Results/ Reflections
We left Argentina with memories of great beer and people, and a plethora of newfound knowledge about the craft brewing industry there. So what did we find out?
We discovered that the craft brewing culture in Argentina is similar to the United States in several ways, but different in even more.
As far as the relationship between brewers in Argentina, they share extremely close relationships with each other the same as we see in Colorado. In both settings, brewers, sourcers, and bars all trusted and supported other fully, even when they may have been competing for the same customers. This may be common across industries in the United States, but not in Argentina. While in Argentina we learned that trust is very hard to come by in the business world. Argentinians are distrusting of each other in business as a culture, which makes it even more amazing that the craft brewing culture their has brushed that off and has come together for the success of the industry as a whole.
The sourcing of ingredients was the first aspect of brewing in Argentina that we noticed was substancially different from Colorado. In Colorado, local sourcing of all ingredients is the norm, and it is easy to get your hands on top quality ingredients for brewing. In Argentina, local sourcing can be extremely difficult, and quality liquid yeasts aren't even available in the entire counrty. This situation could occur for two reasons. Local sourcing may just be in its infancy just like the microbrew industry is in the country, which would explain the lack of volume and diversity of ingredients in the country. The other possible explanation is that governmet restrictions on imports has restricted the profitability of being a beer ingredient sourcer, diminishing the amount of suppliers willing to go into business. Either way, it is a problem that presents challenges for brewers in Argentina when compared with Colorado.