Barcelona Beer Festival – What’s the background?
Barcelona Beer Festival is the beer event of the year in Spain. Professionals and enthusiasts from all over the world make the pilgrimage to share pints, fun and culture. A festival of such magnitude isn’t built in a day. It’s the result of an evolution. The consumer has matured as well. Those who once went to discover beers now look for specific brands to taste. However, it hasn’t always been this way.
There was a time when craft beer was just a footnote in the collective imagination. The oligopoly formed by the big brands was the only beer reference in popular culture. Emerging microbreweries need to build loyalty around a more expensive product. It’s not easy. Newborn companies usually don’t have the budget to develop large marketing campaigns. The alternative, then, is to become known in the local market and rely on word of mouth.
Years ago, microbreweries saw an opportunity to showcase their products at medieval and craft fairs that toured towns across Spain. Later, they became part of small fairs alongside other small-scale food and drink producers, as is currently the case with mead. Little by little, microbreweries built the craft beer brand in their local areas until they were hosting their own festivals with the arrival of good weather. At this point, we find different levels. We can distinguish between municipal fairs, regional fairs that attract brewers from neighboring provinces, and national fairs such as the second edition of BeerMad, which featured forty participating breweries, including Scottish brewery BrewDog.
One step above fairs we find festivals. These events stand out as international meeting points. Brands from all over the world bring their best beers to win over both experts and the curious. These events are not only about beer stands; they also offer a wide variety of activities such as pairings, tastings and presentations, as well as exhibitors from industry companies. Good music is never missing either. The Barcelona Beer Festival, which held its first edition in 2012, is Spain’s flagship beer festival.
In 2017, Barcelona Beer Festival reached 32,000 attendees. During the last event, the second edition of the Barcelona Beer Challenge was also held, the first national craft beer competition in Spain with a professional jury. The seventh edition of the Barcelona Beer Festival will be held in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat from March 16 to 18, and will bring together more than 400 different beers in one place. The most anticipated event of the year promises not to leave anyone indifferent. It is a major experience that gets better every year.
