Spanish Escape - Part 3

 

Of course I can't go anywhere without seeking out some of the local "craft beer" on offer. In Sevilla it was quite hard to come by, most bars and restaurants sold mass produced Pilsner style beer from various producers but nothing you could really call "craft". 

On the left hand side of the picture above we have probably the most familiar beer drink that anyone visiting Spain would see, a basic Pilsner lager, served in a small measure (as larger ones warm up too quickly) Crystal clear and ice cold, a refreshing drink for sure but not particularly varied or interesting. Next along we have another style of Lager that you can find in about one in five places, it's a wheat beer called "Aguila" and is hazy and darker than Pilsner, not that uncommon but a little more interesting, next a proper craft brew from Cadiz that I came across in a restaurant, hoppy and flavoursome, a little predictable perhaps but a welcome relief from all that "fizz"! Fourth from the left is another more adventurous beer from Basqueland (San Sebastian) now this is more like it, rich, tropical fruits viscous mouthfeel, the real-deal. Last but not least a beer that wasn't from Spain at all but found in a bar that specialised in Belgian beers, it was delicious, hoppy and right on point for the style, I guess I have to conclude that Belgians make better beer than Spaniards? 

The food in Sevilla is IMO very much more varied and interesting than the beer. The mainstay of most everyday bars and restaurants (i.e. not the posh ones) is Tapas, in other words small plates of tasty morsels that are intended to be consumed (fairly randomly) all evening as a backdrop to beer, sherry, wine and good conversation. Above you can see a typical menu, most of the small plates or Tapa are around the 3-5 Euro mark and usually go very well with crisp, cold white wine and/or beer or even (for some of the more meaty offerings) a tasty red from Rioja or the Ribera. Suffice to say that we all loved them and enjoyed the way that they enable you to inexpensively integrate food into an evening and try lots of different dishes. Most places offered their menu as either Tapas, Halves or Plates, meaning small, medium and large, when sharing between two or three people we mostly went for halves or plates at around the 10-15 Euro mark. Below we have a typical dish, Boquerones en Vinagre or Sardines in vinegar, very much like cockles in the UK, a classic pub/beer snack.