Craft beer lovers were often found wanting on the White Isle. The popular global trend for hand-crafted beers had yet to make its way to Ibiza. Well, that can't be said any more as one of the best brews you will find here is now made right here on the island and they go by the name of Ibosim.
The Ibosim micro-brewery is the first of its type on Ibiza. It uses local water, and local flavourings, so is pretty sustainable and a product that gives you a warm glow.
It has taken some time to get established. As one of the founders Carlos says: “when we started production , people didn't really understand what we were doing - we still get bewildered stares when people pass our micro-brewery”
Phoenician Party Gods
The founders of Ibosim beer toast their beers' success with Pau, the man behind the brand's graphics
The Phoenician settlers gave the island the name Ibosim, after one of their Gods, Bes which then mutated into Ibiza. Like the Roman God Bacchus, Bes was a bit of a party deity. Chiefly associated with war, he was also a lover (not just a fighter) as he's also linked to music, dancing and sexuality. Very Ibiza!
Ibosim started at Barcelona University's engineering faculty, where three people with a huge passion for beer, Oscar, Victor and Carlos first met. This trio of founders, together with the help of some friends, decided they wanted to create the perfect brewed beer.
The first incarnation of their project was the “Gypsy Brewery”, a nomadic style of production, using the facilities of established breweries. This led to the creation of the first Ibosim beer in 2013, at first made on mainland Spain and exported to Ibiza. As the money started to flow in, the gang of guys moved production to the island three years later, which marked the point when Ibiza got its own locally-made craft beer.
Six beers to rule them all
The bar at the Ibosim micro-brewery in Port des Torrent in San Antonio Bay is an ideal place to try all six of the different styles of beer, draft and bottled that the company produces as well as some special occasion creations.
You will find a mix of beer types, some with Ibizan links like a rosemary beer and a carob porter. There's also a popular English pale ale, IPA and a summer beer, IBZ that imparts tropical fruit flavours of mango, passion fruit and orange.
No Hangover!
Avoiding a hangover, should mean drinking responsibly - but you might like to know that Ibosim beers have little unfermented sugar, one of the main causes of hangovers. Still though, don't drink it by the ten-litre jug. Ibosim beers are not pasteurised either, so the yeast culture remains a living thing. Just like a bottle of wine, the beer will improve in the bottle, so try storing yours for a couple of months - if you can manage to hold out that long!
As well as the micro-brewery bar Ibosim beers can be found all around the island, in restaurants beach clubs and bars as more and more places understand the importance of offering clients high-quality beers.
These beers are definitely worth seeking out and if you want less of a hangover, now you know what to pick.
ADDITIONAL WORDS | Julian Heathcote
