Craft beer festivals in Madrid you shouldn’t miss
With the first days of spring, craft beer festivals spread across the Community of Madrid. The beer phenomenon, which in recent years has taken root in the capital, brings out its heavy artillery at these events. Beyond local breweries, Madrid is a meeting point for the entire peninsula.
Beermad describes itself as “the great craft beer festival.” La Caja Mágica hosts its third edition on June 8, 9 and 10. This summer’s lineup brings together 52 breweries, 8 of which are foreign brands: Kozel, De Molen, Mean Sardine, North Brewing, Oedipus, Pilsner Urquell, BrewDog and Founders Brewing. In addition, there will be a bar serving only beers from Madrid. Beermad combines live music, food stalls and workshops related to craft beer.
A week earlier, from June 1 to 3, we discovered the San Sebastián de los Reyes Craft Beer Fair. The La Marina Fairgrounds also host food trucks and concerts. Spanish craft beer is the star of the event.
On the same dates, June 1 and 2, the Founders Madrid Beer & Music Fest is held. The festival will take place at the Conde Duque cultural center in Madrid. The organizers boast of bringing together more than 40 breweries from around the world on tap, in addition to Founders’ own offerings. There will also be food trucks and live bands.
If we look back, we find the UFO Fest organized by Cervezas Yria at the facilities of Compañía Cervecera Valle del Kahs, whose brewery and taproom are located in Vallecas. Beers from Europe and the USA welcomed a maximum capacity of one hundred people.
When it comes to themed weeks, there’s the Lavapiés Artesana Week, which in its fourth edition twinned 31 breweries (12 of them from Madrid) with 29 venues in the Lavapiés neighborhood. Cervecera Independiente, the new-business unit of the Mahou San Miguel group, also organizes the Madrid Beer Week, in which participating venues offer a range of activities around craft beer.
Although Madrid is not short on fairs and festivals, the capital still lacks a flagship event like the Barcelona Beer Festival, organized by Beer Events and Install Beer. Little by little, certain events are becoming established and improving their offerings with each new edition. The future looks promising for Madrid’s craft beer scene.
