Concrete Beach Brewery will brew Cuba’s first and most-iconic beer, Cerveza La Tropical, La Original, and release it on May 22nd at a special launch party in their Social Hall in Wynwood.
Re-created by the Concrete Beach brewing team using the founding family’s original recipe from 1888, Cerveza La Tropical is a Vienna-style lager, which is characterized by its rich amber color and malty sweetness.
The original Cuban brewery, Cerveceria La Tropical, was founded in Havana in 1888 by the Blanco Herrera family. Over the years, La Tropical grew to become the largest brewer in Cuba with popular beer styles such as Cerveza La Tropical and Cristal, among others. By 1958, La Tropical accounted for nearly 60% of all beer sold in Cuba. In 1960, the brewery was nationalized by the Cuban government and eventually closed its doors in 2008 due to a lack of funds. Although closed, the name is not forgotten and the property still adorns its famous beer gardens and a Havana baseball stadium bears its name.
“Several years ago, I was introduced to Manny Portuondo, whose great, great grandfather (Federico Kohly) once owned the land in Havana that Cerveceria La Tropical was built on. He introduced me to Ramon Blanco Herrera, whose great grandfather founded the brewery. Their passion for the beer itself and its heritage is contagious,” said Alan Newman, founder of Concrete Beach Brewery. “From the inception of Concrete Beach, our mission has been to capture the cultures and flavors of Miami. What better way to do that than by re-launching this great Cuban beer for everyone here to enjoy?”
“What better way to do that than by re-launching this great Cuban beer for everyone here to enjoy?”
“I’m very excited and honored to be working with the Concrete Beach Brewery team. With an impressive track record of developing so many great beers, Alan’s brewing team has demonstrated a unique ability to successfully interpret, in a creative way, many styles of beer and make them culturally relevant. We are happy that beer lovers will be able to taste Cerveza La Tropical, La Original, the way it was originally intended to be,” said Manny Portuondo, founder & CEO of Three Palms Holdings, owner of La Tropical worldwide rights. “Our goal is to share more than 128 years of La Tropical’s brewing tradition, as well as sun, fun and great tropical rhythms with the people of Miami.”
“From a brewing standpoint, this handcrafted version of Cerveza La Tropical, La Original, brewed on state of the art equipment with the highest quality ingredients, is unquestionably better than the one that my great grandfather once brewed,” said Ramon Blanco Herrera, great grandson of La Tropical founder and partner of Three Palms Holdings.
For the re-launch, Concrete Beach will capture the spirit of the legendary Tropical Gardens at Cerveceria La Tropical. Nestled on the east bank of the Almendares River in Havana, “Los Jardines De La Tropical,” as it is known to the locals, is still an exciting cultural hub of music and dancing.
On May 22nd, the Social Hall will transform into Los Jardines De La Tropical, with live Cuban music, authentic lechon from La Caja China and hand rolled cigars from Cigar Stud.
Cerveza La Tropical, La Original, A True Cubano Original™ will be available exclusively on draft in the Social Hall.
About Concrete Beach Brewery
Concrete Beach is an artisanal craft beer brewery located in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood Arts District. Its mission is to provide great tasting craft beer inspired by the culture and flavors of Miami, all while supporting the community and arts organizations in the neighborhoods they serve. Concrete Beach is part of A&S Brewing Collaborative, an independently-operated subsidiary of the Boston Beer Company.
