Basqueland Brewing
Let me take you back to a different time… a different place. The time: 2019. The place: Barcelona. Oh… simpler times. No deadly pandemic ravaging the world. Oh to be nostalgic for that year of all years. I’m getting off track. I was in a beer bar sampling various brews from across Spain and tasted some beers from a brewery that would change my perception of the state of the Spanish Craft Beer scene forever.
That brewery: Basqueland Brewing.
I knew right then and there that I had to go to the actual brewery and see it with my own eyes. How can a brewery in Spain make some beers that rival some of the best in the States?
And so my Adventure started…
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.
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…and then was quickly pushed back by close to two years.
Donostia-San Sebastián!!!
Here I am… after all this time… finally in the city that plays host to Basqueland Brewing. Donostia-San Sebastián. This amazing city that was founded in the 12th century is quite the sight to be seen. Known worldwide for it’s amazing food culture and much more… this is the heart of Basque Country. What better place for an amazing Craft Brewery to be located? Amazing food and amazing beer? What more can one ask for?
The main brewery is located south of the city in Hernani… which is easily accessible by a 20 minute train ride from the city center. As with most breweries around the world, the brewery is situated in an industrial district which allows for a great deal of space and… room for growth. As I walk up to the brewery it is hard not to notice the hustle and bustle that's going on inside. Even at the end of a work day… this place is still buzzing away.
Always grab a beer before checking out the brewery!
I was actually arriving at a great time for them because it was their sixth anniversary! To celebrate the occasion they have been putting out multiple anniversary beers that will total six once they are all released. This is the first time I’ve seen a brewery do more than one anniversary beer… so that fact alone tells me a bit more about this place. To find out even more about what makes this brewery really tick - I met up with Goren, Basqueland’s excellent marketing guru, and dove right in.
Goren is a most excellent dude and was extremely gracious and welcoming the entire time I was at the brewery. We hit it off perfectly. He actually looks a little bit like Seth Meyers from Late Night With Seth Meyers… interestingly enough. ANYWAYS. We sat down with some beers and started chatting about the brewery. As I’ve mentioned earlier, Basqueland had just turned six years old and is growing in leaps and bounds. It’s really inspiring to see while you are actually there. When I first arrived, they were literally using a buzz saw to carve a door into the adjoining building. Pretty intense! They had just recently acquired the space and had already moved a great deal of tanks and whatnot in but overall… it was still very much under construction. Goren says it might be like this until the middle of 2022. He was then able to introduce me to one of the brewers and we chatted about their new barrel program that they are just starting up and are extremely excited about getting under way. They have only 66 barrels right now but they were saying that they want at least 200+ going forward. They also have a contact who can get them any kind of barrel they want… which is just outstanding because here in America… barrels can sometimes be a hot commodity for breweries.
They will also be increasing their overall brewing capacity since they’ve acquired the new building. The new space is very promising for all the growth that will be happening. I heard that some people at the brewery were extremely excited about the new offices that were going in. It's all about the small things that makes the machine run smoothly. We then checked out their new fridge… which was enormous and I have no doubt that it will quickly fill up as things really start to expand and grow at the brewery.
The core of their beers are IPAs and I will say this… they are EXCELLENT. Their flagship beer is Imparable - a perfect true to form West Coast IPA - and man is this beer good. It is clean tasting and perfectly true to the style and lastly… a great introduction to Craft Beer for a lot of people. They also have their Santa Clara lager which is again… what you want from a Craft Brewery that is on the level that Basqueland is. They are also really hitting the New England/Hazy IPA train as you would expect but these are some amazing beers. If I did a blind taste test with these and some of my favorite Hazys from Portland, LA or San Diego… I would probably not be able to tell which one is which. They are that good! One beer in particular really hit me as one of my favorites… it’s an Imperial Pastry Stout with Raspberries and man oh man. I loved it! This thing was over 10% ABV but man was it balanced and just exceedingly perfect. It’s called Love Forever and just kicks.
Overall… I had an excellent time talking with Goren and really getting to know what Basqueland is all about. They serve up excellent beer because they know that the Basque culture here in the north of Spain is known for their amazing cuisine and to serve up anything but the best? It just wouldn’t cut it. And yes… the food in the area WAS amazing!
I just wanted to say thank you again to Basqueland Brewing for being so amazing and I promise that this won’t be the last time I write about them. I sincerely hope you get to try their beer some day.
