Upon his return to his home in Baltimore, Maryland, Strumke gave us the scoop on the beers he brewed when he was abroad and Brazil’s craft beer scene.
Craft Beer & Brewing: Tell us about the beer you made in Brazil.
Brian Strumke: I brewed four very interesting beers while in Brazil. The one with Tupiniquim Brewery was a saison with caju and mango fermented with Brettanomyces; another was with Brazilian brewers 2cabeças that was a saison with starfruit; next was with Morada Cia Etílica where we made a rye ale aged in Amburana barrels that are often used for Cachaça; and the last was with Way Beer, another saison brewed with butia fruit.
CB&B: What is caju?
BS: Caju is cashew fruit. It’s a delicate and tasty tropical fruit that is impossible to export. Most people in the United States don’t know that cashews grow with a fruit!
CB&B: What did you find were some of the more popular beer styles there?
BS: Like the rest of the world, Brazil is going through an IPA craze.
CB&B: How about Brazil's brewing culture? What’s it like in comparison to the United States?
BS: It's much smaller, but the scene is growing and there are a lot of people there to support the movement as it grows. The breweries there tend to pasteurize their beers, and I believe that is due to the strong German influence from the existing breweries. It’s a practice that needs to change if their craft beers are to improve.
CB&B: Is homebrewing common in Brazil?
BS: Very much so. There is a very vibrant homebrewing scene. Beer is fairly expensive in Brazil, so this makes sense. Homebrewing is helping to expand the craft beer scene down there.
CB&B: What's your advice to someone who is visiting Brazil with beer in mind?
BS: I would say search out some of the more adventurous beers that use Brazilian ingredients. They are not as common as United States- and European-inspired beers, but my advice to anyone traveling to a new part of the world is to delve into the local culture and explore what the land has to offer. That is why my collaborations were focused on indigenous ingredients.
Pictured at top: Brian Strumke and the brewers at Tupiniquim Brewery. Courtesy of Brian Strumke.