The photographer who travels the world capturing the spirit of beer in his images

• Route.

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• Wallonia.

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The first memory of beer by

, a photographer specializing in this drink, is linked to his grandfather and the Venezuela where his family comes from.

Rivas was 15 years old when he fell into his hands a

flavored with malt, caramel and chocolate.

This dark beer remained forever in his memory: "It impressed me a lot," he tells VIAJES.

Born in 1975 in Paris, Texas, but with strong ties to

, he settled permanently in the US at the age of 20.

And there he had another beer revelation.

It was Christmas 1995 and her cousin invited him to spend the holidays with her in Vermont.

The beer they served, an aromatic IPA, marked his first contact with hops and his opening to a world that went far "beyond Polar," the Venezuelan national beer.

But the epiphany that changed Miguel's life was the fault of another family member: his brother, a

at a

Manhattan

It was the year 2002, Miguel lived in

and Orval, the Belgian beer that his brother gave him to try, marked a before and after in his life: "It changed everything for me," he sums up.

That bottle opened the spigot of an obsession with tasting all the Trappist beers that were within his reach.

Rivas spent 10 years trying all of that style that fell into his hands and "educating his palate."

Meanwhile, he worked as a press and events manager at the

record company .

This gave him access to the concert photographers' pits, a privilege for a photography buff like him.

One of the professionals he met gave him advice that was key to his career and the development of his style: "We don't take photos, we capture moments," recalls Miguel.

And on that phrase he built his

From him: "All beers have a story; all stories have a beer."

Miguel portrayed Ricardo Aftyka, brewer of Lost Toys I.

G.-C.

In 2013 the bottles gave way to reality.

"I went to Belgium for a week and rented a car," she explains.

In those seven days she toured the

that brewed beer and the bars that were in the surrounding area, trying as many as he could.

The images he took were posted on his personal Instagram profile, which caused concern from friends and family. "They asked me if I had a problem with alcoholism," he recalls.

In order not to have to explain further, she created The Beer Trekker account on the social network.

Upon his return from Belgium, the beer sector in New York was in full expansion, which offered Miguel the chance to do what he always wanted: "Tell stories."

His photographic project thus began a path that continues to this day.

The first three years were apprenticeships

doing many jobs without pay.

But above all, what Miguel was doing was

.

"It's useless for me to go to the brewery, take photos and leave. For me it was important to meet the people who make beer," he explains about his way of working.

Miguel visited

, stores and festivals until his project took a new turn during the Extreme Beer Festival.

The people in charge of Proclamation Brewery remembered him when they wanted to take photos of him at the brewery a year after the festival.

It would be his first paid commission and the starting point for The Beer Trekker to become a viable project.

Miguel during his role as a judge in a beer contest.IG-C.

In the decade that the project has been running, Rivas has visited more than 600 breweries, which has allowed him to see how the culture of each country is transmitted in some way in the drink, either by using local ingredients or developing their own styles.

On his travels, he has seen the "tackiest brewery", he has collected

or he has photographed the cups or beer contests where he has also been able to sit and judge beer.

And in all those places and in all those companies she has found a common denominator: "Every company is a reflection of the person in charge."

His experiences have not only been reflected in his blog and in his networks.

she has also published in some of the top industry magazines and is a regular on

beer

Despite the huge number of factories visited from all over the world, Rivas prefers quality over quantity.

"My priority is not to visit all of them," he explains.

For this reason, he applies several parameters before deciding whether or not to work for a brand: make

;

that has a story behind it;

that treats its people well;

and that those who brew the beer are good people.

"Because the most beautiful thing about beer is the people with whom it is shared," he says before sipping on a light and tasty lager.

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