The Ultimate Guide to Craft beer in Valencia: Where to Find the Best Cerveza Artesana
The scent of orange blossom and sea salt usually perfumes the air in Valencia, a city whose social life has long flowed with local wine and refreshing horchata. But listen closely in the historic streets and trendy neighbourhoods, and you’ll hear a different sound: the satisfying hiss of a craft beer can opening and the clink of glasses filled with hazy IPAs. A modern, passionate revolution is fermenting. The world of cerveza artesana, or craft beer, has firmly established its presence, offering a delicious and complex counterpoint to tradition. To seek out these hidden hops is to discover a new, vibrant, and incredibly flavourful side of Valencia. This is your ultimate guide to the city’s best craft beer bars, taprooms, and specialist bottle shops.
The Dedicated Craft Beer Havens
These are the essential destinations for any beer lover, the bars where a diverse, well-kept, and exciting tap list is a matter of pride and passion.
Olhöps Craft Beer House
A true pioneer and a cornerstone of the Valencian craft scene, Olhöps Craft Beer House is a must-visit. Located in the heart of the historic El Carmen district, this dedicated craft beer bar and bottle shop is a haven for enthusiasts. The atmosphere is cool, contemporary, and welcoming, with a long bar boasting a fantastic, rotating selection of taps. Here you will find an expertly curated lineup of the best Spanish craft beers alongside exceptional international guests, from hazy IPAs and rich stouts to complex sour ales. The staff are true beer geeks, knowledgeable and eager to share their passion, making it a brilliant place to discover something new.
H2ÖL Craft Beer Lab
The sister bar to Olhöps, H2ÖL Craft Beer Lab in the trendy Ruzafa neighbourhood takes the passion for beer to the next level. As the name suggests, this is a place of experimentation and discovery. With an even larger number of taps, they offer an incredible range of styles and breweries. The vibe is modern and industrial-chic, and it is a popular spot with a discerning local crowd. They often host tap takeovers, meet-the-brewer events, and new beer launches, making it a dynamic and exciting hub for the city’s craft beer community.
The Market Craft Beer
For a more central and food-focused experience, The Market Craft Beer offers a fantastic combination of great beer and delicious bites. Located near the famous Central Market, this bar boasts an impressive selection of craft beers on tap. It is a vibrant and bustling spot, perfect for a post-market pint. They also have a popular food menu, making it an excellent choice for a casual lunch or dinner where the beer is given just as much importance as the food.
Brewpubs and Breweries: Straight from the Source
To taste beer at its absolute freshest, there is no substitute for visiting the source. Valencia and its surroundings are home to some fantastic local breweries.
Tyris on Tap
Tyris is one of Valencia’s original and most beloved craft breweries, and their city-centre taproom, Tyris on Tap, is the perfect place to sample their creations. Located in a cool, modern space in El Carmen, the bar offers the full range of Tyris beers, from their accessible flagship Valencian Pilsner to more adventurous seasonal specials. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, and it is a fantastic opportunity to taste beer that is truly born and brewed in Valencia.
Zeta Beer
Another key player in the Valencian brewing scene is Zeta Beer. While their main brewery is slightly outside the city, they have a fantastic taproom, Zeta Beer Garden, in the Patraix neighbourhood. This is a place that takes its beer very seriously, with a focus on quality, consistency, and flavour. It is a great spot to enjoy a brewery-fresh pint in a relaxed, friendly environment, often with a good selection of food trucks on hand at weekends.
A Beer Trip to the Suburbs
For the truly dedicated beer adventurer, a short trip to the nearby town of Sedaví to visit the Birra & Blues brewery and taproom is a rewarding experience. This award-winning brewery combines a passion for craft beer with a love for blues music, creating a unique and characterful destination. Tasting their beers at the source, perhaps with some live music in the background, is a fantastic way to connect with the regional craft scene.
IN VALENCIA, DISCOVERING THE VIBRANT CRAFT BEER SCENE IS LIKE FINDING A SECRET GARDEN IN THE HEART OF AN ANCIENT CITY—A FRESH, HOPPY, AND EXCITING FLAVOUR THAT BEAUTIFULLY COMPLEMENTS ITS DEEP-ROOTED TRADITIONS.
The Bottle Shop Experience: Treasures to Take Away
For enjoying a special beer at your accommodation or creating the perfect picnic, Valencia’s specialist bottle shops are essential destinations.
Ruzanuvol Craft Beer & Vinyl
A perfect reflection of the trendy Ruzafa neighbourhood, Ruzanuvol is a fantastic hybrid store that combines a passion for craft beer with a love for vinyl records. It is a haven where the cool, papery scent of old record sleeves mingles with the faint, hoppy aroma from the beer fridges. Spend an afternoon flicking through classic vinyl, discovering a new favourite band, before turning your attention to shelves packed with colourful cans from Spain’s most exciting breweries. It’s a uniquely analogue and enjoyable shopping experience.
La Boutique de la Cerveza
A classic and well-stocked bottle shop, La Boutique de la Cerveza is a treasure trove for beer lovers. They offer a huge range of beers from all over the world, including a fantastic selection of Belgian classics alongside modern craft brews. The staff are typically very knowledgeable and can help you find a specific beer or recommend something new based on your tastes. It is the perfect place to pick up some special bottles to take home as a souvenir.
More Hoppy Highlights and Essential Experiences
Planning Your Valencian Beer Crawl
To make the most of the city’s scene, plan a focused crawl. For a historic route, start in El Carmen, hitting up pioneers like Olhöps and the brewery taproom Tyris on Tap, which are just a short walk from each other. Alternatively, dedicate an evening to the trendy Ruzafa district, where you can explore the extensive taps at H2ÖL and then dive into the unique vibe of Ruzanuvol for a takeaway treasure.
Tasting Valencia in a Glass
Look out for beers brewed with Valencian oranges, which add a beautiful citrus aroma, or those that use rice from the Albufera lagoon, creating a uniquely smooth body. It’s a delicious way to taste the local landscape in your beer.
The Irish Pub Connection
Do not overlook the city’s traditional Irish pubs in your search for good beer. A well-run establishment like St. Patrick’s Irish Pub will not only serve a perfect pint of Guinness but, due to its international clientele, often has a more diverse bottled beer selection than a standard Spanish bar, sometimes including well-known international craft brands.
Pairing Beer with Valencian Cuisine
One of the great joys of craft beer is its ability to pair with food. Create your own gastronomic experience by pairing different beer styles with local dishes. The crisp, clean finish of a Valencian Pilsner is the perfect match for fried tapas, while the fruity, spicy notes of a Belgian-style ale can stand up beautifully to the complex flavours of a traditional paella. For a deep dive into the city’s incredible food scene, be sure to explore our full guide, The Home of Paella: A Guide to Valencia’s Best Restaurants.
A Beer by the Beach
The ultimate relaxed beer experience is enjoying a cold can of craft beer on Valencia’s magnificent Playa de la Malvarrosa. Pop into a bottle shop on your way, grab something local and refreshing, and find a spot on the golden sand. Watching the Mediterranean waves with a high-quality, flavourful beer in hand is a simple but perfect pleasure.
Look for a Local Collab
The Spanish craft beer scene is famously collaborative. Keep an eye out for special collaboration brews between Valencian breweries and other top Spanish or international brewers. Finding one of these on tap at a bar like H2ÖL is a chance to taste a unique, one-off creation that captures the community spirit of the craft beer world.
A New Flavour for an Ancient City
In a city so deeply and rightly proud of its wine heritage, the passionate and thriving craft beer scene offers a thrilling glimpse into Valencia’s modern, creative soul. It is a community built on a love for flavour, a respect for ingredients, and a desire to bring something new and exciting to the table. To explore the city’s brewpubs, taphouses, and bottle shops is to discover a hidden, hoppy rhythm just beneath the surface of this ancient Mediterranean port. It is a journey that proves that Valencia’s future tastes not just of oranges and saffron, but of barley and hops too.
