What do you get if you bring together two Columbian brothers, a lot of family support, a Canadian head brewer and a collective idea to do something different? Andina Brewing Company, that’s what. The Vancouver brewery has just celebrated its second birthday and is more determined than ever to cement itself as a pillar of the local community, producing the best beer, and cuisine, possible.  

“It depends which way you look at it!” laughs Andrés Amaya, co-owner and CEO of Andina Brewing Company. “Two years have flown by but then we’re you’re involved as we are, these last two years seem like a very long time, indeed. Working, working, working. And you know what? There’s a lot more work to do.”

But Amaya, and those around him, aren’t afraid of hard work. The brewery and tasting lounge, located on Powell Street in the Downtown Eastside area of Vancouver, wouldn’t be here without those hard yards.

Andina Brewing Company was founded by Andrés and his brother, and chief operating officer, Nicolás.

“I always liked beer and when we came to Canada in 1998, the array of brands available was extensive, I started on a quest to find my favourite. When I came across my first craft beer, a pumpkin ale, I was completely blown away” explains Nicolás. I couldn’t believe that there was a beer that tasted like liquid pumpkin pie, with all the flavour and spices. I realized that there were many other craft beers that I hadn’t tried, so I bought different brands and started learning about flavours and styles. After a while, I went to a brewery and discovered IPAs. I was hooked.”

As Nicolás continued his journey into the world of modern beer, he managed to hook Andrés in, too. The latter was more of a wine and whiskey drinker but it wasn’t long before talk turned to beer, beer and more beer. And what’s the logical next step from that? Investment in a home brewing system, naturally. 

“By then my quest to find really good craft beer had become my passion. I remember one night talking to my brother about how crazy the craft beer movement was getting with all these breweries opening, so I said, ‘Well, let’s open our own!’ He told me immediately that it was an amazing idea but we didn’t know how to make beer; we loved to drink it, we knew about the different styles of beer, but that was it,” says Nicolás.

He adds: “That didn’t matter because we could hire someone. I was going to start making my own beer at home to learn anyway, but we could skip that step, hire a brewer and open our own. He was immediately on board and we started researching how to do it the proper way.

“After securing the necessary—but never enough—funding, we hired a consultant firm and it was a very smart investment. They really helped us to make this project viable with good insight and guidance. Luckily our wives were on board as well and immediately became involved offering their professional skills to get the idea going. 

“Later we found the perfect location and hired an experienced and talented head brewer in Ben Greenberg. And that is how after three years of hard work, sacrifices, and challenging but rewarding moments, our passion for craft beer became our family business”.

Nicolás, as fond of rock music as he is beer, worked in Virginia, USA before returning to Columbia where he worked in the media. British Columbia came calling though, as the owner and producer of Hola TV, supplying original programming for the Spanish speaking community of Canada. During the years before Andina, he worked as a videographer for CBC TV news in Vancouver.

Now in the beer industry, he says he enjoys working with his brother, wife and sister in law, and to be part of an inclusive sector.

His brother, the aforementioned Andrés, has a lifelong love for good food. And the brewery is all the better for it, boasting a tasting lounge where visitors can indulge in a range of ceviches. Such is the popularity of the cuisine on offer that revenues from the kitchen are often on par with beer sales.

Having lived, studied, worked in or visited a total of 52 countries across the globe, Andrés’ professional background in the hospitality industry includes managerial posts in some of the best hotels in Colombia, United States and Canada, and later as a quality assurance manager around the world.

Not every brewery boasts its own Cevicheria but with that, a new set of hurdles and challenges to overcome, especially during the formative stages of the business.

“There have been highs, and there have been lows. That’s a fact of life. Anyone that tells you differently is being liberal with the truth,” explains Andrés. “The building process was a learning curve, it’s so important to stay with your designers and contractors. Stick to the schedule and the progress being made. Stay on top of it!”

Andrés admits that his team weren’t as involved in that side as they should have, resulting in an opening that was several months later than planned and a bill $100k over budget.

“You have to stay on top of invoices,” he explains. “Of course, there are issues that are beyond your control. For instance it emerged that the main water source from the city was damaged, which needed repairing. It all adds up but either way, you simply must keep an eye on budgets.”

While the site build offers up an array of challenges, post-opening presents its own set of hurdles. 

“All I can say is that you must learn to be flexible, to adjust and be adaptable. There are also minute decisions to be made and you have to make them,” he adds.

But with many years of hard work behind them, the Amaya brothers and their families have started to be able to realise their dreams.

“We’ve been able to capture the market we wanted. I think we have a different story than other breweries, other businesses and we are proud of that,” he says. “We want to present our culture, our background and for people to recognise us for who we are. The community is enjoying our beers, our food and the story we want to tell. And that’s very rewarding.”

Andina’s production area occupies 9,500 square feet of floor space. A great attention to detail has gone into the design of the brewery as well as the tank configuration to ensure that they’ve stayed true to the quality guidelines we have set for themselves. Beers are brewed using a NSI system comprised of a mash-lauter tun, kettle-whirlpool, and 40 Bbl bright beer tanks.

Production of Andina’s beers is led by head brewer Ben Greenberg.

“Ben’s philosophy on brewing is that beer is meant to be fun and enjoyed with friends and family. Beer is more than just a delicious drink. It’s a central ingredient in celebrations, weekends, dinners and many other social moments,” explains Nicolás. “Whether brewing a traditional style beer or a trendy hazy IPA, Ben is always trying to create a beer that people will love and love sharing.

From his early days of homebrewing, Ben was designing his own recipes and creating his own styles of beer based on what he, his family and his friends enjoyed the most. The social aspect of his creations was already there.”

Greenberg joined Andina from Night Owl Brewing and in doing so, ha continued this mantra by creating some favourite fruit beers, stouts and IPAs. 

“One of his most enjoyed times running Night Owl was working behind the bar, sharing his beers and talking with customers about what they liked about his lasted batch. These moments of having great times with customers, friends and family with his brews is what drives Ben’s passion today at Andina Brewing,” adds Nicolás.

Much like the cuisine produced by Andrés, Andina’s beers draw heavily on South American influences and ingredients. In fact, Andina is the first brewery in Canada to use Patagonia Malt. This malt comes from the south of Chile where the Andean geography, excellent climatic conditions and ideal soils, make this world class malt an optimal ingredient to enhance the uniqueness of our beer.

The brewery’s output is presented in a core range of beers it calls Principales while seasons and special offerings, known De Temporadas, offer up more experimentation.  

Cores of Totuma, a 4.5% Kölsch, Andean Ale Melcocha and Monita, a 6.5% Blonde IPA are complemented by numbers such as Jalea, a 6.4% Guava Saison and rotating additions to its sour and coffee series of beers.

“With an increasing number of breweries, you need to have a product that speaks for itself. One that separates itself from those around it,” says Andrés. “We’re fortunate to have Ben who is a very talented and experimental brewer. Beers such as Jalea have been a real hit. He is very in tune with our concept and this comes across in the beers he makes.”

Many beer recipes are formulated with Andrés’ culinary creations in mind. A carefully curated menu has resonated with guests, resulting in strong sales of both cuisine and beer. 

“People can swing by and know that they can eat and drink well. They don’t have to leave if they want something interesting to enjoy,” he says. 

While the brewery and tasting room has become a destination spot for many, Andrés and Nicolás would like to see greater distribution of its beers across BC and beyond. While private stores stock its beers, the aim is to see its beers stocked in the government-owned liquor stores.

“It’s a challenging situation and it’s one we are determined to succeed in,” says Andrés. It’s a logical move to want more people to enjoy your beer, and anyone that gets that listing has had their prayers answered. It’s something we’ll continue to strive for.”

Until then, Andina wants to continue establishing itself in the local community and offering consumers something different than they may be used to.

“When we thought about what we really are passionate about, the way we wanted to do it, and with whom we wanted to share it with, that is how we envisioned the creation of Andina Brewing Company, says Nicolás. “Our definition of family business involves a sense of belonging. It is about those human touches we put into our company that makes people feel they are welcomed and cherished.”

He adds: “For us the name Andina is an irreplaceable source of inspiration. Being proud of where we came from provides us with a solid foundation to pursue one of our main objectives; promote our South American, and more specifically, Colombian heritage within our customers. We are truly committed to improve the way we are perceived by the world.”