Let’s get a few things out of the way.
First, I’m fully aware of who owns this business.
It’s Anheuser-Busch. You know this, I know this, everybody knows this, the people that work there don’t try to hide it, we all know AB-InBev.
Even with such deep pockets, Veza Sur is far from the flashiest or most extravagant brewery in Wynwood. It’s relatively down home, and the inside tap room is kind of a fun library-esque wooden shelving space filled with books and knick-knacks.
They either gave their brewers free reign or have done a fair bit of research, as you definitely get a lot of very Central and South American-focused beer styles on the menu.
Sure, they’ve got a bunch of other drinks, and when we were there they were doing a lot of work prepping ingredients for their wide variety of beer-centered cocktails and such.
But when I walked in, I noticed that there were two tap areas. One was a large wall of 16 to 20 taps, but there was also a two-tap stand on the bar. Just two handles, with a little bit of handles, and a large quantity of ice on top. I wasn’t sure if it was real or actual ice, but it was enough to where those two taps set themselves apart from the rest of the beer offerings.
And that was those two taps that intrigued me, as they were two of the standards that you can find at Vesa Sur served chopp (or chope) style.
This one’s going to take some explaining. First, this is not ‘chop’ as in Iron Chef. This is two syllables, pronounced SHOW-pea.
It’s a very Brazilian style of serving, as the Brazilians tend to prefer near beers pretty darn close to frozen. Obviously it’s not frozen, but it is super cold and served in a smaller glass so that the beer does not stick around long enough to warm up.
Interestingly enough, they went a step further and mentioned on the signage that the beers will keep coming until you signify you are done by placing a coaster over the glass.
Now I have had Spanglish (Lager, 4.2% ABV, 18 IBU) before, but I was a little intrigued and had to try it with this new method.
To be honest, it’s not bad. Wynwood was warm as usual that day, and to have a light lager with an exceptionally pronounced earthy bitterness to it served in such a style actually works wonders. They use this on their amber lager as well, and I would go back to try that again.
Now, if there are any Brazilian readers that can verify any of this, I would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime, if you’re in the area, it’s worth a stop. Not going to lie, I was pleasantly surprised.
And taps on ice on a hot summer day is always welcome.
Drink Florida Craft,
Dave
@floridabeerblog
floridabeerblog@gmail.com
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