From ancient Lusitanian brews to lisbon craft beer guide: why cerveja rules Portuguese daily life

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Breweries, bars, and stories from Portugal’s evolving beer scene

What do you think is Portugal's national beverage? I can feel your mind immediately going to wines, port wine, or liqueurs like ginja or licor beirão. But let's think about a beverage that's consumed almost like water—every day, every hour. Oh yes, here we go: this week we will go deep into beer culture!

Clearly, the history of beer in this land goes back to Lusitanian times. While the elite preferred wine, soldiers, workers, and common people went after this sour, cloudy, and grainy drink. I have to admit that in those days, beer was a bit different, with its characteristic bitterness and aroma infused with honey and spices. The word for beer in those days came from Latin cerevisia, can you see the link to cerveja, how we call beer today in Portuguese? We see in history that foreign beers like German and English started to flourish in Portugal's mainland, and in the 19th century, beer became more important again, resulting in the first industrial beer factory being established.

Fast forward to today, beer is so ingrained in daily life that, if I may exaggerate a little, the situation is that beer is not even considered an alcoholic beverage here! If you are thirsty, waiting for someone, tired from the day, want to end the day, or even start the day you go for a beer! It's so natural, it's part of daily life.

And speaking of daily life, let me share a small but very Portuguese ritual: ordering beer. If you want to sound a bit native and show your skills in Portuguese, the first thing you should learn is beer glass names! :) In Portugal and it even changes from region to region, or city to city beer glasses have names, and we order beer only by the glass size. Today I'll only share about Lisbon’s: if you want to have tap beer in mini size, 20cL is called an imperial, and a 50cL mug glass is a caneca.

I was pretty shocked when I first came to Portugal and discovered that the 20cL imperial is the most common size. In Turkey, we usually go with 33cL, so this tiny glass was confusing at first. You finish it in two sips and always need to ask for more. But then I learned about the Portuguese summer heat, and now I very much appreciate this size and understand the logic! Always have cool beer right next to you. When you visit any kind of bar, kiosk, or restaurant, if you just order the number and your glass choice, you will get a tap beer of whatever they have.

Our two national beers are Sagres and Super Bock. As the name suggests, Sagres comes from a place in the south, and Super Bock represents the north. But you can easily find both in any city. After the 1990s, when beer production was privatized, these two brands came to dominate the market.

But today, luckily, we started to see more entrepreneurs and beer lovers who want to break this cycle and start their own brands. Some Lisbon-based breweries like Dois Corvos, Musa, and Fermentage are not only producing a great selection of craft beers but also building strong identities around their brand philosophies. If you’d like to discover some of them, head to the new urban area of Beato, where you’ll find many of these breweries.

Once again, I have lists for you! The selection is not only about beer but also about the space, the ambiance, and the people behind these places.

Here are my favorite places to have beer in Lisbon. I won’t compare brewing systems or specific beers just the ambience and why I enjoy them. At the end of the day, we all have different tastes, don’t we? :)

Lisbon beer guide

Dois Corvos Marvila Taproom

The name comes from the symbol of the city: two crows! Even if you don’t visit this taproom, you can easily find their beers in many restaurants in Lisbon. They have a wide range of selection.Google Maps link

Musa de Marvila

I am absolutely in love with their terrace and snacks, and they create many food- or music-oriented events. It’s always nice to be here. They also come up with very creative names for their beers like Blondie Ale, Red Zeppelin, and Psycho Pilsner.Google Maps link

Craft beer Lisbon

Lispoa

This is a small but worth visiting place. Their name comes from the union of two cities that marked the history of its founders: Lisbon and Porto Alegre (LIS+POA), symbolizing the connection between Portugal and Brazil.Google Maps link

Queen Ale

Yes, you will remember every step as you climb that hill to reach Queen Ale, but it’s worth it! Hidden behind the street and above the hills, it’s a perfect location to end your day in the city center.Google Maps link

Adamastor

I hesitate to share this as sometimes I want to keep some places just for myself—but I’d love for you to enjoy one afternoon watching the sunset here. It’s a bit outside of the city center, parade, on the top of the cliff where you see the beach and the ocean. A small but very intimate place, which is why it can be hard to find space. If you visit on a weekend, most likely you will come across live music before sunset!Google Maps link