Bacardi Announces Return Of Cuban Favorite

Remember Hatuey? For most people, probably not.  There wasn’t a lot of it originally produced, and most of it was sold outside the U.S.  However, it’s back. Hatuey is a cuban style ale first brewed in Cuba in 1927.  The beer is named for Chief Hatuey, leader of the Taino tribe of Indians from the island of Hispaniola.  Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean containing the Dominican Republic and Haiti.   Hatuey was the #1 selling beer in Cuba by 1950 after it’s introduction.  Bacardi International has announced the introduction of Hatuey again into the states, starting in South Florida.  The beer will be brewed in small batches of less than 800 cases per batch.

Full Press Release

HATUEY Cuban Style Ale returns brand to its roots as small-batch premium beer

MIAMI — June 17, 2011 — Bacardi U.S.A. today announced the introduction of the newly-crafted HATUEY® — the legendary beer originally brewed in Cuba in 1927 — that will be available beginning this summer at bars and restaurants throughout South Florida.

The roots of HATUEY date back more than 80 years when it was first brewed by Cerverceria HATUEY in the city of Santiago de Cuba. Recognizing the opportunity to offer a premium beer to the Cuban market, the Bacardi family contracted a well-known German brewer to open Cercerceria HATUEY to produce and market a great tasting, premium beer. In the 1930s another family member, Joaquín Bacardí, traveled to Copenhagen to learn the art and science of brewing. He became HATUEY beer’s first Brew Master. He is credited, in large part, with HATUEY beer’s tremendous success. By the late 50s HATUEY had gained enormous popularity and became the number one premium beer in Cuba.

“We’re excited to bring back to this community a premium beer with so much history and tradition,” said Anler Morejón, project manager, Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. “Our new HATUEY micro-brewed ale follows the traditional craft beer brewing technique and is now brewed in smaller batches, in a family-owned, independent brewery, making for a perfect tasting beer with a great legacy,” Morejón added.

The new HATUEY Cuban Style Ale is made with malted barley, hops, yeast and water following traditional small-batch brewing techniques with fewer than 800 cases produced per batch. It is double filtered for optimal quality and has a golden, straw color and an airy mouth feel that finishes with a cool and crisp effect. The sweet malt combined with just enough hops adds character to the refreshing, light-bodied beer best served in a classic pilsner flute or a handled glass stein.

HATUEY beer, named after the Indian Chief Hatuey who led the Taino tribe resistance in the 16th century, captured Cuba’s essence and became the country’s most popular beer, selling 12 million cases in 1959. The enormous success of HATUEY can be credited to a fantastic beer combined with innovative marketing techniques for the era. When first introduced in 1927, with modern refrigerators not yet available, every case came with free block if ice to ensure consumers could enjoy a great tasting ice cold beer.

“There is tremendous legacy associated with HATUEY and Bacardi is proud to introduce a premium beer that is authentic to the brand’s history,” said Patricia Suau, company archivist.

HATUEY is proud to join with Eagle Brands Sales as exclusive distributor of HAUTEY in South Florida.

About HATUEY
Originally brewed in the Cervecería HATUEY in Santiago de Cuba in 1927, HATUEY was Cuba’s first premium beer. Joaquin Bacardi, a Harvard graduate with a degree in Chemical Engineering, was sent to Copenhagen in the early 1930s to learn the art and science of brewing, and became HATUEY beer’s first Brew Master. Named after the Indian Chief, Hatuey, – the leader of the Taino tribe of Indians who lived in the early 16th century, from the island of Hispaniola- HATUEY originally sold 12 Million Cases. Expanding to meet the ever increasing demand for HATUEY, the Cervecerria Modelo in Havana opened in 1947 and had such success that the expansion continued with a state-of-the-art brewery, Cervecería Central, that went on line in 1953. By the late 1950’s, HATUEY was the number one premium beer in Cuba and dominated the Cuban beer market. Today, the craft, Cuban-style premium ale is brewed in small batches at a family-owned brewery in the United States following the traditional craft beer brewing technique, inspired by the authentic Cuban taste.

About Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.
Bacardi U.S.A. Inc., is the United States import and distribution arm of one of the world’s leading spirits and wine producers. The company boasts a portfolio of some of the most recognized and top-selling spirits brands in the United States including BACARDÍ® rum, the world’s favorite and best-selling premium rum, as well as the world’s most awarded rum; GREY GOOSE® vodka, the world-leader in super-premium vodka; DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch Whisky, the number-one selling blended Scotch whisky in the United States; BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, the top-valued and fastest-growing premium gin in the world; CAZADORES® 100 percent blue agave tequila, the number-one premium tequila in Mexico and a top-selling premium tequila in the United States; MARTINI® vermouth, the world-leader in vermouth; and other leading and emerging brands. For additional information, visit  http://www.bacardiusa.com