Barna Brew is the only brew pub in Barcelona brewing Belgian-style beer with local twists and is currently in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign to help it grow.
Brussels has no shortage of beers and some of the bars have become iconic. Anyone looking for a taste of craft beer in Barcelona has now also a place to go to. Located in the heart of the trendy, central Sant Antoni district in Barcelona, Barna Brew is the only local craft brewery which specializes in Belgian beers. Its beers have won gold medals at among other the Brussels Beer Challenge.
Founded by Alex Lazarowicz in 2017, Barna Brew is an example of an entrepreneur who left a promising career in the European institutions to set up a brewery in Barcelona to fulfil his dream about brewing craft beer in his own place and fill a gap in the local market for Belgian-style beers.
Alex is a Polish-British national who studied East- European studies and diplomacy in London. Before changing course, he worked for some years in EU policy in Brussels, where he started as an intern at the European Commission working on public administration reform in the candidate countries.
Why Barcelona? His girlfriend whom he met in Brussels is from Barcelona and they decided to build their personal and professional future in her hometown.
“We brew traditional Belgian-style beers with a modern and local touch,” he told The Brussels Times. “Our high quality derives from perfecting classic, Belgian recipes and then adding local flavors like orange blossom honey or bay leaves.” The latest seasonal beers are made with Szechuan pepper and chamomile.
It was not easy to break into the market in Spain but there is one factor to the advantage to brew bars. Contrary to other countries, most beers in Spain are consumed outside the home (83 %). This figure did not change much after the COVID- 19 pandemic.
“Like most other restaurants and bars, we took a hit during COVID when we couldn't serve guests, but we've seen solid growth since 2020 and 2021,” Alex says. “In fact, we're starting to outgrow our Sant Antoni location.”
He feels that now is the right time to expand. “We have brewpub clients who want to open a second bar with us so we want that to be the first step in a larger retail expansion across the city.” To finance the expansion, he launched a crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder. The minimum goal is to raise €50,000 by the end of May. He hopes later to raise €300,000.
In the long-term, Alex plans also to open bars in other cities in Europe. "Brussels would be a great option too given the origins of Barna Brew,” he says.
He has the support of veterans in the brewing business. “I’m investing in Barna Brew as I’m very impressed with Alex and the way he has grown the business despite having to cope with the COVID pandemic with severe restrictions imposed on hospitality,” said lead investor Chris Barrow, former chief strategy officer at Heineken.
“Barcelona is an exciting city with a strong base of local and visitor craft beer drinkers looking for a great ambience,” he added.
