Beers of Panama

Panama produces three brands of rum and a similar liquor known as Seco Herrerano, but beer is also quite popular. There are four brands produced by two companies.

Brands

Panama Cerveza - A popular light beer, the Panama brand is also the strongest marketer, with t-shirts and other merchandise baring its name seen around the Americas. It is distributed in some parts of the world by Royal Imports, LLC. It is produced by the Baru Panama Brewery.

Soberana - Another light lager, it is named for sovereignty, and produced by the same brewery as Panama Cerveza. It has a weak taste and no after taste.

Atlas - A third light beer, this is one of the two most popular, and is considered very similar to beers in the United States, often compared to Bud Light or Miller Light in reviews. It is owned by Cerveceria Nacional, which in turn is owned by Grupo Bavaria of Colombia, which is in turn now owned by SABMiller. As 2008, is the most popular beer in Panama.

Balboa - Produced by the same company as Atlas, Balboa is compared both to darker North American brands, and to stout European varieties. Like many things in Panama, it is named after conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa. It is owned by the same companies as Atlas. There is a spin-off variety known as Balboa Ice.

Baru also brews local brand Crystal, and brews other brands on a contract basis, including Heineken, Guinness, Warsteiner, Tecate, and as of recently, Budweiser.

Controveries

In one of many corporate scandals of businesses financing Colombian paramilitaries, allegations surround the company that produces Atlas and Balboa brands for having union workers killed by the armed right-wing groups [http://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_13/issue_10/news_02.html] .