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There is something romantic about having a cold beer in the tropics. It was hard to put my finger on at first---the beer is not particularly good, most of it isn't particularly famous, and it's something beyond the "tropical paradise" cliché that folks seem so hung up on. I finally got it: the sweat on the bottle. Leave a beer out in the humid heat for a minute here and its frosty surface is glistening with so much icy condensation that I feel like I'm in the middle of a Budweiser commercial.This week's beer review is on Costa Rica's iconic brew, Imperial. A domestic lager suitable for comparison with Budweiser or Coors, it is a pale, straw yellow with a thin white head and fine effervescence. The flavor is not remarkable. It tastes a little like corn syrup that's been fermented dry, with some sweetness and no detectable hops. It is, however, almost as thirst-quenching as water, and at just 4.6% ABV, one can drink nearly as much of it.
If you are going to stick with a light beer down here, you might be able to do worse than Imperial. In fact, check back next Friday and I'll see if I can find something for you.
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