In Search of Black Beer

The search for XINGU Black Beer began in 1986 when Amazon, Inc. was founded in Vermont to prevent the extinction of some of the world's rarest styles of beer. Dissatisfied with the bland offerings from American brewers and with the imports not offering much diversion from that, the company hired beer historian Alan Eames to research and locate native prototypes of dark, rich beers from around the world.

The search began in Brazil where Eames insisted the best examples of black beer could be found. The earliest Western account of black beer brewed by the natives of the Amazon region dates to 1557. Many Amazon Indian tribes placed great spiritual significance on black beer as a beverage used in religious and social ceremonies. This primitive brewing was done with dark roasted corn or manioc root, fermentation being initiated by wild yeast.

Anne Latchis, President of Amazon, Inc. and Alan Eames traveled to Brazil looking for a black beer to import that would represent a unique style of beer from the two cultures of that country, the natives of the Amazon rain forest and the descendants of the European colonial settlers. The result of this effort is XINGU Black Beer.

The name XINGU (pronounced shin-goo') is a tributary of the Amazon River which is home to the few surviving cultures and species of native Amazonian life threatened by dam sites, over-development and exploitation. The distinct diamond-shaped XINGU Black Beer label was painted by artist Eric Green depicting a map of the XINGU River region, bordered by anacondas, with a Txucahamei warrior and a caiman.

XINGU Black Beer is a black lager beer brewed from barley, hops, water and yeast. The opaque blackness is a result of using a variety of black-roast malts from South American grown barley.

XINGU Black Beer was first introduced to the American market in February 1988 in ceremonies held at the Culinary Institute of America. After its debut in the Boston market, distribution quickly spread throughout the U.S. At the time, it was brewed by Cervejarias Ca?ador in Santa Catarina, Brasil.

In 2002 Cervejarias Kaiser Brasil, SA was licensed to produce Xingu and market the brand throughout Brazil. The Kaiser brewery is known for its high standards in the brewing industry and they successfully brew Xingu beer with dependable quality and the same unique taste that Xingu drinkers find so appealing.

In 2003 Anne Latchis joined the import team of Eurobrew Inc. who is now the sole US importer of Xingu Black Beer and Palma Louca Pilsener. Today, Eurobrew Inc. is pleased with the brisk, steady sales growth of XINGU Black Beer and is now offering wider distribution throughout the United States.

Brand Owner: Cervejaria Independente, Ltda. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Taste profile | Xingu Black Beer | In Search of Black Beer | Brazilian Beers