Despite being an illustrious neighbor, it is not always easy to find a beer from Rio de Janeiro in São Paulo, a specialized bar is not always mentioned.
This absence gains a great presence starting this week, with the official opening of Hocus Pocus, which has been operating since last month in a soft opening system in Largo da Batata, in Pinheiros — one of the most brewing regions in the capital.
Maybe you’ve seen a brewery label in a supermarket, with its psychedelic colors and fonts. Hocus Pocus partnered with Ambev’s ZX/Ventures to accelerate its growth. But the management of the bar in Pinheiros is not related to the giant brewery — as is the carioca matrix, in Botafogo, called Hocus Pocus DNA.
“The brewery [do Rio] it took a while, but it arrived at the right time, after the pandemic. The idea is for the experience to be as magical as it is in the DNA”, says Humberto Ribeiro, owner already experienced in the sector thanks to his work at the head of Soul Botequim, in Brooklin.
For those who don’t know, you may be surprised by several quality beers and high drinkability (read, easy to drink), which were not created with a magic pass, despite the name of the house.
Among them is Alma, an oat lager with only 4% and very flavored; or Mana, a balanced German pils with 6%; or the Já Lager (already preferred by this scribe in the first letter of labels), a lager with cashew that you can drink from a bucket. There are still other options that are not on the blackboard but are sold in 473 ml cans.
There are 18 faucets in total, within sight of the customer right at the entrance to the bar. In addition to classic styles and some that should please geeks, there are also three of them aimed at wines (white, rosé and red).
The drinks are flanked by great portions that come out of the kitchen, such as Croqueta de Vó, for R$35, with meat cooked in beer, or Chicken Chicken no Fubá, for R$38, with cubes of chicken breaded in Panko flour and in cornmeal. But this scribe’s favorite was the Torresmo Carnudo, with marinated pork belly, served with lemon.
It is possible that the most attentive brewer will recognize the address, next to Greenhouse Hoegaarden, when passing through Largo da Batata — which also houses the Goose Island Brewhouse. Hocus Pocus occupies the space that housed the Vista Corona just before the coronavirus pandemic (no beer related, please).
“The Baixo Pinheiros is a very democratic, urban place, easily accessible by subway and in front of a historic square in the city. We found a property with all the features we wanted, including a deck”, celebrates Ribeiro, citing the airy part of the bar slab.
Still in the final stage of structuring, Hocus Pocus intends to soon include signature drinks, but with the options available, for now, no one should miss spirits.
hocus little – R. Fernão dias, 690, Pinheiros, São Paulo. Mon. to Fri.: 17:00 to 24:00; Sat.: 1pm to 12pm.
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