Xingu Black Beer

Ever heard of black beer? After having various countries beer selections such as Ireland, German, Japanese and so on, I was introduced to black beer. The taste reminds me of Guinness stout ale mixed with soda! Sounds strange however the taste is empowering!

Xingu is a rare beer that was founded in 1986 by five women under the company named Amazon, Inc. located in Vermont. These five women were afraid that the world's rarest beers were becoming extinction, therefore they hired beer historian Alan Eames to find the best beers from around the world that were native prototypes of dark, rich beers.

Eames found black beer that had been brewed by the natives of the Amazon region dating all the way back to 1557. This black beer was dark roasted with corn or manioc root and fermented by wild yeast. Amazon tribes first used it in religious and social ceremonies. The company then created a mixture that is now used today to create the same texture, flavor and appearance by brewing from barley, hops, water and yeast. After the test and trial period to create this lager beer for mass production, it was introduced to the American market in February 1988. At that time it was brewed by Cervejarias Ca?ador in Santa Catarina, Brasil however since 2002 Cervejarias Kaiser Brasil, SA has been producing it.

The 12 oz. bottle packaging looks like a traditional black beer bottle and has the traditional top that needs to be popped off with a can opener. On the front of the bottle is a label that is in the shape of a diamond and carries the map of the Xingu River region. Hence, we can accept that the name was created after the region that it was created in the beginning. It also contains pictures of anacondas, Txucahamei warrior and a caiman.

Although it grew around America to become popular during the 1980's, I have never seen this black beer. At first I thought it was a Chinese beer, hence the name pronunciation however I was told the story above. After which I found out that it is sold by Eurobrews and can still be purchased in America. In addition, in 1999 it received an Exceptional rating with 91 points in total out of 100 by the Beverage Testing Institute. The tasters have stated that it tastes like a black lager with a mild bitterness. The aromas are hints of treacle and anise aromas.

For those beer drinkers that are looking for something a little different, try this black beer from Brazil. It is available around the nation by Eurobrews and can be purchased online. In addiiton, it is a beer that just about anyone can enjoy, unlike many popular beers today. It is a sure party pleaser. The price is slightly higher than regular beer however the flavor is worth the extra few dollars. The only thing I would change about this beer is that is not available many places right now. The specialty businesses that do carry Xingu have stated that they are selling out even before they can unpackage and stock the boxes on the shelf. So, this is a head's up on the newest and trendest beer on the market today! Get it before the whole country knows about it!