Cruise ship: Beers from Baltimore to Bermuda and back
Guest post from Jay Trucker, an honors program director and assistant professor of English at the Community College of Baltimore County, Dundalk.
Economically, Bermuda thrives off the strength of its finance and tourism industries. The British territory exports very little and imports most of its goods. Beer is no exception to this tendency. The islands host only one brewery and no bottleries.
This doesn't mean that good beer is in short supply. Both Bermuda and the cruise ship I took from Locust Point, the Norwegian Majesty, sold a wide array of import bottles during my recent excursion.
The first and last two days of the trip were spent aboard the Majesty, where most patrons over the age of 18 were thirsty for a brew or two early and often.
The standard price for a beer on board was $4.95, plus an additional 17 percent gratuity added to each purchase. Coors Light was the cheapest beer on board, at $4.25 a bottle. Red Stripe was $5.95. Other beers on sale included Heineken and Heineken Light, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Becks, Guinness, Corona, Dos Equis, Bass Ale, Amstel Light and the standard American lights.
Buckets of beer were sold at a discounted price -- buy five, get the sixth beer free. This special made the price of beer relatively reasonable, if the volume a bit self-indulgent for one. Nevertheless, having recently spent $11 for a Heineken at Yankee Stadium, I was pleasantly surprised by Norwegian's resort pricing.
And rest assured, despite its fancy new stadium, the Bronx is no resort.
Norwegian patrons could take part in a $15 beer tasting on the first full day at sea, but since the selection of beers available for tasting was nothing new to the mildly adventurous beer drinker, I opted not to partake.
I was however, keen on sampling the beers Bermuda had to offer. Several winding bus rides along the islands' narrow roads brought me to Bermuda's brewery, North Rock. Each of the company's beers was subtle in body and flavor. I wonder if this has something to do with the steep price of importing the ingredients needed to make beer. The porter was not particularly malty, the wheat only moderately wheaty, and the pale ale left only the slightest taste of hops. The wheat beer was served with a lemon rather than an orange, and I thought the more tart fruit added distinction to the wheat beer.
Two of the islands' more popular import bottles are Sagres, a light Portuguese beer sold in 7-ounce pony bottles, and Carlsberg's Elephant beer. The Danish brewer boasts that its elephant beer is "strong like an elephant,' a reference to its 7.2 percent ABV and bitter kick. I thought the Elephant was a bit filmy, but its type and flavor may require a few tries.
Just don't plan to partake in those second and third loose bottles on the cruise ship. I tried to stuff a couple Elephants in my shorts, only to be caught by security while reboarding. I was kindly asked to finish my pilsners on shore.
I enjoyed the cool Bermuda evening and the unfamiliar taste of the Elephant while the sun set in St. George's. I couldn't get Bermuda's favorite beers back to Baltimore, but I could get a bucket of brews at a reasonable rate as we made our way home.
Photo of Bermuda: Chicago Tribune
Comments
Did you check out Gosling's ginger beer while you were in Bermuda. It was in the Dark 'n Stormy that we drank at the Frog & Onion at King's Wharf.
Posted by: MaryD | August 16, 2009 11:56 PM
Hi Mary, I saw it but didn't have opportunity to try it. Any good?
Posted by: Jay Trucker | August 17, 2009 6:24 PM
I have been to Bermuda 12 times in my life, staying at a remote Biological Station each time. Dark and stormys made 50/50, with lime, are great drinks for Bermuda. Crisp and refreshing and easy to bring to many of the public beaches there. Stay away from the official drink of Bermuda, the rum swizzle. Imagine Hi-C and rum, and thats what the rum swizzle is. It also gives you an awful hangover.
Posted by: brandon | August 18, 2009 2:01 PM