# Which beers in Portugal?



## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

Been in Lisbon for three weeks now and am very underwhelmed with both Super Bock and Sagres :-(

Both taste like water, putting it kindly, (or cat's p*ss) and an Italian friend says the same.

I'm loving the country otherwise, and the people.

What do you suggest?

And where can I find it?

Oh, and most of the wines are unknown to me, so what would be a good substitute for Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay?

Thanks ;-)

Michael


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

I tend to agree about the beer but the good news is there's a lot of Brit beers available online nowadays.

I don't have any connection with the site (other than being a customer) but we order a fair bit from britishcornershop.co.uk and they have London Pride and a few others available at fairly reasonable prices.

The wines here are fabulous but the problem is the best ones are often made in back yards so it's hard (for me at least) to recommend individual labels but the experimenting is going to be a lot of fun for you. LOL!


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

You should find some bars around, Coimbra has an Irish Bar that sells draught Guinness & Bitter, supermarkets sell ranges of imported lagers beers at a price but ask in the Tourist Office

Try Porta de Revessa white think i've got that spelling totally wrong or a Alvarinho from the Moncao region, JP another


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

travelling-man said:


> I tend to agree about the beer but the good news is there's a lot of Brit beers available online nowadays.
> 
> I don't have any connection with the site (other than being a customer) but we order a fair bit from britishcornershop.co.uk and they have London Pride and a few others available at fairly reasonable prices.
> 
> The wines here are fabulous but the problem is the best ones are often made in back yards so it's hard (for me at least) to recommend individual labels but the experimenting is going to be a lot of fun for you. LOL!


Thanks for the tips.

It's strange here with the wine. My local supermarket has about 60 different kinds but the white ones don't even say if they're sweet or dry.

The best thing that I can say about Super Bock and Sagres is that they're very cheap.

Finally moving to my new place today or tomorrow after three weeks in guest houses.

Michael


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

canoeman said:


> You should find some bars around, Coimbra has an Irish Bar that sells draught Guinness & Bitter, supermarkets sell ranges of imported lagers beers at a price but ask in the Tourist Office
> 
> Try Porta de Revessa white think i've got that spelling totally wrong or a Alvarinho from the Moncao region, JP another


Thanks very much, I'll try them.

Generally speaking I prefer beer to wine and beer likes me better; but I'm already bored with the Super Bock and Sagres.

Michael


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Draught is fractionally better than bottled, when in rome


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

canoeman said:


> Draught is fractionally better than bottled, when in rome


I agree. 

After tasting the bottled stuff, the very next word that I learned in Portuguese was "caneca".


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## steve01 (Dec 8, 2010)

You have to live like the locals, sagres/super bock/tagus/imperial and crystal are all designed to be drank very cold and very quick - all of the locals drink minis(20cl) and after 10-20 i've never heard anyone complain.
All the main brewers make speciality beers, and some fruit beers + Christamas specials.
Best so far for me are Super bock Abadia gold - like a very good Belgian beer.
and Sagres Bohemia reserva, like a very rich fruity guiness, both around 7% and both would give any good beer in the world a run for its money
super bock also make a very acceptable stout

time to learn a bit of Portuguese - of course the wines tell you if they're sweet or dry
Most Portugues white wines are medium - dry
Doce means sweet
Seco - Dry
Meio - half - so Meico seco - half dry - medium
plus of course you have vinho Verde - a young semi-sparkling wine - the better ones (think 5 euros upwards)are a match for any well made Chardonnay
But you don't really say what you like so its difficult to recommend - the difference between a dry young unoaked Chardonay and an aged oaked Chardonay is like chalk and cheese 
Sauvignon is widely grown here, look for Alentejo white whites, it'll say the grape variety on the back.
The Moscatel wines - sweet(doce) - from the Setubal region consistently win gold medals from all of the major wine tastings around the world


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## steve01 (Dec 8, 2010)

p.s Aldi and Lidl often have a selection of foreign beers on offer at different times of the year

Have you tried the beer museum in Lisbon ?


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

Thanks and I will check out your recommendations.

My Portuguese use to be close to fluent after spending a year in Belem where nobody spoke English but before arriving here I hadn't spoke or heard Portuguese for a year.

It's coming back ;-)

Haven't seen one bottle of white so far that says if it's sweet or dry.

Michael


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

steve01 said:


> You have to live like the locals, sagres/super bock/tagus/imperial and crystal are all designed to be drank very cold and very quick - all of the locals drink minis(20cl) and after 10-20 i've never heard anyone complain.
> All the main brewers make speciality beers, and some fruit beers + Christamas specials.
> Best so far for me are Super bock Abadia gold - like a very good Belgian beer.
> and Sagres Bohemia reserva, like a very rich fruity guiness, both around 7% and both would give any good beer in the world a run for its money
> ...


Thanks I will check out your recommendations.

Muscat is one wine that I don't like at all and just the smell turns me off.

"of course the wines tell you if they're sweet or dry".

I checked about 12 bottles and it wasn't written there.

Michael


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## quelfesgirl (May 27, 2013)

Can't comment on the beers but white wine try BSE (about €3.5) and Planalto (about €4.5), or just keep testing the ones at about €1.50 you can find some good ones but its trial and error.


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

quelfesgirl said:


> Can't comment on the beers but white wine try BSE (about €3.5) and Planalto (about €4.5), or just keep testing the ones at about €1.50 you can find some good ones but its trial and error.


Thanks, I'm moving towards drinking wine instead of the beer here.

Michael


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## notlongnow (May 21, 2009)

Steve makes some good recommendations for beers that are a little more "interesting" - i.e. the Sagres Bohemia range and the other artisan beers - there's a separate section in all the major supermarkets. You should also have no problem finding imported beers - if, of course, you're happy to pay three times the cost of the local brews!


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

Tried these, a white wine, Porta da ravesa (alentejo), not great but didn't have the kind of paraffin taste that seems to be so common, and Cristal Pilsener. 

I was never a big fan of Pilsener but this seems better that the local beers that that I've tried so far.

Spending money this week on things for the apartment!

It's well furnished but intended for short stays. 

So no things like a cutting board, a carving or bread knife, a dish rack or a vegetable rack etc. 

And there wasn't a kettle and isn't a microwave. 

But I'm pleased with what I got and the price.

Who could ask for anything more?

I chatted to a guy from Pakistan today and didn't mention that I'd arrived from Israel.

I asked him what he thinks of Portugal and he replied, "The best things here are the weather and the people".

Not a bad start ;-)

Michael


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

Locks And Bread

From my short experience in Portugal there seems to be a problem with locks and/or keys here.

The 2nd guesthouse and now the front door of my apartment building require jiggling and wriggling the key for it to work.

Not a major problem in itself, but what happens if and when the jiggling doesn't work?

Much of the bread here seems sweet.

I went into a large fruit and vegetable store here today to buy parsley and noticed that they had bread which I wanted.

There were two stacks of the same kind but one stack was cheaper than the other and I asked what the difference was.

One was fresh today and the other was fresh yesterday.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

European mass produced white bread is sweet, try some of the excellent bakers around also the various grain breads


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

canoeman said:


> European mass produced white bread is sweet, try some of the excellent bakers around also the various grain breads


Thanks. The one I bought today was very large loaf that was almost in two parts. It was crusty and chewy and very good. I quite like some of the local rolls.

Michael


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

Found a white wine (not whine) that tastes pretty good and is excellent value.

D.O. Palmela (Colheita 2012)

At 1.70 euros a bottle.

Michael


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## Domicilium (Jul 20, 2013)

you can try Sagres Bohemia (6.2%) or SuperBock Abadia (6.4%)


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## redbourn (May 8, 2013)

Domicilium said:


> you can try Sagres Bohemia (6.2%) or SuperBock Abadia (6.4%)


Thanks, I will check to see if they have them here in Costa da Caparica.

Michael


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