Masia Agullons - Cervesa Artesana

i am quite convinced that this is one of the best breweries in the world, an operation that has been on my radar since i first tried their amazing setembre all those years ago, sneakily one of the best beers i had ever had at the time, super unsung operation, like even other craft brewers in spain are unaware. it was so amazing to get to go here, meet the family, and spend the time on their property drinking beer in the sun, maybe one of the best days of my life. the crazy thing is, i wasnt even sure it existed, like, their website hasnt been updated since the 90s, they dont have social media, and really im not even sure if this place is exactly open to the public, im still not even after having been there. its less than two hours drive from barcelona, but after getting a ticket for driving without a license the night before, it was a big ask of my wife to drive us up there, since i cant manage the manual transmission of our rental car, or any car, and she was a champ about it. the drive was gorgeous, the town is super isolated and rural, and this place some miles further past it, up in the hills, on a windy dirt road amidst grapes and other agricultural plots, it was hard to imagine we would find a brewery at the end of path, but sure enough we did. there a couple of ancient looking stone buildings on the property, much covered in vines and overgrowth, and we entered through a small gate to a sort of courtyard area between all the buildings. on the right is the modest brew house which i later got to take a peak at, super minimal capacity, cant believe they ever exported beer at all, looks all gravity fed too, pretty cool set up, tiny. then on the left you can enter into a small taproom area, just a few handles and a chalkboard menu, a half dozen seats tops, but it also seems like they live here, a big kitchen and dining area adjacent to the bar area, and then in another building the crazy old rustic bathroom and what must be living space. in between all these is a grassy area with some shade trees and a few plastic chairs and a couple tables strewn about, we rolled in shy and not sure what was up, ordered some beers, and sat down in a lovely little area. we sat back, pet some of the dogs running around, and tucked into a pretty raw but interesting pale ale, and a three year spontaneous beer, truly exceptional and strange. we later got to meat the brewer and his son, a dreadlocked pair pure of spirit and full of joy, they showed us around and we did our best to communicate, very poor spanish on our side, just a little english on theirs, but the love of beer bridged the gap, and it was great to meet one of my heroes in the industry, maybe the most unheralded master of wild ale on the planet, and he couldnt have been more care free and kind to us. we drank through the draft options cheerfully, including a cask pour, and then inquired about bottles, so glad we did, as they had quite a few special ones available. we drank through a wild ale on strawberries, one with cherries, and a spontaneous beer with some richer malts, all three of them incredible. all the while the sun shined down, the breeze blew gently, and reggae tunes filled the air, unreal. we were treated to an exceptional local cheese plate as we got into our third drink or so, the lady of the house was so kind to us, and after a fourth or fifth drink, she insisted that we eat a full meal. looked like mostly family or close friends were the only other people here that day, they all sat and ate together earlier, even closed the doors to the bar for awhile while they did, making us wonder if we were welcome, if we had invaded a family gathering unbeknownst to us or something, but when they opened back up we were again warmly greeted. the food was epic, no menu or anything, and im not sure its part of the normal experience, but i was given a heaping bowl of pork in beer broth, my wife a bowl of rice and fire roasted peppers, and a plate of bread they also make with their beer, all cooked in the little rustic kitchen with a wood oven right next to the bar, the family kitchen, an impossibly wonderful degree of hospitality. we even got a tour of the caves from 1298 where the beer ferments and ages! where the magic happens! when it was finally time to go, we couldnt believe how affordable it all was, almost criminally underpriced for how great it all was, and we left friends with these people, even shared a smoke and a warm embrace before we departed, walked out to our car by the man himself. i cannot say enough about this place, both the beer and the atmosphere are unrivaled anywhere in the world, but its the personalities and warmth we were welcomed with that will stay with us forever. genuine kindness, communion, and love here, and it shows up in the beer. best brewery experience of my life, almost assuredly never to be topped. i hope to visit again someday. not even sure this is a public spot or how it works, but it was simply amazing!