In Portugal, you drink Sagres or Superbock; why is that?

A short history of beer in Portugal.

By Mette Rurup. Published on July 12th 2024. Dutch version of this article on Portugal Portal

Beer is the oldest and most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world. It is believed that the first beer was brewed as early as 9,000 years before Christ. But what about the history of beer in Portugal?

Beer in Portugal in ancient and medieval times

A visit to the Portuguese beer museum “Museu da Cerveja” in Lisbon reveals archaeological evidence exists for the consumption of beer by the Lusitanians in ancient times. Well, evidence: shards have been found from which it has been deduced by someone with far more expertise —or imagination— than I, that beer —or a beverage similar to it— was presumably consumed in the celebration of religious festivals.

_{Excavation in Iraq in 2023 where an entire beer tavern and beer recipe was found from 2700 B.C. Source: Artnet, Asaad Niazi / AFP via Getty Images. In Portugal, for now, we have to make do with some shards found in Braga.}

Production of beer in Portugal became more widespread when the production of grain increased in the 12th century. But wine remained dominant and beer was mainly produced by and for foreigners.

Beer in the early modern era

The popularity of beer increased worldwide. Many countries and regions developed their own production methods and beer styles. What was considered delicious in one region was abhorred in another. For example, in a manual from the year 1700 by a writer from London (East of England), you can read a criticism of beer from the West of England, and the Dutch get a sneer as well: “In most parts of the West, their malt is so stenched with the Smoak of the Wood, with which ’tis dryed, that no Stranger can endure it, though the Inhabitants, who are familiarized to it, can swallow it as the Hollanders do their thick Black Beer Brewed with Buck Wheat.”

It is plausible that —also in Portugal— specific beer styles were produced. I suspect these were dark beers aged in wine barrels. But old-time craft beer recipes have not been preserved, so it is uncertain which styles were popular.

The industrial revolution

For thousands of years, beer was produced worldwide as a domestic industry and in small-scale production facilities in inns and monasteries. Those customs were completely turned upside down by the industrial revolution. The first factories produced beer that was presumably very similar to craft brewed beer. But when industrial-scale refrigeration became possible and the first lager was brewed, many old recipes were forgotten.

Craft brewed beer was seen in many countries as outdated, as something of poor people. If you wanted to belong, you drank the modern, industrial lager.

In Portugal, too, new breweries were established and a lively competition arose. The first breweries were run by foreigners and had a lot of foreign clientele, but soon the Portuguese themselves were also brewing and drinking along.

Delivery of beer at Portugal’s oldest brewery, founded in Lisbon in 1800. This brewery was taken over in 1855 by Mr. Jansen – not a Dutchman, by the way, but a Dane. The name Jansen would adorn the labels until 1934. Source: Restos de coleccão.

In the 20th century, breweries became larger and more commercial and focused on maximizing profits, which came at the expense of the taste:

• Beer recipes were simplified and fewer hops were added.
• Part of the barley malt was replaced with cheaper raw materials, such as sugar, rice or corn. 
• People learned to save space by brewing beer with a higher alcohol content and then diluting it with water.
• The beer was filtered and pasteurized to extend its shelf life. 

All this led to a new product that had very little to do with the flavorful beer on which it was based. Although some beer drinkers switched to wine as a result, overall consumption of beer continued to increase.

The effects of Estado Novo (1933-1974) on the current beer industry in Portugal

In 1934, under Salazar, 4 breweries, including the aforementioned Jansen, merged to form the Sociedade Central de Cervejas (SCC, producer of Sagres). One can well imagine what the brewers themselves thought of this.

SSC started producing Sagres in 1940 for the World’s Fair in Portugal, and continues to do so to this day.

Besides SCC, there was the predecessor of the Superbock Group. Strong protectionist government policies prevented foreign breweries from establishing themselves in Portugal.

After the revolution in 1974, SCC (Sagres) was nationalized, and since 2008 it has been owned by Heineken. The predecessor of big brother Superbock suffered the same fate after the revolution: nationalization, then privatization, and in 2018 Danish Carlsberg acquired a majority stake. Many Portuguese are unaware that both Portuguese beer brands are foreign-owned.

In theory, foreign breweries could establish themselves in Portugal after the revolution, but no breweries dared to compete with the two powerful companies. The Portuguese also seemed to have little interest in other beer.

Rediscovery of specialty and craft beer

So it could happen that while in America, England and the rest of Europe special beer and craft beer were slowly rediscovered in the 1980s, these developments completely bypassed Portugal. Nothing was happening here at all. In Portugal you drank Sagres or Superbock, and so it remained.

Special beer and Craft beer are not always the same thing. Special beers refer to beers that are not lagers. The term “craft beer” was adopted from America and England. Craft beers are specialty beers, but you can only use the title “craft” if you use the very best ingredients, and are a small independent brewer.

Only from 2011 did the first beers that were not lagers appear on the market in Portugal. But unlike in most European countries, almost all the “other” beer you can find in supermarkets and cafes in Portugal is not made by small independent breweries, but by … Sagres and Superbock, or other multi-million dollar companies. So you have Coruja and Bohemia from Superbock, Trindade from Sagres and Lagunitas from Heineken.

It is understandable that the big brands do not want to simply share their dominance in the market with the new breweries and that they try to move with the consumers’ wishes. But as the World Atlas of Beer (this book is highly recommended) describes it: their attempts to brew special beer are mostly reminiscent of elderly relatives trying to show off on the dance floor. To compensate for the lack of taste, they lower the prices: the elderly great-aunt also throws in a striptease. You would expect that no one would fall for this, but apparently there are enough beer drinkers in Portugal who fall for an elderly striptease act. One can argue about taste, but at least it’s nice and cheap.

In the Netherlands and many other European countries, there are interest groups of craft brewers. They represent independent brewers, try to negotiate favorable arrangements, issue quality marks and provide joint promotion.

In Portugal, although craft brewers are united in the “Cervejeiros de Portugal,” the president and vice president of this association are from … the Superbock group and SCC (Sagres).

So there is still a long way to go, but the number of independent breweries in Portugal is increasing. Slowly the number of beer lovers looking for special and tasty beer is increasing, thanks in part to the immigration of Dutch, Belgian, English and American people. This growing demand may yet be able to break through the power of the beer magnates, so that the beer revolution can finally really take hold in Portugal as well, and there will be a real choice here as well.

Although I have tried to research the history of beer in Portugal thoroughly, undoubtedly, there is much more to tell. If you have additional information, please send it to me info@beastybeers.com.