BEER!

John Smith (the export John Courage) used to be available on tap at some STT bars but the manufacturerers apparently discontinued it. It was replaced by McEwans Pale India Ale but this too is no longer available. Currently available on tap at some bars on STT and STJ - but not necessarily all of them at any one place - are Kronenberg 1664 (which recently replaced Fosters) Newcastle Brown Ale and Strongbow hard cider. Hope this helps!

Who on St. Thomas has beer on tap?

Thanks, STT resident!

Best,

LR

Here you go, right from the distributor!

Blue Moon at Secret Harbor - Newcastle, Kronenberg

Coconuts, downtown - Kronenberg

Jacks, Tillet Gardens - Kronenberg, Strongbow

Kokopelli's, Market Square - Kronenberg, Newcastle

Old Stone Farmhouse, Mahogany Run - Newcastle

Sharky's (above Wendy's at Havensight) - Kronenberg, Newcastle

Tickles at Crown Bay - Strongbow

The Toad and Tart, Smith Bay Road - Strongbow, Kronenberg. Kronenberg alternating with Newcastle during the summer and all three during season.

Cheers!

We need to get a little variety around here, but thanks so much for the info.

Sorry, katetastrophee but, when in Rome!

There is only company bringing draught beer into the VI. Demand is limited and we're lucky to have what we have. Was a time a few years ago when the first company who brought in the kegs went under and we had no draught for a few months until The Keg Seller took up the challenge. Now THAT was a catastrophe!

Somebody mentioned Guinness Draught somewhere on this forum. Just for the record, we can't get that here because it's not pasteurized so has to come in on a refrigerated container and stay refrigerated. Obviously with the lack of demand and the huge expense involved it's not an option. However, the Guinness Draught in the can is a good substitute but an even better value is the Beamish draught in the can which is a full 20 oz (compared to the Guinness which is only 14.9 oz) is actually preferred by many to Guinness and costs the same.

Cheers!

Isn't there a micro-brewery in Christiansted... King Christiansted Brew Pub... or something like that? Can they ship draught, or is it only available on STX?
Island Ed

Hello Island Ed,

Yes there is - Fort Christian Brew Pub. They have what they make on tap. Blackbeard's Ale is the one that comes to mind. The bottled Blackbeard's Ale is contracted/brewed in the states and brought in, as far as I understand.

Another local one is Foxy's, you can get it at Foxy's Bar on JVD.

STT Resident, do you have any information to add about the locally brewed beers?

--Islander

Fort Christian Brew Pub also has:

Pale Ale
Red Ale
Honey Wheat
Hefeweisen
a dark ale
other special flavors seasonally

Monday night is the best night to experience all their brews, as it's Steak & Ale Night... buy a steak or the daily seafood special and all your beer is free all night. Add the ballgame on the TV screens, half a dozen friends, a nice breeze across the marina, and you've got a great way to spend a Monday evening.

Islander, Took me a while to respond but you're right that Blackbeard's Ale is bottled stateside and shipped here. As far as anything actually brewed and bottled here on St. Thomas I don't believe there's anything existing today.

There was a place on St. Thomas a few years ago which was doing pretty much what, it seems from Alexandra's response, Fort Christian Brew Pub on St Croix is doing - making their own beer. Beer aficiandos really took to the place initially but then the brewers had problems maintaining product consistency and that venture went down the tubes.

It's difficult enough to maintain consistency here with the accredited import kegs. The shelf life of a keg, once tapped, is less than a month and there have been many occasions when I've had to order a new keg when I still have a half keg left. I probably have one of the best set-ups for keg beers but, once the keg is tapped, it's shelf life is very limited.

Strongbow hard cider comes half-keg so that works for me and it's also very popular (once you give a taste of it to a customer who has no idea what "hard cider" is and thinks it's like American apple cider which it's not!)

So, getting back to brew pubs and their brews. Fermenting beers have to be kept at a constant temperature in a controlled environment, and you can't have them doing that in a cooler where you're constantly opening and closing the door. There are home beer brewing kits available over the internet and which several people down here have had partial success with but again it's an up and down situation and they're doing it for themselves and just having fun, not for commercial profit. For the commercial operation, it isn't done here because it isn't cost effective, not to mention WAPA brownouts and outages!!

Oh, and by the way, Islander, Foxy's beer is brewed and bottled stateside...

Beer Brewing 101 In The Virgin Islands is now over for the night. I trust you are reading, Teresa? Cheers!

STT Resident,

But of course! I had the same misconceptions about the cider and it is now a favorite.

See you!

Teresa

OK STT Resident, where are you so we can we go to enjoy a 'spike'?

WTF, it sounds like I have already had a few too many!LOL

Where can we go to have a few with you STT Resident?

Island Ed:
The Toad and Tart, STT. Open Thursday through Sunday 4-11PM! Cheers!