3 Cordilleras Brewery

I was first introduced to 3 Cordilleras when I attended the opening night of Le Pub de Octavia.

Excited to take a break from bottled beer, I tried a few and became a fan. In talking to Paul of Casa Kiwi Hostel, I later learned the brewery is based in Medellin, and as a relative newcomer – they have yet to start bottling their brews for sale.

Every Thursday night, for a 15,000 COP cover, you can drink 5 beers, while last Thursday of each month features a live band as well.

Clint and I made the difficult decision to check out this casa cerveceria in person.

As I was innocently snapping the photo above of the facade, he approached me from behind and tried to swipe something from my pocket, momentarily causing my heart to beat through my chest.

Practical jokes aside, we entered the brewery a little after 6pm, paid the cover, and received our drink tickets.

Up a flight of stairs, there was a big bar with small tables and chairs, plus taller wooden tables for the standing crowd.

We immediately set to work on the beer, though I knew 5 would be a tall order for me.

Clint’s Australian pedigree would ensure his ability to take full advantage.

I paid 5,000 COP for some chicken tenders with the consistency of wet cardboard, though the carrots were good.

You have 3 beers to choose from:

• Blanca – a wheat ale (light)
• Mestiza – an American pale ale (medium…and my favorite)
• Mulata – an amber ale (darker)

The indie and rock music was all familiar – The Cure, The Shins, and I’m sure there were others we’d all know if only I could remember their names.

By 7pm, the bar area was filled to capacity.  I was impressed.  The crowd consisted of mostly young professionals making a happy hour of the event.

Between the beer, the music, and the people, I felt like I could’ve been back in the United States, perhaps at Rock Bottom Brewery in Arlington, Virginia.  I saw it as a testament to the yuppification of Medellin!

It took us a little under three hours to use up our tickets.  Facing the prospect of sleep at the early hour of 9 or 10 pm, or continuing the night, we chose the latter and taxi’d our way up to Parque Poblado where Clint introduced me to a quaint (ie. super cheap) little Italian restaurant.

For 9,000 pesos, we each got spaghetti with ham and vodka sauce and a glass of red wine.

I was disappointed to hear they didn’t have any penne pasta on hand.  I made sure to jokingly give the waiter grief for that misfortune.

After a satisfying dinner, we met up with Jamie and his new American friend Jeff in Parque Poblado.

From there, we headed to Blue as I’d read Thursday nights were the best (since I’d arrived in the city).

I’m happy to report you get two beers for the 5,000 COP cover, versus just one like on the weekends.

A decent sized crowd showed up, and we had a good time.  I called it a night around 2:30 am, a half hour before the club closes that night.