CubaPLUS Magazine

Que chabocha la chevecha/que che chube a la cabecha/anda chava chube y chirve/0tro bacho de chevecha (how tasty is beer, pour another glass). This is what a song popularized in the 70s of the last century by the Argentine singer Palito Ortega says, which captured the audience in Latin America and is remembered today on the International Day of that drink.

Instituted in 2007 to celebrate every first Friday in August, the International Day of Beer, this celebration took place for the first time in a bar in Santa Cruz, California (USA) with the objective of honoring one of the most valued and oldest drinks of humanity. According to history, the first ones who made this refreshing drink based on barley were the Sumerians in Lower Mesopotamia in the year 4000 before Christ.

Later, its preparation was perfected and the Egyptians made it by mixing it with honey, dates and cinnamon that passed through all civilizations: Greeks, Romans, Germans. The basic ingredients that are involved in the preparation of beer are water, cereals -barley or wheat malt-, yeast and hops.

Depending on the combination of the quality with the quantity and species of each ingredient, a different type of beer is obtained. The types of beer are: Ale, whose colors range from light blond to red with fruity aromas; Abbey, bronze color, toasted foam and caramelized and fruity aromas; Black stout with a coffee flavor with a creamy and full-bodied foam and Wheat, in dark blond color.

In Cuba, the population likes to drink beer, especially in summer, because it is so refreshing, and as an accompaniment to dinners. The  production of this drink in the largest of the Antilles dates back to 1850, when German immigrants introduced lager beer in the island. The first brewery in Cuba was "La Tropical", opened in 1888 by the Spaniard, Vicente Martínez Ybor, in the capital of the country and, since then, others emerged: Hatuey, Polar, Cristal and Tropical 50.

Today, other brands have been added, including Bucanero, Cacique, Mayabe and more recently, Parranda. Finally, it is important to say that beer has numerous beneficial properties for human health, of course as long as it is consumed in moderation. Among them: it is low in fat and nutritious food since it contains carbohydrates, vitamins of group B and minerals; it is also rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B9 and phosphorus, which prevents the appearance of cholesterol, diabetes and kidney diseases; in antioxidants and vitamin B6, good for preventing cardiovascular diseases, while reducing the risk of heart attacks.

And good news for women is that beer can delay the onset of menopausal symptoms, due to its silicon and phytoestrogen content, as well as improving bone health by preventing osteoporosis. So, we invite you to celebrate this Friday, the day of this wonderful drink, with a plentiful jug, but in moderation. Cheers!