Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/7240
60 / the tasting panel / march 2010 Pilsener (El Salvador) ¡Ay caramba! Who knew that 19th-century Bo- hemian pilsner had started a clandestine second life in the erstwhile banana republic of El Salva- dor? Despite the generic name, this one grips the palate like Marxist dogma, with dry, astringent and entirely convincing flavors of bitter hops and raw sinew. Compared to the insipid swill that is American corporate beer, it comes across like pure revolution. WORLD BREWS Bohemia (Mexico) It happens in old Monterrey (and is owned by Heineken), but it might as well be Prague. With a name that pays tribute to the Czech pilsners that are its models, this classy Mexican quaffer has an edgy, thirst-piercing mouthfeel and crisp, citrusy flavors that lean toward grapefruit with just a touch of tangerine zest. STAR BRAND IMPORTS/HEINEKEN USA Palma Louca (Brazil) Immediately, from its spicy, lemony nose with a whiff of smoke, I like this medium-bodied pilsner from Brazil. Far from a one-note samba, the goodness continues with the toasty mesquite fla- vors as effortless and nonchalant as the girl from Ipanema. A very accomplished beer from Kaiser Brewery, which also makes dusky sibling Xingu. EUROBREW Paceña (Bolivia) The puffy-fluffy head is as white as the Andes snowcaps that provide the pristine water for this peaceable brew. Just below the snowmass, the body color shimmers like lost Inca gold, and the stuff delivers steely, incisive flavors, with an espe- cially savory Chablis-like mid-palate leading to a curtailed finish. The brand name refers to some- one (or a beer) from La Paz, Bolivia's capital. LOGRET IMPORT & EXPORT Quilmes (Argentina) Remembering the numerous times I gulped emergency doses of lifesav- ing Quilmes during a three day stay in sweltering Buenos Aires a few years ago, I was ready to rekindle my love affair with this nicely executed lager, "Argentina's favorite beer." Even here in the States, it doesn't disappoint, with serious weight on the palate, structured poise, just-right bittering and some tropical fruit overtones on the finish. GLOBAL VILLAGE IMPORTS Imperial (Costa Rica) Cerveceria Costa Rica, a sub- sidiary of the country's large Florida Ice & Farm Co. (FIFCO), has been making this German- inspired lager since 1924, but it wasn't until 80 years later that the stuff finally made it to the States. Hardly a show-stopper of a brew, it's instead a sociable, easy-going quaff that's practi- cally made for an afternoon on a white, sandy beach—which probably explains why it's the favorite beer of "Ticos," as the Costa Ricans call themselves. BLACK EAGLE IMPORTS Gadd's Sixpack nEVER MInD MIlWaukEE—GERMan anD CzECh bREWInG TRaDITIonS haVE MaDE ThEIR MaRk SouTh of ThE boRDER Too, aS ThESE Latin amERican LagERs ShoW