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La Buena Pinta

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2 reviews of La Buena Pinta

Craft Beer in Mercado de San Fernando

Excellent

La Buena Pinta is a craft beer bar located in the lively Mercado de San Fernando, a neighborhood market which once faced practical abandonment but which has since become home to young craft producers ranging from local beers and unfiltered wines to homemade Greek food and artisan breads. La Buena Pinta has a solid selection of Spanish and international craft brews, with a selection of six or so mainly-Spanish beers on tap (including some of the Spanish craft beer classics like La Virgen or Dougall’s) and a huge selection of America, British, German, Czech, and Belgian bottled beers in the fridge and on the shelf.


I have to admit, that when I’m in the mood to do some boozing, La Buena Pinta is one of my favorites. First of all, the beers are almost always good and their selection is chosen with care and no too long or complex to where you spend an eternity choosing what you want. Secondly, the vibe is great and it feels like (and is) a neighborhood watering hole, a welcome change from some of the trendier industrial-chic craft beer bars popping up around the city. Finally, you’re in the middle of a market with tons of food stands! Who needs bar snacks when you have fresh seafood, charcuterie, cheese vendors, and grilled meat all around you?

La Buena Pinta also offers courses and supplies for home brewers and regularly hosts tastings and pairing dinners. If you’re interested in seeing what’s scheduled, check out their website. Cheers!
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Craft beer goes to market

Cutting-edge craft beer and traditional Spanish markets usually don’t mix. But the regular rules rarely apply in boho Lavapiés, especially when it comes to the barrio’s San Fernando Market. What was once a bustling smorgasbord of fruit and veg and chorizo and cheese, had – like many traditional markets in Madrid – lost the battle to the evil supermarkets. But recently the town hall offered the empty market stalls to new tenants at bargain basement prices. And suddenly San Fernando sprung back to life. Alongside the longtime occupants – red-faced butchers and gabby fishmongers – are a batch of young upstarts selling everything from organic cheese, to fill-your-own-local-wine to second hand books by weight.


And of course, craft beer. La Buena Pinta craft beer bottle store is run by a big-chested and well-bearded baritone named Juanma (yes, he sings in a choir) and his business partner Anna. They set up shop after each lost their livelihood in Spain’s spiralling economic crisis. And judging by the steady stream of craft beer aficionados every time I stop by, business isn’t bad. Despite the small space, La Buena Pinta is smartly stocked with a vibrant kaleidoscope of Madrilenian, Spanish and international brews.

Juanma likes a chat. About beer, preferably. Plus, he speaks English. What’s more, he keeps a well-stocked fridge of local and international crafts that you can drink at the counter (proper glassware provided). So if you’ve just dropped into town (or have been here all your life) and you’d like to learn a thing or two about the nascent local craft beer scene, I suggest pouring a pint and having a chat. But if you’re not the talkative type, he’ll be just as happy to give you a few suggestions, sell you some beer and send you on your way.

So, what’s typically in stock? At the time of writing, there are five craft breweries in the capital. La Buena Pinta carries beers from three of them. Juanma recommends the larger from brewery La Virgen to newbies – it’s an easy, refreshing drop, and not a shock to the system for anyone raised on industrial suds. They also sell beers by Madrid breweries La Cibeles and Lest (I’m a big fan of the latter, which is run by a German man and his Cuban wife up near the sierras north of the city. Check out Thor, their smokey German-style ale). They also carry upwards of 30 beers from throughout Spain, of which Juanma underlines three popular breweries: Dougalls (from Cantabria up north), Clandestina (from Catalonia to the east) and Mamouth (from Granada in the deep and dusty south).

If all that beer-chat piques your appetite, remember where you are. The San Fernando Market is a mouth-watering wilderness of hanging jamónes, manchego cheese and chubby olives. And everything is at market price. So, grab a few cold ones from Juanma’s fridge, pick up an Iberian deli selection and head out for an al fresco lunch in the nearby Retiro. Or, if you’re feeling lazy, simply unwrap your Spanish feast right there at the market tables. A tip: try pairing a bottle of La Virgin’s Jamonera (Juanma invariably has a couple cold) with some jamón ibérico. In both name and flavour, the crisp, local amber ale makes a perfect pair with those wafer-thin slices of umami bliss.

As an aside, if you’re hooked on Spanish beer and what to know more, La Buena Pinta stock the “Guía de Cervezas Artesanas Españolas” (The Spanish Craft Beer Guide) for€12. It’s a directory of Spain’s 70-odd craft breweries, and the more than 200 beers they produce.
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