Typically I am dedicated to the San Diego craft beer community and focus my attention on the beers and local breweries who work so hard to keep me well adjusted with quality social lubricants. That being said, a funny thing happens when you start working toward making a profession out of your passion… Even when you are fortunate enough to go on vacation in a place like The Bahamas, it’s hard to disengage from one’s genetic coding and somehow, the availability of quality craft beer becomes a measuring stick to which all new experiences are applied. In other words, the quest for craft becomes a sickness…
I’ll start off by noting that The Bahamas and the Bahamian people are just fantastic… They are warm, funny, and just a pleasure to be around. Their beer? Let it just be said that in this area, there is something left to be desired.
In my humble estimation, Bahamian beer got a little too caught up in tourist culture. I think that rather than embrace their own unique identity, they’ve tried to capture the essence of mass produced American lagers in order to appease the casual traveler: The weekend warrior who practices consumption as more of a means to an end as opposed to a pious engagement in sacred ritual.
I tried a total of four local, Bahamian beers while on vacation with my family at The Atlantis Resort on Nassau. Four times I found myself pining for a hoppy, signature San Diego IPA, a sessionable pale ale, or even a well crafted sour to complement my stellar surroundings. Alas, it was not to be. Note the Bush Crack pictured above… No head, no personality, nothing to crow about other than the tasteful choice of colors in the branding. Disappointing…
Based on my limited exposure, The Pirate Republic Long John Pilsner was by far the best Bahamian offering in a lackluster group. I would classify it as a somewhat lesser version of a Lightning Elemental Pilsner. Not as good, but by no means bad. I stuck with this wherever possible while others in my group were consuming their Corona Lights. I love my family, but in the ways of craft beer they are sadly ill-informed. (I’m a middle child so no one listens to me anyway by default :D)
Kalick Gold… “Extra strong” at 7% ABV 😀 Easily the worst of the bunch. Imagine a canned, typically mass-produced AB/InBev product left in the bed of your pickup for about a week in August, then returned to your cooler by an unscrupulous friend with a twisted sense of humor. Almost tolerable at extremely low temperature but once it even started to warm up, it tasted like a typical “Big Beer” recipe poured from a Wheaties era Caitlyn Jenner’s armpit. My daughter went out of her way to comment on what this foul elixir did to my breath…
An adjunct version of the typical American Lager that I didn’t even take my own picture of. I drank one for research purposes but just couldn’t see any reason to have another. I almost did just to get a decent picture but ultimately decided it just wasn’t worth it. You know how folks describe extreme versions of a given product as being “on steroids”? Conjure an opposite reference and use Miller Lite as the benchmark.
In closing, I’m likely preaching to the choir with this final thought but when you’re fortunate enough to live in a craft beer town like San Diego, where you can literally trip on your way out of one brewery and complete your fall in another, it changes the palate. There simply is no comparison to the experience of being able to consume a beer amongst the tanks where it was brewed.
Next time your find yourself in The Bahamas, take the vacation and opt for a Pina Colada 😉
