The Change in Spain
We easily associate wine with Spain; however, this country is also home to Europe’s oldest beer production, dating back over 4,400 years ago in Soria (located on the Douro River to the east of Castile and Leon).
Wine was pushed aside when the Romans introduced viticulture. This changed in 1516 when Flemish-born Charles I assumed the Spanish crown and beer, once again, became important. Flemish brewers were put in charge with clear-cut recipes that included wheat, malted barley, oats, clean water and hops. Hops were so important at the time, that stonemasons incorporated reliefs of hop flowers into the construction of Leon’s Cathedral.
- Beer as a drink for the masses gained importance at the second half of the 19th century, coinciding with the expansion of Spain’s railway. Before this, the principal ingredients such as hops and malted barley often had to be shipped in, arriving in port cities like Sandtander and Barcelona, where many of the country’s first breweries were started.
Drinking Beer
If you live in Spain and/or visit Spain, you are going to be drinking lots of beer. Beer consumption in Spain reached almost 40 million hectoliters (2017), according to Cerveceros de Espana, representing a 3.7 increase over the previous year. Women are drinking more beer with consumption increasing by 12 percent (2017). Beer is being consumed in hotels and restaurants (63 percent) and is the most popular cold beverage in this market. circulation. Polyphenols prevent circulation diseases and flavonoids increase bone density during menopause. One liter of beer each day delivers 35 percent of recommended daily vitamins and a pint of lager contains approximately 180 calories, roughly equivalent to a slice of pizza. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT WINES.TRAVEL.
