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Aguadilla.- At the heart of Aguadilla, the artisanal beer recipe created by Ponce native Jorge Castro Ramos and his business partner, René Pérez, ferments. This duo ventured and took over Del Barril Brewery, which belonged to an acquaintance who moved to the United States.

It seems that destiny was knocking on their doors when this duo of friends, who met through their passion for music, decided to join forces to take on an opportunity they could not miss.

This is how they opened Boxlab Brewing Company, a business where more than 80 local craft beers have been created for local consumption.

“I started somewhere else in Aguadilla on 2012, near the (Ramey) base, with a concept called The Beer Box that sold beers to go. At one point, I decided to learn how to make beer, but I didn’t want to at first. I was in complete denial. A friend of mine, the previous owner of this place, taught me in his house,” Jorge, 48, recalled.

While Pérez, born in Arecibo, arrived a little later to work on the business’s graphic design and, at the same time, develop the beers’ corporate image.

Their first product, according to Castro Ramos, was born in 2014.

“It’s a beer called Demolición that we still make from time to time. Demolición became a symbol for what we did, which was a different kind of beer, outside the ‘comfort zone,’ a little stronger at that time. It is a very bitter beer with a high alcohol percentage,” the ponceño explained.

“The original version was a little sweeter and maltier. Now it has twice the alcohol and twice the ingredients. It is around 11% and 12% alcohol by volume. It’s not the beer we make the most, just from time to time. In 2015 we started making beer in Caguas; a lighter, blonde ale,” he added.

Two years later came Hurricane María, which was one of the biggest disasters that has affected Puerto Rican society. Many people had no choice but to leave the country, but Castro Ramos’s business received a different kind of support.

“After María passed, we kept running the business. We were very close to closing, but we held on because we had support from the people. Six months later, we were given the opportunity to acquire this place because the previous owner, who was one of my mentors and the person who taught me how to make beer, moved to the United States,” he said.

“We had been trying to develop and open a brewery since 2016. So this was the perfect opportunity because I already had the permits, and the transfer process between owners was easier than starting from scratch. I had the basic equipment I needed to start making beers immediately and recover the money quickly,” added Pérez, 40 years old.

Their enthusiasm was such that they did not wait to complete the purchasing process, and began making several recipes that they had been developing.

“Up to now, we have battled the pandemic, earthquakes, the hurricane and, together with the other business we moved to another location. We were dealing with many things at the same time and we have been fighting hard for four years,” René admitted when revealing that they will move the brewery to the area where Boxlab is.

“We used to serve just beer here because there was a bar. But right now it is a restaurant, bar, a cocktail bar with beer, and, of course, our beer. It grew little by little and is now becoming a brewery. Now it will be a brewery and a place for people to come an d have a drink,” he confessed about the move that they hope to complete by the end of August.

How do you know when a beer is ready?

“What determines if a beer is ready, for me, is fermentation and conditioning. If fermentation is complete, it then goes into a cooling process and this is what determines if a beer is finished and ready for packaging. Temperature control is also very important because it can spoil if not in the right temperature,” Castro Ramos explained, highlighting that the business employs about 25 people.

He explained that part of the business is located on the PR-110 highway in Aguadilla, where the consumer can choose from a variety of 16 beers, among them Mal de Ojo, Buscapié, Cocotero, Majadero, Zarzuela, Vértice, Rajatabla, Misty, Vibra, Prisa, and Santuario.

“Now we are the process of moving to a location that is much larger. We are going to increase production. We also have another project with Mal de Ojo that we want to give more love to. We are focused, working hard and confident that our product is high-quality,” concluded René.