By Kristen Nozell, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Beer enthusiasts will be delighted to hear that a world class beer festival will be taking place in Rio this week. The Mondial de la Bière is a beer drinker’s dream event with a twenty-year history in France and Canada that is taking place in Brazil for the first time this year.
From November 14th through 17th, over four hundred specialty varieties of the hoppy beverage will be available in the Espaço Ação Cidadania, located in Centro Rio. Alongside the numerous specialty beers, including international and Brazilian brews from over sixty participating breweries, attendees can take part in tasting events, workshops and lectures.
The MBeer Contest Brazil will also take place as part of the event, with Jannine Marois, president of the Mondial, working with renowned beer critic Serge Noël and other specialists to award select breweries in various categories.
Participation does not come cheaply, with an entrance fee of R$40 for Thursday and Sunday, and R$45 for Friday and Saturday. This charge includes entrance and a cup from the event, but does not include any of the tastings, for which patrons can expect to pay at least R$4. The festival expects approximately 20,000 visitors.
According to the National Syndicate of the Beer Industry, Brazil is one of the top three beer-producing countries in the world, and consumption of specialty beers is on the rise, with a reported increase of 79 percent in sales of specialty beers between 2008 and 2011, compared to a 54 percent increase in ‘common’ beers.
What: Mondial de la Bière
Where: Espaço Ação Cidadania, Av. Barão de Tefé, 75, Saúde
When: November 14th – 17th
Entrance: R$40 on 11/14 and 11/17, R$45 on 11/15 and 11/16. (Tickets are available here).
Read more (in Portuguese).
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