The Barcelona Beer Festival, Southern Europe’s most significant craft beer event, returns to Fira de Barcelona’s Montjuïc venue from 10 to 12 April. This 15th edition will occupy 7,000 square metres and feature more than 100 breweries, offering nearly 500 different beers from around the world. The festival also strongly emphasises beer and gastronomy pairings this year.
The festival serves as a unique platform for observing global trends and discovering leading international craft breweries. Peruvian brewery 7 Vidas will present eight award-winning beers with Marco Málaga. Additionally, the British project Queer Brewing will pair its creations with LGBTQ+ visibility activities. Pierre Gobron, co-founder of the iconic Belgian beer La Chouffe, will also attend. His expertise represents a beer culture declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity a decade ago.
International and Regional Highlights
European craft beer will feature two key focuses. Italy will bring a delegation of creative breweries. Meanwhile, Cantabrian brewery Dougall’s celebrates its 20th anniversary, offering traditional cask ale service. This method serves beer directly from the barrel.
The Barcelona Beer Festival will also host a cross-border project. This initiative connects brewers from Catalonia and France, two regions with geographical proximity and strong gastronomic ties. Attendees can also explore the ‘Euskadi Basque Country’ space, supported by Basque Beer. This area will gather several Basque breweries and provide a full programme of guided tastings with the producers.
Gastronomy and Awards Showcase
Gastronomy forms a core pillar of this year’s Beer Fest. Initiatives include the ephemeral restaurant ‘Maridatge 6×6’. Girona Excel·lent organises this, led by Jordi Àvila and Pep Nogué. Visitors can taste six small dishes paired with six beers from Girona producers for €49. A single dish and beer pairing costs €9.
One of the festival’s most anticipated moments is the Barcelona Beer Challenge gala. This competition celebrates its eleventh edition on 10 April at 18:30. This year, 867 beers from 139 breweries across 14 countries are vying for awards. The challenge has historically provided international visibility for small and medium-sized breweries. It elevates quality standards and solidifies the festival’s position as a global hub for the craft beer movement. The festival continues to champion innovation and quality within the industry.
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Originally published by betevé. Read original article.
