The Brazilian beer market is experiencing a curiosity that few consumers perceive: many international brands that you can easily find on the shelves do not arrive in the country by import, but by local production under license. This means that Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona, Beck’s, Hoegaarden, Spaten and Leffe, for example, are manufactured by Ambev following AB InBev’s global standards. Heineken Brasil does the same with Heineken, Amstel, Sol e Birra Moretti, in addition to controlling Eisenbahn, who was born as a Brazilian handmade. The Petrópolis Group, in addition to Itaipava and other national ones, produces Miller and Blue Moon under license from Molson Coors.
When we talk about international crafts, the scenario is more restricted. Goose Island, born in Chicago as an independent brewery, today belongs to AB InBev and is manufactured by Ambev in Brazil. Blue Moon, created as a Belgian-style wheat beer in the United States, also started with an artisanal spirit, but today it is produced by the Petrópolis group. Leffe and Hoegaarden, with a monastic and handmade origin in Belgium, have also become global brands and are manufactured here.
But if you think of names like Brewdog, Mikkeller or Founders, know that they keep coming just by import, in limited lots and at high prices. Producing locally requires scale, demand and industrial structure that only large groups can offer. In addition, many independent breweries prefer to keep production centralized to preserve the sensory profile and identity of their recipes.
The result is that the Brazilian consumer easily finds famous international labels, but needs to understand that they do not always maintain the original craft spirit. Goose Island and Blue Moon, for example, were born as handmade, but today they are part of global conglomerates. This does not necessarily mean loss of quality, but rather a change of identity: from independent beer to global product. The Brazilian market, dominated by giants, offers access to international brands, but the true craft experience still depends on imports or the strength of our own independent breweries.
Many brands sell themselves as handmade, but they have already lost this essence. The consumer who seeks authenticity needs to look beyond the label and understand who is really behind the beer that reaches his glass.
Some Brazilian breweries have already made occasional collaborations with international names, and this helps to show that there is a creative bridge between our market and the global scenario, even without continuous production under license. Dogma, from São Paulo, has already worked with the Scottish Brewdog in special editions that mixed styles and techniques. Wäls, from Belo Horizonte, made collabs with the Danish Mikkeller and even with the cult Hill Farmstead of the United States, bringing unique labels to festivals and limited launches. Invicta, from Ribeirão Preto, also joined Stone Brewing, one of the references of the American artisanal scene, in collaborative projects. Colorado, before being acquired by Ambev, participated in partnerships with European breweries, exploring Brazilian ingredients in traditional styles.
These collabs do not mean regular production in Brazil, but function as an exchange of knowledge and cultural approximation. These are limited editions, often aimed at events, that reinforce the idea that Brazil is part of a global community of brewing innovation. For the consumer, they represent a rare opportunity to prove something that carries the signature of two different schools in the same bottle.
By: Maria Anita Mendes
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