The Beer Special

By special request and based on a mere three week's sampling, here is our opinion on Costa Rican beer ( cerveza).

There seem to be three brands in the north of the country: Imperial, Bavaria and something with a forgettable piratical sounding name like 'Buccaneer'.

If you just ask for beer you usually end up with Imperial which is the most ubiquitous and comes complete with Teutonic styled label.

This is a competent 4.5% strength by volume lager which is thirst quenching in a hot climate but lacks body ( and much taste).

Best is Bavaria (sic) which makes up for the lack of both body and taste, but inevitably at a greater detriment to the wallet. Both the dark and gold varieties are good, appealing to those who prefer the stout and bitter ends of the lager spectrum respectively.

The piratical beer is thin, tasteless and best avoided!