Beer Museum: Terreiro do Paco - Ala Nascente n 62 a 65, 1100 - 148, Lisboa, Portugal, #+351 21 098 7656
website: www.museudacerveja.pt
Hours: 12:00 PM - 12:00 AM Every Day

Experience before you go . . .

I know this is a highly unusual Hoppin Brewery Tour but if you want to learn about the history of Portuguese beer where else do you go, but to a museum! My B.I.L. Guy & I (sounds like a musical group) broke away from the gang, and when I say gang I mean it...10 folks! All stimulating the economy in Portugal, gotta love it! So Guy and I left our hotel the Epic Sana and walked down the Av. Alm. Reis towards the Tagus River which flows into the Atlantic Ocean and this is where the Secretaria-Geral do Ministerio das Financas and the Beer Museum is located.

We checked out the massive square which is a venue for large concerts and other public gatherings. It's right on the water so we found a place to sit and gazed out at the water for awhile. I bout broke out in song singing, "sittin on the dock of the bay" by Otis Redding but I held back. Because you know, I'd have to put my hat upside down on the sidewalk, people would start throwing money in it, I'm sure there's talent agents in the crowd and I'd have to agree to a recording deal, I'd become famous and travel the world and probably end up right back here sitting on this concrete wall...sounds like a lot of work, let's just enjoy the moment!!!

So after chilling for a while we mosey over to the Beer Museum and put our names on the list for the tour. We had just enough time to sit at the Museums outdoor cafe and enjoy a beer before the tour. Guy had the Portuguese beer Super Bock in an authentic museum pint glass which outside was a normal pint glass but inside it was a beer bottle upside down...hard to explain but I have a picture. I had a, wait for it, I was dragging a little, needed a pick me up..okay, I had an espresso!! Of course my little pinky was extended as I drank from the tiny coffee cup!!

Alright, we're up to bat. Big tour group. I can see this is one of the top 10 things to do while in Lisboa as Guy & I along with 3 other peeps line up preparing for the intimate knowledge of Portuguese beer. Up the steps we go as we gather in a very small alcove with a medieval lantern on the wall illuminating a brief narrative explaining the beginnings of beer. We part and go through some heavy dark curtains to another narrative on a wall with some more knowledge to digest, through some more curtains to a short hallway which lead us to the dark, dusty Monks Chambers. Monks discovered they could run water through mash to get beer with various alcohol levels. They sold the highest concentration, 5% alcohol, to travelers. They drank the second run, 2.5% alcohol, themselves to break up the monotony of being a Monk. It was a pretty cool room with a lot of detail so we took some pics and moved on. Next was the Louis Pasteur room. He showed that contamination of unwanted microbes was the cause of the spoiling and off flavors in wines and beer. To alleviate the problem, Pasteur pre heated the wine and to 50-60 degrees Celsius which killed the unwanted organisms, extended the shelf life of the wine and ultimately saved the French wine and beer export industry. Pictures of the fermentation vessels and of course Guy sitting next to Louie...didn't talk much! Looky here, over next to the wall were coolers with a number of local beers and it was our lucky day, we got to pick one out. I picked the Rude IPA - Biltre Craft Beer malty beer with a coopery colour and white foam, bitter and fruity. After the Rude I started interrupting everyone, I was loud and obnoxious and felt like I could speak Portuguese. Guy went with the Nortada Imperial Stout - American Imperial Stout (8.5%) dark malts, coffee, chocolate, nuts and fruits with a sweet taste. We sat in the dark tasting room on a small bench enjoying our brews. In the center of the room was big table with the map of Portugal and where all the beers came from. Guy and I wanted to drink our way through Portugal tasting one from all point but the Tour Guide said it was not recommended... oh darn!! So anyhow we managed our way out of the tasting room and back down the stairs without falling and back out into the sunlight where we both put our sunglasses on.

And yet another chapter of the Hoppin Brewery Tour where we're passionate about beer and the places around the world where you can drink it!!!

Until next time and remember......

Go get'cha one!!