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Hops & Drops, Praia das Maçãs
Women who brew are a rare breed in Portugal, and we’ve had fortune smile upon us enough to have a great micro brewer stake a claim just down the hill from our home in Praia das Maçãs. Marta Pardal began brewing her IPA, Sete Ais (7 years), in Magoito a couple of years ago, and…
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La Botica De La Cerveza, Málaga
Not far from the castillo in what was once (and still is) the rough border/port town of Málaga, wandering the side streets and into La Victoria, you can find the craft beer sene percolating away, giving you options beyond the Guinness and the Cruzcampos you might be subjected to on the Plaza de la Merced.…
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Hops & Dreams in Sevilla
It was a snapshot in time and we crossed paths for a few moments. S agreed that the man striking up conversation with us looked a lot like Bill Nighy—except we found out he was a Dane, moving from place to place, following work around the world as a musician and producer. Maybe it was…
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Flor de Lúpulo, Lisboa
So nice we stopped in twice…on the same night. Nothing encourages me to leave the comfort of my couch early for a meeting in the city like two things: beating the traffic snarl at 5 pm, and the chance to hit a new pub along the way. So we drive down to Lisboa an hour…
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Carnaval En Deux
I’m a longtime fan of Mardi Gras, so I took to Carnaval in Portugal quite naturally. Though grand displays of drunkenness (or nakedness) aren’t my style, the act of dressing up outrageously and wandering though the streets with a open cup of libation holds a lot of appeal. My first Carnaval two years ago included…
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Flagship February
I had the first of my brews for Flagship February a wee bit prematurely, on Burns Night (January 25), a Scotland-appropriate Punk IPA brewed somewhere in Aberdeen. As an early introduction to the craft beers of the UK, it was fine a few years ago—and it remains a favorite. That’s why we celebrate the month…
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Brooklands & Lager
Surrey winter days lend themselves to a traipse around a museum—with the promise of a cosy pub and a fresh pint at the end. England’s full of these blessed pairings, and a little while back we picked Brooklands, and for two reasons: the VC10 and Concorde. Yes, while some go to the museum and its…
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BK Beers
On our French trip in high school, my 17-year-old self encountered that mashup of culture americaine et française: Le Royal Cheese at McDonald’s. We laughed—but cut ourselves short in awe. You could order a BEER with your Mickey D’s pommes frites! So I was well-versed in the more casual approach to fast-food brew by the…
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Cerveteca Lisboa, Principe Real
On the Praça das Flores, the evening descends and the lights come on all around the not-quite-square plaza. In the midst of Principe Real, in Lisbon, patrons turn to their favorite hangouts for a bite and a beer…it’s a fine Saturday in January so people are out and about, enjoying the last drops of sun.…
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Mercearia do Campo de Ourique
We find excuses to explore the many bairros of Lisbon—the city, much like Paris, is more a collection of villages than one monochromatic town. Perched on a hill overlooking the lower quarters on the river, Campo de Ourique survived the earthquake of 1755 like a bear—it’s shaped like one, and for a while I thought…