This is a late addition to one of my features on my old blog. Beer and Pizza Reviews. I don’t pretend to be some sort of beer connoisseur and I certainly don’t pretend to be someone who didn’t need Google to figure out how to spell, “connoisseur.” However, I love pizza and I love beer. Who doesn’t? They are two of the world’s most simple pleasures. You won’t see any in depth discussion on the level of hops in a Bintang Bali or the cheese to sauce ratio of a Happy Cambodian pot pizza. I just try to let you know what I thought and share the experience. Hope you enjoy!
Pizza in Colombia
Colombia was very interesting when it came to the pizza. Pizza is everywhere and many Colombians eat it but they do it their own way. There are a variety of slices you can order from small pizza shops ranging from sausage (chorizo), mushroom, plain and even with corn.Ask for the mais pizza. I found it to be pretty good but most of the others I was with stayed far from it. Most of the local pizza parlors don’t make pizza with tomato sauce but you can find plenty of Domino’s chain restaurant if you really need it. I didn’t try the Domino’s in Medellin but many expats swore by it.
Beer in Colombia
Beer was definitely a surprise in Colombia. You have three main types of pilsner to choose from if you’re in Colombia. Poker, Aguila and Club Colombia. It seemed like Poker was more common in Bogota and Aguila in Medellin but that might have just been my perception. Club Colombia has the higher alcohol content of the three and would normally be my go-to beer if I was looking for something cheap. All three were good in their own way and were cheap. You shouldn’t pay much more than .75 to $1 for a beer outside of your hotel.
The real treat in Colombia regarding beer is the microbrewery in Medellin called Cordilleras. They are three beers that are are similar to American style pale ale, wheat and a heavier ale. I forget the names of all three but they were color coded blue, red and green. The red was by far the best but pictured to the right is the wheat. They were fantastic you can even take a tour of the brewery near El Poblado in Medellin. I didn’t do the tour myself but if I return I’ll check it out.
I spent many hours at Tiger Paw Hostel’s bar chatting with locals, expats and fellow travelers over glasses of Cordilleras. It was slightly more price than the local pilsners but well worth it. It was one of the highlights of Colombia in my opinion and the constant flow that Tiger Paw provided was excellent. If you show up on the right night you might even be able to drink it for free during their Beer Pong nights. I’d say, Cordilleras are the best beer I’ve had outside of either the U.S. or Europe.