Fresh beer is the thing and that is good. Just round the corner from our hotel in Poblenou Barcelona, along a lovely tree lined street, we tumbled out of the restaurant we were eating in around 1a.m. and decided, as you do, that a nightcap was required. It was early season and most places were closing, but one bar was still going like a fair - well it had people in it and wasn't closing, so near enough. Inside we ordered beers, noting that the brewer was Mahou who are in fact the owners of San Miguel and Alhambra. Spain, like everywhere else these days has a rather concentrated brewing industry. (Despite many thinking otherwise, the Philippines end of the San Mig operation was bought out by Mahou in 1970.) The group is 100% a Spanish company.As we sipped our beer we noted (eventually) that above us in the ceiling, were two large yellow tanks. Yes, we had Tankovna Mahou. It didn't really impress, but then again, it was most likely a drink that wasn't really needed, so unlikely too really. But it didn't taste that much different to those I drank in Gaucin last year..
We returned two nights later in similar circumstances, but glasses of vino blanco were ordered. Probably a good decision.
They used to hide tank beer in the cellar in the UK. Now the are a feature. Progress? Almost certainly.
for my sins, I once worked at Butlins 'Holiday' Camp in the early 70's. The beer was Charringtons and was delivered in Tankers and pumped into massive tanks behind the bar. Naturally, these were sealed tanks to prevent any contamination but that didn't stop the bar managers opening them up and adding as many buckets of water that they felt they could get away with and then resealing them.
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