Kevin Patricio: "Craft beer in Spain is in the World Top 5"

"We couldn't find the beer we wanted to drink."

This is how

summarizes

the reason that led him, together with his fellow Americans

, to found Basqueland, a brewery based in Hernani, in 2015.

They began brewing in a nomadic way and have ended up with a factory that does not stop growing to make the dozens of beers they make every year. Most of them are

that sell quickly throughout the country, but especially in the Basque Country and also in Europe. So do the great Basque restaurants such as Elkano, Akelarre, Martin Berasategui or Mugaritz, where they serve beers such as Unstoppable, an IPA that has become a classic in the artisan sector.

Focused on an

, they have gone from producing 70 thousand liters a year in 2015 to exceed, according to their forecasts, 600,000 in 2021. They face the summer with the award for best factory in the Barcelona Beer Challenge, one of the competitions most prestigious brewers in Europe, where they have won nine medals. This award is added to the one for Best Brewery won in the 2020, 2019 and 2017 Spanish Beer Championship.

What was the beer like when they arrived and what is it like now? It was very limited, both in supply and quality. I can remember Naparbier and Dougalls right now. Naparbier was exporting practically everything, it sold very little domestically in Pamplona. It was very difficult to find fresh, fresh, local beer. Now it is another world. In the continent now we are the best that there is at the artisanal level. Germany has a lot of beer culture on a traditional level. Denmark, Norway, Sweden and England have a good offer, but at European level Spain is one of the leaders. Is Spanish craft beer among the best in the world? Yes, really. America is undoubtedly number 1. England number two. Spain would be in the Top 5 behind the other countries that I have mentioned. What is the beer made by three Americans in the Basque Country:Spanish with American inspiration or American with Spanish inspiration? Second, American beer with Spanish inspiration. We have adapted to the palate here beers such as Unstoppable [their best-selling beer]. It is a little less bitter than one from San Diego but well fruity and elegant. If someone comes from San Diego, they can say that it is similar, but different. How is the beer consumer in Spain? Every day he is more informed, knows more than before and learns very quickly. Five years ago we were explaining every day what an IPA is. Now we are talking about mixed fermentation with people. We are at a time when one in every 100 beers sold is artisanal, but two years ago it was one in two hundred. We are growing fast, fairly and sustainably, but there is a very high ceiling for craft beer.Can you still advance? Yes. Our colleagues in the sector, such as Garage, Peninsula, Dougalls, etc. are getting a very good name for craft beer in Spain. What do you think drives people back to buy craft beer? There is not enough craft culture in bars. Many in the hospitality industry think that it is a soft drink, something cheap. Sometimes it can be like this. But there is another flavor, there are things beyond lager. The first key is to have more culture in the bars. Bars have to find another offer for customers. Obviously it will never be 100% and I don't want it to be like that, but if it is 5% of craft beer consumption it would already be a lot, it is an awful lot of liters. Spain is also a country of cider and wine, but the amount of beer that Spain consumes is enormous.Will there ever come a time when beer is no longer seen as a soft drink? We are at a turning point. Here this year in Donosti it has not been possible to travel, as in other cities. Donosti is a city of 180,000 inhabitants, it is like a microcosm of Spain, with all kinds of workers, we have clients of every kind. Our clients are different types of people. It is not a thing to do with price. People have to know what craft beer is in order to order it. The people of Donosti like craft beer, Basqueland, Gross, Bidassoa, Mala Gissona, etc.we have clients of every type. Our clients are different types of people. It is not a thing to do with price. People have to know what craft beer is in order to order it. The people of Donosti like craft beer, Basqueland, Gross, Bidassoa, Mala Gissona, etc.we have clients of every type. Our clients are different types of people. It is not a thing to do with price. People have to know what craft beer is in order to order it. The people of Donosti like craft beer, Basqueland, Gross, Bidassoa, Mala Gissona, etc.

Members of Basqueland, with Oscar, their brewmaster at the helm, collect the award.BBF

Can the consumption of local beer advance craft beer in Spain? Yes. And also that it is a very well connected country and you can find for example Basqueland freshly made in Barcelona or Malaga. We work hard with our distributors to ensure that they receive the beer as carefully as possible. We have cold stored beer, we work with cold shippers. Not only with craft beer, in any beer, talking about lagers, ipas, etc. the best beer is the most recent. What do you think craft breweries should do so that people consume more artisan products? Teach people in their towns and cities what the difference is between beers. That there are different beers for different times. Always improve processes and quality. We never stop evaluating and improving recipes or techniques.In Basqueland, Oscar, the brewmaster, makes tastings of our beers with the other brewers to evaluate how they are, how they change with time, combination of hops, etc. Do you think it is important that craft beer enters large restaurants, such as Elkano , Mugaritz, etc.? Yes because they are leaders in their sectors. Both Elkano and a traditional steakhouse or a cafe that is a leader in its town because the other places will see it as an example to emulate. People who are always looking for quality in their product, be it fish or beer, are fundamental because other people are going to follow that path. Do they give much importance to being there? Yes, we love it.They are our friends and we are fans of their gastronomy and on the business side it is important that these restaurants serve our beer.What does the Barcelona Beer Challenge award mean? It is an award with a lot of recognition and visibility. It is very important and it is a pride for us because the selection criteria are very high and the number of beers for the tastings exceeds more than 1,000 different ones. Is it a special prize for the pandemic? Yes, we put almost all the equipment in ERTE except for the two brewmasters, Ben (one of the founders) and myself. There was a lot of uncertainty. Apart from the talent, the team had a lot of tenacity, changing plans every day: there were restrictions in this market; now open this market. The team was essential to get out of the pandemic and I hope that we are in the last moments of them.We left with positive thoughts of the pandemic. How do you see the future of beer in Spain? Brilliant. There is a lot of opportunity, a lot of space, a lot of desire from customers. Suppliers are focusing on Spain because they see a positive future here. Do you think that a beer will soon be made in Basqueland with only Basque or Spanish products? We are thinking about this. We met people who are growing hops, but it takes time to get enough hop buds and of the quality we want. But yes, we can, because there is production of malt, hops and also the cultivation and production of yeast. In less than two years it is possible.Suppliers are focusing on Spain because they see a positive future here. Do you think that a beer will soon be made in Basqueland with only Basque or Spanish products? We are thinking about this. We met people who are growing hops, but it takes time to get enough hop buds and of the quality we want. But yes, we can, because there is production of malt, hops and also the cultivation and production of yeast. In less than two years it is possible.Suppliers are focusing on Spain because they see a positive future here. Do you think that a beer will soon be made in Basqueland with only Basque or Spanish products? We are thinking about this. We met people who are growing hops, but it takes time to get enough hop buds and of the quality we want. But yes, we can, because there is production of malt, hops and also the cultivation and production of yeast. In less than two years it is possible.because there is production of malt, hops and also the cultivation and production of yeast. In less than two years it is possible.because there is production of malt, hops and also the cultivation and production of yeast. In less than two years it is possible.

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