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29-09-2010, 19:44
Visit the Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog site (http://boakandbailey.com/2010/09/29/revolution-in-catalonia/)
http://www.boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/b12.jpg (http://www.boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/b12.jpg)
Ok, so there really is a Catalan beer revolution, as evidenced by the existence of B12, a specialist beer bar (http://www.lcanderson.co.uk/b12/about.htm) in Girona, with veggie and vegan food. (Obviously, if everyone else in Spain is drinking crappy lager and eating pork, the contrarian is going to drink craft beer and eat tofu, right?).
There are more than 30 bottled beers from various Catalan microbreweries on offer (http://www.lcanderson.co.uk/b12/beers.htm). As one of the owners told us, there seems to be a new one opening every month.
We were only able to try a few. First up was Lupulus from Montseny (http://www.ccm.cat/index.php?lang=en), the people who told us about this place.* We’ve read a few reviews of this and people have noted the hops. Well, it’s definitely got more hops than we’re used to in beers from this part of the world, and a nice fruity flavour too, but wasn’t really the hop bomb we were looking forward to, and was a bit off-smelling (green glass?).
Next was Rossa (blonde) from Keks, which tasted like a decent, perhaps slightly sweet, tangerine-like Belgian wheat beer. This was definitely brewed for the climate — we’ve often thought wheat beer is the best way to lure the Spanish into drinking better beer, as it’s cold and refreshing, but generally more complex than, say, San Miguel.
Sticking with beers that suit the climate, we also thought Atletica lager (http://cerveza-artesanal-catalunya.blogspot.com/2009/10/atletica-cerveza-oficial-del-ac.html) was a hit. This is a pilsen which appears to have been brewed by, or at least for, a football social club. It had a pleasant, slightly floral aroma and was clean without being bland. We could drink a lot if this.
Flama Ale* smelled great — like Goose Island IPA — and almost delivered, with savoury malts and aromatic hops, but was still a little too much like a careless home brew to really make the grade.
Montserrat (http://www.pivni-filosof.com/2009/09/from-barcelona-with-taste.html) by Guineu (http://culturillacervecera.blogspot.com/2010/03/guineu-montserrat.html), was absolutely top notch, though, and the standout beer of the night. Billed as an imperial stout, it delivered in body and soul, and singlehandedly reaffirmed our belief in the Catalan brewing revolution.
Full credit to the owners for opening this place and giving these beers a stage. There were loads more beers that we couldn’t try. This place is definitely worth the trip if you’re in Girona, and probably worth factoring into an itinerary if you’re a beer geek passing through Catalonia.
More... (http://boakandbailey.com/2010/09/29/revolution-in-catalonia/)
http://www.boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/b12.jpg (http://www.boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/b12.jpg)
Ok, so there really is a Catalan beer revolution, as evidenced by the existence of B12, a specialist beer bar (http://www.lcanderson.co.uk/b12/about.htm) in Girona, with veggie and vegan food. (Obviously, if everyone else in Spain is drinking crappy lager and eating pork, the contrarian is going to drink craft beer and eat tofu, right?).
There are more than 30 bottled beers from various Catalan microbreweries on offer (http://www.lcanderson.co.uk/b12/beers.htm). As one of the owners told us, there seems to be a new one opening every month.
We were only able to try a few. First up was Lupulus from Montseny (http://www.ccm.cat/index.php?lang=en), the people who told us about this place.* We’ve read a few reviews of this and people have noted the hops. Well, it’s definitely got more hops than we’re used to in beers from this part of the world, and a nice fruity flavour too, but wasn’t really the hop bomb we were looking forward to, and was a bit off-smelling (green glass?).
Next was Rossa (blonde) from Keks, which tasted like a decent, perhaps slightly sweet, tangerine-like Belgian wheat beer. This was definitely brewed for the climate — we’ve often thought wheat beer is the best way to lure the Spanish into drinking better beer, as it’s cold and refreshing, but generally more complex than, say, San Miguel.
Sticking with beers that suit the climate, we also thought Atletica lager (http://cerveza-artesanal-catalunya.blogspot.com/2009/10/atletica-cerveza-oficial-del-ac.html) was a hit. This is a pilsen which appears to have been brewed by, or at least for, a football social club. It had a pleasant, slightly floral aroma and was clean without being bland. We could drink a lot if this.
Flama Ale* smelled great — like Goose Island IPA — and almost delivered, with savoury malts and aromatic hops, but was still a little too much like a careless home brew to really make the grade.
Montserrat (http://www.pivni-filosof.com/2009/09/from-barcelona-with-taste.html) by Guineu (http://culturillacervecera.blogspot.com/2010/03/guineu-montserrat.html), was absolutely top notch, though, and the standout beer of the night. Billed as an imperial stout, it delivered in body and soul, and singlehandedly reaffirmed our belief in the Catalan brewing revolution.
Full credit to the owners for opening this place and giving these beers a stage. There were loads more beers that we couldn’t try. This place is definitely worth the trip if you’re in Girona, and probably worth factoring into an itinerary if you’re a beer geek passing through Catalonia.
More... (http://boakandbailey.com/2010/09/29/revolution-in-catalonia/)