Few people might think of beer as one of the most enjoyable parts of a vacation in Belize, but the small Central American nation has a proud history of brewing delicious local lagers.

Perhaps the most famous brewer in Belize is Belikin Beer. With their distinctive logo featuring the ancient Maya site of Altun Ha, Belikin is a multi-generational family-owned business based in Ladyville just outside of Belize City. The name Belikin comes from a Maya term for the Belize River, literally meaning “road to the east.” Founded in 1969, Belikin is the largest domestic producer of beer, producing 450 bottles per minute in their state-of-the-art breweries.

Belikin’s beer offerings include:

• Belikin Beer – The flagship brew, Belikin Beer is a classic European-style lager with an alcohol content of 4.8%.
• Belikin Stout – With a velvety, rich head, Belikin Stout has a delightful smoky taste. Made with German hops, Canadian malt, and cane sugar from Belize.
• Lighthouse Lager – A refreshing, crisp beer, Lighthouse Lager is a Canadian Pilsner with a 4.2% alcohol content.
• Belikin Premium – With a malty, hearty taste, Belikin Premium is made with two different hops and three different malts.
• Guinness Stout – Belikin is a licensed brewer of this classic stout featuring a rich color and assertive bitter overtones.

Belikin also makes a number of seasonal brews, including:

• Chocolate Stout – Inspired by a traditional Maya recipe, Chocolate Sout is a creamy beer with a velvety chocolate finish.
• Sorrel Stout – Introduced for the first time a few years ago, Sorrel Stout features a careful blend of German hops, specialty malts, and local sorrel.

Other Beers Available in Belize

Beer lovers can enjoy a variety of other brews in Belize, including:

• Red Stripe – The Jamaican classic in an iconic rounded bottle.
• Heineken – One of the most popular beers in Europe, Heineken is a pale lager with a distinctly crisp finish.
• Carib – This refreshing lager is brewed in Trinidad and Tobago.
• Dragon Stout – Brewed in Jamaica, Dragon Stout has a rich, velvety head with a lovely dark color obtained from barley.

Enjoy Belizean Beers at Chabil Mar

The bar and restaurant at the award-winning resort of Chabil Mar on the Placencia Peninsula has a full range of Belizean and international beers in stock.

Visitors to the resort can ask the bartender for a recommendation of the best beers to try. The experienced, professional bartenders at Chabil Mar can recommend food pairings and other details about the different beers available in Belize.

Visit our website chabilmarvillas.com for more information on Belize, and don’t hesitate to send us an email, or call US/CAN Toll Free: 1-866-417-2377, Local: (011-501) 523-3606, if you have questions or need help in planning a Belize vacation.

While no one knows the original name of the cave, today it is called Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave from a Maya term meaning “Cave of the Stone Sepulcher”. Sometimes referred to as the Cave of the Stone Altar, ATM is a complex underground network of tunnels that lead to one of the most important historic sites ever discovered. Containing over 1,400 artifacts from the end of the Ancient Maya Empire that have lain undisturbed for more than a millennium, the ATM cave was once used by priests to conduct human sacrifices at a time of drought, warfare, and civil strife.

The entrance to ATM Cave is protected by a deep pool of cool water that visitors must traverse by swimming. Once inside, the cave opens up to a series of enormous stalactites and stalagmites. The first indication of the cave’s religious importance is a large stone altar carved from a stalactite with a stingray spine as its centerpiece, the altar or sepulcher that gave the cave system its current name. All around the altar lie potsherds, bone fragments, relics and other artifacts left behind by the Maya priests more than a thousand years ago.

Further in, towards what the Ancient Maya believed was the sacred nexus where the underworld of the gods connected to the world of men, lie the bones of the Crystal Maiden. This sacrificial victim, estimated to be a young adult in their 20s, has, over time, bonded with the minerals in the cave to acquire a glittery sheen. Nearby lie the remains of seven adult sacrificial victims as well as those of five children all under the age of 5. Thousands of fragmented pots and vessels are scattered near the bones, including some largely-intact pots and bowls that archeologists believe once held food offerings to appease the gods. Other artifacts include the obsidian blades that are believed to have been used in the solemn but gruesome human sacrifices conducted by Maya priests.

Archeologists have estimated that the ATM cave first became a site used by the Maya for religious purposes nearly 2,000 years ago. The most recent remains are dated to the Terminal-Classic Period (roughly 800 to 1000 AD), a time when the Maya heartland was suffering from severe drought and civil wars. Forgotten for more than a thousand years, the ATM cave was rediscovered in 1989 by local archeologists.

Due to the fragile nature of the artifacts within, only guides authorized by the Department of Archeology can access the ATM Cave. At Chabil Mar, we offer guests guided tours of this unique historical site in Belize. Our concierge would be very pleased to make those arrangements for a visit there for you.

Seven Ways to Get to and from Belize Airports and Placencia