The Craft Beer scene in Spain is growing throughout every region. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather a place to start. I’ll be updating the list as new places open and I explore more. Feel free to leave a comment below with your recommendations for fellow travelers.
Food and Beer Pairing Basics
As you sip, snack, and savor your way through Spain, keep some of these food & beer pairing tips in mind – remember these are just road signs or tips, not rules. The fun and growth is in experimenting, and even going against the “rules” just to see what happens.
Sweet finishing beers will sooth or calm any capsaicin heat or spice in a dish. Sweetness may linger or become cloying, however.
Bitterness will cut through fat, and sweetness. So use it as a tool to help clean up your palate.
Roast flavors can provide some cut as well, and will harmonize with charred flavors, and provide contrast to some herbal and/or fruity flavors.
Carbonation will cut through fat, and help cleanse the palate.
Alcohol can also help cut through fattiness, but will be enhanced by capsaicin heat, so play around with the flavors to find the right balance.
Like flavors can calm or neutralize one another. This can sometimes allow other secondary flavors to come through and shine a bit more. It can also lead to bland pairings if there is too much “sameness” on the palate.
Locations In & Around Madrid
La Buena Cerveza – Great locals only sort of vibe in the middle of Chueca/Malasaña. Very cozy. They keep about 6 taps on a pretty good rotation, and have two fridges of cans/bottles to choose from. The selection is curated to the palate of the two owner/operator brothers and their regulars.
The Stuyck – On the larger side of beer lists for most Madrid beer spots. Includes a selection of European classics and newer craft beer options. The food menu will be more what most Americans would expect from a modern craft beer pub/brewery (sandwiches etc…).
Bee Beer – In Chueca, not too far from Gran Via. Feels more like a boutique wine shop than your typical beer bar. Very cozy and friendly, with a great selection of beers on tap and in the beer fridge.
Peninsula Centro – You can also visit their brewery/beer garden, but it is more likely that most tourists won’t make the trip out there. Luckily they have this fairly sheik and hip location right in the center of town. The kitchen has a good selection of modern takes on classic Spanish dishes.
Be Hoppy – This is more like a bottle shop with a great tap list than a bar. This is by far the most curated and well maintained selection in Madrid. Not the biggest selection, but they only stock what they like, and what they know they keep fresh – this can be a problem in other Madrid spots that over stock, and don’t keep their inventory in the fridge.
La Maripepa – The look and feel of a classic Madrileño tapas bar, but with an excellent craft beer selection on tap and in the fridge.
Chinaski – Perhaps the closest to the laid back punkish vibe of the iconic Toronado locations in the United States. Great selection of beer on tap, and solid no-frill food options on the menu. Great music and overall ambiance.
FOGG – One of the original craft beer spots in Madrid. They also specialize in serving/pairing with cheese. Two locations.
La Osita – The tasting room/bar location for Oso Brew Co. On one of the cooler more trendy tapas bar streets in Madrid, so it’s easy to tie it into your other food agendas while you visit. High quality, and well-crafted beer. Currently a nomad brewery that brews elsewhere, they will be building their own facility in 2023.
Brew Wild/La Quince – La Quince is one of the many breweries in/around Madrid in the category of nomad/contract brewers. Brew Wild is a pizza joint that doubles as the main tasting room for La Quince. They make excellent beers (and pizza), and have a nice rotating selection of other breweries on tap.
Ossegg – This is a little further out than most tourists will venture, but if your anywhere near the Nuevos Ministerios area, this is worth a visit either for a meal or a snack. Their specialty is Czech style beers, and they do those very well – but their whole tap list is quality.
The Beer Joint – Good vibes at this place. It’s clear that they enjoy their jobs here. Good list of beers on tap and in the fridge. Burgers/sausage, and some Spanish classics on the food menu.
La Tienda de la Cerveza – One of the original beer spots in Madrid – it continues to serve as a hangout for local craft beer lovers. More typical Spanish tapas on the menu.
Beerhouse | Craftbeer Bar – In the very cool and less touristy Chamberi neighborhood. Still has the old dive bar sort of feel of its previous inhabitant, but with great beers on tap.
Cervecería Oldenburg – In the Chamberi neighborhood. Great selection of German and Belgian beers, so that’s what I normally go for here. But there have some good European and American Craft Beers on the list as well. Great classic continental beer food from the kitchen as well. Very woody/homey vibe. Much more of a German/Belgian beer bar sort of feel.
LEINERHAUS – This is a wonderful German Beer bar with an affordable and fantastic kitchen that focuses on German comfort food. Great selection of bottles in the fridge, and they have recently began adding more taps of German classics. They are nerds for German beer, so I love them very much.
National & Regional Breweries to Look Out For
Naparbier
Soma
Gross
NIB
Peninsula
La Quince
El Oso
La Verbena
Breworkers
Ossegg Cervecerías
Dougalls
