Meaning to Life | Exotic Caribbean

Archive for the ‘Budweiser Sponsorship’ Category

Tuesday, January 25, 2005
First hand observation soon shows that good old-fashioned beer, even here in the exotic Caribbean, surprisingly is the most popular drink at the Playa Vista. For that matter it is probably so at any bar in any part of the Dominican Republic and it is the ‘Presidente’ brand produced since 1935 by Cerverceria Nacional Dominicana which wins the grand popularity prize. It is a pilsner type beer, comes for the most part in 355 and 650 cc green bottles and is produced at the central brewery just off the Avenida Independencia in Santo Domingo
We actually think it comes closer to the Carlsberg advertising slogan of a few years back ‘probably the world’s finest beer’ than even that fine Danish beer does. We have asked numerous imbibers over the years what they think of it, and almost without exception the response is extremely favorable. It appears to hit a beautiful middle ground seeming to have a little bit of everything that a beer should have without any one of the individual characteristics dominating. Namely: smell, froth, fizz, sweetness, crispy dryness and taste of hops. The alcohol content is a little above average, compared for example with standard North American beers, at 5% per volume but the real trump card is the near ice-cold temperature at which the beer is best served and it goes without saying this contrasts exquisitely with the usual high ambient temperatures that we enjoy in our corner of paradise. The locals often ask evocatively for their beer to be served ‘cenizada’ literally meaning ‘coated in ash’; used perhaps because Dominicans are so unfamiliar with the term ‘frosted’.
Although ‘Presidente’ is exceedingly popular we wouldn’t want you to think that there weren’t alternatives. The same beer company took over the ‘Bohemia’ label in 1983 and is making inroads into the ‘Presidente’ market although it has a long way to go to take over the ‘Presidente’ mantel. Bohemia is a little drier, a little flatter and less sweet but perfectly palatable having even won gold awards in Spain and Italy.
To round up the beer list we also serve Miller, Corona, Budweiser (the Anheuser-Busch variety), Heineken (recently back in supply after a lengthy lay-off) and two fine Belgian beers Leffe and Hoegaarden… all beers that can be found around the world. We trust that will also be true of Presidente in the years to come so that you may have the opportunity to try one for yourselves… that is if you, for some reason or other, can’t make it to the Playa Vista Beach Bar!
Cheers!

Friday, October 17, 2003
You have been missing those ‘exciting’ parasol stories, right? Well… the usual ‘law of nature-like’ situation concerning parasols around here that could be described as the seemingly unbreakable circle of promises and wait eons for parasols to be delivered… or not, has been broken and Budweiser has jumped straight in with direct promotion here at Playa Vista – parasols provided within 24 hours of signing the contract! You will now see their colors proudly flying on the terraza and you can even ask for ‘the king of beers’ at the bar. After all the Anheuser-Busch empire does deserve a wee bit of promotion in return for their prompt and honorable response wouldn’t you say?

Meanwhile seven years later:
My word, the Dominican beer market has been threatened with a lot of change over the years but it is the Presidente brand which continues to dominate as it always has.
Budweiser tried and retreated, Brahma tried in a very big way and still hold on to a tiny corner of the market. However it is Presidente that carries all before it with its biggest and most successful maneuver being the introduction of a light variety known locally, in a very un-Spanish form, simply as “Presidente Light”.