Water & Soil

Barcelona sits between the sea and the coastal mountains, and the major brewery Damm is located south of the city in El Prat de Llobregat. The town lies in the delta of the Llobregat River, a flat, fertile plain right by the sea, just a few kilometers from the airport. Estrella Damm settled where space, roads, and the port all lie close together.

Much of the city's drinking water comes from the Ter and Llobregat rivers. It's not possible to say in general terms how hard any single brewery's water is, since reliable ion figures aren't available. What is certain is that nearly every brewery today treats its water, adjusting it to suit the style it wants to brew.

In Catalonia, climate matters more than geology. Summers are long and hot, and a bottom-fermented beer needs cool fermentation and even colder lagering. When the Alsatians started out in the 1870s, there was no technology yet that you could simply switch on for this. It was only refrigeration machines that made it possible to brew pale lager year-round even in a Mediterranean climate.

According to Estrella Damm, August Damm developed a beer suited to the Mediterranean climate: light, clear, and meant to be enjoyed well chilled. This idea still defines Catalan beer today. It shouldn't sit heavy in the stomach when you're sitting on a terrace at thirty degrees Celsius.

The city's small craft breweries, by contrast, often operate out of converted workshops and warehouses. Their water comes straight from the tap, which they filter and adjust fresh for every brew.