I return to this subject having learned a lot about our dear friend Senhor Cerveja no Brasil.
There are, in fact, more beers than I initially presumed; however, the playing field is still relatively shallow. I have discovered that buying beers one at a time is quite handy in trying many beers without the risk of buying a six-pack and discovering its contents taste like mulled crayons and urine (rare, because beer is delicious, but not outside the realm of possibility).
The darker beers number few, and I have yet to find any semblance of my personal favorite, the IPA, but the lighter ales and cheap domestic brews have kept me afloat thus far.
My beer of choice at the moment is Bohemia, and the Devassa beers aren’t too shabby (although they are significantly more expensive). Skol, Brahma, and Antartica are like the Bud/Coors/Miller Light brothers in the sense that they are cheap, sponsor everything, have various versions of themselves and there is no clear distinction between the three.
The other night I stopped by one of the many small restaurantesque establishments that dot the streets of Rio, and I asked the gentleman behind the counter for two large bottles of Skol to go.
Now for some education. In Brazil when you order a beer, it can be delivered to you in either a can, via a tap, in a “longneck” bottle (12oz) or in a larger 32 oz bottle. Apparently, and this was unknown to me at the time, you cannot take 32 oz bottles to-go because vendors return them to the beer distributors to be refilled at a discount.
So whilst attempting to leave with my two large beers I was yelled at by the owner who took them back from a bewildered me. After a brief argument, I opted to try my luck at the market where I was far more successful.
Needless to say, I still have much to learn.