A trip to Belize, Central America
gave me the opportunity to visit the Belikin Brewery, the largest of
Belize's two breweries. Located just outside of the old capitol Belize City in
the town of Ladyville, the area might be perceived as just another industrial
park were it not for the uniformed armed guards surrounding camouflaged
buildings across the street and the periodic departures of Harrier Jump-Jets.
The presence of this British military base must make this brewery one of the
most well defended assets in Central America.
Brewmaster Peter Haupental had previously brewed in Bolivia, a
few location in Germany, and most recently at Whistler Mountain in British
Columbia, Canada. My tour began at the receiving dock where the raw materials
first arrive, most are foreign to this land. The hops come from Washington
state in the U.S. and only Fuggles are used. The form of the hops was
interesting, 200 gallon containers of liquid hop extract. The yeast is a German
lager strain and reused for at most five batches. The Canadian 6-row barley
arrives not by train but by small trucks. Deliveries are scheduled well in
advance since two dozen temporary laborers are required to unload the specially
sacked grain and carry it up to the top of the six meter high mill. No augers
or elevators in use here. Local water is used and no treatment is required.
Propane burners heat the 60 barrel batches which are combined to match the
larger size of the fermenters. After the bittering hops no aromatic hop
additions are used. The equipment here is from forty to fifty years old. CO2
produced during the fermentation process is collected by pumps, scrubbed, and
reused to provide the desired final carbonation levels. A porous carbonator
stone is used to ensure that proper gas content is maintained in the liquid.
Adjuncts are no longer employed and the use of liquid hop extract precluded the
need for a whirlpool tank. Ammonia cools the lagering tanks which store the
batches for periods of time based on the particular style being brewed.
Currently four recipes are in production. The Belikin Lager is a light
lager of 4% Alcohol By Volume (ABV) which is sold throughout the country and is
the most popular among local residents. The Belikin Premium was slightly
milder, 5% ABV and sold mostly at resorts. The Belikin Stout at 6% was
mild yet full-bodied but I found it only at the brewery. The Guinness
Stout at 8% was brewed under license for distribution within Belize. Draft
beer was disappointingly scarce throughout the country. I learned that although
the brewery preferred this form of distribution, the lack of attention to
sanitary details by the majority of retailers caused the brewery to allocate
production to 95% bottles and 5% kegs.
Using 94 full-time employees to produce 52,000 barrels per year
doesn't qualify Belikin as the most automated brewery in Central America but
the lagers which flow from here seem just right to meet the thirst quenching
needs of this temperate climate.
Although the Belize currency is pegged to the
U.S. dollar at a ratio of two to one, inflation seems to be taking a toll. In
the year 2000 prices for a Belikin beer at the International Airport have risen
to $3 USD for the equivalent of a 12 ounce bottle. Draught product is no longer
available. Merchandising however has expanded as Belikin T-shirts and glassware
are now offered for sale in the airport's visitors lounge.
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Reviewed by Tom Ciccateri - November, 1994,
Updated January, 2000
Brewery Reviews 
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