Beer Abroad: Ale & Hop (Barcelona, Spain)

A long day of wandering around Barcelona had me craving a craft beer and food! I found myself lost in one of the many similar looking small side streets in Barcelona. My map told me I was close but I had not found the beer. Taking one last look at the map, I was about to give up when I turned around and there the words Ale & Hop were posted above an open garage door. I was immediately excited and almost hysterical as I really was starving and in need of a chair. Walking in, I had all intentions of speaking in spanish but the first thing that came out of my mouth as I threw my hands down on the bar top was “I found you.”

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The next words out of my mouth were I love beer. The bartender, later known as Ricky, was very kind and immediately made me feel welcome and comfortable. Without any more exchanges of words, Ricky was bringing me samples of their current beers on tap. He started with probably the most daring beer: the Padrino Porter from Edge Brewing (Barcelona). I say the most daring because dark beers are not a common thing in Spain and beers with hints of chocolate and other flavors are unheard of by many. The Padrino Porter had hints of chocolate and vanilla and later in the night, after beers and dinner, Ricky served this beer with warm brownie and caramel whip cream! πŸ˜€ It was a very yummy combination!

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Soundwave by Siren (UK) was another beer I tried that I really liked. Siren describes it as “a 5.6% west coast IPA: golden, immensely hoppy and alive with grapefruit, peach and mango flavours.”

Soundwave was nice and lighter for an IPA with not much bitterness but I was looking for something a little more after walking all day so I went with the 10 Toe Discount. Siren and ToØl (Denmark) collaborated to make this 7.2% ABV IPA. It was a bold, flavorful IPA that was still well-balanced for its higher ABV. In my mind, it was perfect for my current state πŸ™‚

What they say about the beer: “A 100% Amarillo IPA aged on Cedar Wood. 10 Toe Discount is a citrus-fuelled-full-flavoured-IPA with layers of cigar box and spice. The second of three in a single hop series collaboration with ToØl, this IPA will hit you with a flavour-packed roundhouse straight to the jaw”

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Showing the little Barcelona map that recommended Ale & Hop got me a hummus snack plate. I really enjoyed the hummus and it helped to subdue my hunger. Finally with a bite to eat and the 10 Toes Discount in my hand, I was feeling pretty happy πŸ˜€

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After relaxing for a bit I was now ready for a little more substance so I started to gaze the menu. Ale & Hop is a vegetarian restaurant with vegan options. This was obviously not the reason I was there but it was a definite attraction for other travelers. With a recommendation from Ricky, I decided on the Lentil and Millet Burger. It was pretty good and satisfied my hunger! πŸ˜€

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There were some other beers I tried like the Kan Spicy Ale with chili and mango by Bryggeriet Refsvindinge (Denmark). The Weihenstephaner Vitus was also on tap and it was a very nice, easy beer to drink even though it comes in at a dangerous 7.7%. Ale & Hop has eight regular taps and then a tap for cask conditioned beers and the beers are constantly changing. Ale & Hop became my local spot πŸ™‚ I think I ended up there 4 times during my stay in Barcelona.

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They have a long narrow space with the bar in the front and dining in the back. Cartoon drawings coat the walls and chalkboards hang on the walls listing the available and soon to come beers. I remained at the bar because when traveling alone, that is the best way to meet people and I met multiple people there πŸ™‚ In fact, the reason I was able to get in on some volleyball was because of someone I met at that bar!

All the guys at Ale & Hop were so friendly and I loved meeting all of them. Ale & Hop is a great place to get good beer in Barcelona with an awesome atmosphere!

Cheers!

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Music For Your Ears:

~Alabama Song by the Doors

More To Love:

Chocolate Stout Cake

Chocolate Stout Cake

Creme BrΓ»lΓ©e Stout

Creme BrΓ»lΓ©e Stout

Chocolate Stout Cookies

Chocolate Stout Cookies

Breakfast Stout

Breakfast Stout

Comments

  1. What a fun adventure! Matt and I are going on vacation next week and we’ll be visiting Barcelona. We may have to try some of these beers!!

    • Oh that is awesome! Yes, you should! Also, Edge Brewing (which I will be writing about on here) is a brewery in Barcelona but only open on Fridays. Where else are you going on vacation?

  2. Ale and Hop sounds like a great place, good you found it, sounds like they had a great selection of beer.

  3. Great pictures!!

  4. I really like the look of the burger, seems like it would go so well with all the beer selections πŸ˜€

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  5. So happy to hear about your European adventures, including the fact that you are finding delicious bites and brews! Looking forward to more.

  6. What a great adventure, thanks for sharing, hope to get to Barcelona.

  7. Great post really enjoyed reading it. The song I love the sound of music is so up- The words a downer. Love you.

  8. yum! Though at first I understood that Ricky put warm brownie whipped cream on top of the beer (photo had the foam on top). They do things differently in Spain, lol. Good food, good beer. That’s living good, Lily Sue. Thanks for sharing πŸ™‚

  9. I’m glad I came across this – I’m going to be in Spain next week!

Trackbacks

  1. […] first learned of Edge Brewing at Ale & Hop where I got to try the Padrino Porter. I also met Luciano Cukar from Wort Magazine who told me to […]