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Venezuela’s President Gives Brewery Ultimatum: Brew Or Go To Jail

May 25, 2016 By Jay Brooks

polar
There’s an interesting development going on in Venezuela. Empresas Polar, the country’s largest brewer — with an 80% market share — completely shut down their operations in April, apparently because of “supply problems of its main raw materials.” The president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, according to the drinks business, “has now threatened to take over the closed breweries, saying that the business owners risk being ‘put in handcuffs.'”

The country has been hit by a dire economic downturn over the last several years, and the president has not exactly been helping. John Oliver has covered the situation there hilariously at least twice, first in early May 2015 and then again last Sunday. In that report he mentioned that Marcos was threatening to jail owners of closed factories and have the government seize the buildings and take them over. And apparently one of those businesses he’s targeting is Polar. Here’s the rest of the story from the drinks beverage:

He said he was also ordering action “to recover the production apparatus, which is being paralyzed by the bourgeoisie”.

Meanwhile, Polar said it could no longer access the US currency needed to import the malted barley for beer production, and had to close the last of its breweries. Access to foreign exchange is currently under the control of the country’s government.

The beer shortage has had a big impact, as Venezuelans really like their beer. The tropical country has the highest per capita consumption rates of any nation in South America, and ongoing economic woes have to some extent been softened so far by the affordable luxury of a cold beer.

It’s the latest chapter in a long-running set of shortages and supply problems for beer and other food in Venezuela.

Polar’s billionaire owner, Lorenzo Mendoza, has been a vocal opponent of the President, with Maduro accusing him of waging an “economic war” on his government. Over the past year, Polar has been embroiled in a strike by brewery workers, conflict with the trade unions, and has seen its distribution centre occupied by the military.

polar-beer
Apropos of the nothing, it was almost impossible to find an image of Polar Pilsen that didn’t include a model in a bikini. Go ahead, Google it and see how hard it really is.

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries, News, Politics & Law Tagged With: Big Brewers, Politics, Venezuela

Venezuela Beer

July 5, 2012 By Jay Brooks

venezuela
Today in 1811, Venezuela gained their Independence from Spain.

Venezuela
venezuela-color

Venezuela Breweries

  • Cervecería de Oriente
  • Cervecería Destilo, C.A.
  • Cervecería Nacional
  • Cervecería Modelo
  • Cervecería Polar
  • Cervecería Polar del Centro
  • Cervecería Regional
  • Mito Brewhouse
  • Proindusca C.A.

Venezuela Brewery Guides

  • Beer Advocate
  • Beer Me
  • Rate Beer

Other Guides

  • CIA World Factbook
  • Official Website
  • U.S. Embassy
  • Wikipedia

Guild: None Known

National Regulatory Agency: None

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Not Known

Drunk Driving Laws: BAC 0.05%

Venezuela

  • Full Name: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
  • Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana
  • Government Type: Federal Republic
  • Language: Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
  • Religion(s): Nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%
  • Capital: Caracas
  • Population: 28,047,938; 45th
  • Area: 912,050 sq km, 33rd
  • Comparative Area: Slightly more than twice the size of California
  • National Food: Pabellón criollo
  • National Symbols: Venezuelan Troupial; Cattleya orchid (“Flor de Mayo”); Araguaney (Tabebuia chrysantha); The Seven Stars, arranged in semicircle
  • Nickname: Land of Grace
  • Affiliations: UN, OAS
  • Independence: From Spain, July 5, 1811

venezuela-coa

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: 18
  • BAC: 0.08%
  • Label Requirements: N/A
  • Number of Breweries: 11

venezuela-money

  • How to Say “Beer”: cerveza
  • How to Order a Beer: Una cerveza, por favor
  • How to Say “Cheers”: Salud
  • Toasting Etiquette: Wait for a toast to be made before taking the first sip of your drink. Venezuelans typically toast with the word ‘salud’. The host makes the first toast.

    Toasts are common in Venezuela, and it is not unusual for a host to offer a toast in honor of a visitor. A toast of this kind should be acknowledged with a smile and a cheerful attitude. A visitor should be careful not to drink before the toast or while the toast is being offered, as this may be considered insulting.

venezuela-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 75%
  • Wine: 1%
  • Spirits: 24%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 6.83
  • Unrecorded: 1.40
  • Total: 8.23
  • Beer: 5.19

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 6.8 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Stable
  • Excise Taxes: Yes
  • Minimum Age: 18
  • Sales Restrictions: Time, places, specific events
  • Advertising Restrictions: Yes
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: Alcohol sponsorship

Patterns of Drinking Score: 3

Prohibition: None

venezuela-so-amer

Filed Under: Beers, Breweries Tagged With: South America, Venezuela

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