Spain may be better known for its wines than its beers, but it has some excellent varieties to choose from. Here’s what ‘cerveza’ to order in different parts of the country.
During a recent meeting with the General Assembly of Brewers of Spain, Minister of Agriculture and Food Luis Planas highlighted the fact that Spain is the second largest beer producer in the European Union and the eighth largest in the world.
The Spanish beer industry currently has a turnover exceeding €5.7 billion and employs more than 11,000 people.
This may come as a surprise to many who mostly associate Spain with wine, sherry and cava, but many regions have their own beer too.
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Spain also leads the consumption of non-alcoholic beer in the Western world with most brands making their own versions.
According to market analysts Datacentric and in a map compiled by Accumin Intelligence, Spaniards from Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarre, La Rioja, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Valencia and the Balearics all like Estrella Galicia the best. Those from other areas mostly like the ones brewed in their regions.
The podium of Spain’s most popular beers is completed by Mahou in second and Alhambra in third.
Not including craft beer, here are some of the main beers to order in different regions and cities around Spain.
Madrid – Mahou
Mahou is the quintessential beer of the Spanish capital. It was founded in Madrid in 1890 under the name of Hijos de Casimiro Mahou. It’s a light-to-medium-bodied beer with notes of malt and cereals and a fresh hoppy taste. It comes in various varieties including with lemon, gluten free and even an IPA version.
READ ALSO: Spain’s beer culture and the emergence of craft brewers
Galicia – Estrella Galicia
The Estrella Galicia brewery was founded in 1906 by José María Rivera Corral after his travels in Cuba and Mexico. Its headquarters are located in the Galician city of A Coruña. It’s a pale lager-style beer, which is golden in colour. It has a light floral and herbal taste with notes of hops, roasted barley and malt. It also has toasted and black versions, as well as a gluten free and alcohol free one.
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Granada – Alhambra
Granda’s Alhambra beer is named after the city’s famed Moorish palace. It was founded in 1925 near the Sierra Nevada mountains in order to use the local water sources. Since 2007, it has been owned by the Mahou-San Miguel brewing group. It is full-bodied and smooth with a slight bitterness, while its Especial version has earthy and citrus notes.
Zaragoza – Ambar
Ambar was founded in 1900 in the city of Zaragoza. With 18 different varieties, it has more specialities than any other brand in Spain. Last year, it was named best Spanish amber beer in its category at the World Beer Awards and the World Beer Challenge. The main type is mildly bitter with fresh touches of citrus and hops. There is also an alcohol free version and a special version. If you’re ever in Zaragoza, it’s worth going on a tour of the brewery and tasting all the samples.
Seville – Cruzcampo
If you visit the Andalusian capital, you’ll notice that Cruzcampo is everywhere. In fact, Cruzcampo will serve more than 3.7 million cañas of beer at Seville’s famous April Fair this year. This brewery was first set up in 1904 by brothers Tomás and Roberto Osborne (of the sherry dynasty). Cruzcampo is a lager with a light and slightly fruity taste. Today they make at least seven different varieties.
READ ALSO: A bite-sized guide to Spain’s most special cheeses
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Barcelona – Moritz and Estrella Damm
Catalonia has two main beer brands – Moritz and Estrella Damm. Estrella is perhaps the most famous, dating back to 1876. It’s still brewed according to its original recipe using only barley, malt, rice and hops with 100 percent natural ingredients. Today there are many different options such as toasted, alcohol free or with lemon. They are all naturally gluten free.
Moritz prides itself on being a through and through Catalan beer with labelling only in the Catalan language. It has been brewed in Barcelona since 1856 and is light and refreshing with a sweet malty taste.
Valencia – Turia
Turia beer was set up by a group of friends in Valencia in 1935. It has three main varieties – the Turia Märzen, which is a dark toasted beer with a slight caramel taste; the blonde Stark beer is fresher beer with malt and hops; and then there’s an alcohol free toasted version too.
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Canary Islands – Dorada or Tropical
The two biggest Canary Islands enjoy plenty of friendly rivalries, whether over beaches, football or beer.
Dorada is the beer of choice in Tenerife, where it has been made since 1939. As the name suggests, it’s golden in colour and has a light crisp taste. It has an alcohol free version and a lemon alcohol free one too.
Tropical on the other hand is from the island of Gran Canaria and was founded in 1924. It has a mild hop bitterness and its Tropical 1924 variety won bronze at the World Beer Awards in 2025.
Murcia – Estrella de Levante
Estrella Levante opened its first brewery in Murcia in 1963. Its beer is golden in colour with a decidedly malty taste. Today they make six types of beer, such as toasted versions with and without alcohol and one with lemon.
