imported from the USA.

But you would be wrong. It is made in Panama.

The following "import" beers are all made in Panama (plus one made in Turkey)

• Guinness - made in Panama
• Miller - made in Panama
• Coors - made in Panama
• Budweiser - made in Panama
• Carlsberg - made in Turkey as a Panamanian import

It would be interesting to bring a bottle of each from the States and do a taste comparison.

Imports

Depending upon where you are in Panama, you can find true imported beer as well.

In Panama City you can find a large variety of beers from Germany, Belgian, as well as a some from Japan.

Not surprising most beer imports are lighter lagers or pilsners.

Occasionally you can find a heavier import. For instance, you can get Fuller's beer from England. It occasionally finds its way into the Romero in our town of Puerto Armuelles. I like the Fuller ESB. However, in most small towns you can find only panama-made beers.

Cost of Beer

Beer is cheap in Panama.

If you buy a bottle of local beer at one of the many beer distribution stores, you can get it for under 30 cents a bottle. But you must return all the bottles. Usually people buy beer by the case at these distribution centers.

You can buy a can at a grocery store for under 50 cents.

The Panama-made import beers are more. It depends upon the store, but it is in the 50 cent to 90 cent range. True imports are much more. Anywhere from $2 to $7 a bottle.

Of course, where you live matters as well. Beer in Panama City is more expensive than in Volcan.

Beer in bars are more expensive as well. But they are often less than $1. Again, depending upon where you go. A beer in the Trump Tower will cost you about $4.

Rating Chart

In Part 2, I have included a rating chart of all the beers of Panama. It was created by ratebeer.com.

What is your favorite Panama beer?
Please let me and everyone know in the comments below.

See Part 2 for information on Panama's Micro beers

If you are looking to move to Panama, you should check out our property listings.

Sources:

• Localbeerblog.com
• roamingaroundtheworld.com
• nonsnobbeer.com
• Personal experience