The Burgman "compound" is amazing. As we drove
through the gates we were presented with the options of walking straight into
the brewery, or heading up a small flight of stairs into a dance club. The
music in the club was a little too loud for an old fart like me, so we elected
for option A. Just behind the front door is a bar and dining area, and beyond
that is the brewery itself. The dining area has perhaps a dozen tables, a
refrigerator full or bottles, and a couple televisions broadcasting soccer.
Inside the brewery is additional seating, another small bar, and a good sized
gift shop. The brewery is massive and beautiful and a great place to enjoy a
pint. Shiny tanks and kettles flank the room, and kegs line the walls. There's
even a small children's play area. The gift shop had every piece of brewery
merchandise you could ever want, including shirts, hats, aprons, glasses,
bottles, kegs, card games, and cutlery sets. Overall I can't imagine an
environment more conducive to drinking a pint or three.
Burgman’s beer is slightly better than most Brazilian microcervejarias. Their
Lager is a bit sulfury and tastes a like cooked corn, and their Flanders Red
doesn't even have the suggestion of sourness (it is more of an amber ale).
Their Black is way too sweet and their Stout is a bit thin, but their IPA
(pronounced "ee-pah" as if it were a word and not an acronym) is nice
and their Weiss is brilliant. The prices were reasonable and ranged from around
R$5 to R$8 per pint.
The menu is mostly just variations of meat (sausage, steaks, cow knees, etc.)
My friend and I shared a massive pile of fries covered in melted white cheeses.
I don't know if this puts me in a good position to evaluate their food, but
what we had was decent.
It would be an absolute pleasure to give Burgman an amazing review, but sadly
and unfortunate incident marred my experience at the very end. Near closing we
asked our waiter to call us a taxi (Brazil has a "zero
tolerance" policy on drinking and driving). Instead of calling a cab, they
called a "friend" with no license and no meter. Who knows what this
guy intended to charge or where he was actually going to take us? We would not
get in the car and the staff at Burgman argued with us for over thirty minutes
while a legitimate cab was dispatched. Apparently this is fairly common in Brazil
and can be dangerous. Overall Burgman was great, but I am very disappointed
with this unethical practice. This is why my "service" rating is
lower than I would like to see. As much as I enjoyed the place, I will never go
back. Please be aware.
In addition, I had another regrettable surprise after I wrote this review. The
staff at Burgman told us that they were owned by the same guy that brews at
Micro Cervejaria Bamberg, which is about 20 minutes away by car. I had the good
fortune of meeting the brewer at Bamberg
(who makes amazing beer), and he informed me that he has nothing to do with
Burgman. I’m not sure I understand the deception, but it has also left a bad
taste in my mouth.
Av. Eng.
Carlos Reinaldo Mendes 5025
Sorocaba,
18013-280
15 3218 1818
http://www.cervejariaburgman.com.br/
-Matt
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