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Casablanca
In the morning we visited Kross, an independent brewery (www.kross.cl). Our host was Asborn Gerlach, the operations manager. This man has been in the brewing business for 22 years. He started off in Germany, but eventually moved to Chile because of a woman. Gerlach gave us some quick insight into the Chilean beer market and Kross’ strategy. Gerlach decided to brew beer in Chile because the micro/artisan beer market in the country was nonexistent at the time. Currently, there are around 80 small breweries in Chile, with around 60 being formed in the last two years. Kross doesn’t brew very bitter beers because they have found that Chileans don’t appreciate bitters beers as much, compared to other countries. This is not surprising once you realize that Chile has the highest per capita consumption of Coca-cola and cake. Kross’ style is also very natural, where they do not speed up the brewing process or force carbonate the beer. They also do not pasteurize, and use double evacuation while bottling to ensure that minimal oxygen is left in the bottle allowing a 9 month shelf life. Kross is also the only microbrewery in Chile to possess its own lab. Gerlach says that you can never get sick from beer because of the properties imbued by alcohol and hops.
Kross is conveniently located between Viña del Mar and Santiago, 60 km away from each. Those two cities account for 50% of Chile’s beer consumption.
I have noticed a trend in Chile, or in at least with the wineries we’ve visited, where a lot of the producers try to go with the all natural, untouched philosophy. Although, I’m still not completely sold on the biodynamic principles that the wineries we’ve been visiting swear by, I am beginning to see its appeal. In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit one of Emiliana’s vineyards, which are certified organic and biodynamic. They use chickens, geese, and pheasants to keep insect pests at bay. They also use alpacas and sheep in the winter to mow down the cover crops. Their soft paws ensure that the soil isn’t compacted as compared to running a tractor through the rows. I am now sure that when I establish my vineyard I am going to make it biodynamic just for the sake of having animals roaming around my property. ALPACAS ARE SO CUTE..in a weird way.
Anyways, during the tasting, I really enjoyed the Emiliana Sauv blanc and Pinot noir. In the states it’s under their Natura label. (http://www.emilianausa.com/vinos_in/natura/na_wines.html)
