For the first time in my life – I actually found a beer that I not only felt like I could drink but that I enjoyed. Since Mini was the designated driver, he ended up having the non-alcoholic options and I went for the complete package. The tour and the beer and cheese tasting at MEGA (Mundo Estrella Galicia Museum) was super fun and interesting. Let’s just say that we have a newfound appreciation for the golden beverage.
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Estrella galicia brewery – a brief history
Established in 1906 by José Maria Rivera Corral, this beer is the pride of the region to this day. We park the motorhome on the street and walk to the brewery. We can already smell the yeast even if we have not yet entered the building. After a while, we are welcomed by Alba – our guide during our visit to the Estrella Galicia Brewery. Since 2019, there is a museum at the brewery and several different tours to choose from.
Beer used to be considered as a nutritional drink and this is the place to learn more about the history of the brewery and the family running the place today. The name translates into the ”star of Galicia”. The beer has been brewed for over 110 years and it’s run by the fourth generation. You can buy their beer in 50 different countries today and it is not to be mixed up with the brand Estrella Damm.
A super modern beer museum
Nothing is left to chance here. This is one of the most modern and interactive places we have visited and we have been to a lot of different places. You walk through several different phases and stages, all in chronological order. It starts with the history and ends with a tasting. The first thing we did was to walk into a beer 🍺 – yes that’s true. You can even hear the bubbles.
We end up going through a brief history of the family that runs this place. After that, we learn more about the production of the beer and how it’s done. Did you know that beer is made out of just four ingredients? Water, hops, cereals, and yeast. And by the time the tour is over, we have tried almost all of the ingredients and the different stages of the beer.
Did you know that the beer is made out of 85 to 92 percent water.
Trying out different stages of the beer
I absolutely love when I get to try things out that I wouldn’t regularly do. At Estrella Galicia, you get to try all the different stages of the beer and even the ingredients. Don’t make the same mistake as I did and chew on the pellets that are made out of hops. It was bitter as h*ll and it took me a while before the taste left my mouth. Mini was a lot smarter since he only smelled the hops. At Estrella Galicia, they use six different kinds of hops in their beer.
The bitterness is different depending on what kind it is. Their Galician hops are only used for limited editions and, special beers that they make. After that, we get to try the different kinds of Barley. One of them is sweet and almost like cornflakes. Another one tastes almost like coffee. It’s interesting how the taste can be so different even if it is almost the same product.
The tour continues at estrella galicia
After eating the barley, we continue to the information about the yeast. The company gets their yeast from Germany and they get delivery of two liters every three weeks. Whatever is left from the procedure of making the beer is used. For example, the rest of the yeast becomes food for pigs. Another interesting story is that the same yeast can be used up to eight times.
Our guide, Alba is very informative and she makes everything super interesting. We get to try brewing wort. This is the liquid result from the brewing process before it undergoes fermentation. The taste is pretty sweet and it doesn’t resemble beer that much. We also got to drink young beer. This is when the beer is obtained immediately after the fermentation process. According to me, this tasted like ”regular beer”.
Did you know that the first time in history that beer was canned was in 1935?!
Seeing the production up close
It takes about a month before the beer is finished. The production is modernized today but the recipe is still the original. There’s something special about seeing thousands upon thousands of bottles being filled and transported. In one hour they can bottle up to 50 000 bottles. We get to see it from above and we are impressed. When I let Alba know that in Poland, the staff working at Lech Brewery get beer for free, she laughs.
Apparently, that’s not a Polish thing but a beer-manufacturers thing because it is the same here at Estrella Galicia. If you are interested in beer tours, you also might like to read all about our visit to Lech in Poland. At the end of the tour, we get to take some super fun pictures, riding the motorcycles of a famous driver that is sponsored by Estrella Galicia. And then we are off to the beer and cheese tasting.
Beer and cheese tasting at estrella galicia
After a visit to the museum and to the factory, it is time to have the tasting. There are several different ones to choose from and this day, we are going for a beer and cheese tasting. Five different beers are paired with five different Galician kinds of cheese. Since Mini was driving, he got non-alcoholic beer and I got the ”real stuff”. Usually, I’m a huge fan of cheese but not so much when it comes to beer. In all honesty, I don’t even like beer.
But the Estrella Galicia Special made me change my mind. That was actually the first beer I ever had that I enjoyed. And don’t even get me started on the cheeses! Oh my goodness! It was amazing. And add to that, I also learned how to pour the perfect beer! And I made it! The experience at Mega was super fun and something we would recommend you to do! Five different beers paired with five local kinds of cheese made this an awesome experience!
Different tours at Estrella Galicia
We were invited to do the beer and cheese tasting. However, there are several different tours to choose from. One option is to visit the museum without a guide. Sure, you’ll get more out of your visit with a guide but the museum is well planned so you can go there by yourself. You can also book several different beer tastings and even some workshops.
Make sure to pick your favorite and what interest you so that you get the most out of your visit. We loved the mix of cheese and beer. I didn’t know that cheese works so fine with beer. They offer several guided tours each day, but if you want the tour in English, make sure to make reservations in advance.
Information about Estrella galicia brewery
Address: Rua Jose Maria Rivera Corral 6, La Coruna, Spain.
Opening hours: 10.30 – 20.00 daily.
Entrance Fee: From 15 euros for a visit to the museum. The beer and cheese tasting with a guided tour of the museum costs 32 euros.
Website of Estrella Galicia.
Drink Tastings including alcohol we have been to around the world
We have been lucky to have visited several different tastings that involve alcohol. If you want to check them out – click on some of the articles we have listed here below!
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