La Tropical (USA)

Brewed by Florida Beer Company
Style: Pilsener
Melbourne, Florida USA

I gotta admit, I want expecting much with this one, but I was surprised. although its not anything really special its very drinkable all the way. I can drink more of these.

The aroma has corn malt and grassy hops. The appearance is gold with a one finger head. The flavor is like the aroma but more herbal than I was expecting. The palate is thin. This is easy to drink but there is nothing special about it worth reporting.

Ahh, that "strong, clean import taste", also known as skunked pale lager. Mostly bitter hops and stinging carbonation with a stale, funky herbal flavor. Very Heineken-ish, if that’s a descriptor.

From a 12 oz. twist off long neck green bottle with a notched freshness date along the right side of the label. Poured a clear dull yellowish golden with a small foamy white that quickly settled into thin lacing with none of the promised sticking. Aromas of funky grass, cooked corn and sweet, bland pale lager malts. Good, a bit fizzy carbonation and a crisp, dryish light bodied mouthfeel. Bland tasting, sweet, sugary malts that have an artificial flavoring twang to them, cooked corn mixed with a lemon juiciness, a touch of spicy hops and a dry grain cracker finish. The thin sweet maltness lowered the drinkability of this for me, not that bad in a macro kind of way, but overall, not something I would purchase on a regular basis.

12oz bottle- The worst smelling skunkiest beer I have ever smelled. A clear golden in color with a head that dissipates quickly. Tastes like a typical pale lager from the big 3 and not much like a pilsner. Very light with a grassy aftertaste. Could have been worse.

on tap-pours a white head, yellow color. Aroma is grain. Taste is grain, sweet, good carbonation.

The US of course, has a trade embargo with Cuba, so I knew this beer was not going to be from Cuba, nor would I have purchased it had it been. I figured it was being brewed under contract here in the US, and indeed it is. The Florida Beer Company of Melborne, FL contracts this beer. La Tropical vanished for 38 years but returned in 1998 when an American of Cuban descent, and one of the descendants of the brewery’s founder brought this beer back to life. La Tropical is a pilnser by style, and is brewed with two row barley malt, and noble hops. It is a clean, refreshing, beer that works well with Cuban fare, and is a standard in Cuban restaurants across the United States. La Tropical pours to a bright, deep golden color, with a thick and creamy, bright, white head, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose on this beer is nice with some good, crisp pilsner malt aroma, paired with some nice herbal hop aromatics. The palate on this beer is clean and smooth with more crisp and slightly sweet pilsner/pale malt flavor. La Tropical finishes with more good pilsner malt flavor up front, then ends with a nice, gentle herbal/grassy hop bite that balances the malt character in this beer. A pretty straight forward pilsner, La Tropical is a nice choice to enjoy some Cuban food with. I don’t think I would go out of my way for this one, but if you are eating at a Cuban restaurant, odds are you can find this beer on the menu. It is being made in Florida now, and is not really from Cuba, but I still enjoyed this one with a Cubano and some fried plantains.

Pours light golden with a fully receding white head. Aroma is caramel malts, diacetyl, cheese, and bready yeast. Taste is sweet malts, honey, and strange skunky hops. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with high carbonation. The initial buttery diacetyl and metallic hop finish make me dislike this beer very much. I want REAL Cuban beer.