I consider myself an experienced beer drinker. Not a connoisseur, but discerning. I love Guinness, for example, but not the kind brewed in the Caribbean. This stuff carries the same brand name, but it's definitely not the same quality of beer that is brewed in Ireland.


I'm not too keen on American beers, either, but prefer a European-style brew these days.


The Commonwealth Brewery in Nassau actually brews a pretty decent beer called Kalik (pronounced "kah-lick", with a short "a" sound) that I like, and a lot of beer-drinking visitors seem to like as well.


Kalik was named after the sound that cowbells make when you shake them up and down in your hands. (For proof, take note of the symbol on the label of a Kalik bottle on your next visit here. This is no lie: It's a pair of hands shaking cow bells.) The cowbell is an integral part of the annual Junkanoo festival here. Twice a year, on Boxing Day (December 26) and New Year's Eve, a costumed throng of dancers march through downtown shaking cowbells and gyrating to the music.


However, two notes of caution to the Kalik uninitiated:


1. At 5.2% alcohol, Kalik is stronger than many American beers. Less than Colt 45 Malt Liquor, but more than Corona; and


2. If a bartender asks you if you want Kalik Gold, make sure you know what you're going to drink before you say yes. Kalik Gold was created in 1992 as a Bahamian salute to Ol' Chris Columbus on the 500th anniversary of his landing in the Bahamas.


I guess that makes Mr. Columbus the Bahamas' first tourist. What a fitting tribute.


Kalik Gold has an 8% alcohol content, which is more than Beck's, but less than Anchor's Old Foghorn, which is probably what your head feels like in the morning after drinking the stuff.


If you're not careful, "goin' for the gold" will take on an entirely new meaning.