Whenever tourists come to town or locals just want to go out for a good time, you can almost guarantee they will be headed over to one of Miamis most beloved neighborhoods, Wynwood.
Wynwood is an area where the streets are lined with art and the buildings (are most certainly) filled with beer! And our first stop on my Wynwood series of brewery reviews is going to be Veza Sur Brewing Company.
This lovely little spot, which is also one of the newer breweries on the block, just opened up recently this year and has already staked it’s claim as one of the best! They were recently voted by Eater Miami as bar of the year for 2017. But before we talk about this lovely little spot and what they have to offer, let’s take a step back and find out how they came to be.
It all started with a young lad named Asbjorn Gerlach (Brew Master for Veza Sur) who had been born and raised in Berlin,Germany. In the years from 1986-1989 he had a classical apprenticeship in an industrial brewery in Berlin and after completing his apprenticeship he moved North to Hamburg to work in a brewery up there. He worked in this brewery for 2 years, then moved back to Berlin in 1992 to study in one of two university’s in Germany which had brewing technology as a bachelors degree & he graduated with a masters in Brewing Science.
After completing his degree, he co-founded Germany’s first microbrewery in 1995. He joked that he had done that 20 years too early and that joke could not have been more true. He had some wild aspirations & dreams; he wanted to carve his own path and basically go against the longstanding tradition of how Germans had been brewing for YEARS.
Fun fact: Asbjorn brewed Germany’s first hemp beer!
Unfortunately, his first microbrewery closed in the year 2000; but that didn’t stop him, he was more determined than ever, and instead of just getting knocked down and giving up in what most would see as a failure, he took it as a lesson and learned many things for his next venture. ASbjorn needed a change of scene; so him and his wife moved down to Chile (where his wife was born) & a couple years later he co-founded his second microbrewery in 2003.
After working hard and climbing the ranks, he managed to work his brewery to the second best craft brewery in Chile! He had spent 16 years of his life there and felt again it was time for a change. Which worked out perfectly because he received an invite from his collegue and friend Berny Silberwasser to help open up a brewery in Miami. Why Miami? Well because Berny’s family lives there and he wanted to have a place where he could just kick back, drink and relax while he was here on visits. That name may seem familiar to some folks in the beer world because that right there is the founder of the Bogota Beer Company!
After Berny talked to Asbjorn, he accepted the position and the rest is history! After picking a location and getting through Miami’s insane permit process, they opened their doors this year in beautiful Wynwood. Now while the vibes might scream Miami, they have the backing of Anheuser- Busch Inbev; so while it might not like look like a huge brewery, they have all the latest technology and gear to bring you some great tasting, innovative beers! And while Veza may be backed by Inbev, the operation is all theirs. They currently have 13 beers on tap and each is one more noticeably different than the last.
Here are the explanations from the brewery:
Chopp (4.2% ABV/(NA) IBU): A fresh and full bodied Brazilian tradition served ice cold with 2 fingers of thick foam that you can drink – literally! And the best part; they just keep on comin’.
Latin Lager (4.2% ABV/18 IBU): Inspired by our Latin roots, crisp and refreshing, perfect for a hot Miami day.
Dark Lager (4.4% ABV/22 IBU): Medium bodied with an amber colour. Very easy drinking with a slightly sweet finish; you won’t have just one!
Blood Orange Gose (3.4% ABV/08 IBU): Beat the heat with this easy drinking, thirst quenching treat. Brewed with sea salt, orange peel and blood oranges. Makes you wonder if it’s actually beer.
Guava Sour (3.8% ABV/12 IBU): We put guayaba in this slightly sour, deliciously refreshing unfiltered beer with a low enough ABV to throw down a few!
Mango Blonde Ale (4.8% ABV/20 IBU): Did you ever wake up from the sound of ripe mangos falling on your roof? This bright and sessionable Blonde Ale is Miami summer in a glass.
Session IPA (5.2% Alc/47 IBU): West coast meets Latin America in this perfectly balanced IPA. The perfect introduction to the world of India Pale Ales!
Trigo IPA (6.7% ABV/75 IBU): For IPA lovers; a hoppy and bitter IPA with a prominent aroma from Nugget, Citra and Galaxy hops. We added some wheat for extra mouthfeel and complexity.
Porter (5.6% ABV/28 IBU): This satisfyingly rich yet light bodied ale will please your tastebuds with its cocoa, toffee and caramel flavors. Don’t be fooled by its colour, this beer is light and smooth. Enjoy the dark side!
Per’la Coffee Porter (5.6% ABV/28 IBU): Our traditional porter infused with a custom blend of medium and dark roasted Brazilian coffee. It’s rich and smooth roast flavor will have you ditching your afternoon cafecito.
Golden Belgian Gator Ale (9.2% ABV/24 IBU): Handle with care! Don’t be fooled by its bright golden colour and delicate aromas of fruit and spices; before you know it, you’ll be its prey…
Oak Gator Ale (9.2% ABV/24 IBU): We aged our Belgian Gator on oak chips. The wood adds notes of vanilla and butterscotch to the spicy base of the beer and the tannins lend a creamy mouthfeel. This is the Gator 2.0.
Double IPA (9.5% ABV/95 IBU): No description available.
Horchata Cream Ale (5.0% ABV/10 IBU): No description available.
Jimmy’s Crack Colada ((NA) ABV/ (NA) IBU): This is a mix of the “Per’la Coffee Porter” with a top off of the Horchata & a dollop of banana cream.
Trigo Treat (5.6% ABV/ (NA) IBU): Trigo IPA with spiced pumpkin foam & apple cider reduction.
Here’s what I thought:
Chopp: Pale amber/ nice golden colour. Malty scents. Tastes like a stronger Heineken. Has a nice lager taste with a malty kick at the end. Hits the back of your tongue. Nice and crisp. Goes down smooth.
Latin Lager: Light. Crisp. Kind of taste and has appearance of a Bud Light. Doesn’t stand out too much.
Dark Lager: Malty. This is a great ale. Nice & crisp. Refreshing.
Blood Orange Gose: This is a great Gose. It’s citrusy, taste’s like you’re actually eating a blood orange, but not overbearing. The wheat really rounds it out.
Guava Sour: Scents of straight guava. You can taste the sour, but it’s not overbearing. Puckers your lips a bit. Sweet but not overbearing.
Mango Blonde Ale: Light, crisp & sweet, but not over bearing, a bit of a fruity taste as well, but it doesn’t overwhelm you either. Scent’s are light as well.
Session IPA: Hoppy & citrusy scents. You can taste the hops in this one. It is citrusy as well. Nice aftertaste, not an overbearing IPA.
Trigo IPA: This is definitely an IPA. Nice hoppy scents. Nice. Crisp. Kicks you in the back of your mouth. Citrusy, hoppy tastes, bitter as well, with a nice hoppy aftertaste.
Porter: A nice full bodied porter, but smooth at the same time. The tastes wash over your palette and leaves you with a cocoa taste in your mouth.
Per’la Coffee Porter: This porter is midnight black. A nice dark colour. You can smell the coffee radiating from this porter. Smooth. Washes over your palette and leaves a nice coffee aftertaste.
Golden Belgian Gator Ale: This is a great Belgian, but it’s not your typical. Crisp, nice aftertaste with a bit of spiciness to it (not hot spicy).
Oak Gator Ale: Has a bit of an pale amber colour; lighter than the “Double IPA.” Vanilla, malty scents. Smooth. Crisp. Vanilla comes in later after the ale washes over your palette; and then you get an aftertaste like you’ve been sucking on butterscotch candy. Slight hint of cinnamon as well.
Double IPA: A nice caramel amber colour. Hoppy/citrusy scents. You definitely taste what you smell with a nice hoppy/citrusy kick. Definitely hits you like a double, but doesn’t taste like it. The hoppiness isn’t overbearing.
Horchata Cream Ale: Legit smells & tastes like straight “Horchata.” Smooth. Crisp. Nice beach beer; but it’s only seasonal!
Jimmy’s Crack Colada: Same colour as the “Per’la Coffee Porter” because the base is said beer. You get scents of the “Horchata” beer because that’s is what the Porter is topped off with; you also get the scents from the banana cream as well. When you sip, you get the body of the Porter, but the aftertaste of the “Horchata”. You get coffee, Horchata tastes, cinnamon, but it goes down smooth. It’s a full bodied beer; the banana cream used is organic & vegan.
Trigo Treat: A nice caramel golden colour. You can see the carbonation on this one as bubbles rise to the foam from the bottom of the glass. This has scents reminiscent of the “Trigo IPA;” Hoppy, citrusy; but there’s more. You also get apple cider scents and cinnamon as well. And everything you smell, you taste. You get the hoppy/citrusy tastes from the “Trigo IPA” that is rounded out with apple cider/ cinnamon tastes at the end.
So all in all with the food they offered, ambiance of the brewery and the beers we were served I would give Veza Sur Brewing Company 4.5 out of 5 piggys!
They have a food truck that is run by Baja Bao House, they have beer cocktails & growler & crowler fills!
Website: Veza Sur Brewing Company
Facebook: Veza Sur Brewing Company
Instagram: @vezasurbrewingco
Twitter: @vezasur
Samurai Piggy 