TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Beer Options

Hi Everyone,

Any other Beer connoisseurs on this board? Long time visitor to Orient beach. All the grocery stores just have the standard Presidente, Corona, and Carib options. Sometimes petite casino has a few individual options. Does anyone have a lead on a place that stocks some higher end American beer? SXM Beer is the best I have found, any other leads? Maybe a place on the dutch side I can stop on the way to Orient?

Super U has some Belgian, French and Trappist by the bottle. American wise, I guess Carrefour is a better option for some run of the mill IPA/craft stuff.

+1 for the Super U for a few European options but SXM (or at least the French side) really doesn't seem to be the place for interesting beers - at least in my experience.
Dave.

Carrefour on the Dutch side sometimes has Lagunitas IPA available. I have gotten it there several times.

Dinghy Dock has in the past sold some decent beer in cans. At times he has had some decent beer on tap. It is pretty tough sledding to get a good beer on SXM, the change in climate also changes my taste. I have brought down my favorite beer, Johnny Utah from Georgetown Brewing in Seattle, and it just did not hit the spot like it does at home. I can only handle a few "island beers" before I tap out and go to cocktails.

SXM is a beer desert - there's little selection or diversity. There are no local breweries (unlike Antigua, which has an excellent 2SIX8 local brewery). Super-U sometimes has specialty brews, but that's about it. SXM makes up for this lack of selection with very cheap beer prices for the standard beers (Carib, Presidente, Heineken). Happy Hous at the Soggy Dollar from 5-7 has ice-cold beers for $1, which is cheaper than what they cost at the local stores...

Well, there are actually two breweries on the island. They both offer offer tours of their manufacturing facilities. Details on these links:
Dutch Blonde and SXM Beer.

Dutch Blonde appeals to me very much. Oh, and the beer tastes good, too....

One more thing... I don't drink beer from green or clear bottles. The green (or clear) glass lets in light that "skunks" the beer (which is why people often add a lime to cut the skunk).

I prefer beer in cans or brown bottles. Actually, I prefer cans overall, because I can take them poolside, or to the beach without worrying about the nasty combination of broken glass & bare feet.

Thanks everyone for the tip, Sounds like I should try carefour on the Dutch side. Maybe I can try to find that Dutch Blond too.

In the past, Nowhere Special had three different local beers. We haven’t been there in quite awhile though.

Thanks for the correction! I forgot about SXM beer (and I think Dutch Blonde is brewed there as well. I tried it once and it wasn't what I expected and thereafter never tried it again.

Agree with the suggestions to check Super U in Hope Estate. They usually have a good selection of Leffe products. And of course you can get Kronenbourg 1664 there (a French beer). The other thing if you haven't tried is Desperados. It's more of a beer-based beverage than beer, as it contains other stuff like flavorings and sweeteners but it's sometimes a nice change of pace.

I've never been, but FWI Bar & Brewery is basically next door to the Super U and they make some local craft beers. I don't know if you can carryout beer from there, or if it is more of a brewpub / restaurant. Might be worth checking though.

Why SXM is a "beer desert": Brewers know that the most important beer ingredient is water--something that is plentiful in Jamaica, Dominica, and Guadeloupe, but not in St. Maarten. It really doesn't make much sense to brew beer on an island where water comes from desalinated seawater.

If you are near the beach, and the weather is warm, you don't need a craft beer--just something nice and cold. At Super U in Marigot you can buy cans of Walberg Lager -- 500 ml cans, which is a big drink -- for 0.65 euro a can. It's brewed in Strasbourg, France, and if you get it nice and cold it's good to drink. And cheap.

Thanks AUC, i will put Walberg on my list.

Kinda off topic but not...My favorite beer that I get in France is Grimbergen Blonde. Available in cans at Super U. 6.9% alc.

Have you been to the Beer Garden in Maho? I'm not a beer afficionado, but they have a selection. It's a fun place.

Unfortunately, I'm very allergic to alcohol. I can't enjoy the pleasure of beer.