Graeme Maccallum tipped a glass in his right hand Tuesday afternoon, and as his left hand pulled on the tap the Piraat started flowing.
While many beer drinkers greatly prefer keg-delivered beers compared to the bottled variety, Virgin Islands residents haven’t had many choices. Many bars in Europe and the United States favour refillable metal kegs, but that system brings headaches in the VI, Mr. Maccullum said.
For starters, getting a keg from a US brewer takes at least two weeks and requires a deposit. Then the keg has to be sent back at the bar owner’s cost, he said. Additionally, most systems rely on carbon dioxide to push the beer through the keg, and the gas isn’t readily available on island, Mr. Maccallum said.
“You’ve got to sell the beer within three months and then you’ve got to get it here,” he said. “Sometimes there’s a delay with the ship, so you’ve got issues there.”
But Mr. Maccallum believes he’s finally found a draft beer system that will work in the VI. Using plastic disposable kegs that use air, not solely carbon dioxide, The Watering Hole will regularly serve draft beer.
“I’m serving a need. Even though you’re not making as much money, people still want to be able to have good draft beer,” he said. “They want to taste their ales.”
The Watering Hole, which was started seven years ago as a wine bar and retail outlet, took on more of a bar ambience over the years as customers began asking for specialty craft beers that weren’t available on island, he said.
Craft beers
In recent years, the rise of craft brewers has revolutionised the beer industry, he said, and consumers are demanding diversity in their beverage options.
That means small-scale brewing operations such as the one at Foxy’s on Jost Van Dyke are attracting increasing interest.
Merus Joseph, Foxy’s general manager, said that a brewer visits the island three times a year to craft batches of the company’s lagers and ales. He isn’t sure how much is made and sold each year, but it’s “quite a bit,” he said.
In addition to the taste, the thought of a Caribbean brewery gets tourists’ attention, he said.
“It’s a good beer,” he added. “People really like draft beer and people are really intrigued when they find out that it’s made here.”