Barcelona Craft Beer Is Real Now. Here’s Where to Find It.

Barcelona’s craft beer scene arrived late and made up for it fast. Ten years ago the city had almost nothing. Now it has enough good options that you can spend a week here drinking exclusively well-made local beer without repeating yourself. Here’s where I actually go.

BierCaB (Carrer de Muntaner 55, Eixample) is the closest thing Barcelona has to a proper beer institution. Thirty taps, almost entirely Catalan and Spanish craft, knowledgeable staff. It’s in the Eixample which means it’s central and easy to reach. The selection rotates properly — what’s on tap this week won’t be the same next month. Edge Brewing (Carrer de Llull 62, Poblenou) is the American-founded brewery that did a lot to legitimise the local scene — their IPAs are consistent and they have a taproom that’s worth visiting if you’re in the neighbourhood. Garage Beer Co (Carrer del Consell de Cent 261, Eixample) is more design-forward, smaller batch, very much a product of the Barcelona creative class. Good hazy IPAs.

For natural wine with your beer: Bar Brutal (Carrer de la Princesa 14, El Born) doesn’t fit neatly into the craft beer category but it belongs in any conversation about where Barcelona drinks well. Long wine list heavy on natural and organic, food that’s genuinely good rather than bar food dressed up, a terrace that fills up from 7pm. The kind of place that makes other bars feel like they’re not trying hard enough.