Anyone from Spain?

Hi...I guess I can´t be the only one? Anybody else out there spaniards or ex-pats?

Bump

There is no way I´m the only one... or am I?

Well, I'm Spanish if that helps.... LOL

Actually several years back the Australian Homebrewing Podcast "Craftbrewer Radio" did features on brewers around the world. And they talked a homebrewer in Spain, and he said beer culture in general and homebrewing in particular is virtually non-existent. Most of the beer in Spain is the typical German Pilsner variety. He said there were very few homebrewers around, that mostly the culture there is into Wine (and cider in the area around Asturias.)

So I can see why you aren't getting many takers. In all the years I've been on here you're probably the 3 or maybe the second person with Spain in their location I've come across.

Edit The similar threads box shows these people posting from Spain at one time or another.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f29/hello-spain-338062/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f29/hello-madrid-spain-272425/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f29/greetings-spain-148962/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f29/hello-asturies-spain-45580/

Some of them go back a couple years. Probably not even active on heere. Punkrockgeek I remember seeing the thread, and you are the only one from Spain I've interracted with on here.

Think about it, what beers do you get in Spain? Are there any micros now? The Only Spanish beers I know of, and have seen here in the States come from Damm, and that is Estrella Damm which is pretty much just a Pilsner, and Damm Inedit, which is that beer created for/by Ferran Adria and El Bulli. I've had Inedit, and it's really nothing more than a clone of Blue Moon, for all the hype around it. Sadly my ancestral home is much on my favorite beverage.

In college I spent a summer in Valencia, Maorca and Minorca. Great times, beer from street vending machines awsome women and piata (sp).

Thanks for the replies:

Revvy: I think I´ve read in thread that you had some background from Andalucia, my wife is from there (Seville). You are rigth about beer in Spain there is a lot of work to be done here. Cider in northen Spain is been around for ages and they do have a wide tradition.
Lately there has been a new movement of craft breweries and homebrewers erupting specially in Barcelona and Catalonia and more recently in the Valencian Community.
Don´t care for Estrella Inedit neither just an overprice macrobrewery beer that want to steal emerging soul of craft beer movement by getting Adriá on deck.
From Spain I can recommend you a few brews, first well the guys from Ca´l Arenys http://www.calarenys.com/en/index. They are a brewery and online homebrew store and aslo the place where I got my braumeister setup, the brewmaster there is a very knowledgeable and givesgreat tips I´ve spoke to him a couple of times but the guy is very bussy and I try not to bother him (anyway he is accesible and very polite) They make a low ABV beer "Guineu Riner" only 2.5 ABV but 93 IBUs all Amarillo and it´s a surprisingly easy to drink hop-burst thirst quencher. This beer is rated in ratebeer as the best low alcohol beer available now.
If you like sours Agullons makes some nice stuff they collaborate with Cantillon and 3 Fonteinen sometimes. Some speciall editions of their Agullons Setembre are a blend of their pura pale ale with cantillon or 3 fointein lambic plus some merlot or moscatel grapes, interesting and very hard to get sometimes but wild fermented beers are not my favorite.
You also have Tyris from Valencia wich makes a Valencia Indian Pale Ale "VIPA" wich is well let´s say ok... I like a new brewery from Alcoy Alicante called Sphiga they only make two beers: Na valora and Gurugu a pale ale and brown ale.
Also Undead IIPa wich was brew by naparbier is being brew in Vitoria.

Greetings Obliviousbrew,

I am active duty military living in Andalusia (El Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz). I just started homebrewing with my 21 year old son before coming over here. Then I left him in college with all the brew equipment. Think I will finally have all the equipment I need to start brewing again over in a couple of weeks. I purchased everything from the states (Midwest, Morebeer, Amazon, etc). Bought a couple of extract beer kits (Hefewiezen & honey ale). I will start with these, but would really like to get right into all grain brewing... Just need to fine a good source of grain here in Spain. Let you know how it goes. Keep in touch.

Hello yukibear, thanks for dropping by. You can easily get grain here, i tend to buy in bulk, don´t like to much to brew with kits. Prices are a little higher than in the US (far as I can see from different websites). You can´t get american 2-row but you can get other european 2-row, you can get here: Crisp, Durst, Weyyerman and Castle Malting directly from spanish-based websites. Prices vary from 25€ a bag of 25kilos to 33 + shipping.
Here is a couple of sites (most of them in spanish sorry)
http://www.calarenys.com/en/index
http://www.cerveseraartesenca.com/
http://www.masmalta.com/
http://latiendadelcervecero.com/es/cerveza-artesanal
http://cervezartesana.es/tienda/
http://www.cervezasdelmundo.com/
Check them out. And just send a PM if you have any questions!
Welcome to HBT by the way

Hey... many thanks for the links to supplies. Appreciate the help...

Here's to a good brew!

No problem, glad to help If you any doubts or need help don´t hesitate to get in touch.

¿Te sirven sudacas?

Ajajjja.No te precupes que yo también soy "sudaca". Argentino de nacimiento :cross:

Obliviousbrew said:

There is no way I´m the only one... or am I?

Click to expand...

I am a Hungarian guy living and working in Madrid. You are not alone.

We have just opened a facebook group under the name "Homebrewers - Madrid".

We'd like to find people in the capital of Spain who brew. I think Madrid is a difficult place for brewing for 2 reasons: 1, prices 2, lack of space. Here everything is relatively expensive...equipment, ingredients and people live in small flats...meaning they dont really have space. We are in the same situation....but this wont stop us from brewing good quality beer.

Anyway.....we hope to find people to chat/meet up and exchange ideas (even beer too )

Here is our link on facebook: Madrid facebook group.

Hi, if you speak spanish there is an growing online comunity in the Asociación de Cervceros Caseros Españoles (National Spanish homebrewing association) http://cerveceros-caseros.org/ there is also a facebook group under the same name, homebrewers of Madrid an other places generally meet and there is also a year reunion, this year was in March in Seville, next year is not schedule yet

Hi! I'm Spaniard and actually living in Villajoyosa

Hi , I'm a Uk expat , just moved to Murcia , Spain.... and always wanted to brew my own beer I don't know much about it and was looking for other brewers not too far away or on this forum who might give me a bit of advice ?? Any social groups ??
Many thanks .... Cheers , Hugh

hughsbrew said:

Hi , I'm a Uk expat , just moved to Murcia , Spain.... and always wanted to brew my own beer I don't know much about it and was looking for other brewers not too far away or on this forum who might give me a bit of advice ?? Any social groups ??
Many thanks .... Cheers , Hugh

Click to expand...

Hey Hugh

Never been to Murcia. I have always lived in Madrid and after 6 years moving to Barcelona now.

There is a good website (which I dont use at all....due to the fact that people are not too professional about brewing in Spain). It is a good option though if you want to know where to get things in Spain...the website is: www.cerveceros-caseros.org

A part from this....do your own research. Read books...ask questions here. I am not an expert, but after about 1.5 years I am pretty good and kinda better than most of the homebrewers that I have met here.

Good luck mate

Family is from Galicia and Castilla y Leon, but Im from Puerto Rico.

Love Spain tho, its my dream to one day move to the north coast. Galicia or Asturias.

Elysium said:

Hey Hugh

Never been to Murcia. I have always lived in Madrid and after 6 years moving to Barcelona now.

There is a good website (which I dont use at all....due to the fact that people are not too professional about brewing in Spain). It is a good option though if you want to know where to get things in Spain...the website is: www.cerveceros-caseros.org

A part from this....do your own research. Read books...ask questions here. I am not an expert, but after about 1.5 years I am pretty good and kinda better than most of the homebrewers that I have met here.

Good luck mate

Click to expand...

Hi Elysium ,

Thanks for your message . Murcia is a nice city if you ever get the chance to visit ... can't compete with Madrid or Barcelona though Checked out that website , its really good , with lots of info ..
Yep , I need to get reading up on this and learn as much as I can . ask questions etc .... Hopefully after a bit of practice , i will start brewing some drinkable beer !!

Cheers , Hugh

hughsbrew said:

Hi Elysium ,

Thanks for your message . Murcia is a nice city if you ever get the chance to visit ... can't compete with Madrid or Barcelona though Checked out that website , its really good , with lots of info ..
Yep , I need to get reading up on this and learn as much as I can . ask questions etc .... Hopefully after a bit of practice , i will start brewing some drinkable beer !!

Cheers , Hugh

Click to expand...

Make sure you rely on this forum and not on what local Spanish brewers tell you. (you should only listen to them when it comes to like things that you wanna buy and dont exist at all here).
I am telling you....here brewing is like 10-15 years behind the US.

One thing you might wanna start with is the brewing network.
here is the link: http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/Brew-Strong/search/water

I have linked one specific search of mine (since that's the link I have saved here), but dont start with this....start with sanitation. They have quite a few podcasts on sanitation. Dont make the same mistake I made. There are tons of important things, but sanitation is your top priority.

PBW can be made in Spain from local products (manuel riesgo store in Madrid ships everywhere and they have SODIO PERCARBONATO, SODIO CARBONATO LIGERO*and Fosfato trisódico). Then rinse with normal water and use an iodine solution (buy it from mercadona, 1.25 ml/L). But this is all explained in the podcasts from the very beginning.

That home made PBW is "deadly".....dont let it get on your hands. Use gloves ALL THE TIME.

Anyway....this is just a small part of the bigger picture. I hope you will be able to avoid the mistakes I could have avoided by listening to Justin and Jamil from the brewing network.

These are in Benissa, Alicante region. They are not too good at answering emails and if you send one make sure it's in Spanish (I think a German couple run it) You can pick your order up from the store if you want to:

http://www.tucervezacasera.com/

The store is located behind on the back side of a building here: 38.730291 0.073286