Uruguay
Uruguay’s brewing began in Montevideo in 1866, and one company, FNC, now part of AB InBev, makes about three quarters of its beer: Pilsen, Patricia, Norteña and Zillertal. Cheap cans from Argentina and Brazil have taken a growing share, and FNC closed its Minas brewery in 2026. Craft brewing came late, with Mastra in 2007, Davok and Cabesas Bier, and its more than 80 craft breweries made about 2.5% of the beer sold in 2020. Beer in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay tells the story.
Breweries in Uruguay
Cabesas Bier
4 stylesCabesas Bier, Tacuarembó: one of Uruguay's three craft pioneers, founded around 2007 in the north of the country.
Cervecería Bizarra
2 stylesBizarra, Montevideo: a Uruguayan craft brewery that names each beer after a circus character.
Cervecería Mastra
Mastra: Uruguay's first craft beer, on sale since 3 October 2007, now brewed at Las Piedras, Canelones.
Cervecería Volcánica
4 stylesVolcánica, Las Toscas: a Uruguayan craft brewery of 2014 that specialises in Belgian styles.
Davok
4 stylesDavok, Canelones: a Uruguayan craft pioneer of 2008, started by friends who read about yeast in a bioengineering textbook.
Fábricas Nacionales de Cerveza (FNC)
FNC: Uruguay's brewer of Pilsen, Patricia, Norteña and Zillertal since 1933, part of AB InBev, with about three quarters of the market.