Santa Fe Brewery, the City’s Grandma

Upon entering the venue, we had a friendly welcome from the guides who led us through a spacious room where a video would explain the process of brewing beer and its various steps.

After watching the video, we toured around the area specially prepared for visitors and as we got deep into the brewery, a pleasant bitter smell surrounded us.

We were fascinated by the typical odor of boiling wort –the broth that will later become beer— and we began to understand how our favorite beverage is brewed.

Encouraged by the guides and the memories of the chilled drink we had had some minutes before, we were led through the plant to learn about the stages involved in the process of making over twelve varieties of beer.

A Traditional Process

We watched the mills and the huge stainless steel tanks which can contain 200,000 liters. The malted barley is ground and cooked. Then the hop is added, which provides its typical aroma and taste. Then, the mixture is fermented with yeast, which generates alcohol and carbon dioxide naturally.

With a total production of 400 annual liters, this huge venue brews and commercializes leader beer trademarks, such as Santa Fe, Schneider, Salta and Córdoba within the country, and Budweiser and Heineken abroad. Besides, it is the exclusive Argentinian dealer of Guinness, the most prestigious Irish dark beer, as well as Corona and Negra Modelo.


One City, One Beer

After watching the last stages of maturation and bottling, we toured around the brewery’s museum. Over 95 years of history of the brewery have been reconstructed as a result of the work done by three important museologists in the city.

Created in 1912, its first master brewer was well-known Otto Schneider. Some of the curiosities inside the museum include old photographs, filters, and ancient copper pots to make the wort and wooden barrels where this beverage used to be stored in the days of yore.

Once the visit was over, the hostesses of the company gave us some brochures and cans of products of the various labels produced in the venue.

We returned to the bus to continue our tour around the Beer Capital in Argentina (as Santa Fe is usually referred to). After this visit, we would certainly consider certain matters as we ask for a beer.