Such a good forward
planner that I am, I'd looked online for some craft beer pubs/bars in
Barcelona before we'd left. I found a few in close proximity to where
we were staying. A craft beer pub and vegan restaurant, perfect for
the veggie among us.
We'd passed the place
before but like most non-shit pubs and bars in Barcelona, it was
closed. It would open shortly so a casual stroll around the block
would kill enough time until it did.
We never made it to
that session.
When we did make it in,
the front bar area was full but an empty seated dining area at the
back was available. Tables and chairs in the far end of the pub away
from anyone and anything. Thankfully as we walked towards the end a
table of happy customers got up to leave. The now vacant space was a
high and precariously placed shelf above what looked like a fully
functional motorbike. A Ducati with the 'Du' and 'I' removed spelling
out 'Cat', the name of the bar.
Upon closer inspection,
the shelf was not in fact attached to the bike but correctly fixed to
the wall.
A more suitable seated
area around a table opened up for us so we grabbed the opportunity
and sat down. In doing so we all chipped in and passed the dirty
crockery and glassware to the barman behind the counter. Sitting
around a proper table on chairs and not stools felt better, we or I
was more at ease with this new set up.
When it came to
ordering, there was massive confusion. I don't know if it was due to
our tiredness and constant drunkenness or the language barrier or
anything to try and justify how momentarily stupid we were. A
selection of 9 draught beers, on a tasting flight consisting of all
9. Without knowing what ones either of us would like the most I
ordered one. Thinking we were going to receive a flight each but only
one came out. For more than a minute I was baffled. If you've ever
seen a dog looking for a stick that was never thrown, that was how I
felt at that very point in time. In reality only one between the
three of us made much more sense. Having a small taste of each then
deciding which one we preferred and having it.
Ranging from Pales,
Lagers and Porters, there was a good selection. There was a gorgeous
IPA brewed by a few Turkish immigrants who met on the streets of
Barcelona. A mix of organic and ecologic ingredients from all over
coming together to create an amazingly tasty new world style IPA.
'Hoppala' a beautiful drop from the 'Zula Brewing Collective'. Crisp,
hints of tropical fruit and a mellow bitter finish, a delight in the
mouth. Of course I ordered one of them.
Also a gorgeous Pale
from 'Condal'. What is better than being in good company, drinking
delicious beer and being able to admire possibly the most beautiful
barmaid I ever did lay my eyes upon.
I'm informed by my
veggie chum that they serve tasty vegan food along with a fantastic
selection of beers.
Oh, I forgot that after seeing a bottle of a Smoked Pepper IPA. Seeing something like that in the fridge how could I not give it a go. A collaboration between Espiga and VandeStreek. An IPA with a lot of citrus and a complex smoky finish. A decent IPA with added 'Smoke'. 'Papr'IPA' was its name.
espiga
espiga
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