Wine gets most of the attention in Spanish food writing, but beer is an everyday order in Spanish bars, usually cold pale lager in small measures, and the way you order it has its own vocabulary.
Here is that vocabulary, the main brands you are likely to meet, and a few restaurants in our directory that make a point of their Spanish beer.
How to order: caña, doble, tercio, quinto
- Caña: a small glass of draught beer. It is the default order. The exact size depends on the bar and the region, so do not expect a fixed measure.
- Doble: a larger glass of draught, roughly twice a caña.
- Jarra: a beer mug, a larger draught serve.
- Tercio: a 33cl bottle, roughly a third of a litre.
- Quinto: a 20cl bottle, a fifth of a litre.
'Una caña, por favor' is all most people need. Small measures make sense in a country where a round of drinks goes with a round of tapas and people move between bars.
Clara, shandy and alcohol-free
A clara is beer mixed with lemon soda or with gaseosa, a sweet, lightly fizzy soda. Ask for 'clara con limón' if you want the lemon version. It is a common daytime and summer drink.
Alcohol-free beer is easy to find in Spain and is ordered as 'cerveza sin' or simply 'una sin'. Many major Spanish breweries offer one.
In some Spanish cities, Granada being the best-known example, ordering a drink still brings a free tapa with it. That is a local custom and not something to expect in Spanish restaurants abroad.
The big regional lagers
Spain's best-known beers are pale lagers, and the major brands are closely tied to their home cities:
- Mahou, from Madrid, founded in 1890.
- Estrella Damm, from Barcelona, made by Damm, founded in 1876.
- Estrella Galicia, from A Coruña, made by Hijos de Rivera, founded in 1906.
- Cruzcampo, from Seville, founded in 1904.
- Alhambra, from Granada, founded in 1925.
Each brand is closely associated with its home city. Spain also has a craft beer scene alongside these lagers.
What to drink it with
Cold lager suits the salty, fried end of the tapas menu: croquetas, calamares, patatas bravas, padrón peppers, anchovies.
Where to try Spanish beer
These venues mention beer in their own directory records:
- Taburete (Bangkok) lists hard-to-find Spanish beers, naming Estrella Galicia.
- Camino Kings Cross (London) says it serves some of Spain's best beers alongside its tapas.
