Birraire - Beer Blog

' I have intolerance to slackers. And to fascists '. With this forcefulness, Eusebi Sánchez replies to me after getting to know my own - food - intolerances. At 72, and after a lifetime of high physically demanding work, he is the most intense and tireless worker in Lupulina, a small family business in Cassà de la Selva dedicated to the cultivation of hops, founded by his son Jordi in 2013. Graduate biologist, and 30 years younger than his father, in the midst of the past economic downturn he wonders why the raw materials used by local craft breweries, especially hops, come from foreign places. In light of that he decides to start a project to supply regular native products at reasonable costs, while promoting the local economy. Six years later, he dedicates all of his working time to his company, getting very few hours of sleep in summer. Of course, Eusebi cannot reproach him for anything. ‘The thing that makes a craft brewery different is its attitude, but also...

It was one week ago that we ended May, a month that will be especially remembered for the news - made public through a message in Beer Advocate - of the merger between two pioneering companies, symbols of American independent craft brewing : Boston Beer Company and Dogfish Head. With the large brewing multinationals unleashed, it is undoubtedly a defensive movement that, without knowing any details of the operation, seems to be beneficial for both parties: image for some, channeling for the others.

Sometimes it scares me to see how fast time goes by. It was at the end of 2017, that is a year and a half ago, when I published a tweet that for some reason I thought was far more recent. The fact is that after a year in which, as usual, I tried a lot of different beers, I found an unfortunate common pattern in many of them that made me want to virtually vent my frustration on a quiet winter night. Brewers should refrain from throwing 'things' into beer without any previous testing. Too many times this year I've had rough-carbonated /geyser beers with 'things' down the drain. — Joan Birraire (@birraire)  December 17, 2017

I have wanted to start a series like this for years, but had never found the formula that pleased my expectations. After chewing on it for a long time, one finally realises that making things simple is often more effective, and that in any case nothing has to be rigid or immutable. Hence today I launch this section, in which I intend to share a small selection of articles related to beer that, in one way or another, have caught my attention during the last weeks. Being aware that I will not always comply, the frequency of publication will - hopefully - be monthly.

After close to a whole year of work, we are in the final stretch to start the Eighth Edition of the Barcelona Beer Festival . With great enthusiasm, I set out to summarise those key points to take into account to enjoy the Festival in its fullness, whether this is the first or the eighth time you join this great celebration of beer as a drink and cultural element.