Brazilian beer
Brazilian craft beer is young and has no historical styles of its own to fall back on, so brewers experiment a lot. At Hoptimaal you'll find Brazilian beer from Croma, Dude Brewing and Spartacus Brewing, among others. Think stout, barleywine and IPA. Everything you see below is available.
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How the Brazilian beer scene came about
Brazil's beer history begins in 1634, when Dutch colonists arrived with beer as provisions. That period lasted until 1654, after which there was no European beer for well over a century and a half. After 1807, English traders settled in the country and brought porters and pale ales to the big cities.
The first local craft beers came a good fifty years later, brewed by German immigrants in the south. It was hard work: barley and hops had to be imported, there was no refrigeration, and at temperatures of up to 40 °C batches spoiled before they reached the market. Brahma and Antarctica were founded in 1888. Brahma took over Antarctica in 1999, and light industrial lager became the norm.
The craft movement began in the 1990s, with breweries drawing inspiration from European styles. Baden Baden started in 1999 and Eisenbahn in 2002, in the German-feeling town of Blumenau. Most of today's scene only emerged in the last twenty years.
What Brazil is known for
In terms of volume, Brazil is a giant: in 2012 it was the third-largest beer producer in the world, with 134 million hectolitres. Most of that is light lager, served ice cold. Chopp, draught beer at around 0 °C with a thick head of foam, is the standard in the pub.
The craft scene is much more varied. Almost every brewery makes pilsner, IPA and weissbier, and in some regions you see a lot of traditional German styles. Hazy IPAs are popular, and Hocus Pocus from Rio de Janeiro is known for them.
What sets it apart is in the ingredients. Cervejaria Colorado works with cassava, brown sugar and local honey, and Caatinga Rocks brews a tropical stout with coffee, chocolate and coconut in the northeast, plus a sour beer with three kinds of cactus. Many of the larger craft breweries have since been taken over by AB InBev. As a result, demand for truly independent brewers is growing.
Brazilian beer at Hoptimaal
With us you'll find beers from Croma, Dude Brewing and Spartacus Brewing. The focus is on strong styles: stout, barleywine and IPA. Highly rated on Untappd are Croma Sixth Chapter, Croma Need Backup (Bourbon Barrel Aged), Dude DU/DE (Affogato Al Cafè Barleywine) and Spartacus Haven, among others.
Every brewery has its own page with us, with all the beers we supply from it.
Frequently asked questions
What is typical Brazilian beer?
Most beer in Brazil is light lager, served ice cold. Among craft brewers, pilsner, IPA and weissbier are the common styles, complemented by local ingredients such as cassava, honey, coconut and cactus.
Which Brazilian breweries are well known?
The big names are Brahma and Antarctica, both from 1888. Among the craft brewers are Hocus Pocus, Dogma, Caatinga Rocks, Baden Baden and Eisenbahn. At Hoptimaal you'll find Croma, Dude Brewing and Spartacus Brewing.
What is chopp?
Chopp is Brazilian draught beer that is poured ice cold into a short glass, preferably at around 0 °C, with a thick head of foam. You'll find it in almost every boteco and churrascaria.
Beer from other countries
- Dutch beer 175
- American beer 71
- Belgian beer 68
- Canadian beer 54
- German beer 37
- English beer 37
- Spanish beer 21
- Romanian beer 17
- French beer 16
- Swedish beer 15
- Norwegian beer 14
- Estonian beer 17
- Polish beer 11
- Irish beer 8
- Finnish beer 9
- Hungarian beer 7
- Latvian beer 8
- Croatian beer 8
- Danish beer 8
- Portuguese beer 4
- Welsh beer 5
- Scottish beer 4
- Ukrainian beer 2
- Greek beer 3
- Slovenian beer 3
- Czech beer 3
