Barcelona Craft Beer: The Scene That Grew Up While Nobody Was Looking
Barcelona has always had cava and wine. Beer was the thing you drank because it was cold. That has changed considerably over the last decade, and the craft beer scene that has established itself is serious enough that I now choose bars partly on the basis of what’s on tap.
The anchors
BierCaB at Carrer de Muntaner 55 in the Eixample has 30 taps and a rotating selection that covers Catalan, Spanish, and international craft beer. It is the reference point. If you want to understand what the scene offers, start here.
Edge Brewing at Carrer de Llull 62 in Poblenou brews on-site and opens its taproom. The IPAs are genuinely good. The space is industrial and honest.
The Catalan producers
The most interesting development in Catalan craft beer is the relationship with local wine and cava culture. Several small breweries have started aging beers in local wine barrels or collaborating with winemakers on hybrid productions. This is not a gimmick — it produces genuinely interesting results that you would not find in Germany or the UK.
The bar scene
Beyond the specialist beer bars, several of the natural wine bars in Gràcia and Poble Sec have started carrying serious craft beer alongside their wine lists. The crossover between the natural wine and craft beer crowds in Barcelona is real and the places that serve both tend to have excellent taste across the board.
