I didn’t have long in Barcelona, but I ensured that I had time to visit a couple of craft beer bars and this was the first, Lambicus which specialises in Belgian beers. I had perused their selection on Untappd and had been eyeing up a smoked beer that they had.
The selection of bottles in the fridges was substantial and they’re helpfully listed on Untappd. I hadn’t realised until I read some reviews that some brewers refuse to let their beers be sold outside of the shop and so they’re for drink-in only, a concept that I haven’t heard before.
The bar might look quiet here, but there were plenty of customers sitting outside.
My first beer was the Brugse Zot from Brouwerij De Halve Maan, a gentle and sweet beer but with some punchiness to it with its 6% ABV.
I was pleased with the free nuts with the drink, a Spanish custom which I’d rather like them to do in the UK just a little more. Actually, I’d like them to do that quite a lot more.
As for the beer, this is the one that I came here for, it’s the Charbon from Brouwerij De Dochter van de Korenaar. This is the first smoked stout that I can recall having, but I hope that there are more to come. There were tastes of chocolate and vanilla, it was smoky, sweet and complex, but all rather decadent.
This was a really lovely bar, the service was friendly, the beer selection was excellent and the prices were reasonable. My Barcelona itinerary might have been brief, but it was sufficiently flexible to accommodate complimentary nuts and a smoked stout, so I felt my time was used wisely. And it’s another blog post.