I knew there were Portuguese craft breweries. They have Facebook pages. They are in the ratebeer data base. But they all seem to be located between Lisbon and Porto.
And I was nowhere near Lisbon or Porto, but on the southern Algarve coast. There was nothing in the immediate area, so I had to cast my net a bit wider.
An exchange of e-mails with the Mean Sardine brewery informed me that they had only one outlet in the south, a place called Algarve and friends in the town of Alvor. I tried to google this establishment, but with no result.
Anyway. I needed to rest my skin a bit from the sun, and Alvor was just 40 minutes away on an air conditioned bus. If I did not find the place, I could surely have lunch there before returning.
Alvor seemed like a fairly typical holiday resort, quiet at midday, but offering plenty of options in the evening. When the bus approached the town, a banner proclaimed the All day 90 cent pint, while a more classy place across the road was charging a Euro. A brief survey revealed a fair number of Irish pubs with and without resident troubadours.
After a stroll through town I found the Praca de Republica, and Algarve and company turned out to be a cafe/delicatessen, promoting craft produce. Cheese, sausages, wine, honey, tinned tuna and sardines … and a number of beers.
I order a (very nice ) cup of coffee and looked around. The beers are from two Portuguese Micros, Sovina and Mean Sardine.
Nuno Miguel Vieira Dos Santos runs the shop. I tell him that I tried to look it up on the web. He apologizes, and tells me the reason is that he has been far to busy. He actually opened the same week I visited. That also explains why there is a steady traffic of people with various foodstuff, handing over samples for him to try out.
I try an amber ale from Sovina. Hazy amber, lively carbonation. Malty aroma, some funk and barnyard, Belgian yeast character. Cereals and sweetness, very pleasant.
My lunch is a plate of assorted cheeses and cured sausages, which are all very good. Some are chorizo-style with paprika, but the pepper is not very strong. I get an extra side dish of two types of blood sausage, one of them made with rice. A rich sweetness which show how honest food does not need to taste of more than its ingredients. With this I try a Mean Sardine Amura, an American pale ale. This is clear amber, with a fluffy head and a flowery aroma. The flavor is bittersweet. Malt and bitter herbs, some eucalyptus. Well crafted, by no means extreme.
I fill my backpack with sea salt, honey, almond cakes, beer, tinned sardines and anchovies.
Surely a place to return to. Easy to find, across the street from the Alvor tourist office.
If you want to explore the wonderful world of Portuguese craft beer further, here is a list of Cerveja Artesanal Portuguesa.
Reblogged this on The Beer Masters Brewing Magazine.
Hey,
very informative and good writing. Thanks. Heading to same area in April. Can you give me approx. locatiobn of this shop or even address?
thx
Algarve and company, Praca de Repblucia no 9, Alvor. Very close to the tourist information office.
Will be there next week. ) Thx
Thank you very much for taking the time to write this blog. On your word I took a short boat trip from Lagos (where I was staying) to Alvor to find this place and boy was it worth it! Great beer and service. Alvor itself was also very charming and we had an excellent meal there.
Thank you
Good to hear!