Kalik, The Beer of The Bahamas, is proud to celebrate 25 years of being the number one choice in beers among locals and visitors.

From the first bottle rolling off the brewery assembly line into the hands of its grateful recipient, it has quenched the thirst of a nation hungry for a product clearly identified with the abundance of sun and sea, the sounds and sights of Junkanoo and the sheer exhilaration of island life.

More than just a beer, Kalik symbolizes a quality product aligned with Bahamian culture and produced with consistent quality so much so that the name actually originates from the sound of an integral musical instrument in Junkanoo, the cowbell. For more than two decades, it has demonstrated that a brewery in The Bahamas could perform at the highest standards, not only producing Heineken and Guinness as the brewery was built to produce, but turning out a beer that captured the taste buds and the imagination of a public willing to try something new -- a public that discovered an instant and lasting love affair with the brew.

Twenty five years after the first Kalik hit the market, The Beer of The Bahamas, with four labels ranging from light to gold continues to enjoy considerable market share. More than two million cases have been sold. That’s more than 48 million bottles of beer, many making their way into pubs as far away as Ireland, Germany and Australia, holding their own against world-famous foreign brews among populations that take their beer-drinking as seriously as Bahamians take Junkanoo and Americans baseball. Which is to say as serious as a nation gets.

Equating a beer to a national treasure is monumental, especially when the accolades come from an objective outsider. For locals, such words only reinforce what they already know. When’s its 103 degrees outside and you’ve been working hard in the heat of the midday sun, there is only one beer that satisfies, The Beer of The Bahamas, Kalik. Connoisseurs of Kalik constitute a loyal fan base who would rather swelter than switch.

On this, the dawn of the 25th anniversary of Kalik, it is Commonwealth Brewery Limited’s (CBL) pleasure to show a little respect to the beer that surprised and satisfied a nation, earned an international reputation, won four Monde Selection Gold Medals from the International Institute for Quality Selections, accounted for hundreds of jobs, led to thousands of exports and brought pleasure to millions. Here’s to you, Kalik, The Beer of The Bahamas.

THE JOURNEY

The history of Kalik begins more than two years before its actual birth with an historic agreement signed November 17, 1983 between Heineken NV and Associated Bahamas Distillers and Brewers (ABDAB), a Bahamian company, for the creation of a brewery on the island of New Providence. The decision to locate the brewery in New Providence followed several years of exploring other sites, including two other islands in The Bahamas, Andros and Grand Bahama.

When the government finally approved the site near Clifton Pier on the extreme southern side of New Providence, there were whispers and worries: Would the quality of the water and other resources needed be sufficient? Would production be consistent? Would standards be maintained? Those worries were quickly put to rest. From the time the first Heineken and Guinness slid down the assembly line in 1986 and endured the intrusive testing that early samples always get and random samples continue to get, it was clear that the new brewery would do just fine.

Known for its fresh taste, Kalik is brewed from the finest selected malted barley, hops and pure sterilized water. Original master brewers Sophia Dames and Marcia Wright were among the first to perfect the custom blend of Kalik, where two years later, the first Kalik rolled off an assembly line and was presented to the public at a celebration at Arawak Cay, and those who waited with baited breath took another deep breath when the first taste hit their lips. They swished it around their mouths, noticed it collided happily with waiting taste buds and slid gently down their throat. Then they heaved a communal sigh of relief if not outright wonder. As one member of staff said, “That day, if taste buds could have smiled, they would have grinned. We all knew that we had a winner on our hands.”

“I am extermely proud of CBL and the fact that Kalik has become the number one beer in the market,” Marcia Wright shares on her participation as one of the first brewhouse operators in 1988 and Kalik’s journey over the years. “I’m estatic knowing that I played a part in making that happen.”

On twenty-five years of Kalik brand presence, the supervisor of the brewhouse department at Kalik’s initial bottling, Sophia Dames, beams, “I am overwhelmed knowing that Kalik is still enjoyed by so many and that the flavour is like none other. It was an incredible feeling being able to give the public what they wanted in the first Bahamian beer.”

Just two years after the first brew, Kalik received its first of four Monde Selection Gold Medals from Belgium’s International Institute for Quality Selections, a remarkable feat for such a young beer. Twenty five years of production has seen the Kalik offering grow to include four popular beers, appealing to the varied palate of the consumer. The original Kalik Regular was complemented in 1992 by Kalik Gold as a limited brew to mark the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in the new world. However, due to an overwhelming reception, Kalik Gold is in permanent production. In 1997, Kalik Light, a distinctively savory light beer was introduced in response to consumer requests for a Bahamian light beer and in 2011 Kalik Lime was added.

Combine the taste of the home-grown, professionally manufactured brew with international standards and the then-radical local cultural branding of cowbells, so closely associated with Junkanoo, and everything about Kalik spelled success for the beer with the light taste, low froth and golden glow. Through the years, it has been as much a part of the Bahamian scene as the sun in the morning, a major sponsor of the Junkanoo parades and Junkanoo groups through the Kalik Fan Fest initiative, Kalik is a staple supporting local activities including homecomings, several musical and heritage festivals, sailing Regattas and other sports events.

Now in 2013, as Kalik celebrates 25, it joins The Bahamas, celebrating the nation’s 40th anniversary of Independence and Heineken in celebrating 140 years. THE JOURNEY