Tona beer is something different, something that I think beer lovers should try. It’s appealing because it has an incredibly soft, silky taste. It’s brewed with a blend of malts and hops. Its 4.6 percent alcohol by volume is a little low, but it’s the dazzling taste and chill of Tona that make it distinctive and satisfying.

I usually prefer a stout beer that has more power, but an exception can be made for Tona. Its flavor is as pure of a beer as any on the market, but followed by a mild, slightly bitter aftertaste that leaves you craving another drink.

Tona’s smoothness and ease to drink show the way a real lager beer should be brewed.

Major domestic beers attempt to produce a light, satisfying beer, but in my eyes, cannot compete with Tona.

Tona is different because it is mellow, then slightly bitter, yet soothing. The major domestics don’t have this pleasant zest -instead I get “bitter beer face,” or feel like I’m not drinking beer at all because it is so tasteless.

Tona isn’t watered down, and isn’t filling either- a great combination and balance between the two most important factors of a beer.

It is a wonder that Tona hasn’t hit mainstream markets.

Tona is the national beer of Nicaragua and has gone through a lot over the years to be at the level of quality and production it is today.

The company that produces Tona, Compania Cervecera de Nicaragua (CCN), is thriving and importing beer to more places internationally than ever before.

Tona beer has the potential to be one of the biggest imported beers in California, and the U.S. as a whole. The problem is it can’t be found regularly anywhere except for Nicaraguan restaurants at this point. If there are other places to find it, I don’t know about them.

Tona first began importing beer to the U.S. in 2003, but CCN has been around since a group of investors started the company back in 1926. In 1996, CCN merged with Industrial Cervecera S.A. to become the largest brewery in Nicaragua.

CCN has continued to thrive despite enduring a devastating earthquake in 1972 that almost destroyed the capital city of Managua, the company’s buildings, plant and warehouses.

Today, Tona’s brewery is state of the art and produces beer with fully automated machines and is environmentally friendly from top to bottom.

There is a lot of pride in Tona beer. Not only because it is the national beer, but because it represents Nicaragua’s history, culture, and symbolizes independence.

According to the Tona website, the company’s main goal is focused on exceeding customer expectations at all times.

Tona has exceeded my expectations by far. It is the best beer I have tried this year. It would be an injustice for all beer drinkers if Tona isn’t made more widely available.

Galen Kusic can be reached at [email protected]