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.