Spanish/European beer

I don't know much about the beer in Spain, but the Spanish wines I've had so far have all been great.

Doesn't help much, I know.

 

All I remember about beer in Spain are their domestics Cruz Campo (in the south) and Estrella and San Miguel everywhere else. They aren't craft, but they are still better than BMC any day. I was in Portugal for about a week..don't remember too much about the beer except that I drank it Pretty much the same as in Spain-decent domestic beer but nothing like we have here in the U.S.

If you're going to England, you have a smorgasbord of amazing beers to drink. I was in London this past summer, but only for about five days and so didn't have any time to check out any breweries. There are some very good craft breweries in the city though (Camden Town, Beavertown, Fuller's). You can find London Pride in pretty much every pub around.

 

Also, if you order a beer in Spain, you get free tapas (mini appetizer-like bites of food) to go along with it.

 

This is a pretty great idea, and more restaurants should do it. I feel like it'd be awkward just walking into a place and ordering just a beer, with no intention of ordering food too, unless it was a place that was already really beer-centric... but "I'll have a (insert beer here) and that little plate of free food that comes with it" would be so much less awkward. XD

 

Exactly. And if you're already hungry, it's not like those small bites of food are going to deter you from ordering an actual meal.

 

I did not care for Estrella. I spent most of my Spain trip drinking tinto de verno which is red wine and a light usweetened carbonated lemonade.

 

Beer is Spain is growing in popularity and instead of seeing in the cafe's people drinking sangria and eating olives now you see lots of people drinking beer and eating potato chips. That said even though you see more and more beer houses and more selection of beer in restaurants typically the type of beer you are seeing is Carlsbad and similar varieties. There may be a limited amount of craft beer there somewhere but when I visited last year I couldn't find any. Heineken is really big in Portugal and is considered to be a premium beer there. Spain is a great place to visit but in my opinion you will not be finding much in the way of craft beer there. Oh...and by the way my icon is a picture of a festival in Valencia!

 

I've had some brews from Naparbier that were nice (their wine barrel aged barley wine and the aker IPA):
http://naparbier.com/en

 

I've heard that there is a "craft" beer scene happening in Spain, but I don't know anything about it. You might need to do some research and digging before you go. Perhaps there's a European beer blog out there that would help. I heard an interview with a beer book author from the UK that was commenting on Spain. Perhaps it was "The World Atlas of Beer." I don't remember exactly but checking that book out would probably be helpful.

 

Hi @redsoxjim, nice to see you are visiting Valencia. Please come and visit me. I own a craft beer pub in Valencia (Valencia On Tap) with 10 rotative taps and over 140 different bottles. I have lots of Spanish and foreign beers and I´ll be glad to discuss with you the different beers and bars you can find in Valencia.
I will recommend you to forget about Socarrada, it is a beer made with honey and lots of rosemary. Not my favorite. In Spain their are lots of good craft beer being brewed, such as Naparbier, Laugar, Yria, La Pirata, Nomada, ...
Don´t doubt to ask me as many questions as you wish.

 

Craft beer has really kicked off in the past few years in Spain, particularly in Barcelona and the Basque Country.
Take up torrimans invitation, he'll tell you all you need to know.

 

Amen, b/c I've heard from some Belgian brewers that there are serious goings-on in Spain -- how could there NOT be, in a place with some beer culture and some of the world's best food? I was just hoping someone would have concrete advice. Which I need, myself, because I will be back in the country soon (Valencia not yet but someday) and need the guidance. Will def'ly aim to get to BierCaB in Barcelona in a few weeks. Besides the above, I'm seeking out Masia Agullons, which seems to have a sort of friendship with Cantillon (it may participate in the next Quintessence party). P.S. I'm probably a sucker but I'd try the honey-rosemary thing, too.

 

Masia Agullons make a lambic/hopped pale ale crossover thing using, Cantillon´s lambic and their own Pura ale.
Septembre an interesting beer to drink, smells like a lambic but easier on the palate.
You should be able to get it in Bcn, failing that, give me a BM, I have a bottle spare

Personally, Nomada is the best I´ve had from here.

 

If you like sour/lambics in Spain, besides Agullons, which is a must, search for BIIR, they have a geuze and a fruit lambic, which worth tasting.