Birraire - Beer Blog

With the present post I start a series - At Home -, with no determined duration or periodicity, with the will to write a bit more during this period of confinement due to Covid-19, while sharing some reflections that come to mind when I drink certain beers . The intention is that it serves as a quick read, to stimulate ideas, without becoming a compilation of extensive tasting notes, or leading to long musings. And, of course, with the aim of encouraging local beer consumption in these difficult times for our breweries. Let's go. After confirming the confinement, quickly seeing the implications that it would have for the industry, one of the first things I did was ordering beer from La Pirata , one of the most strictly local breweries, being just a few kilometers from my home. No need to introduce these guys at this point, being one of the most popular breweries in the country, with wide and well-deserved recognition outside our borders. The unquestionable quality and soundn...

The celebration of the Barcelona Beer Challenge - hereinafter BBC - awards ceremony , which until now had always been held during the weekend of the Barcelona Beer Festival, took place this past Wednesday and Thursday remotely, through YouTube Live, in response to the confinement limitations due to Covid-19. Beyond the impact of the BBC at an international level, the relevance of this event for our industry, at national level, is undeniable. That is why I wanted to take the opportunity to sleep very few hours last night and make some reflections on the results . Let's go there.

In these days of confinement I receive constant messages about how our life will be like after this situation . Leaving socio-economic and philosophical reflections aside, in terms of entertainment, some media have encouraged us to let our imagination loose and think, individually, what is the first thing we will do after spending a good number of weeks locked up at home. From throwing uncontrolled parties and drying up bars, to visiting friends and family, craving after kisses and hugs. There are answers for all tastes. I think as I write but, in line with my calm disposition, I believe that my first day after confinement will be just like any other day : I am going to do just what I have to do. An ordinary day, only considering the fact that after a long time there will be no limit to my mobility, which will give me more possibilities. I guess I'll just work, and if I have some spare time I will spend it walking in the mountains. I am pure fun.

After close to a whole year of work, we are in the final stretch to start the  Ninth Edition of the Barcelona Beer Festival . Below 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 ninth time you join this great celebration of beer as a drink and cultural element.

To start with some activity the year in which this blog will celebrate its tenth anniversary, I will proceed to briefly review some memorable beer moments of 2019 , inspired by this publication in Original Gravity that I could read on these days of winter vacations.

' 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.