Beer is a tradition in Spain, the fourth-largest producer in Europe. All you need to do is take a look at any of the bars or terraces to see that in Spain, beer is the number one drink. This is confirmed by consumption figures, showing that the average Spaniard drinks almost 50 litres a year!
There’s nothing like a well-pulled pint, especially in summer. In this article, Lookout Pro, (with Holidu) has tracked down the best bars to enjoy a good beer after checking through the country’s 38 major cities.
The 10 best craft beer bars in Spain
León – Taxman Beatles Bar
Inevitable, we start our route in Castilla y León, where hops and barley, the main ingredients of beer, are cultivated in abundance. Our first stop is the best-rated craft beer bar in the ranking; Taxman Beatles bar (Average: 4.7 – 551 Reviews), which pays tribute to both the amber brew and one of the best bands of all times, so you’re guaranteed excellent background music.
The bar’s decor is fantastic with posters and photos of The Beatles covering the walls, but the real star here is the beers: six different taps and a wide range of bottled craft beers. Quench your thirst and get ready, the route is just beginning!
Burgos – Golden Rock and Beer
We stay in Castilla y León for now, but this time in Burgos, where Dolina beer, inspired by the Atapuerca archaeological remains, is brewed. This time around, we stop at the Golden Rock and Beer (Average: 4.6 – 638 Reviews), which is valued not only by Google users but also by TripAdvisor users, who award it the certificate of excellence.
Here, there is no shortage of good beer, and it also boasts an extensive tapas menu with spicy potatoes, croquettes, calamari, burgers, pizzas. Enjoy your favourite brew and some tapas to the sound of classic rock music.
Bilbao – Bihotz
Now on to the Basque Country to continue enjoying excellent beers. Here, the locals drink beer in a zurito (small tumbler). The best bar for craft beer is in Bilbao, Bihotz (Average: 4.6 – 567 Reviews). This cosy, welcoming bar combines a love of craft beer with artisan roasted coffee!
The owners are incredibly kind and friendly and serve delicious sandwiches and snacks if you’re feeling peckish. You’ll find it on the banks of the Nervión river very close to the Erriberako Zubia Bridge.
Barcelona – Kælderkold | Hoppiness
No beer route is complete without a visit to Catalonia, the autonomous community with the largest number of breweries in Spain, and also where the oldest remains of beer were found in Europe. If you’ve tried Moritz, you’ve already had a taste of Barcelona, but to get to know it better, we’ll take you to two of its finest watering holes. First up is Kælderkold (Average: 4.6 – 722 Reviews), a small, alternative, rough and ready styles bar with close to twenty taps and different beers from all over Europe. Your biggest problem here is having to choose one…
if you don’t want to finish up crawling out the door. Our second stop in the Catalan capital is Hoppiness (Average: 4.6 – 579 Reviews), which offers you the definitive combo: quality beer with burgers and chips! Their 12 taps of local craft and patatas bravas (spicy potatoes) never fail to impress visitors to this pub.
Madrid – Brew Wild Pizza Bar | La Mayor Cervecería | Fogg Bar Birras & Cheese
We continue to proclaim our love for beer, this time in the capital, the birthplace of the term caña as we know it today and also where the popular Mahou beer was founded back in 1890. People often say that the waiters in Madrid know how to pull pints better than anyone else. Our first stop in the capital is Brew Wild Pizza Bar (Average: 4.6 – 1095 Reviews), right in the city centre, where you choose from a large selection of national and international craft beers, and they also serve the ultimate in homemade gourmet pizzas!
Our second stop is La Mayor Cervecería (Average: 4.6 – 700 Reviews), a drinking establishment full of history. It’s been open since 1986 and was one of the first bars in the city to serve imported beers. Frequented by poets, writers and authors, the atmosphere here is in a league of its own, and it offers no less than 130 varieties of beer from 14 different countries.
The final leg of our tour in the capital takes us another treat for your taste buds, Fogg Bar Birras & Cheese (Average: 4.6 – 555 Reviews). Friendly staff, excellent local craft beers and delicious tapas, with an array of different sausages, cheeses and other delicacies to choose from.
Málaga – El Rincón Del Cervecero
Retomamos el camino en dirección a Andalucía, la comunidad líder en ventas de cerveza del país, en parte gracias al gran número de turistas que acuden atraídos por su belleza y la beben para sobrellevar sus altas temperaturas.
Hablando de calmar la sed, nos acercamos a nuestra parada malagueña, el Rincón Del Cervecero (Media: 4.6 – 676 Opiniones), un local donde no sólo puedes acudir a catar el sinfín de variedades de cerveza artesanal que ofrecen, sino que puedes participar en uno de sus talleres de elaboración y aprender todo lo que necesitas saber para ¡elaborar la tuya propia! El dueño es todo un maestro cervecero y no duda en compartir su conocimiento si estás interesado en saber más.
Palma de Mallorca – Lórien
Ponemos el broche a la ruta cervecera desplazándonos hasta Mallorca para hacer el último alto en el camino en Lórien (Media 4.6 – 550 Opiniones). Los usuarios afirman que ofrece la mejor selección de cervezas artesanas que puedes encontrar en la isla, con cervezas españolas e internacionales para no dar abasto. La tapas de llonguets (pequeños bocadillos) y aceitunas también están para chuparse los dedos y en el local se respira un aire tradicional y acogedor que invita a tomarse una pausa y disfrutar del sabor de una buena birra. Todo esto lo tienes por precios muy razonables y con dueños amables que saben de lo que venden.
Metodología
Se ha elaborado una lista de las 38 ciudades de España con una población superior a los 100.000 habitantes. Para cada ciudad, se ha realizado una búsqueda de fábricas de cerveza y bares de cerveza artesanales en la base de datos de Google. Se ha elaborado un ranking de los lugares mejor valorados teniendo en cuenta sólo los resultados con 500 o más valoraciones, para asegurar la fiabilidad de las valoraciones.
