Guest Beer-House: Cerveteca Lisboa

Portugal, craft beer. Two things you would not think to be synonymous given the culture's penchant for wine, but there you have it. Cerveteca Lisboa gave us a solid few hours of craft beer from various countries before we hit the Bairro Alto one night in Lisbon. They had quite a few gluten-free beers on offer. I tried two from Danish brewery Mikkeller, who use traditional ingredients and processes to brew their beers but they de-glutenize it by way of enzyme additives. Charming. And common practice. The third was another Danish brewery, To Øl

Mikkeller's I Wish IPA, which they tout as the world's first gluten-free beer, was quite good with an almost pine-like aroma along with the usual hints of citrus.

Mikkeller's American Dream (Gluten-Free version) was a lager, and I've expressed how I feel about gluten-free lagers, but this one did break the mould ever so slightly; an abundance of fruity aftertastes without being cloaked in citrus and just a hint of carbonation. Very dry though. Mikkeller also make a regular version of their American Dream so it's imperative for a Coeliac to ensure they are getting the right bottle.

To Øl's Hop Love Pils was quite enjoyable and I discovered this one by fluke when a friend had ordered it and it was only upon reading the label and googling it that it proved to also be gluten-free. I did only have a small taste (not sure what controls are like for brewing as they reportedly use other breweries' equipment). One of the cloudiest pilseners I've ever seen, a very delicate fruity aroma, peach perhaps, with sharp grassy undertones. Rather lovely though and evidently indistinguishable from a regular pils.

Cerveteca Lisboa was a top visit and the owners were very pleasant, keeping our interest peaked until closing time. Saúde!

Cerveteca Lisboa
Praça das Flores 63
1200-192 Lisboa, Portugal