The Costa Rican Beer Scene, Such As It Is.

When we learned that we would leave Belgium, and after I wept big man-tears about having to leave behind all those great beers, I consoled myself with this: There is a craft brewery in Costa Rica. You see, there are still plenty of countries without any at all. We very well could have been sent to one of them. But in Costa Rica there is something on which to build. There is a micro, a noble thing run by heroes, and it is called K&S Cerveceria.

And then, in November, it closed. The owners sold the kit and the brewer moved home to Arizona. And then there was nada. Poof! Gone.

So, the status quo here is back to being status quo. If you catch my drift. There is one giant company dominating the market with a few similar, predictable brands. A few imports sneak in, but nothing too exciting. As I've ranted already, this is unacceptable.

Thankfully, there are at least a few others who agree. The growing powers of craft beer and globalization make this inevitable, even if they do not necessarily make it easier to succeed. Employing three-barrel systems, five-gallon soda kegs, and the thirst of beer-savvy tourists, there are two working micro — nay, nanobreweries that expect to open here in the near future, in different parts of the country. I'll tell you about each of them very soon.

Also to come: the challenges of homebrewing in paradise, bars that make the best of a bad beer situation, tico moonshine, and anything else I can contrive. Just think of me as the McGyver of beer writers.