A guest post by Richard Scullion, Campaigns Officer South East Sussex CAMRA.
Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, is a great place to visit in November! Apart from warmth, blue skies, dramatic volcanic scenery, and the amazing architecture of Cesar Manrique, craft beer can be found with a little effort. At the main resorts most bars serve international brands but a little sleuthing will reveal the strong Estrella Galicia 1906 Reserva Especial from mainland Spain, and the Canarian brewed Dorada - a perfectly acceptable lager with a pleasant sweetness.
To my knowledge there are just three independent brewers on Lanzarote: Malpeis which produces three beers, Jable, a 5.3% golden ale, Bermeja, a 6.7% double malt pale, and Rofe (the local name for the black volcanic ash which covers much of the island and is actually spread over fertile soil to retain moisture), a dark beer at 7%. Whilst available in bottles in shops and some bars, I didn’t track any down on draft.
The second brewery, Los Aljibes, was the first craft outfit on the island with two bars serving their two draft beers. Aguita is a dark American pale at 4.8% and TEA is a 4.8% red ale. Despite bus trips out from our base in the capitol, Arrecife, to first, Costa Tequise, and second, Puerto del Carmen, both their establishments were closed and looked unlikely to open any day soon!
Success was achieved however at the island’s star show! Located in a former fishing net workshop and hardware store in the harbour area of Naos, El Camarote is the Nao Brewery taproom (at 5 Calle Foque, Arrecife).
Established by Miquel Lasso and his partner Loreto about five years ago their operation began with just two beers, La Gloria, a 3.5% Berliner Weisse, and Capitan, a 4.8% copper American pale ale. My son Paul and I started gently with the Berliner Weisse in draft form.
We then shared a bottle of the excellent Black Patron, a 7.6% beer described as a black APA, but in my book a first rate porter. This was followed by a draft Mucho, a 6.5% malty copper IPA (delicious), and a Marinera, their 4.8% blonde.
All these were served efficiently with charm and complimentary peanuts by our host, Aida.
Many decades after the destruction of most of the island by volcanoes between 1730 and 1736, agriculture in a basic form began to return, and it was discovered that, with a clever system of rock-built windbreaks, the land could support vines. A Portuguese grape, Malvasia, was brought in from (relatively) nearby Madeira, and this has formed the basis of the island’s wine production. To those who may be interested the reds are probably best ignored, the whites are quite good, but the sweet, dessert style whites - a tempting golden colour – are exceptional.
All this to say that our final beer was a shared bottle of their Maresia. This is an 8% limited edition full bodied grape ale, using the malvasia and served from an a suitably elegant blue corked bottle – is it a beer, is it a wine? It’s for you to decide when you visit this delightful and welcoming island!
Richard Scullion - 25 November 2021
Richard Scullion is a real ale (and more recently craft beer) enthusiast, born and brought up in Horsham, Sussex, where his first pint was King and Barnes, probably in the Dog and Bacon. Work took him to the West Midlands where he particularly enjoyed Batham’s and Holden’s. Moving to Newbury, he rejoined CAMRA and became first Social Secretary and then Chair of the West Berkshire branch. He has always believed that since the demise of K and B, Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter, is the gold standard for that beer style. Helpfully he now lives on the Sussex coast which has a plentiful supply of Harvey’s outlets, and where he greets each seasonal beer with enthusiasm. Recently he has become Campaigns Officer with the South East Sussex CAMRA Branch, and is on the organising committee for the April 2022 CAMRA AGM and Members’ Weekend.
