Our Crafted Radar's sound waves have been reactivated to detect and locate a craft beer project in the Maresme region (Barcelona). It is one of those that we like so much in C R A F T E D; I'm talking about Maresme Brewery.

Some of the aspects that most attract my attention about this brewery, whose fame within the national scene has increased during the last two years, are in addition to their beers also the personality, clarity, and coherence that together it transmits. A certain sense of locality, connection with the territory, care of the processes, innovation, experimentation, product quality, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Its founders, Aleix Soler and Inma Hernández, both with extensive experience in the hospitality sector, know precisely what they are working with, and it shows. Without the need to be loud about it, and staying true to an idea and a vision, they have evolved and taken firm steps to become one of the most recognized young breweries in the territory. A project that, as you will see, exudes authenticity and pure passion for craft beer.

FOUNDATION AND LOCATION

The Inma and Aleix project was conceptually born at the beginning of 2016. It was then when they began to brew their first beers as gypsy brewers: "During the spring of 2016, we started to brew our first commercial batches at the As Cervesa Artesana facilities, with Andrés and Sonia".

A year later, in July 2017, they decided to open their own brewery and settle in a small warehouse located in the center of Montgat, 200 meters from the sea, which had previously been the location for an old foundry workshop. Montgat, for those who aren't familiar with it, is a municipality in the Maresme region, just thirty minutes from Barcelona: "it is where we are from, and we are very proud of it, hence our name".

Although during the first years they focused their production on the local hospitality field and on meeting the needs of the taproom and their own businesses, as would be the case of Panoràmic - a cultural and gastronomic project located in the recovered park of Les Bateries (Montgat) which has spectacular views of the sea and the city - since 2019 they have been focusing on entering more in the specialized market, creating new recipes and expanding the distribution radius. The acceptance obtained by the craft beer fans has been more than positive.

HISTORY

The history of Maresme Brewery finds its origin in a revelation. In the case of Aleix and Inma, it took place in New York in 2010. As Aleix himself acknowledges, "we discovered craft beer when one Sunday morning we passed in front of the Brooklyn Brewery and, seeing a crowd, we decided to go in. In that taproom, a word that at that time we had no idea what it meant, our minds turned 180 degrees. It completely changed our conception of what beer was. The flavors and aromas we didn't even know where they came from totally overwhelmed us. It opened a new world to us".

When they returned home, they began to search for information, investigate, and take their first steps in the homebrewer world. Those were times when there was not as much information as today, but their curiosity made them keep exploring until they came across BrewDog's Punk IPA: "our brains reawakened." There was no going back.

Like many other hobbyists, including myself, they started making beer with Family Beer's kits. "The first beer, a Weiss beer, was a disaster; I remember it perfectly", Aleix says. But little by little, "we began to evolve both in materials and techniques until we ended up making some batches of lager beers using cornis and isobaric, which were quite acceptable".

Aleix's background, with knowledge of chemistry, thanks to his university studies, added to his work experience in water treatment and some more specific studies in brewing beer, "it has helped us a lot to understand and develop our recipes" and, in, in this case, to leap into professionalization.

PHILOSOPHY AND BRAND IDENTITY

When I ask Inma and Aleix about their philosophy, I quickly realize that despite the significant progress made and the growing consolidation of their project, the flame that lit the fire during that first visit to the Brooklyn Brewery is still intact. "Our philosophy is to enjoy what we do and continue experimenting as from day one, on a commercial scale but with the same enthusiasm, hence we do not focus on a specific style of beer. We always say it: we love both ales and lagers". In other words, enjoying beer from all its aspects and at its best.

As for the personality of the brand, the designs deserve a special mention. Behind them is one of the graphic pioneers of our scene, Roger Cisa from OhMyBeer. In addition to perfectly reflecting and aligning the tone of the project when it comes to the visual aspect, it has managed to give the brand a recognizable, innovative, and differentiated identity.

BEER STYLES

If we take a look at the regular Maresme Brewery's portfolio, we see how they effectively work with a multitude of styles: "we have from a Munich Helles to Double and Triple IPA, and even some barrel-aged beers".

Aleix admits that, although they enjoy brewing all kinds of styles, such as Imperial Stouts or high-density Ales, "on a personal level, what we like to brew the most, and what we know least about batch after batch, are the low fermentation beers. To drink, we really like styles with low alcohol and with a good amount of hops, but not sticky".

In any case, it is worth noting that Maresme Brewery has its own plan for aging dark beers, from which authentic gems have emerged, such as the three versions of its Imperial Stout Antracita, aged in Pedro Ximenez, Oloroso and Jack Daniel's whiskey, respectively.

FUTURE PLANS

When talking about future plans and the mission they are on to achieve them, the path is quite clear: "we want to continue growing in quality, regularity, and stability of our beers, to reach our customers more and better, but above all to continue experimenting with new styles and techniques. It is what we are most passionate about in this world". Aleix also recognizes that within their short-term plans, they would like "to make new recipes in collaboration with other brewers, something that we have not been able to do in 2020 due to the pandemic".

Also, as part of that future, although today it is already a present and tangible reality, there is a new project: the recent opening of Maresme Brewery Taproom, a spacious bar with a magnificent industrial touch located in the heart of the Sant Antoni (C/ Sepulveda 164, Barcelona). In addition to offering fifteen taps with all of their very fresh varieties - which come directly from the brewery without breaking the cold chain - they serve delicious Caribbean cuisine with Asian touches from Conuca. Quite a treat, and a great addition to the city's gastronomic scene and craft beer map that I very much recommend you'll visit.