Behind the scenes of the Lisbon Brewery Dois Corvos
It’s not often you get to go round the other side of a bar and see how your beer is made.
Up until a few years ago, there weren’t even that many breweries in Lisbon, let along hosting craft beer workshops like the one we did at Dois Corvos.
The concept of craft beer was pretty much non-existent here until 2014, when Cerveteca opened its doors and announced itself as the first craft beer bar in Lisbon.
It was there that I had my first taste of Portuguese craft beer, from Musa to Oitava Colina and Dois Corvos.
Suddenly, Portuguese beer was much more than the typical lagers that I’ve grown up with — Super Bock and Sagres, which taste pretty much the same.
From then on, I started a quest to try as many Portuguese craft beers as I could. I visited beer shops, went to craft beer festivals, and was always the first one to spot a new craft beer bar in town.
In 2015, Nick had just arrived in Lisbon just in time to get on the craft beer boat with me.
And that’s how, three years later, we ended up at a craft beer workshop in Marvila, Lisbon’s Beer District.
Craft Beer Workshop at the Lisbon Brewery Dois Corvos
When I first booked the craft beer workshop with the Portugal Farm Experiences, I had no idea where it was going to be. It was only a week before that I found out it was at the Lisbon brewery Dois Corvos.
And so, on a Saturday afternoon, Nick and I hopped on a bus to Marvila and headed to Dois Corvos to learn how to make beer.
Turns out, we were the only ones taking the tour that day, so we had the guide all to ourselves!
We ordered a beer by the bar and then crossed over to the back of the brewery, where the magic happens.
Tiago, our guide, and craft beer enthusiast showed us what goes on behind the scenes of Dois Corvos.
From picking the malt to adding the hops, there’s a lot to do before the beer makes it to the tap. Lucky for us, we only do the drinking!
It all started in 2013 when Susana Cascais and Scott Steffens disrupted the Portuguese beer scene and introduced us to a whole new set of beers.
Two years later, they opened their taproom, the first of its kind in Lisbon. It was the beginning of the Portuguese craft beer revolution.
Soon, Dois Corvos had us all downing IPAs, porters and stouts, and leaving behind those plain old lagers.
Don’t get me wrong, Sagres and Super Bock still have their place. After all, it’s probably still the cheapest beer at the bar. But if you want a tangy local beer, then, by all means, try the craft beer!
Tasting the Dois Corvos Beer
There are currently twelve taps at Dois Corvos pouring anything from pale ales to a porter.
We started by ordering the Metropolitan Pale Ale, and once the glass was empty, it was instantly replaced by a new one.
As Tiago continued to explain the brewing process, we kept sipping the beer, trying to decipher ingredients like we were on Masterchef.
We tasted the roasted flavors of Finisterra, the creamy texture of the coffee-flavored Galáxia Milk Stout, and the extra bitterness of the Fuzeta Double IPA. But it was the Babilónia that nearly knocked us out.
This 10% beer was aged in Abafado wine barrels, which you can definitely taste on your first sip!
Wrapping it up at the brewery
Feeling a bit tipsy, we crossed the border from brewery to bar and sat down for one last drink.
Tiago joined us for a while and regaled us with the story of how he got into craft beer in the first place. Now working at the Dois Corvos marketing department, he hopes to bring more awareness to Portuguese craft beer. We appreciate it of course 🙂
While we’re miles away from starting our own brewery after this workshop, we do know how to drink it — straight from the tap!
BONUS: A Lisbon Craft Beer Guide
Inspired by the craft beer workshop at Dois Corvos, I decided to create a Lisbon Craft Beer Guide for all the craft beer lovers out there! The guide features Lisbon’s craft beer bars, breweries, shops, and annual festivals. Feel free to share it with your friends 🙂
Useful Info
- How to get to the Lisbon brewery Dois Corvos? Take one of these buses 718, 728, 781, 782, 794 to Beato. There is also a train, but it doesn’t stop in Marvila that often. Alternatively, you can get off in Braço da Prata and walk from there.
- Where to book the workshop? Portugal Farm Experiences
- What do you get? Four beer samples and a food platter with cheeses, ham, chorizo, nachos, crisps, olives, and peanuts.