Bermuda is a tiny island all alone in the Atlantic Ocean, 665 miles off the east coast of the United States. The culture of Bermuda is heavily influenced by it’s ties to England, the United States, Portugal, and the Caribbean. A big part of that culture here in the consumption of alcohol, in fact it’s often said that Bermuda is 60,000 drunks clinging to a rock in the middle of the ocean.
Being such a tiny place, almost everything that we have is shipped on container ships. While I often try to use as many local ingredients when I can when brewing, such as our Bermuda Loquat Wheat and Bermuda Honey Porter, almost all our all of our beer and the ingredients we use for making beer are imported. Given this it’s no surprise that the big macro brews are found pretty much everywhere with Heineken and Carlsberg being the two most popular beers in Bermuda. Thankfully in recent times several companies are making inroads to introducing craft beer to Bermuda and you can find locally produced beer at two local breweries.
Pubs and Members Clubs
Pubs are everywhere in Bermuda and these range from traditional pubs to more modern clubs and restaurants. At a pub you can expect on average to pay $9 a pint or $7 a bottle for the major beer brands. Craft beer imports can be priced as high as $14 a pint on draft. One of our favorite pubs is Harry’s which we’ve reviewed before, so be sure to check out our review of Harry’s. At Flannigans/Outback you can find a great selection of German beers and an amazing service staff. Additionally Robin Hood is another great sports bar with indoor and outdoor seating!
In Bermuda there are also members clubs. There are private pubs that often allow tourists free or discounted entry. Drinks in members clubs are less expensive than in pubs and they are often steeped in history. One of the stand outs would be the Spanish Point Boat Club with amazing views of the great sound.
Distributer Stores
The big distributors on the island often run there own store fronts to sell their products. They typically carry all the macro beers such as those from ABInvBev and Heinniken. They also bring in some of the more crafty medium Brewers such as Sam Adams. Burrows & Lightbourne and Bavarian Brews are two I’ve bought from in the past. In fact Bavarian Brews has an app that offers custom beer orders from Germany at $12 a liter where you can mix and match or buy by the half case.
Package Stores and Grocery Stores
Almost all of the groceries and convince stores across the island sell beers from the big distributers. However, Sam Adams is about a craft beer as these stores get. The one stand out here is Miles Market as they personally import a large selection of craft brew from the US. Here all the best craft beer on the island can be found including beers from Stone, Lagunitias, Ballest Point, Dogfish Head, and more. It’s definitely not cheap but then again nothing in Bermuda is.
Breweries
The oldest brewery on the island is the Dockyard Brewing Company located at the Frog and Onion pub in Dockyard. You can get their beers on draft only at the Frog and Onion pub in Dockyard and the Pickled Onion, Hog Penny Pub, Barracuda Grill, and Victoria Grill in Hamilton. On De Rock is a new brewery founded in 2015 in Bermuda that has a slowly growing staple of beer. You can get there beer on draft only at Devil’s Isle in Hamilton and Northrock Brewery in Smiths.
Home Brewers
Also there is a slowly growing community of home brewers in Bermuda. These brewers make some amazing beers and freely share them with others. If you’re interesting in learning about brewing beer or want an introduction to local home brewers feel free to contact me.
