John and I recently paid a visit to Barcelona and, to no-one's surprise, we visited a number of pubs. Barcelona is having a bit of a craft beer revolution at the moment, although the brewers have yet to find their own style - most of what you'll find is American-type over-hopped, single note pale ales, served too damn cold and with excess gas. Having said that, bottle-conditioned beer was very easy to find, and there was even some cask to be had.
So, in alphabetical order, here are the places we visited.
Ale & Hop, Carrer de les Basses de Sant Pere, 10, 08003 Barcelona. [Facebook: aleandhop] [Twitter:@aleandhop]
Ale & Hop was one of my favourite bars, and one we went back to. I was initially attracted by the vegetarian food it offers, though I never got to try it. Quite hard to find, the long narrow space has a bar at the front and a restaurant to the rear. Fridges full of bottled beers light up the dark, cellar-like passage between the two.
The two handpumps were actually in use when we visited, serving two local cask ales. Saitriei, from Ales Agullons is a pale ale with pleasant, though socky, hops and sharp, citrus underpinnings. I'd already had Party Line, from the gloriously named La Font del Diablo, in keg form in Homosibaris the day before. All I could taste of that version was vicious hops. From the handpump, these hops took on a more palatable flowery complexity. We had more than one! Of the keg offerings, Tro Ales' IPAnema was an uncomplicated, assertive American Pale Ale; IBUprofano from Cervesa Artesana Reptilian was similarly single-minded, with a fruity hop that reminded me of Ribena. Not one to resist a free taster, I was disappointed with Siren's Calypso Berliner Weisse. It was nowhere near sour enough and was in need of the green Schüss.
The bottles starred the spectacular Vanilla Black Velvet from La Quince. Dark, complicated and comparable with Titanic's Chocolate and Vanilla Porter. When I describe a beer as a "Lesbian Stout", this is the sort of thing I mean (and you'll have to ask John for the anecdote from an ILGA conference that led to that term being coined).
The staff were friendly, helpful, and masters of one of the most ridiculous bar games known to humanity.
BeerCaB, Muntaner, 55, 08011 Barcelona. [Facebook: biercab] [Twitter: BierCaB]
Modern and trendy, with the sort of ceiling you don't want to be looking at when you've fallen over drunk, BierCaB has a couple of screens showing the beer menu. They also display Untappd check-ins and Tweets about the bar, which can be somewhat disconcerting. Apart from a small selection of interesting bottles from around the world, the beer is all keg.
2014 IPA from Ratpenat Cervesers was a disappointment. The nose was lovely, but the beer had no substance whatsoever. John's choice, ZZ+ Amber Ale from Naparbier, was a better one, though it was just another American Pale Ale with lots of hops. We stuck with the same brewery for our other two beers. Aker IPA was interesting. The hops smelt of elderflowers but tasted of elderberries. I'm sure there's a Monty Python joke there somewhere. Napar Pale Ale also had an interesting hop flavour - dandelions.
Spain's best beer bar, according to RateBeer, it could be dramatically improved by the addition of a couple of handpumps.
BlackLab Brewhouse, Palau del Mar, Plaça Pau Vila, 1, 08039 Barcelona. [Facebook: BlackLabBCN] [Twitter: BlackLabBCN ].
A shiny new picobrewery, discovered serendipitously via Untappd. Located in an old building that has been turned over to restaurant and bar use, the bright, contemporary interior doesn't look like it's the same structure. The range (all keg at the moment) included two of their own beers, and a few more from the usual suspects. El Importador is a delicately hopped amber ale, though still very American. Black Mirror stout stood well above this though, managing to be good even in keg form. If it were available in cask or bottle-conditioned form, it would be outstanding. Of the other breweries' products, Edge Brewing's Padrino Porter was dried elderberries chucked on a coal fire; their Flor De La Vida Pale Ale was pleasant, but yet another utterly American brew. All the way from Montreal, where the beer nerd barmaid had recently visited, I probably can't criticise Hopfenweisse from Les Trois Mousequetaires for tasting more like an American Wheat than Schneider's canonical example of the style. Surt Jubilem by Lindheim Ølkompani was a deliciously lactic Berliner-style Weisse.
Food-wise, while not vegetarian, the veggie and vegan options on the menu were not the usual options. I tried Granny's Pickles (probably not allowed anywhere near the brewhouse) and the Summer Rolls. Both were great.
La Bona Pinta, Carrer de la Diputació, 433, 08013 Barcelona. [Facebook: LaBonaPinta].
A fantabulosa bijou bottle shop... What? Oh. The name's Catalan, not Polari, apparently.
A great wee bottle-shop close to Monumental Metro station, and situated in what looks like it was, until recently, a Japanese restaurant. Unlike similar establishments in the UK, it's possible to drink what you've bought on the premises, so we settled down with two interesting bottles and quickly lost our beermats on the tablecloth. Espiga's Dark Shipa is a dangerous Black IPA that does not taste anything like 9.5%. John opted for Black Block, a Russian Imperial Stout from Cervesa La Pirata. Another dangerous beer at 11.2 %, this is one to savour over a very long time indeed.
CatBar, Carrer Boria, 17, 08003 Barcelona. [Facebook: CatBarCAT] [Twitter: CatBarCAT].
When I was researching interesting bars for this trip, CatBar topped my list of ones I wanted to visit. As well as a wide range of beers, with a Catalonian focus, all the food is vegan. The daily special, a plate stacked with potatoes, hummus, crudités, salad, and the savoury of the day, is excellent value for money and provided substantial padding for an evening's drinking. The spinach burger met with spinach-freak John's approval.
Garrova Carob Porter (Ibosim Craft Beers) was promising. A dry-roasted flavour was clearly trying to get in out of the cold. Harsh carbonation was the disappointment in Fort's Oatmeal Porter, which had the subtle sourness you'd expect. BeerCat are a brewery who take the piss out of a certain canine big brewer with their name and graphic design. Their beers though, are substantially better. Pa I Roses is a substantial, satisfying witbier. I regret not having time to sample more of their brews. Espiga's Blonde Ale was marked as gluten-free on the board, and shows just how much gluten-free beers have come along. A pleasant pale ale, I'd never had guessed if I hadn't known. JK Nit from Cerveses JK is a wheat stout, a style new to me. It works, the typical sourness from malted wheat going well in a heavy, dark brew.
CatBar has a beer map of Barcelona available to customers. Ask about it! It was tweeted to me, but only on the last day of the trip, and it contained many more interesting bars.
La Cervesera Artesana, Sant Agustí, 14, 08012 Barcelona.
The grandparent of all the Barcelona brewpubs, it looks the part with the sort of "buy some random crap and put it on the walls" style of design so prevalent in specialist ale houses in the UK in the late 80s. They have their own unique brewing style, and had been warned that it is not to everyone's taste.
Iberian Boletus is, as the name suggests, made with mushrooms. It wasn't as scary as it sounds, the earthy taste being very subtle indeed, and the base beer just sour enough to be refreshing. The Iberian Imperial Stout was bizarre, but in a way I couldn't quite put my finger on. The Stout had the grainy flavour for which this pub's beers are noted. It was pretty good in this style of beer. The APA also failed to conform religiously to the style guides. It was served with far too much gas though.
La Cerveteca, Carrer d'En Gignàs, 25, 08002 Barcelona. [Facebook: La-Cerveteca-Barcelona].
A small-looking space in a back street in the old town, with handpumps. We'd been told that the handpumps usually housed the only Spanish beers to be had in here, but alas, on our visit, there was no real ale available. There were a number of large, expensive bottles and a Schlenkerla Rauchbier on tap. That's what I had to drink.
Fàbrica Moritz, Ronda de Sant Antoni, 39 - 41, 08011 Barcelona. [Facebook: FabricaMoritzBarcelona] [Twitter: @MoritzBarcelona].
A big barn of an industrial brewpub and brewery with which I'd not have normally bothered if I hadn't been so desperate for the loo on the way back from a beer festival. Two beers were available, both vaguely German in style. Moritz is a sweet lager which was served too damn cold. Epidor is a stronger offering, with a toasted flavour. It was powerful enough to not be overwhelmed by the noticeable diacetyl. Apparently also available unfiltered, I would try that if I ever see it.
Glaciar, Plaça Reial, 3, 08002 Barcelona. [Facebook: GlaciarBCN].
An historic pub close to the Boqueria that you won't find in any beer guides (except this one), and you're missing out by not knowing about it. A fascinating space which appears to be a late 19th century lightly renovated in the 1930s and ignored ever since, with friendly, helpful staff and an interesting range of beers.
As well as the usual "craft" suspects, the range includes beers from local brewery Cervesa del Montseny. Lupulus does not live up to its name, not being particularly hoppy. Negra does, though, being a stout that is a bit Irish and a bit Baltic. Glaciar also has all the weird brews from big-boy Estrella, including the legendary Voll Damm and ones made only for the local market. None of them were overwhelmingly fantastic, but it was interesting to try them. One of the local food specialities is Pa amb tomàquet: bread, or sometimes toast, spread with raw tomato and garlic with olive oil. Glaciar has one of the best tomato breads, which comes as a great basket full, and cheaper than chips.
Homo Sibaris, Plaça d'Osca, 4, 08014 Barcelona. [Facebook: cellercerveser] [Twitter: @HomoSibaris].
The very model of a modern hipster beer bar. Hidden in a square in a studenty area of town, this friendly bar (examine the photo closely) attracts a louder, younger crowd to enjoy the cask ale, "craft" fizz and vast selection of bottles.
As mentioned in the previous article, I had a Party Line by La Font del Diable in which I could only taste the vicious hops. This meant my enjoyment of Sesma's La Petra Tostada was limited by my difficulty in tasting it. Gothia Launia's Flor Fresca was an interesting brew. It would be easy to be put off completely by the briny nose, but perseverance revealed a well-rounded, fruity brew. I think I would enjoy this bar more at a quieter time of day.
El Vaso de Oro, Calle de Balboa, 6, 08003 Barcelona. [Facebook: VasoDeOro].
Another of the longstanding interesting beer bars, serving beer from their own brewery, Cerveza Fort. A long, thin corner pub with the bar running the length of the space, full of wood, tiles and golden ships. The food offering is classic local cuisine, but there were a couple of options for me. Pimientos de Padrón is well established as one of my favourite munchies. They also had a vegan potato salad which you can see in the background of the photo. It went extremely well with beer and I had more than one potion!
Oh yes, beer. Unfortunately all keg, but they believe in neither excessive carbonation nor freezing cold beer, and they serve beer that it is worth being able to taste. Tradition Barcelona Common Beer was a surprise. Looking like a boring lager, this was something better. Pleasant refreshment. The IPA was very American, but was a nice, classic example of the style.
So, that's what we managed in a few days in Barcelona. Our Saturday was taken up by the Fira de la Cervesa de Sant Antoni, a fantastic on-street beer festival with lots of small and interesting breweries. The stand-out beer for both of us was the astonishing Medical Stout from La Calavera.
There are many more interesting pubs, but we simply ran out of time. Try and get hold of the Cat Bar's map!
(This article was originally published on Livejournal in two parts: Drinking in Barcelona, part one and part two).
