Is Cristal Beer Back? / 14ymedio

People wait for the Cristal delivery trucks outside the markets. (14ymedio)
People wait for the Cristal delivery trucks outside the markets. (14ymedio)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 4 January 2016 — This year end, the traditional dinner of December 31 was marked not only by high food prices, but also by a shortage of beer. The lack of “a cold one” of domestic production forced the government to increase imports of foreign brands, including Heineken, Bavaria, Sol and Mahou. However, most consumers still prefer the Cuban varieties, especially Cristal.

The lack this pale ale was again a subject of discussion at the last session of the National Assembly, where the problem was attributed to an increase in consumption due to an increase in the number of private restaurants and cafes, along with the growth of foreign tourism.

The fluctuations in the supply of raw materials, especially the so-called “Czech malt,” have also negatively impacted the Bucanero SA brewery, the largest in the country, located in the province of Holguin. The plant produces more than half the beer consumed nationally, both in Cuban convertible pesos and Cuban pesos.

Now, people wait for the Cristal delivery trucks outside the markets, even when – as is the case in the image above – it comes “disguised” as a delivery of Becks.