Thought I'd start a new thread on Spain. A trip there is being planned. Anyone have any recent experience and/or advice, links, etc?
I don't have big expectations on craft beer there, but a pleasant surprise or two would be icing on the cake. We'll be in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, and one more area if time permits.
Thanks.
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Spain?
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TheSevenDuffs
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A brewery in Spain was on the Rate Beer top 5 new breweries in the World list in 2012 list along with Bellwoods, Tired Hands, Gigantic and Pipeworks). Here's the link:
http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest/ne ... 12013x.asp
http://www.ratebeer.com/RateBeerBest/ne ... 12013x.asp
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Torontoblue
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When in Barcelona, good places to visit are:
CAT bar - A small bar run by a fellow Brit, Roy. A good guy bringing in plenty of local & European brews, and a good selection of beers in the fridge; all Catalan. It's a Vegan bar, too, and the food on offer is very, very good.
Ale & Hop - good tap selection of local, European & US brews, and a well stocked fridge. All well priced, too. The veggie burger is killa! A small, tight bar that gets very busy, but there is an overflow in the back. Staff are great, friendly and definitely know their beers.
L'Espumosa - great bottle shop/bar that has just 3 taps rotating between local & European brews, but a very good bottle selection. Available to take away or sup in store. Cristina & Pablo, the owners, are great people.
La Cerveteca - recommended, but everytime I tried to visit, it was closed, even 3 hours after the official opening time.
You will be very surprised with the Catalan craft brew scene. At the last count, there was 32 breweries pumping out every style you can think of. Some is middle of the road, but the locals will point you in the right direction; just ask Pablo or Roy.
Have fun, and be prepared for walking....the bars aren't close to each other! If you need any restaurant recommendations, let me know.
CAT bar - A small bar run by a fellow Brit, Roy. A good guy bringing in plenty of local & European brews, and a good selection of beers in the fridge; all Catalan. It's a Vegan bar, too, and the food on offer is very, very good.
Ale & Hop - good tap selection of local, European & US brews, and a well stocked fridge. All well priced, too. The veggie burger is killa! A small, tight bar that gets very busy, but there is an overflow in the back. Staff are great, friendly and definitely know their beers.
L'Espumosa - great bottle shop/bar that has just 3 taps rotating between local & European brews, but a very good bottle selection. Available to take away or sup in store. Cristina & Pablo, the owners, are great people.
La Cerveteca - recommended, but everytime I tried to visit, it was closed, even 3 hours after the official opening time.
You will be very surprised with the Catalan craft brew scene. At the last count, there was 32 breweries pumping out every style you can think of. Some is middle of the road, but the locals will point you in the right direction; just ask Pablo or Roy.
Have fun, and be prepared for walking....the bars aren't close to each other! If you need any restaurant recommendations, let me know.
Barcelona: would second the recommendation for Ale & Hop. Enjoyed La Resistència as well. Was going to recommend the George & Dragon (oddly enough, along with the usual European classics, there were probably 30 Rogue beers on offer there, among others), but it seems it's closed since I was there in early June and now.
Had some good recommendations for Catalan and Spanish beer by the proprietor at Rosses i Torrades - celler de cerveses, a great bottle shop. A few highlights from my trip were those beers by Naparbier, DouGall's, Fábrica Maravillas, and Yria-Guinea Pigs.
Madrid offered a few good places too. The Fábrica Maravillas brewpub had a Bellwoods-y vibe to it. Nearby was Bar Irreale, where I had a great chat with the bartender one night. I quite liked Bar Animal. Love the Spanish, and especially in Madrilenian custom of tapas with your beers. Could almost eat half a meal over the course of a couple of beers. And despite its small size, Cervezorama 2.0 is one of the best bottle shops I've been to. Great proprietor, good selection of Spanish, American, Scandinavian, and Belgian (finally picked up a Westy, having missed out on the LCBO's offering) beers, and generally full of beer geekery.
Enjoy your trip, but don't forget to enjoy some cava and rioja too!
Had some good recommendations for Catalan and Spanish beer by the proprietor at Rosses i Torrades - celler de cerveses, a great bottle shop. A few highlights from my trip were those beers by Naparbier, DouGall's, Fábrica Maravillas, and Yria-Guinea Pigs.
Madrid offered a few good places too. The Fábrica Maravillas brewpub had a Bellwoods-y vibe to it. Nearby was Bar Irreale, where I had a great chat with the bartender one night. I quite liked Bar Animal. Love the Spanish, and especially in Madrilenian custom of tapas with your beers. Could almost eat half a meal over the course of a couple of beers. And despite its small size, Cervezorama 2.0 is one of the best bottle shops I've been to. Great proprietor, good selection of Spanish, American, Scandinavian, and Belgian (finally picked up a Westy, having missed out on the LCBO's offering) beers, and generally full of beer geekery.
Enjoy your trip, but don't forget to enjoy some cava and rioja too!
Definitely true about Barcelona. It's a bit better in Madrid, but at least there's plenty to see in between!Torontoblue wrote: Have fun, and be prepared for walking....the bars aren't close to each other!
Also, be prepared for potential difficulties in getting a beer off the main tourist paths in the afternoons. Siestas may be waning somewhat in Spanish culture, but you still may very well be stuck around 4pm hungry and thirsty!
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Torontoblue
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I stayed at the 987 Barcelona hotel. A nice, boutique style, well appointed hotel. It's just a few blocks away from Gaudi's Casa Mila, Rambla la Catalunya and a 15 minute walk to Sagrada Familia. Nice, quiet part of the city, but in walking distance of the sights, and also close to the metro & main bus routes. Walking to La Rambla took around 20 minutes.
A random bump to this old thread in case anyone is heading to Spain anytime soon.
In Barcelona, Biercab has an amazing selection (as well as a bottle shop full of Cantillion). BrewDog has a branch there now, which is as you'd expected. Found one nice little brewpub right on the harbour, called Black Lab. Make sure you know where you're going though - the locals we asked had never heard of it!
Wierdly, all three had Flying Monkeys on guest taps when we were there in June!
In Barcelona, Biercab has an amazing selection (as well as a bottle shop full of Cantillion). BrewDog has a branch there now, which is as you'd expected. Found one nice little brewpub right on the harbour, called Black Lab. Make sure you know where you're going though - the locals we asked had never heard of it!
Wierdly, all three had Flying Monkeys on guest taps when we were there in June!
The harbour is a wonderful area! I wish Black Lab had been open when we were there.MattS wrote:...In Barcelona, Biercab has an amazing selection (as well as a bottle shop full of Cantillion). BrewDog has a branch there now, which is as you'd expected. Found one nice little brewpub right on the harbour, called Black Lab. Make sure you know where you're going though - the locals we asked had never heard of it!...