Looking for something to do this week end? Barcelona Beer Festival is on until sunday.
I attended it before when it was in the Arenas in Plaza de Espanya. This time, they moved the event to a new venue: the Museu Maritim de Barcelona. For my part, this is a much better venue for the building itself – it has those intricated arches typical from gothic buildings. I find them really beautiful and fascinating to look at. – but also because the organizers have put tables and benches outside. There were more people and a much better atmosphere than in my memories of the one I attended.
It is 7 euros to enter. This price includes the glass you will use to drink during the whole festival. No glass? No drink. Don’t try to cheat, it is written Barcelona Beer Festival 2015 on it so you cannot bring your old one he he. The entrance is for the full festival: you just need to present your glass to enter for the rest of the week end. The 7 euros also includes 2 euros in tokens. You can only use tokens at the festival. There is a booth for exchanging cash to buy the beers but also some food.
So what is happening at the beer festival? You get to try more than 300 craftsman beers from different parts of Europe: Spain, Germany etc. for 2 or 3 tokens hence 2 or 3 euros. The beers are presented in a catalogue. There is also a big blackboard on which are written the beers on offer at each particular moment. They rotate to give a chance for each beer to be tasted. This list changes at every ringbell like in an old stockmarket.
I tried two beers a white beer from Germany and the festival one. I enjoyed them. I also tried my friends’, this is the benefit of going in groups. The diversity of tastes allows a richer experience. I can understand the interest of the festival. I don’t usually drink beer but I can appreciate the different tastes and after tastes of each drink. For the anecdot, one of the girls got a beer that taste like…pork, she said. Surprisingly, it was exact. It tasted like smoked pork because I suppose the ingredients were smoked. Don’t ask me for more details. I attended out of curiosity. It is not always easy to remember the different beers’ names or ingredients especially after the 3rd beer :). Plus they are strong. Some of them have 6% alcohol or more. The guys complained about the lack of music. Music would have made it a bit more enjoyable I agree. But without it, it is also easier to have conversations.
Luckily for me, they also had some food. Drinking with an empty stomach can lead to disasters. I am not surprised to see Mosquito among the food stands. It is a restaurant where they offer asian tapas and craft beers. I am planning to write a post on them as I like the place and have been there a few times.
In the meantime, enjoy the week end and drink moderately…