To say that beer is fashionable is a 'boutade', as it has been with us for thousands of years. But what remains true is that lately there is a whole revolution of new manufacturing styles that deserves to have a meeting like the one proposed by the Estación Gran Teatro CaixaBank Príncipe Pío for this weekend. From Friday the 27th to Sunday the 29th, the País de Cervezas fair will be an open and innovative event that aims to create a space that invites you to socialize and explore a rich offer of beers and gastronomy.
On the occasion of the Centenary of Brewers of Spain, an entity that since 1922 has brought together practically all of the beer production brands in our country (as well as the AECAI, the Spanish Association of Craft and Independent Brewers), people from Madrid and visitors will have the opportunity to attend an extraordinary milestone that has been celebrated very few times in the world and that will take place in Spain for the first time.
From the largest and most well-known breweries to the smallest yet to be discovered, they will share space equally in the tasting area to offer consumers variety, gastronomy and lots and lots of beer, always under responsible consumption and accompanied by some food.
In the gastro area, trucks will be installed with a range of street food selected to pair with different styles of beer, and claim that this can be a premium gourmet and gastronomic product, and at the same time a hook to socialize and share. In the activities area there will be a multipurpose room where tasting workshops, courses, talks, pairings, elaboration and everything related to the beer culture that is growing every day in our country will be offered. And it is that as the organizers of the meeting explain, this event is dedicated to "communicating the wide range of beers existing today, from tradition, philosophy, mutual respect and the pedagogical, cultural and training point of view". Tickets for the festival can be purchased at the venue box office throughout the event.
In total there are fifty breweries summoned to give a good example of the diversity and brewing plurality that we have in Spain and, in this way, to be able to proudly say that we are a 'Country of Beers'. Not surprisingly, Spain is the third largest producer of beer in the European Union, already surpassing the United Kingdom.
To reaffirm the idea that Madrid is the European capital of beer, on the occasion of the Centennial of Brewers of Spain, the days after this event, Madrid will host the Brewers Forum and the 38th Congress of the European Brewery Convention (EBC). This is the highest level technical congress in Europe for the brewing sector, which will be attended by professionals from all corners of the world to discuss the current state and future of the brewing industry, as well as to spread the brewing culture, highlight quality , variety and innovation of beer and enhance its gastronomic facet.
In the case of the Brewers Forum, for the first time it will be held outside of Belgium and will reinforce the prestige of Spain as one of the main producers in Europe, as well as of our beers, both nationally and internationally. It is an annual event organized by The Brewers of Europe, which represents associations of beer producers from 29 countries, becoming the voice of more than 11,000 companies on the continent, and which brings together brewers of all sizes, ingredient suppliers, of equipment and the entire value chain of the sector, to discuss the most recent and future developments.
