Beer. It’s not only one of the most popular and most consumed drinks on the Iberian Peninsula and in its islands, it is also a way of life.
No matter what time of the day, just take a look around you in the terrace of a typical Spanish bar, or at the counter, and you’re bound to spot more than one or two customers enjoying a caña, probably accompanied by a tasty tapa as well.
Spanish beers are not as well-known as say some of Germany’s finest, yet more and more of our national products are receiving the recognition that they so rightly deserve, inside and outside of the country.
Spain is the fourth largest producer of beer in Europe and the tenth in the world, so it’s no wonder that this drink is almost a national emblem.
Spaniards do not generally order pints of beer; that’s more of a British custom. The norm is to order a caña (small glass of beer), a tubo (long glass) or a bottle.
Bottled beer is divided into quintos (20 cl.), tercios (33 cl.) or litros (1 litre).
Many of Spain’s producers have expanded their business and offer variations of each brand. For example, Cruzcampo, one of the country’s biggest-selling lagers, additionally makes Pilsner lager (4.8%), Light (2.4%), Shandy (0.9%), Cruzcampo Gran Reserva (6.4%), and Sin Alcohol (0.9%).
Here is our choice of the best beers to come out of Spain. Which is your favourite?
Damm Inedit
This is a very recently developed beer that was created by renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adrià together with his sommeliers at his El Bulli restaurant and the brew master of Estrella Damm in 2008. The Catalán chef felt that there was a need, and a gap in the market, for a beer to accompany the varied flavours of modern Spanish cuisine, and compliment them.
Inedit is elaborated with barley malt, wheat, hops, coriander, liquorice and orange peel. It is an intense beer with aromatic qualities and is a perfect accompaniment to salads, starters and fatty fish.
Tasting notes: High intensity and aromatic complexity. Its appearance is slightly cloudy. Fruity and floral to the nose, with a yeasty sensation and sweet spice reminiscences. Creamy, fresh texture, soft volume and delicately carbonic. Long aftertaste and pleasant memory. This beer has a rich and highly adaptable bouquet. In other words, a unique personality: smooth yet complex.
Alhambra Reserva 1925
This beer, produced in the Andalucian city of Granada as its name suggests, is a superior quality special beer that has been perfected with the most demanding beer lover with an exceptional palette in mind. It has been fabricated using traditional methods, yet is served in a modern-looking green embossed bottle, which makes it stand out.
The Cervezas Alhambra brewery, which produces the beer, was Andalucía’s first brewery group, but it is now partly owned by Grupo Mahou-San Miguel.
Alhambra Reserva 1925 has an alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage of 6.8% and it is full-bodied yet very balanced.
Tasting notes: Pours a good fluffy head. Golden amber with lightly toasted aromas. Full-bodied, with a constant, well-rounded and very pleasing taste. Perfect balance of bitter and sweet flavours, with notes ranging from bitter orange to a slightly caramel finish.
http://www.cervezasalhambra.es/en/our-beers/alhambra-reserva-1925/
Mahou Cinco Estrellas
Although Mahou Cinco Estrellas was officially launched in 1969, its origins go back another thirty-odd years to 1936, when it was actually brought out as Mahou’s special lager. Since then it has been improved and eventually evolved into the greater calibre version that Cinco Estrellas is today.
The best varieties of hops plus yeast, water, malt and soda water go into producing this beer, with the end result being a balanced and moderately flavoured drink with a light golden colour and creamy head. It has an ABV of 5.5%.
Ámbar Especial
Ámbar Especial is brewed by La Zaragozana in the original brewery located in the centre of the city of Zaragoza which was opened in 1900. This is the oldest beer manufacturers in the whole of the country. La Zaragozana still follows traditional brewing methods, yet is one of the 35 largest companies in the region of Aragon. It is proud of the fact that today’s company has stuck to the same principles as its founders: creating a first-class quality beer but using the most up-to-date and advanced quality-control systems available. La Zaragozana exports its products across the globe to countries including France, the UK, Japan, Australia, USA, Italy and Malaysia.
Ámbar Especial is a pleasant lager to drink as it is low in fermentation and contains a balanced bitterness that isn’t too sharp on the palette. It has a rich amber colour, due to toasting the malt used to fabricate the beer, which also gives it its characteristic flavour. The carefully selected bitter and aromatic hops also add to the flavour and characteristic of the beer. It has an ABV of 5.2% and is best consumed at 4ºC - 8ºC.
http://www.cervezasambar.com/htm/es/2013/principal.htm
San Miguel 1516
Everyone has heard of San Miguel. It is stocked in practically every single bar and restaurant in Spain and also in many other countries across the world. But, how many of you have actually tried San Miguel 1516? The difference with this beer, and its unique selling point, is the fact that it has been fabricated following the guidelines of the Law of Purity decreed by William IV of Bavaria in 1516. This law stated that beer should only be made with three ingredients: water, malted barley and hops.
By using these three ingredients only, it is possible to obtain the golden yellow colour, a balanced flavour and a slight bitterness.
San Miguel 1516 has an ABV of 4.2%, which is slightly milder than most of the other beers.
http://www.sanmiguel.es/productos/nuestras-cervezas/san-miguel-1516/
Cruzcampo Gran Reserva 1904
Cruzcampo is another major brand of Spanish beer that is well-known across the globe. Its draught beer is not the most popular for its taste with many, yet this Gran Reserva is of a different calibre. It is made from 100% malt and is intense, but balanced and with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste. It has an ABV of 6.4%.
The Cruzcampo Gran Reserva 1904 brand has been manufactured according to the original recipe, which combines the best natural ingredients, a cold fermentation temperature and a long maturing process. All the beers of the best quality have usually gone through a lengthy maturing procedure. The ingredients consist of 3 different malts, the ‘Perle’ hops from the Halleteuer region and water.
This beer is perfect to drink with seafood, salads with acidic, creamy dressings and even light meats, vegetable stews, hams and cheeses and certain tapas. It is a bright amber colour, with a creamy, compact and elegant foam and a hint of sweetness on the first sip.
http://www.cruzcampogranreserva.com/vida-slow/#top
Estrella Galicia 1906
Estrella Galicia 1906 is manufactured by the company of the same name – Estrella Galicia (not to be confused with Estrella Damm) – which was founded in the city of La Coruña in the region of Galicia in 1906. This superior quality beer was named in homage of the year that the brewery was founded.
This beer has an ABV of 6.5% and is very intense and somewhat more bitter than your average lager.
http://portal.estrellagalicia.es/es/
Moritz
Louis Moritz went to Barcelona from his hometown of Alsace and founded his brewery in the central district of Raval in 1856. More than 150 years later, this low fermented pilsner lager has become the symbol of the city itself, after being fully immersed in the culture, history, gastronomy and traditions of the city.
Moritz is a light gold colour, with plenty of white, fluffy foam and it is elaborated with Saaz hops flowers, some of the most expensive in the world. This is instead of using extracts, which give it more aroma and a less bitter quality. This beer also contains water from the Font d’Or spring in Montseny. To top it all off, Moritz is a soft and pleasant beer, with sweet notes of malt and cereal and a hint of citrus fruits. It has an ABV of 5.4%.
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