While most people think of Spain as a country dedicated to wine, sangria and spirits such as sherry or vermouth, Seville is very much a beer-drinking town. Here, one beer in particular – local brand Cruzcampo, brewed and served in Spain since 1904 – is king.
Any hour of the day, from breakfast time until the early hours of the next morning, you will find Sevillanos lined-up against the tiled bar in one of the hundreds of tiny, corner, tapas joints that occupy the city, knocking back glass after glass of the stuff. After all, they’re served in tiny glass tumblers here, so what harm is done by having another one? You see, in this corner of Andalucia, beer seems to be the bedrock of any form of socialising. You will find groups of old men, their stools pushed up against the bar, bickering or gesturing excitedly while a smartly uniformed barman pours out another round and chalks up the bill directly onto the wooden counter.
Elsewhere you will find groups of students milling about on the street outside, glasses and bottles in hard, or immaculately turned out grandmas, sipping a few cañitas over a table full of tapas with their multi-generational families. In all these situations, in any of the hundreds of bars within the city, you will be hard-pressed to find more than two taps; one of them is Cruzcampo and the other is non-alcoholic Cruzcampo. Wandering through Seville, you see the red glow of its logo mounted above the doors of most drinking establishments, and it’s name illuminated in gigantic letters atop a tall building beside the Guadalquivir. It’s inescapable.
While it’s true that there is nothing like an ice-cold local lager to quench your thirst after a day spent exploring a new city, even the most unfussy beer drinker may soon tire of Cruzcampo’s virtual monopoly on the city’s beer taps. Luckily, thanks to the opening of Seville’s first brewpub, Maquila Bar, in 2015, Seville is beginning to catch on to the craft beer boom and there is any number of places where you can grab a brew without being beholden to that ubiquitous red logo.
Maquila Bar
Maquila Bar, on Calle Delgado, is thought to have been the first real brewpub to pop up in Seville. Just a short walk from the Alameda, Maquila is a stylish, modern pub for lovers of craft beers and cool hipster vibes. Although they serve a range of Spanish and international beers that they rotate regularly on their 6 taps, they also boast a micro-brewery at the back that produces their own artisan beer under the label ‘Son’, so you should always be able to get an incredibly fresh, very local brew.
Where: Calle Delgado 4
When: Daily 1pm – 4.30pm then 8pm – 12am
Cervezas Río Azul
It takes a bit of effort to reach Rio Azul. Hopping on the L1 metro from Puerta de Juarez, it’s a 15-minute train ride east of the city centre to La Plata, followed by a walk through a neighbourhood of the city that I doubt many tourists and city breakers have ever seen. What I find is an enormous warehouse, once a textile mill, occupied by brewing equipment and an incredibly stylish taproom.
I’m served at the bar by Eloy Del Rio, head brewer and owner of the enterprise who, prior to Rio Azul, fronted Maquila and launched Los Palillos in Alfalfa. Rio Azul has been brewing for almost three years now, with the taproom itself open for two. They specialise in hoppy, American style IPA’s, although Fina – a light pilsner made with Valencia oranges – is their best selling beer. Maybe it isn’t all that surprising. Although the brewery attracts beer aficionados from all over Spain, at heart, it is a local drinking hub; Brewery by day and occasional live music spot by night, so it’s fair enough that their most Cruzcampo-like beer is by far the most popular. Either way, it’s an essential addition to any beer lover’s Seville itinerary.
Where: Calle Lana 6
When: Weds to Fri 1pm – 5pm then 8pm – 12.30am; Sat 1pm – 1am; Sun 1pm – 5pm; Closed Monday & Tuesday
Gallo Rojo
Gallo Rojo isn’t so much a bar, it actually describes itself as a creation factory. Sitting on the corner of Calle Madre María de la Purísima, just a short walk from Las Setas De Sevilla, this airy, colourful and modern space is used by the city’s creatives for social, cultural and independent entrepreneurial endeavours. Gallo Rojo is one of the few places in town to serve beers from Abril Cervezas, a Seville based artisanal beer maker that brews out of a cooperative called Tertulia. If you want to make your own beer, Abril Cervezas runs workshops at Gallo Rojo.
Where: Calle Madre María de la Purísima 9
When: Mon to Thurs 7pm – 12am; Fri 5pm – 2am; Closed Saturday & Sunday
Bierkraft
I arrive at Bierkraft, just off of the bustling Alameda de Hercules, as it’s opening and I’m the day’s first customer, giving me the chance to see the bar’s stylish interior before it becomes full of customers later in the day. Blue leather and red velvet banquettes line each side of the room while the copper pipes darting across the ceiling, industrial-style shelving, and painted brick walls give it the air of an expensive New York loft. The American style interior may be because the owner, Adam Joseph, is himself an American expat. Claiming that you couldn’t find anything other than Cruzcampo when he first moved to Seville, he helped fuel the city’s craft beer obsession by opening Bierkraft in 2016.
The tap menu, scrawled across a mirror behind the bar, is impressive, featuring local favourites Rio Azul as well as UK based Magic Rock, Barcelona’s Edge Brewing and a few US breweries for good measure. The huge selection in the bottleshop and fridges at the back of the building is even more extensive, with up to a hundred different beers available at any one time.
The bar seems to attract a good mix of locals and tourists and they even have a good tapas selection that you can pair with your drink. I’m also told they do fantastic cocktails, but with a beer selection this good, why go for anything else.
Where: Correduría, 35
When: Tues to Thurs 12pm – 1am; Fri & Sat 12pm – 2am; Sun 12pm – 1am; Closed Monday
Hops & Dreams
There’s something buzzy about the neighbourhood surrounding Seville’s Alameda de Hércules, or simply La Alameda. Each evening as the sun is setting, the square, bookended by ancient Roman columns retrieved from the ruins of a Roman temple, comes alive as people fill the patios and terraces to sip on ice-cold glasses of, you guessed it, Cruzcampo. However, I fell for La Alameda a little harder when I spotted a sandwich board on the corner of the square with an arrow and the words ‘Craft Beer’ chalked on to it. Down the side street, I found Hops & Dreams.
Once again, I’m a little early and appear to be the only customer. Opened in 2017 by Nicolás Aguirre and Ignacio Gómez, two Sevillanos who met behind the bar of Maquila, Hops & Dreams doesn’t quite have the hipster air of Bierkraft. It’s a little more relaxed and feels more like a cool, local hangout. Pop punk is playing behind the bar while a retro arcade machine with Hops & Dreams detailing, pings and beeps in the corner. A bookshelf filled with dozens of cans and bottles surrounds a cosy seating area where I decide to sit and peruse the menu. The 8 taps feature a mix of Spanish and international beers, including some of my favourite UK breweries. There’s also a small food menu that is part tapas and part beer snacks; Patatas Bravas, Octopus, Fried chicken, fries etc. Although I came for the beer, the tapas turns out to be some of the best I ate while I was in Seville.
Where: Calle Jesús del Gran Poder 83
When: Mon to Weds 6pm – 12.30am; Thurs to Sun 1pm – 12.30am
La Jerónima
More than just a plain old craft beer bar, La Jeronima considers itself a cultural space and meeting point as well as a ‘Craft Beer Book Store’. bookshelves in the cosy reading nook at the back of the store are stacked with titles by local authors, as well as clothing, artwork and crafts produced by independent, local creators. Then there is the beer; there are four regularly rotating taps on offer as well as a very well-stocked fridge containing a great mix of Andalusian and international drinks.
Where: Calle Jerónimo Hernández 14
When: Mon to Thurs 8.30am – 2pm then 4pm – 12am; Fri & Sat 8.30am – 2pm then 4pm – 2am; Closed Sundays
2 Responses
Thanks for writing this up.
La Jeronima appears to be permanently closed – according to Google Maps.
Thanks for this article – really helpful in planning our trip!
FYI, Bierkraft is showing on Google Maps as permanently closed. 🙁