As one half of Boutilliers' currently living in Spain prior to the opening of the brewery, I'm happy to be witnessing something of a brewing explosion in the peninsula.
When you think of Spain, you think of lots of things: paella, flamenco, sandy beaches, drunken British tourists, but one thing that you probably don't think of is decent beer. There's a good reason for this, namely that the vast majority of Spanish beers are identikit light lagers served a fraction above freezing. Now though, that image may have to change as Spain undergoes something of a beer revolution.
When you think of Spain, you think of lots of things: paella, flamenco, sandy beaches, drunken British tourists, but one thing that you probably don't think of is decent beer. There's a good reason for this, namely that the vast majority of Spanish beers are identikit light lagers served a fraction above freezing. Now though, that image may have to change as Spain undergoes something of a beer revolution.
For the last few years, microbreweries have been sprouting up across the country, even as the economic crisis bites. Indeed, it has been suggested that the crisis is partly to thank for this phenomenon as many of those who had been made redundant have turned to brewing for employment as the possibility of finding work in traditional industries has disappeared.
Spanish micros face many difficulties which are not faced in traditional beery countries like the UK. First, they have to fight against the idea that "cerveza" can only be very pale and very cold. The Spanish baulk at the idea of serving a poor wine with dinner but tend to view beer merely as a refreshing drink on a par with Coke or 7Up (I've actually worked in places where they've had beer in vending machines alongside other soft drinks). The idea that beer is something that can be savoured and enjoyed in and of itself is not a common one. Similarly, beer is not usually thought of as a night-out drink. If people are out on a big one, spirits and mixers are much more common.
Secondly, the access to the market is incredibly difficult. Most bars in Spain serve one beer on tap and the same beer in bottles. If you are lucky, they may also serve a "premium" beer, generally Heineken in these parts. It's very unusual to see craft beers in a bar. Even where there is a selection of different beers (often in Irish bars), the same distributor is generally used, so you'll get Grimbergen, Judas, Leffe Brown and a couple of Paulener beers if you're lucky. I've seen only a handful of places with local beers on offer and in one of those places, where their menu beamed "Ask about our artesan beers", asking about said beers provoked only a series of blank looks until, after some rummaging, one of the staff found a couple of bottles tucked away at the back of a fridge and said "It must be these I suppose".
Thirdly, and possibly most importantly, the cost is often seen as prohibitive. Buying a craft beer in a shop will set you back about €2 - 2.50; a can of Amstel or similar costs between 30 and 50 cents. It is a difficult job to persuade people that rather than buying a case of 12 beers for €5, they should buy 2 or 3 craft beers instead. In a country where unemployment is running at around 25% (closer to 50% amongst the young) and wages are falling, it's a difficult case to make with the result that many of those who do buy craft beer treat it more as a "special occasion" product; an interesting novelty.
So, with these barriers placed firmly in its way, it would seem that beer's march across the country should be dead before it starts. However, beer does have a few things going for it...
First off is the quality argument. The Spanish are immensely proud of the quality of their produce, from their acorn fed pigs which produce "Jamón de Bellota" to their wines and even their Asturian cider. Quality in food and drink is important, hence it would seem a small step to extend this feeling to beer. After all, if you eat good food and drink good wine, why not add good beer to that list?
There is also an intense regionalism in Spain seen not only politically but also in relation to produce. Tell a Valenciano that you had a Paella in Madrid and he'll happily tell you that what you ate was definitely not paella as only in Valencia do they know how to make the ricey delight. This regional pride extends to beers, so much so that if you're in Galicia, you'll almost certainly be drinking Estrella Galicia, Mahou in Madrid, Cruzcampo in Andalucia and so on. Despite the fact that these drinks are almost exactly the same, people from the region tend to swear that their own super chilled lager is the best in the country. If the craft beer producers can attempt to tap into this regionalism and generate a sense of ownership of their beers in the local population then sales should be boosted.
Many micros are attempting to make this connection, for example with the use of local languages either alongside or instead of Spanish on their bottles. To further this regionalism, you will find local fruits used in some brews (Valencia orange IPA? Yes please!), local landmarks used on labels and anything else that the brewer can think of to tie the beer to it's area.
Finally, supermarkets are slowly picking up on the trend. Now if you go into a large Carrefour or El Corte Inglés, you can generally find at least some local Spanish beers on offer alongside all of the lagers. This is helping to combat an idea that good beer has to be imported and normalising somewhat the sight of Spanish
artisan beers in the mind of the consumer.
Overall, it's an exciting time to be in Spain as a beer drinker. There are new breweries popping up across the country and seemingly always a new beer to try when you go into a bottle shop. So whilst it's certainly true that Spain lags behind in the beer world, it is making up ground quickly. The most exciting thing about this explosion is the creativity - Spanish brewers are seemingly happy to look anywhere for their inspiration. This leads to some interesting fruit beers, some twists on traditional ale styles (orange IPA as mentioned above, for example) as well as some, well, "interesting" efforts (artichoke beer... interesting, rather than outstanding!). The quality of some of the beers is, it has to be said, lacking. However, if you pop into a bottle shop or a deli and ask for some recommendations, you'll certainly find some interesting examples and there are some breweries which are making truly fantastic beer. I'll write about a few of my favourites over the coming weeks.
Many micros are attempting to make this connection, for example with the use of local languages either alongside or instead of Spanish on their bottles. To further this regionalism, you will find local fruits used in some brews (Valencia orange IPA? Yes please!), local landmarks used on labels and anything else that the brewer can think of to tie the beer to it's area.
Finally, supermarkets are slowly picking up on the trend. Now if you go into a large Carrefour or El Corte Inglés, you can generally find at least some local Spanish beers on offer alongside all of the lagers. This is helping to combat an idea that good beer has to be imported and normalising somewhat the sight of Spanish
artisan beers in the mind of the consumer.
Overall, it's an exciting time to be in Spain as a beer drinker. There are new breweries popping up across the country and seemingly always a new beer to try when you go into a bottle shop. So whilst it's certainly true that Spain lags behind in the beer world, it is making up ground quickly. The most exciting thing about this explosion is the creativity - Spanish brewers are seemingly happy to look anywhere for their inspiration. This leads to some interesting fruit beers, some twists on traditional ale styles (orange IPA as mentioned above, for example) as well as some, well, "interesting" efforts (artichoke beer... interesting, rather than outstanding!). The quality of some of the beers is, it has to be said, lacking. However, if you pop into a bottle shop or a deli and ask for some recommendations, you'll certainly find some interesting examples and there are some breweries which are making truly fantastic beer. I'll write about a few of my favourites over the coming weeks.
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