Beer route through Spain to enjoy the best of Spanish beer

According to the online platform Statista, the average Spanish citizen consumed 50 litres of beer in 2021. In fact, Spain is the second country in the world with the highest beer consumption, only after the Czech Republic. It is no surprise that there are several festivals and fairs dedicated to beer in Spain, and even some places that are popular due to their traditional Spanish beer production. It’s definitely easy for beer lovers to enjoy their favourite drink while travelling across Spain.

Beer festivals in Spain

Enjoy Spain through its beer festivals

Enjoy Spain through its beer festivals. | Shutterstock

As we already stated, there are dozens of beer festivals in Spain. Their main goal is usually to advertise small companies producing craft beer. A good example would be the Feria del Aperitivo y la Cerveza Artesanal, which one can attend in Seville. It includes tastings of different types of craft beers, as well as other products and musical performances.

The Barcelona Beer Festival stands out in that respect. Apart from craft beer, it offers live music, different performances and food from renowned restaurants. The Granada Beer Festivals hosts tastings, spicy food contests, beer games and bouncy castles for kids, the perfect ingredients for an unforgettable day.

Beermad is the most popular beer festival in Madrid. There we can enjoy street food, musical performances, talks, workshops, and, of course, a wide range of craft beer. Another notable event in Barcelona would be the Biergarten BCN, with all kinds of beers, a sausage-eating contest, concerts and DJs.

Other remarkable beer festivals in Spain include the UFO Fest in Valdemoros, the Craft Beer Festival in Puertito de Güímar (Tenerife), the Fira de la Cervesa Artesana in Sant Feliu, Birragoza in Zaragoza, the Beer Bao in Basauri or Valencia’s Feria de la Cerveza. Besides, every month of October, many places throughout the country mimic Oktoberfest, the most popular German beer festival.

Beer museums

Factoría Cruzcampo

Factoría Cruzcampo, home to one of the most popular Spanish beers. | Shutterstock

The most outstanding beer museum in Spain is perhaps MEGA, in A Coruña. It was created by Hijos de Rivera, the corporate group selling beers like Estrella Galicia or 1906. The museum provides a look into beer production, including its origin, raw materials, making and packaging, distribution and marketing, as well as tastings, workshops and their own shop.

Apart from free visits, in MEGA one can enjoy different memorable experiences tailored for beer lovers. For instance, there is the guided visit with a lesson on beer serving, cheese tastings, Galician embutidos tastings, and even beer massages. To top it off, they also host beer craft sessions and concerts.

Another interesting beer museum in Spain would be the Museo Cervecero in Almería, with a collection of more than 2000 cans from 72 different countries. One of the most popular beer companies of Spain has its own museum too: Factoría Cruzcampo in Seville. It has guided tours to discover its history, tastings of seven different beers, beer-serving workshops, dinners with live music, and other activities revolving around the golden beverage.

The most famous places in Spain regarding beer

The cave of Sadurní, the origin of Spanish beer

Monastery of Cuacos de Yuste

Monastery of Cuacos de Yuste. | Shutterstock

If we follow the tracks of the origin of beer in Spain, we will land in Begues, in the province of Barcelona. More specifically, in the cave of San Sadurní. This is where a group of archaeologists discovered vestiges of a primitive beer in a 1999 excavation. Experts believe that this beer was crafted from malted barley more than 6000 years ago. There are guided tours to explore this archaeological site, which might be of interest for the most passionate beer lovers.

The emperor who made beer in Extremadura

The monastery of Yuste, in Cuacos de Yuste, Cáceres, is another must-see for beer lovers. Emperor Carlos V spent the last years of his life there, and he installed a small brewery of Belgian beer. In fact, there used to be a beer called Legado de Yuste (“Yusté’s Legacy”). Sadly, it does not exist anymore.

The first Spanish breweries

When it comes to beer production, it was made in monasteries and abbeys until the Industrial Revolution. However, the 19th century brought the first official breweries to Spain. One of them was Moritz, founded in 1856, which can still be visited today. Shortly after came La Bohemia, the old factory of Damm, which lies in Barcelona. It can be visited today, and admire the old machinery, the mixing rooms, canes and different advertising objects.

Origin of the most popular Spanish beers

In 1890, Casimiro Mahou founded in Madrid the Cerveza y Fábrica de Hielos, which would later become the Mahou-San Miguel beer group. Some decades later, the factory moved to Guadalajara, where one can still book a visit, and enjoy different tastings.

Of course, there are other cities in Spain that have played an important role in the history of Spanish beer. Zaragoza and the already mentioned Seville and A Coruña are some examples of that. In 1900, Zaragoza witnessed the foundation of La Zaragozana, the group in charge of the production of the famous Ámbar beer. Its factory can be visited today, and it has been declared a Patrimonio Industrial de Aragón (“Industrial Heritage of Aragon”). In 1904, Seville welcomed Cruzcampo, and in 1906, Hijos de la Rivera was founded in A Coruña.


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