A visit to one of Costa Rica's microbreweries.

Seven Costa Rican breweries earned 13 medals at the fifth annual Copa Cervezas de América competition in Chile this past weekend.

Brewers noted that Costa Rican ingredients — including coffee, tropical fruits and Costa Rica's spring waters — give the country's beer producers ample space to carve out a unique identity in the global craft beer scene.

As Costa Rican brewers look to carve out their place in the expanding craft beer market, trademark issues are a constant battle.

The Costa Rica craft beer movement is in full flight, as gastropubs and microbreweries pop up at a rapid rate. Some are receiving international recognition for their brew.

For married couple Michael Lindeman and Alejandra Arraya, mead is an opportunity to raise bees, cultivate honey, and brew vats of sweet liqueur in their home in Alajuela.

UPDATE: According to an article in La Nación, Beerfest has been postponed, due to licensing issues.

Last year’s event might already have qualified as huge, but this Oktoberfest will be even bigger: The event is moving from the Avenida Escazú shopping area to the Pedregal Event Center in Belén, one of the largest venues in Costa Rica.

Founded last year by three beer enthusiasts from the United States, Perro Vida has become one of the fastest-growing microbreweries in the country. This weekend Perro Vida will throw a party to celebrate their whirlwind first year in business.

The hipster-steampunk mashup has a certain romantic appeal. This is not the kind of “Irish pub” that hangs old Guinness posters and blasts The Chieftains all night long.