I’ve been gone on vacation the last two weeks with another on tap, but, as always, my “beeradar” is on.
There are trips I plan around beer and others where I have to go with what’s available. It’s part of the fun.
I spent 10 days on the semi-remote island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, a large archipelago of more than 700 islands that generally gets lumped by reference to Nassau, the capital city. Get a map and you’ll see more than a dozen major islands that are much larger yet lightly populated.
Eleuthera is one of them; it’s a Greek word for freedom. About 100 English settlers from Bermuda arrived there in 1648. They were seeking religious freedom and landed by shipwreck on a reef at the north end of this skinny, 100-mile-long island that is no wider than a mile.
Some of the prettiest beaches anywhere on earth are there, spread out among small settlements shared by only 11,000 souls.
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You can only take so much sun and sea before a thirst for beer sends you scurrying for shade and refreshment. What’s there? You’ll find two local lagers readily at hand, Kalik and Sands.
Kalik, “Beer of the Bahamas,” is celebrating its 30th anniversary. It is owned by Heineken and based in Nassau. Sands, “Truly Bahamian Beer,” is locally owned and produced by the Sands family since 2007 in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
But there’s a caveat — they’re expensive: $50 per case. There are times when you have to decide which is worse, expensive beer or no beer. I budgeted in advance.
In larger stores you can find Coors Light, Budweiser, Heineken and even some Samuel Adams, but they all cost more. Besides, what’s fun about sticking with the familiar when you’re somewhere different?
Kalik, named for the sound of festive Junkanoo cowbells, and Sands are both really good examples of European pilsners. Sands proclaims German malt and Hallertau hops brewed in a German-built brewhouse. It’s a tad lighter in color than Kalik and the Hallertaus really come through.
There’s another, much older style that’s still popular — strong stouts. I found three different versions that you wouldn’t expect to find where the weather is hot both day and night.
These beers harken back to the days when English porter flooded the world in the 19th century. The Bahamas were an English colony for more than 250 years until gaining independence in 1973, but the tradition lives on. Stronger versions of porter were called stout, and the three I found hovered at 7 percent alcohol.
Guinness licenses its Foreign Extra Stout through the same brewery that produces Kalik. Sands brews its own version, Strong Back Stout. Royal Extra Stout travels from Trinidad at the far end of the Caribbean.
There’s no mistaking the smooth roastiness of Guinness, and its extra strength adds firm flavor. Porter’s origins are evident with Strong Back’s fruity malt complexity, and Royal Extra is a wonderful rendition of a milk stout with its sweeter finish.
You could say these beers reflect the black-on-white patterns of domino tiles, another favorite Bahamian pastime.
Bill Siel, a Kenosha News photojournalist, has been homebrewing since 1989 and has been involved in Kenosha’s craft brewing community since 2012. Since 1991, he has been a certified beer judge through the American Homebrewers Association’s Beer Judge Certification Program.