We were arriving in Barcelona Saturday afternoon and had previously decided to check out the event Bierbacoa. I wanted to go to Edge Brewing during our visit, but since they are only open to the public on Fridays this event seemed like the best chance to check out some of their beers. There would be food, beer, and possibly entertainment, so we would get our vacation started right.
The music flowed from the park, Placa de Gal·la Placídia, as we approached. I was surprised as we rounded the corner to reveal a small concrete park instead of the green one I had imagined. I guess I shouldn't assume that because something is green on google maps that it will have to be green when I arrive. Not deterred I made my way over to the rectangular park. We approached the stands of Edge Brewing and Espiga. We decided to see what all the stands were offering before deciding on any beer or food. As we walked there was a stage on our left from which a woman led children and other audience members through a dance. The right revealed a range of stands offering up tapas and sandwiches. Once we made it to the end we looped back around the outside and back to the Edge Brewing table.
There were four beers available on draft from Edge Brewing, and I quickly decided to try out the Hoptimista Cirtra IPA. Shortly after our beers were poured we began talking with the different people at their stand. Several of them were from the US, and they were all really excited to talk about beer. It was cool to meet people so passionate about their work. We talked for quite awhile about many topics and branched out from speaking about just beer. The beer was quite tasty, but I felt slightly guilty that we may have been keeping other patrons from coming up and sampling their products.
My beer was gone so I decided I would need to have another one. I didn't see it listed so I inquired about the Padrino Porter with Chocolate and Vanilla as it was a beer I was extremely excited to try. I figured it could be kind of like Ballast Point Victory At Sea which is one of the best beers I've ever had. Unfortunately they didn't have any with them, but they did graciously offer for us to swing by their brewery at our convenience to sample some. We were fairly busy during our trip, so we didn't get a chance, but their friendliness and great beer have me determined to sample more of their wares whenever the opportunity arises. Scott, one of the brewers from Edge, even gave us his card in case we had any trouble or got arrested during our trip he joked. I decided to try the Powerplant Saison and we stepped back, so that they could help other people.
The entertainer had changed, but the crowd was still enthusiastically dancing along to her instructions. There were copious amounts of children in the crowd and this was definitely an all ages and community event. We were ready to eat so we perused the food stands once again. There wasn't much for my lady who eats mainly vegetarian, but she was able to find a tapas place with some Catalonian inspired sushi that she enjoyed. I had been eyeballing two stands for awhile and decided to get some freshly grilled meat on little sticks. It was quite tasty, but not going anywhere near what I needed to feel full.
Before grabbing anymore food I needed to have another beer. I'd never heard of Espiga before coming to the event but figured it would be wrong not to try one of their beers. Looking over their list of four drafts that they had available quickly lead me to trying their black ipa. It was quite tasty, and I was glad to have gotten a chance to sample one of their beers. We grabbed a seat on a bench, and I headed back into the crowd to get some more food.
I already knew exactly where I was heading. There was one stand with a roasted pig which was being made into sandwiches. They would take the meat and place it on bread which looked like a mix of focaccia and Molletes de Antequera with some greens and a spread of which I believe was aioli. They then shortly toasted it before handing it over. I grabbed my sandwich and headed back. My first bite revealed an unbelievable amount of deliciousness. This quickly became a transcendent experience and a sandwich which will forever have a place on my taste buds. Every bite was a small vacation to heaven and this only cost €2.50. I would have had a second or third sandwich, but we needed to head out for some proper food to feed my better half. I also figured it wouldn't be good to mar my memory of the perfect sandwich just in case the second didn't live up to my previous euphoric experience.
Bierbacoa was a fun local event which I'm really glad I went to. The friendly service and conversation from Edge Brewing reminded me why I love craft beer besides the obvious aspect of all the great beer. Many people involved in any aspect of craft beer are quite fun and genuine people. I guess it doesn't hurt that I'm meeting many of these people while drinking though. My other fond memory of my sandwich to slice all other sandwiches will be one that I cherish. Put all of that together with a solid black ipa from Espiga and a happy crowd, and I'll look back on this as a great night. It set a wonderful tone for the rest of my week. Luckily I didn't have to take Scott up on his offer to help out if we got into arrested during our vacation in Barcelona.
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