Birraire - Beer Blog

The shiny Mahou factory, in Alovera. I suppose it is not hard to guess that the great brewers do not produce their new recipes with their usual equipment. One of the things I saw from afar, which was not much emphasised during my visit to the facilities of Damm back in 2011, was a 10 Hl microbrewing plant - so huge at that time - in which they produced experimental batches for the development of recipes. I asked about that small facility, but it was far from the elevated catwalk through which the whole visiting group was moving , and I got little information about it. It was not until December 2016 that I was able to get my nose into a similar facility of another large Iberian brewing holding, such as Mahou-San Miguel (MSM). “Ater the visit to the Pilot Plant, I understood that Nómada are still gypsy brewers”

At this point I cannot speak of 'pleasant surprise', but it was nice to find once again a remarkable selection of local beer in my trips around the territory. From bars to restaurants, even also in hostels and hotels, the frequency with which one can find good beer, produced a few kilometers away by small brewers, is certainly good news for consumers. A sign that we are doing things right . Something that concerns the brewing establishment, as our industry news shows us lately. “CTretze is a great example of how important is local produce, and to know the territory”

I remember the day I met Nereo  Garbin . We had arranged to meet at the offices of the Instituto de la Cerveza Artesana ( ICA - Institute of Craft Beer ) in the neighbourhood of Poble Sec, also with Daniel Fermun , whom I had previously met in Madrid, at the extinct pub Animal Picar & Beer. We had a long talk in which we could know each other, exchange views on the local beer scene and drink some beers. They told me about their long career in the brewing industry and their future projects. They showed me a black, greasy store in the basement of the same building, in which a car workshop had operated in the past, and where they planned to locate their brewery . " Lots of work ahead! ", I thought. "Abirradero is the retail extension of ICA, with 40 rotating beer taps and a well-equipped kitchen"