Spanish brewery launches charitable craft beer made with Tempranillo grapes

Spanish brewery Cerveza Mica, in collaboration with the municipal council of Moradillo de Roa, has launched a craft beer called El Cotarro made with Tempranillo grapes.

The project came about when Nacho Rincon, councillor of the municipality of Moradillo de Roa, and Juan Cereijo, manager of Cerveza Mica, met to organise a beer tasting in Moradillo.

A parcel of Tempranillo grapes from Páramo de Corcos were selected, where the vineyards owned by the municipal council of Moradillo de Roa, known as ‘Las Hoyadas’, are located.

400 kilos of grapes, growing on vines which are over 40 years old, were transported to the brewery in crates. The same vines have in the past been used to make wines produced by the Luis Cañas family under the Dominio de Cair label. Prior to that, the grapes had been harvested by Bodegas Alión, owned by Vega Sicilia.

On arrival at Cerveza Mica, based in Aranda de Duero, the grapes were cold macerated in the beer to stop them undergoing going fermentation, which had already taken place.

Brewery manager Cereijo commented: “We have been trying to make this type of beer for two years, we have done a lot of tests throughout this time and getting together with Moradillo just felt right.

“This year has been a test, we think it has gone quite well and we are happy with the result,” he added. 

In a press release the brewery stated: “The idea behind this beer is simple: to combine the products of the land to create something unique. In this way, with the barley from Fuentenebro and the Tempranillo grapes from the Páramo de Corcos of Moradillo de Roa in Ribera del Duero, adjoining towns in the province of Burgos, a craft beer has been produced that reflects the character of the area where it was produced”.

“What was initially a test and a challenge, has become a unique and attractive product – the El Cotarro craft beer by Mica,” it added.

It describes the beer as “refreshing” and golden in colour with pink hues which has a fresh aroma and flavour, with the sweetness of the barley balanced by the acidity of the Tempranillo grapes and the bitterness of the hops.

Sales of the beer will be used to support the local wineries of Moradillo de Roa, a group composed of over 150 historic ‘bodegas subterráneas’.

The beer was launched on 21 January at the Junta de Castilla y León en Fitur, an international tourism fair. It was also on pour on 22 and 23 January at the Madrid Fusión International Gastronomy Congress.