Above: Antillia Brewing Company in St Lucia

By the Caribbean Journal staff

While the Caribbean region is one dominated by rum, its also a vastly underrated place for beer, from heavyweights like Carib, Red Stripe and Prestige to a growing craft beer movement.

While the latter has largely been limited to breweries in the US Virgin Islands, it now has another new entry, this time from the Eastern Caribbean: Antillia Brewing Company, which recently opened its doors in St Lucia’s Rodney Bay.

The brewery, led by veteran craft brewer Andrew Hashey, produces what it calls “traditional hand-crafted ales designed for the region’s climate and tastes.”

“We came to the island and fell in love with the everything but the choice in beer,” Hashey said. “It became apparent that the island, and in fact the entire region, was devoid of any small artisanal breweries. We worked closely with the excellent people at Invest Saint Lucia and associated government agencies and the vision to establish a brewery on the island became a reality.”

Hashey said the aim is to eventually expand export to other islands and back to Canada.

The brewery is currently producing three styles of ale: Golden Wheat, Pale Wheat and Stout, with another fruit-flavoured brew in the pipeline.

“We are investing in the island and its people and are proud to employ 6 Lucians full time and those numbers will grow,” he said.