Caribbean food culture is known for its wealth of vibrant and fresh flavors. In fact, this region has some of the best cuisine you can get. So, an area that is known for having high-quality food is also going to be a place that can make a great beer. Most people dont know a lot about Caribbean beers, so they often go unnoticed. This is because European and American beers are already super popular.
10 Saints, Strong Back Stout, Banks, Kabuli, and Red Stripe are the most popular and most widely-served Caribbean beer brands. Other highly enjoyable Caribbean beers are Turk’s Head Brewery, Blackbeard, Ironshore, Carib, Stag, and Piton. Those are the most popular ones, but you should also take a look at other island-hoping favorites like Kalik, Skol Lager, Presidente, and Wadadli.
Caribbean beers to be largely ignored by beer the enthusiast community. So, we put this article together to inform the public on the best Caribbean beers available. In the Caribbean, there is a beer for everyone. From light lagers to full-bodied dark beers, this tropical region has got you covered.
1. 10 Saints
Saints is a handcrafted, artisan beer that is produced in Speightstown, Barbados. This beer is actually a blend rum and a lager, which, as you would expect, gives it a totally unique flavor. This craft beer is aged using a unique process that is specific to this company.
This brew is made in Mount Gay distillery’s ‘Special Reserve’ rum casks, which gives Saints its refreshing lager that has the perfect balance of spice courtesy of the oak barrels it was made in. So, if you are in the area, or just wanting to feel like you are, you should give 10 Saints a shot!
2. Strong Back Stout (The Bahamas)
Strong Back Stout is made by the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company in the Bahamas. This one is a lot different from most other Caribbean beers. This beer is a full-bodied, smooth and quite stout beverage, but it somehow manages to not leave a bitter aftertaste.
In this beverage you can taste hints of chocolate and a touch of roasted malt. Strong Back Stout is often described as being a lot less harsh than most stouts.
3. Banks
This beer is made in Barbados, where its a household name. Banks makes a wide range of bears, so in this Caribbean beer brand, there is something for everyone.
Banks’ original pilsner-lager is its most well known drink, but this company has a lot of new beers that you should give a shot. For example, the company’s Seven Strong lager is gaining in popularity and has quickly become a heavy hitter in bars all around the region.
4. Kabuli
The is produced in the Dominican Republic and is the country’s national beer. This lager is light and refreshing, and that is more than likely due, in part, to the fact that the water used to make this Caribbean beer is sourced directly from Loubiere’s natural spring.
Most people don’t realize this, but the name of this beer is short for Waitukubuli, which is the native Caribbean name for the island.
5. Red Stripe (Jamaica)
This is one the Caribbean beer that most people already know about. Red Stripe is a super popular Caribbean beer from Jamaica.
Red Stripe has a more traditionally international flavour because it uses hops provided with grain from the United States and Canada, France, and the UK. Its produced with fresh well water from Jamaica, so you can bet on this amber lager having a crisp, clean and refreshing taste.
6. Turk’s Head Brewery
This is the only beer produced on the Turks and Caicos islands. So, beers by this brand have a unique range of flavors that all have equally unique names. ‘I- Ain- Ga- Lie’ is this compani’s most popular Caribbean lager.
It has a gentle flavour quite a smooth finish that has no bitter after-taste at all. Another beer by this company called ‘Down- Da- Road’ is infused with the fruity aroma of locally-sourced papaya.
7. Blackbeard
Ale Blackbeard Ale is a full-bodied English amber ale that is known to have quite a bit of an edge to it.
This Caribbean beer has rum overtones with a malty front that has a splash of nutmeg flavor. This is a creamy, heavy beer that is thicker than most, but it has a high level of carbonation that makes it refreshing despite its thickness.
8. Ironshore
Bock Brewed in the Cayman Islands, this is another one on our list that take a hard turn away from the typical Caribbean beer. Ironshore has a sharp, bold and dark flavor that is 7% alcohol by volume.
This beer is made with a roasted dark German malt, which creates a rich roast coffee aftertaste that is quite polarizing to say the least. Other bad-ass beers from this brand are White Tip Lager and Caybrew. In fact, Caybrew is the most common beer you will find on the islands.
9. Carib
Carib is the official beer of Trinidad and the defacto standard beer in Tobago. This beer Caribbean beer is a mainstay in the region as it has been produced there since the 1950’s. Since then, the company has expanded their brewing operations into Grenada, St Kitts, and Nevis as well.
This brew provides a crisp, refreshing bite and goes really well after a long day in the hot sun. The flavor of this Caribbean beer is often described as smooth, full-bodied, and most of all, balanced.
10. Stag
Stag is arguably the most marketed Caribbean beer in the region. Their ad campaign presents their product as a ‘man’s beer.’ Most of the time, when there is a lot of hype about something, the reality of the product doesn’t quiet match up. This beer is an exception to this rule.
Stag is a more full-flavored, European-style lager when compared to the traditionally lighter typical Caribbean beer brand. This beer is classified as an American lager and is packaged in a characteristic green bottle.
Stag is brewed by the same company that make Carib and Skol. So, that means the magic happens in St. Kitts at Carib Brewery.
11. Piton
Piton is the national beer of Saint Lucia. The beer gets its name from the iconic mountains in the region. Piton has used locally grown ingredients in the brewing process since it was founded in 1992. So, this is one of the most sustainably produced Caribbean beer brands on the market. This company is known for injecting rich and spicy flavors into their beers. This beer has a flat golden color with a strong, malty aroma.
12. Kalik
Kalik is another highly recognized Caribbean beer brand. In fact, this is the official beer of the Bahamas.
The Kalik lager, which is referred to as a ‘tropical lager’ by the rand, is among the most refreshing brews you will ever find. This beer has an iconic golden color and has a slightly sweet aftertaste that’s always present.
13. Skol Lager
Skol Lager is produced on St. Kitts by the Carib Brewery. While Skol is technically a global beer brand that you can find all over the place, its produced right here in the Caribbean. You can find this beer in public places all around the world, from the soccer stadiums of Brazil to Scandinavian bars.
14. Presidente (Dominican Republic)
Presidente is an absolutely legendary Caribbean beer brand. This beer is brewed in the Dominican Republic, but its another one that you can find just about everywhere.
Presidente’s is a medium lager and is basically iconic in the region. Its not a new beer, either. This one has been around since 1935, and was named after the Dominican Republic’s dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo.
Over time, the recipe for this beer has evolved quite a bit. When it first came out, it was a deep, dark brew, that was eventually reformulated into the light pilsner that it is now. Presidente is classified as a ‘golden Pilsner’ and is known to have some corn overtones and a sweet, crisp after taste.
15.Wadadli
Wadadli is, as you would expect by now, the national beer of Antigua, Wadadli is one of the most popular and most-ordered beers in the Caribbean. In fact, this beer is the one that is most commonly served on Caribbean cruise ships.
Wadadli is produced by Antigua Brewery and is an American-style lager that is known to be relatively low in alcohol content. Wadadli has a bland, yellow color, and has citrus overtones and a lingering good-tasting aftertaste.
Conclusion
Caribbean culture is known to have a high level of respect for food and drink. With some of the best best cuisine you can get, it only makes sense for the area to also make some fantastic beers. There are quite a few Caribbean beer brands out there, and most people dont know a lot about them, so we made this list to help you find the perfect Caribbean brew.
10 Saints, Strong Back Stout, Banks, Kabuli, and Red Stripe are among the most popular Caribbean beer brands, but there are plenty of others to choose from. You may want to try out Blackbeard, Turk’s Head Brewery, Ironshore, Stag, Carib, and Piton, as they all have some pretty fantastic brews on offer. If you run out of choices there, then surely Skol Lager, Kalik, Presidente, or Wadadli has something you like.