Drinking Tropical 100 Malta

Tropical 100 Malta is not a beer from Malta, it is actually a beer brewed in Santa Cruz of Tenerife, Spain. A beer I tried a few of recently while in the Canary Islands. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this locally produced beer. However did it surprise me?

Tropical 100 Malta beer is okay, it’s nothing spectacular, but in the warm climate of the canaries it kind of hit the spot. It pours a light straw gold with a lively white head. On the nose it is subtle with a whiff of malt and a hint of citrus notes. The taste is malty with a lemon citrus kick, quite a sweet body with the slightest of bitter on the finish to balance. A cool refreshing beer in the hot sunshine, it gets a 3.8 out of 5.0.

It is better than I expected, clean, crisp and refreshing.

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Tropical 100 Malta Beer Review

A cheeky week in the canary islands saw me trying out a local brew. First stop was a local supermarket where I found Tropical 100 Malta on the shelf. At 40 cents a can, it seemed like a no brainer, even if it is under par.

Turns out this beer is everywhere, well I guess it is locally brewed at Canary Islands Brewing Company. In fact it has been around for a hundred years, so it can’t be that bad.

Anyway I wasn’t expecting much, especially at that price, but I was surprised at its 4.7% ABV. I don’t know why, I just expected it to be a lot weaker, again probably because of the price.

It sits in 330ml vibrant green can with white writing and a dog on the front. The dog threw me a little, with the name Tropical I would expect a palm tree instead of a dog.

Perhaps there is a reason or some meaning behind it. Anyway what is Tropical 100 Malta beer like?

Drinking Tropical 100 Malta Beer

As you can see from the video, my pour was a little aggressive to say the least, resulting in spilt beer (which is sacrilege). But it made us laugh, and once it settled down we could see what we were dealing with.

It sits in the glass a light straw gold with a very generous foamy white head (down to my pour). However the head does fade pretty quick barely covering the surface of the beer.

A lively stream of the tiniest bubbles flow to the top of the glass.

On the nose it is subtle, well it is a cold lager straight out of the fridge. But there is a slight biscuit malt and a hint of citrus on top.

The taste mimics the nose with biscuit malt providing the foundation and a hint of lemon citrus on top. No hop bite and quite a sweet beer with medium carbonation in the mouth. It does finish with a light bitterness which balance out the sweetness.

Overall Tropical 100 Malta is an easy drinking beer, crisp, clean and refreshing with a smooth mouthfeel. There are no intense flavours to bowl you over, but it’s a standard light beer ideal for the Canarian sunshine. It gets a score of 3.8 out 5.0.

M’Lady is of a similar view, saying “Nothing Spectacular, a pleasant sunshine beer, overall a pretty standard lager.” Lou scores it a slightly less 3.5 out of 5.0.

Compañía Cervecera de Canarias

Compañía Cervecera de Canarias or Canary Islands Brewing Company is the main brewery in the Canary Islands.

In 1924 La Tropical Brewery was founded by Castor Gómez Navarro in Las Palmas of Gran Canaria. However the Spanish Civil War led to the breweries failing and it was eventually acquired by Sociedad Industrial Canaria or Canarian Industrial Society.

The first beer was called CCC which is now known as Dorado another popular beer in the Canary Islands. The company headquarters are in Tenerife as well as the main brewery. There is another brewery in Gran Canaria and they supply all the islands of Gran Canary.

Today the whole outfit is owned by the AB InBev group who have more than 500 brands of beer.

So a simple beer which first saw the light of day a hundred years ago, and is now owned by a giant multinational drinks company.

The Beer Range

The two main beers the brewery produce are Tropical and Dorado. However there are several versions of each, three Dorado special beers, four Dorado beers and five Tropical beers.

Next time I go to the Canary Islands I will seek some of them out, here are three that caught my eye.

Dorada Especial Negra

Dorado Golden Special Black is a ruby black beer that is matured for fifty percent longer. Brewed with volcanic water, aromatic hops and their own yeast.

A hoppy aroma with hints of caramel and smoky toasted notes. It is smooth with well rounded flavour a good balance of sweet and bitterness.

It is not a session beer with it 5.7% ABV, but it is one I will hunt down next time I go to the Canary Islands.

Dorado Pilsen

This is the standard Dorado beer available across the Canaries, and probably one of the most popular beers locally.

A Pilsen style beer with a hoppy fruity aroma and typical malt flavours, it is said to have a mild bitterness too. I did have this a few times on tap and I guess it is fair to say that description is fairly accurate.

A pretty standard lager that weighs in at 4.7% ABV, so okay to enjoy a few to quench that thirst.

Tropical 1924

I can only imagine the Tropical 1924 is a celebration of the original beer first produced a hundred years ago. It is brewed with the best quality barley malt which is said to give it a unique body and flavour.

It has distinct aromas and flavours of malt, fruits and hops with good bitterness and acidity in the mouth, and a pleasant aftertaste.

At 6.5% ABV it is not a beer to go mad with, especially in the sunny heat of the Canaries. But it is one I will seek out next time I visit the Canaries.

Final Thoughts

Canary Islands Brewing Company then have been around for a long time and produce some good beers. Both Dorado and Tropical although your standard lagers are okay, easy to drink and ideal for those sunshine days.

I had Tropical in both can and tap, and didn’t really spot much difference, it’s a light, crisp refreshing beer. Does it live up to its Tropical name? No not really, but it’s okay.

In the Canary Islands there are plenty of imported beers available. But for me, when in another country I would rather drink a beer that is locally produced.

So that’s Tropical beer from Santa Cruz of Tenerife.

If you have tried it, then do share your thoughts below, let me know what you think of this Spanish beer.