On a previous trip to San Sebastian (aka Donostia, in the Basque Country) I tried beers from the local craft brewery Pagoa on a couple of occasions. On our recent holiday, we we stumbled upon a very simple, very old-fashioned bar which prides itself on serving the best serrano ham, and which also happens to stock Pagoa beers.
The ham was, indeed, fabulous and the beers went really well with it.
If you’re in San Sebastian, El Valles is definitely worth a visit.
Boak
I got quite excited to see that San Sebastian had a “local” lager, Keler, with basque on the labels and all. The bottles tell a story about some German brewers who set up in San Sebastian in the 1890s, yada yada yada.
However, I was disappointed. Not so much by the fact it´s the usual yellow fizz – that I was expecting – but to find out that it was now brewed by Damm in Barcelona. I thought that at least I´d be able to recommend it on environmental grounds.
Still, at least it´s not Heineken, who really do dominate San Seb (although they tend to hide under the Cruzcampo brand).
Boak
We're a pair of beer geeks who live in Cornwall in the UK. Bailey is a man, Boak is a lady. We've been beer blogging since 2007 and it's taken us all over Britain and Europe in pursuit of the perfect pint.
Follow @BoakandBailey
Our favourite beer of 2011
Penzance Brewing Company Potion No 9 (cask ale)
4%. The beer we enjoyed most in 2011 -- golden, featuring US hops and with a satisfying, chewy maltiness.