Quilmes is a city of about 200,000 people in the province of Buenos Aires. There are several options available to get there: you can drive, by taking the highway from Buenos Aires, you can take the train from Constitución station or you can even take the bus. Expect at least an hour by car, 30 minutes by train and 35 to 45 minutes by bus.
Quilmes is best known for lending its name to Argentina's most popular brand of beer, founded in 1888 by German-born entrepreneur, Otto Bemberg. If you're only staying in Argentina's capital for a short time, there's no need to go to Quilmes. Instead, you should visit the gaucho village of San Antonio de Areco, about 90 miles away.
I had the opportunity to explore Quilmes while visiting a friend who was studying at the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, and I was not charmed at all by this large industrial city. The casco historico, or historical centre of Quilmes, however, has some buildings of historical interest, and you can participate in water activities near the Río de la Plata.