The Beer List -"Mudam-se os tempos, mudam-se as vontades."
As was with all of Southern Europe, it was the Romans who brought beer into Portugal. Officially formed in 27 BC, the ancient Roman province of Lusitania was the regional beer capital on the Iberian Peninsula. Lusitania covered the majority of modern Portugal and some of western Spain. With the Romans came the Latin language whose word for beer, cerevisia, gave the Portuguese language the Latin derivitive, cerveja, also meaning beer. The Portuguese beer indusry has evolved quite a bit since it first gained traction many hundreds of years ago. Once vibrant and diverse, the market was comprised of dozens of smaller, authentic breweries which produced a wide range of native and foreign interpretation beer styles. What became known as the modern industry in Portugal was mostly established in the 1800s. During the Estado Novo authoritarian government regime, the industry was protected from foreign interests, until the 1974 Carnation Revolution, which was responsible for bringing democracy into Portugal. From then on, two breweries, Unicer - Bebidas de Portugal, S.A., and Sociedade Central de Cervejas, S.A. were formed as a result of the military coup, and eventually privatized in the 90s. Today, more than 90% of the Portuguese beer market is controlled between the two companies. There are seven major Portuguese breweries in existence. Though beer is not as popular as wine in terms of domestic consumption, a slow, but steady upturn is beginning to bring the once exciting beer industry back on its feet. Coinciding with the trends in Southern Europe, Lager and many of its sub styles are the popular brew of choice among the producers and consumers.Saude, tchim-tchim.
Rated Portuguese Beers
11-14-14 - Sociedade Central de Cervejas Sagres Bohemian - 2.86, Euro Dark Lager, 6.20%
7-21-12 - Cereuro Cervejeira Europeia Tagus - 1.43, Euro Pale Lager, 5.00%
7-20-12 - Unicer Super Bock - 2.27, Adjunct Lager, 5.60%
