Granada, Spain

OK, this posting is a bit of a stretch for a few reasons.  First, we only spent about a day and a half in Granada with the main purpose being to visit the magnificent Alhambra, so it's not like there was a lot of time for searching about the city for great beer locations.  Second, we didn't even venture into the main part of the city...we hung out in our little medieval section of Granada called the Albaycin, so we didn't cover much territory.  And third, the places we are writing up offered only one or two beers TOTAL.  But since Atmosphere is one of the primary drivers of Pintathlon, we figured these places had it in spades and were worthy of mention.

The first spot was called La Mancha Chica Chaoen, a most unlikely spot that appears to be a small variety store at first glance.  But look a little closer and you'll see it actually has a menu, and look closer still (i.e. go in and order some food) and you'll find that they have excellent Moroccan food.  The owner was priceless and spoke enough of just about every language to make his guests feel comfortable.  What surprised me was even though they hung a Cruzcampo sign outside, he insisted on serving me the local beer, Alhambra, and when it came it was paired with the matching Alhambra mug, frosted!

The second location came after a lengthy hike through the local hills.  We simply turned left out of our hotel, and walked up: the cobblestone streets grew gradually more narrow, then turned to pavement, and then turned to dirt as we switchbacked up the hills.  We eventually walked by several cave houses, a concept we were introduced to through Househunters International although these ones weren't quite as fancy as the ones featured on TV.  Anyhow, we spent a few hours hiking, got a great view of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains (no this won't turn into a story about the Sierra Nevada brewery) and turned back for home.

Once back on our side of the river valley, we opted for Cafe Bar Bocailleria Pibe, a small covered patio for a beer and some lunch.  This place was also a cave bar, and offered a terrific view of Al Hambra...what better atmosphere?  We naturally ordered our beers first, and to our surprise, a free plate of finger food showed up.  Since the beers were served in 200 mL glasses, they were done in no time, so we order two more, and a second free plate of food showed up.  We\ decided to see how long this would go on for, and they had a seemingly inexhaustible supply of net new free dishes to offer us.  They won!

Cerveceria Internacional, Seville

Now here's a cerveceria that lives up to its name.  But before we get there, first a few notes bout Seville.  Our travel book says that if you can see only two cities in Spain, see Toledo and Seville, and that's the exact one-two combo we started our trip with.  Both cities were amazing, where Seville is a much larger and livelier city and in both cities the architecture is stunning.  I thought the cathedral in Toledo was the biggest I'd ever seen until I saw the Seville Cathedral,which is apparently the third largest in the world (locals argue that if you go by air volume, it's the largest).


The city streets are lined with bars and restaurants, and just about everywhere you can get a Cruzcampo, the local BLECC beer.  In fact, you don't even need to ask for it by name...just ask for a cerveca and Cruzcampo comes out.  I learned today that you can ask for a "doble", which means you get a decent serving of beer rather than a small wineglass-full.  And while there's plenty of magnificent wine to be had here in Spain, we found an exceptional beer bar\called Cerveceria Internacional.

Beautiful marble floors, a long bar that stretches the length of the room, high ceilings and a beautifully panelled front...in other words, standard design in Seville.  You'll find almost a dozen taps (again, that's tons for Spain) and about 150 bottles from around the world, including a better selection of Unibroue beers than I can get in Toronto.  Like pretty much every place that sells good beer, it was packed and vibrant.  We got in just after siesta, and the place was full within 30 minutes.  As we were getting ready to leave, the rain started so we had to wait it out over a couple more bottles, including this lovely Floris Chocolat below.

Bar Rincon, Toledo

Date visited: May 9, 2010

No, not Toledo Ohio!  Toledo Spain, the subject of the famous El Greco painting that ironically hangs in the Met museum in New York.  Toledo is a UNESCO world heritage site, a beautifully preserved small city just south of Madrid.  It's a sleepy little place compared to the major cities in Spain, but a beautiful spot to unwind after a long flight from Toronto.

Anyway, the city was just as billed in the guide books:  narrow winding lanes, cobblestone streets, beautiful gothic buildings.  We had a picturesque view of the town from our hotel, but it was a long hoof into town.  So when we got there, we enjoyed many different restaurants and bars.  Before dinner one night, we stopped at Bar Rincon, quite by accident.  Turned out to be a beer bar (many bars call themselves cervecerias but have only one or two taps).  Rincon had a half-dozen taps, a standout by Spanish standards, and a nice selection of a couple dozen international bottles, particularly Belgian.  Nice little spot with the funniest mini-chairs and tables about a foot and a half off the ground.  A beer oasis right in the heart of the ancient city!