The world may appear to be drowning in a sea of bland, mass-produced beer, but fear not: St. Maarten has its own antidote to that. It comes in the form of Pelikaan Brewery, a small operation based in Cole Bay. Pelikaan is a micro-brewery, also known as a craft brewery; run by a Frenchman, Stephen Winkel, and an Argentinian, Nicolas Carlini. They started making beer four years ago in the kitchen of Nicolas' house in the Pelican area, hence the name of the beer, before moving to more suitable premises next to Island Water World.
You don't have to be a drinker to like the smell of a brewery, and the aroma that emanates from this little workplace is almost enough to convince you that this stuff is good for you. And it is a small place, which was something Stephen had to emphasize when he went to the authorities to get the necessary permissions. The people who issue the licenses were thinking large-scale, and Stephen had to explain the concept of the craft brewery and why, in his world, small is beautiful.
The partners had no experience of brewing before they started, so why choose to do it?
"Because I like good beer and there was nothing," Stephen says. He's an engaging, lively character who is clearly enjoying what he and Nicolas do for a living.
Mullet Bay is a blond beer, Soualiga contains mango ("For acidity, not fruit - we don't do any disgusting sweet beers)", while Irma is an IPA, bitter and strong. Mont Careta is a porter, named after the second highest point in the island, and the ingredients in this case, as actually listed on the label, are water, malt, hops, toasted coconut and yeast. The best-before date, batch number and alcohol content are hand-marked in ballpoint pen on the label.
The biggest sellers are Mullet Bay and Irma, and the boys are currently brewing like crazy to keep pace with demand, with the peak months having seen stock flying off the shelves. Production is currently 7,500 liters a month, but that is set to increase soon. The hops that are so important to the flavors come from a small farm in the US and the malt comes from France.
"And to reduce our carbon emissions we have a plan to bring the malt here on a three-masted sailing ship," Stephen says.
The aim is to fill the ship with their beer when it leaves St Maarten, creating an economic cycle such as traders have been doing since the first caveman piled his hand-made clubs into a hollowed-out log and set off in search of customers.
It's the sort of apparently crazy scheme which Stephen and Nicolas enjoy and which, they say, the small size of the business makes possible.
Pelikaan beers are available at Carrefour and Monoprix, as well as various bars including Lagoonies. That's significant because this Frenchman was lured to the island by the woman who is now his wife, namely Olivia, the proprietor of Lagoonies.
So, now lovers of lovingly-made beer know who to thank.
Comments powered by CComment