Mendoza

Next stop on the tour was Mendoza, Argentina (via a spectacular bus ride through the Andes from Santiago).  Not a ton going on here beer-wise (other than a brewpub beer garden that we didn't have time for, next to the Maipu wineries).  However, Mendoza is Argentina's premiere wine-growing region, so when in Rome...

Tasters at Tempus Alba

View from your bike while riding between wineries in Maipu.  That's Mt. Aconcagua in the background, the highest peak outside of the Himalayas.

Glass floor for viewing the barrel room from the (swanky) tasting room at Trapiche, Argentina's largest winery

Argentina also means asado!  Traditional Argentine meat grilling.

Our only beer experience of note was to sample one of the two national-brand macro beers with our pizza: Andes (the other is Quilmes).  Next to a can I once left in the freezer overnight, this was the coldest beer I've ever had.  The beer in the bottle was not frozen, not even once the cap was removed.  But as soon as I poured it into the (non-frozen) glass, it developed a slush on top.  I'm thinking that maybe the CO2 released while pouring brought enough carbonate out of solution to raise the freezing temperature of the beer just enough for ice to form.

Beer slush, anyone?

Storing bottles of this style/brand of beer below freezing is probably not the end of the world.  But all the beer and pop are kept in the same fridge/freezer down here, along with most of the beer glasses.  I see a lot of very foamy, very over-chilled beer in my near future!