Porto might be famous for its iconic port wine, but have you ever tried our beer? Though you’d be excused to dismiss them at first, we strongly recommend that you take a quick tour of the city’s best and most popular craft beer bars. Pretty soon you’ll realize that – as it turns out – we’re also quite talented when it comes to crafting the sweet nectar of the Gods.
HERE ARE 5 OF THE BEST CRAFT BEER BARS IN PORTO
LETRARIA – CRAFT BEER GARDEN
Photo courtesy of: LETRA
Yep, you read it right – a freakin’ beer garden! Although this craft beer bar was opened by the producers of the biggest craft beer brand in the country (Cerveja Letra), there are over 40 different brands for you to try at Letraria. In fact, if you’re one of those people who have a hard time making a choice, you might as well give it a go at their degustation menu, where you can sample 6 beers for only 9€. Letraria Craft Beer Garden is open from Wednesday to Monday between 5pm and 2am.
FÁBRICA DA PICARIA
Photo courtesy of: Fábrica da Picaria
Ever wondered what the infamous chocolate factory would look like if Norm Peterson had won the Golden Ticket instead of Charlie? Oompa Loompas and Gene Wilder aside, Fábrica da Picaria would be a pretty accurate depiction of any beer lover’s wonderland! In fact, when visiting this brewpub, you are also visiting the actual premises where their own craft beer is produced. That means those taps and countless beer tanks aren’t there just for show! Fábrica da Picaria is open from Monday to Saturday between 11h30am and midnight (extended to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays).
READ ALSO: You’ve got to check out these recently open places to drink in Porto
ARMAZÉM DA CERVEJA
Photo by: Nuno Carvalho
Translated as “Beer Warehouse”, this place is definitely nothing short of impressive! After all, it offers over 200 different beer varieties for you to enjoy over the wooden counter or back home while sitting on your couch, as the space is currently working as part craft beer bar/part shop. Beer is the undisputed king here, which is why they choose not to serve any food and focus solely on the beloved drink. However, and since they don’t want their customers to starve to death, they actually encourage visitors to bring their own snacks or order the food to be delivered directly at the bar. It’s the ultimate place to have an ice-cold beer and interact with the people around you. Armazém da Cerveja is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 3pm and midnight (extended to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays).
CATRAIO CRAFT BEER SHOP
Photo by: Celso Miguel
Regarded as a pioneer, Catraio was actually the very first craft beer bar to be inaugurated in Porto – which may sound kind of ironic considering its name is local slang for “Kid”! Although they’re not a craft beer producer, this bar/shop is still a great place to visit if you want to try several different Portuguese and international brands, and – better yet – take home a couple of bottles of your favourites. Once you get there, you’ll want to stay and hang out at Catraio for longer than Barney Gumble has been doing at Moe’s. Catraio is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 4pm and midnight (extended to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays).
GULDEN DRAAK BIERHUIS PORTO
Photo by: José Crispim
Belgian beer. Do we really need to elaborate? Let’s just say Belgian brewers are the Walter White of beer crafting – they only produce the very best and most addictive substances in the market (minus the blue colour which would admittedly look pretty sick)! Recreating an authentic Belgian beer hall in Porto’s downtown is certainly not an easy task, but when you have such a beautifully decorated space and beer that is this good, things tend to get a lot easier. Gulden Draak Bierhuis is open from Monday to Saturday between 4pm and midnight.
And that’s our guide for when you’re feeling like going full-on Homer Simpson! What’s your favourite craft beer bar in Porto? Is there any other place we could have mentioned? Let us know on the comments section!
