There’s nothing like the refreshing taste of one of Aruba’s ice-cold local beers on a hot and sunny day. While you’re enjoying island life paired with one of Balashi Brewery’s beers—the iconic and original Balashi pilsner, the Caribbean’s beach beer, Chill, or the fruit-forward island lager, Magic Mango—the meticulous process to bring these top-selling brews to you begins under the watchful eye of Balashi Brewery’s Quality Assurance team.

One of Balashi Brewery’s most unique qualities is that it’s made with purified seawater. A direct pipe from the island’s water treatment plant, WEB, brings Aruba’s famous desalinized drinking water to the brewery, where it is then sand and carbon filtered, UV treated, and repeatedly tested for purity before it is utilized within the brewing process. In fact, all raw materials (like the cans) undergo rigorous certification analysis to confirm that they meet the approved standards before entering the plant.

Brewing beer is a science. Balashi’s treatment and beer control lab technicians check and re-check each brewing session numerous times throughout the brewing process. The techs analyze samples for everything including color, as each beer has its standard color and if that is off, then something was off during the brewing process and adjustments must be made.
In the microbiology lab, each batch sample is checked under the microscope to confirm the absence of contaminations.

Balashi Brewery is the only company that offers incentivized bottle returns, helping to achieve an 82% return rate average across all three brands. A dedicated bottle washing station ensures thorough sanitation, with the final rinse water evaluated consistently to make sure no chemicals are present.
Specialized cameras with micro sensors examine each and every bottle on the line looking for any chips or cracks in the glass. If an imperfect bottle is indicated, the system is programmed to instantly break and discard the bottle.
There’s even a control on the equipment and monitoring systems every one to three hours to ensure that they continue to work at the optimum level.

Once the bottles are running on the production line, more assurances of quality and safety are in place—including checking the oxygen and CO2 levels batch by batch.

Beyond the science, the beer must taste good! The Quality Assurance team tastes every batch of Balashi, Chill, and Magic Mango (not a bad job perk!). The seasoned technicians know their beers and can easily identify how each beer should taste. They work hand-in-hand with the Brew House team to assure all batches of beer meet the utmost standards in taste and quality.

Quality control continues after the beer leaves the brewery
Technicians make the rounds at bars and restaurants, bringing samples back to the plant to ensure that the beer on tap retains its quality and integrity. The technicians also flush and sanitize beer tap lines at bars and restaurants twice a month.