Hidden Gems

Panama’s Underground Craft Breweries: Hidden Gems of Panama

Locations in this article:  London, England

Starting with the original locks of the Panama Canal, Panama City has been a home to innovation. And lately, some of the city’s biggest innovations can be found at the bar.

A few years ago when you ordered a beer in Panama, your options were pretty limited. Local beers came from two large commercial brewers: Cervecerías Barú-Panama and SABMiller. They were good beers, but it was a uniform experience typical of the light beer popular in Central America.

In the last year, that’s all started to change. In Panama City and the historic neighborhood of Casco Viejo, we’re seeing some exciting artisanal micro-breweries. Not only are these small breweries flourishing, but the city even hosted its first-ever Panama Micro Brew Fest.

Peter found his first Hidden Gem of Panama in Casco Viejo, at La Rana Dorado where brewmaster Brad Kraus is breaking ground with his craft beer. A popular restaurant and the brewery, La Rana Dorado brings a little European flavor to Central America with four signature brews: a German-style Pilsner, a British-style Pale Ale, a Belgian-style wit beer (the brewery’s most popular), and a London-style Porter.

Watch as Peter kicks off his Hidden Gems adventure and learns brewing the Panamanian way.

Discover more Hidden Gems of Panama and get a Behind-the-Scenes look at our Production.