Craft Brewers Form Association

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In a country dominated by one commercial brewer, Florida Ice & Farm's Cerveceria de Costa Rica, the craft brewing movement has been slow to develop. So it came as a surprise that our eagle eyed blog partner ran across a story this month in a blog known as Thirsty Pilgram.

Our surprise was that 14 amateur and professional brewers have combined in the Association of Craft Brewers when they gathered at the Bodega de Chema in downtown San Jose.

It came as no surprise, however, that it will take a bit of time to make the Association a legal entity--this country, as the Pilgrim points out correctly, is bureaucratic and the group will have to wait a bit for all the brewers to chip in so it can afford a lawyer and registration fees.

The group's announced goals are to promote culture and growth of craft beer, to encourage responsible consumption it, to support craft beer businesses here to provide such services as technical knowhow for craft brewers and to promote friendship and social responsibility among members.

Lawyer or no, the blog says the new Asociacion de Cervececeros Artesanales de Costa Rica, as the group is to be called, are already planning for their first festival de cerveza artesenal. Ticos, who are always ready for a fiesta, will probably welcome the plan.

The Pilgrim is already looking ahead, not to just a festival but a Costa Rican Craft Beer Week, as well as mentally scheduling their vacations around the plan. But first, they must find a cheap lawyer to get the group registered.