Expectations Accrue as Beers-Habanos Alliance Nears

Two overwhelming passions –one that drives beer enthusiasts and another one that summons habano lovers- will be twinned during the 16th Habano Festival, when habanos and beer will be paired for the first time ever, specifically three Habanos and five beers, four of them hailing from Belgium and the remaining one from Cuba.

Some of the most prestigious and peculiar beers stand out in this group, ready to be paired with Habanos according to the proposal issued by beer-expert sommelier Ben Vinken. They will be tasted during the Festival and attendees can air their views on the matching.

The scented and balanced taste of H. Upmann Half Corona is going to meet the popular Cuban light beer, the malt-tasting Bucanero. Afterwards, participants will discover what the perfect beer to be paired with the delicate aromas of Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 actually is. To do so, they will have to choose between the strength of Duvel, made with Pilsen malts, and black beer Leffe Brown Abbey, winner of the gold medal in the 2012 World Beer Cup.

Finally, they are going to do the same exercise with the unmistakable richness, aroma and taste of Partagas Series D No. 4 and Malheur Brut Reserve beers, dry and pale, and the smoked and fruity Chimay Grande Reserve black beer with its signature black chocolate notes.

These tasting sessions will be headed by Belgium beer-expert sommelier Ben Vinken, who is also the publisher of Beer Passion and El Gusto, a couple of publications specialized in cigars. Vinken develops his journalistic and communication work in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg.