Beer Scene - Chile

As with Argentina, I did have some expectation from the beers that would be on offer in Chile. However, in Chile the quality end of the craft brewing scene was more difficult to get to. This was mostly down to the domination that a few of the bigger craft breweries had over the whole scene - most particularly the Kunstmann Brewery. Not that their success shouldn't be applauded, as it is a welcoming sight to see so many cafes and restaurants offering a craft brewery as the source of their draught beers, rather than a tasteless national brand. But I do think that this might be making it harder for some of the smaller brewers to get their beers out in the public.

Nevertheless, there was plenty of variety on offer in Chile if you searched for it - though there seemed to be less experimentation with different styles than I saw in Argentina. In fact, it wasn't really until my last day in Chile that I was wowed by Chilean beer. And that was due to the magnificent Szot beers. I only had the chance to taste a couple of them, but the Szot Stout has gone down already as one of the finest beers I have ever tasted - it was like drinking black gold. It's a shame they are so difficult to find - I had to go to the Santiago Ritz Carlton to taste these - and even more of a shame that I could only have one.