After a few days in Barcelona you may start to get a little bored of the beers that are everywhere. Estrella and San Miguel, although tasty at first the love for them can pass when you are drinking them like water. This is certainly not taking anything away from the lovely Pakistani men who stand on street corners throughout the city all night so you can get cold Estrellas 24 hours a day. Seriously this should be a thing in every city in the world! But for the more refined beer connoisseurs amongst us a change may well be in order. Luckily over the last few years Barcelona has seen a huge resurgence of craft beer around the city. Of course knowing where all these spots are is the key so here is a run down of the best craft beer bars in the city.
La Cervesera Artesana
Sant Agustí 14, 08004, Barcelona, Spain
Since this bar opened in 1996 you would be hard pushed to question that it is a pioneer among the craft beer bars in Barcelona. But don’t think that ‘we were the first and therefore the best’ attitude transfers at all to the staff who were all very accommodating and helpful. The Iberian, Steve Huxley’s creation, is La Cervesera Artesana’s self-made beer brand offered in an array of seven different types. The selection is further backed up with few experimental bottled creations such as mushroom (you have to really love mushrooms to go near this one) and chili beer (michelada fans you will be in heaven) Abstract and bewitching paintings from local artists go well with the venue’s devotion to genuinely good beer.
Garage Beer Co
Carrer del Consell de Cent, 261, 08011, Barcelona, Spain
James and Alberto, English and Italian respectively are craft beer lovers and owners of this fine brewery and bar. Here, eight taps serve the beer at Garage Beer Co. Say goodbye to any fuel pump failures and leave this place with bodywork like new, thanks to James’ energy and Alberto’s passion. That passion is present at the Garage and it is put into every pint the owners serve. Photo expos, live music, design directly brought from Betahaus in Gracia, co-working space and hub for many of Barcelona‘s creative professionals, and, of course, gastronomic events, round up this new project. Certainly well worth a look!
Black Lab
Palau de Mar, Plaça Pau Vila, 1, 08039, Barcelona, Spain
The location of this particular brewery is absolutely perfect in Palau de Mar with a terrace facing the picturesque Barceloneta neighborhood. All the staff here speak English and it’s no surprise given given the diversity of their native lands. The resulting clientele are the same and I found it to be a very social experience. The food here is fantastic as well with Asian and American dishes carefully prepared fusion cuisine menu. With as many as 20 taps, from which seven dispense their own signature beers, like the already well-appreciated Claudia IPA, the craft beer options are indeed respectable here.
Homo Sibaris
Plaça d’Osca 4, 08014, Barcelona, Spain
Homo Sibaris, opened in 2011 by Guillem Laporta, is warmly embraced by the Plaza d’Osca, a lively and beautiful corner in the district of Sants. It is a little further out than some may wish to venture but it is well worth it for the quality of beers on offer. The bar itself is decorated with psychedelic fantasy drawings inspired by the world of beer, in it they offer some self-made beers – at least one out of the eight taps, and plenty of gastronomic delights. Here, a new breed of avid craft beer-drinking locals find themselves in their natural habitat. Do not be put off with this being an exclusively locals bar as the barmen were very accommodating for Spanglish and helpful in finding the right IPA for me!
Mingus
Carrer Ataülf 6, 08002, Barcelona, Spain
Yes the name of this bar is ridiculous but don’t let that put you off! This particular hole in the wall you will find in the heart of the old Gothic neighborhood. The owner, Rodrigo, has a successful collaboration with the guys of Edge Brewery and their house beer, the Mingus (I know, so bad!) actually proves that you can give something a dreadful name and it can still be delicious! To those who wish to have a snack to soak up the booze Mingus offers tapas and empanadas for a reasonable price. The atmosphere brings a breeze of young rebel attitude, no matter the venerable age of the place and the original arch door of neo-classic construction that is still visible inside. Behind the old antique tiled bar Mingus exhibits skateboards all hanging over the wall. See, it is cool after all!
La Mes Petita
Carrer de la Diputació 30, 08015, Barcelona, Spain
As the name suggested this place is ‘the smallest’, There is an old Catalan saying: ‘inside the small pot is the good jam’ which this place very much lives up to. Here every square inch is devoted to passion for craft beer. The chemical industrial engineer Albert Sanchís, now turned master brewer, makes this small piece of precise machinery run like clockwork, steadily pumping out beer on a daily basis. Unlike most craft beer bars, except for roughly one week in August (all locals use August as their holiday to get out of the sweltering city) the bar is open all year round, seven days a week. It is even open on New Year’s Eve, so if you fancy clinking a glass of craft beer rather than champagne then this is the place to come to!
There are many other craft beer bars in the city but what sets these apart from the others is firstly the fantastic beer, but also the atmosphere and passion that the brewers bring to their establishment. So pop into anyone of these and enjoy the best that craft beer has to offer in Barcelona.