I'll just update this in case any Beoir members are heading over to San Sebastian in the near future.
Things have changed for the better (and how!!) in that there is an emerging craft beer scence in Spain and specifically in the Basque country.
As mentioned by TBN, Pagoda are still running- they are the grandaddy of Basque beer and they produce a stout, pilsner and a red ale. I only got to taste a nitro version of the latter at a street market, and given how it was served (and it was too cold) it was hard to say whether it was purposely made to be so inoffensive. Didn't see it anywhere slse other than bottled in supermarkets. If you saw it on tap, you'd go for it, but you wouldn't go out of your way to track it down, if you know what i mean.
In terms of San Sebastian/Donostia breweries, there are three at the moment. Leader of the pack is Basqueland Brewing Project, who have a pale ale, Aupa, an amber, Arruan, and Saison du Landa (you can guess that style). They make really, really nice beers. Aupa (All United Pale Ale as an acronym- Aupa (pronounced Up-ah!)- it also is a traditional Basque greeting) is not an overly hopped Pale but really tasty. The amber is gorgeous- like a slightly more balanced 5am Saint. The Saison is absolutely bang on as well. The owners are American and you can tell that by the styles they are making- they also own a restaurant and have a pop up at the main beach (Playa de la Concha- near la Perla) on Saturdays selling draught beer and food on Saturdays (only found out about this after the fact- doh!)
Gross are also based in San Sebastian and at the moment they have a Citra Pale Ale and an Amber Ale. I have the Citra on draught and it was perfectly fine but not as hoppy as I had hoped. On bottles they are a bit hit & miss- one bar man opened one with a look of fear in his eyes- which suggested there may have been a gusher or two in the past. One or two I had were close to flat and others full of zest. Both beers are nice and welcome additions to the Donostia beer scene (which like most cities in the area tends towards Cruzcampo, Mahou, Heineken or San Miguel)
Most recent addition was Gar & Gar (garagara is Basque for beer) who launched the week i was there. They also have a pale, an amber and a pilsner- all as yet only in bottles. I only had the pale & amber- nothing to set the world alight- but both very tasty, the pale ale more so.
Slightly further afield in Euskal Herria you have Olaneta- who produce a blonde ale and a brown ale- i only had the latter, which was lovely and malty. Also from the Basque Country are Drunken Bros- who are really new and are producing some interesting stuff (clearly very influenced by the American Craft scene). The only beer i had of theirs was an Imperial Red (9%) aged in Port barrels called Bryce Ale. Lots of fun, but i'd be damned if i could taste any port in there.
Slightly further afield and probably the best micro in Northern Spain is DouGall's (not a typo on my behalf-that's the way they spell it!) who hail from Cantabria. I had a double stout (8%) they made called Haiti on draught & it was one of the nicest beers I've had in ages. I have a bottle of their 942 Pale ale for this weekend and will report back, but talking to local beer nerds, this was the micro they were raving about.
Finally, I had one really nice Double IPA from Catalyuna when I was there by Reptilian called IBUprofano (10%), claiming IBUs of 252 (i know no one can taste that much bitterness) but it was actually a lot of fun- loads of Columbus, Simcoe, Topaz, Newport and Hercules. All of the above bottled beers are bottled conditioned- worth noting if you get one in a bar, make sure to pour yourself (see below)
So, that's the beer- but where can you find them? Bar wise, easily the best is Never Stop Beer- the only dedicated craft beer pub in the city. It's on Reyes Catolicos behind the main Cathedral in San Sebastian (Cathedral Buen Pastor, off Kalea San Martin) so it's easy to find. 10 taps, with 2 permanent Brew Dog taps and a host of other local and imported beer. So while i was getting stuck into Basqueland Brewing's Amber on draught there was Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' on tap for example. Great bottle selection to without being so large as to leave you overawed. Had a lovely Kernel pale ale for example when i was there. Does small nibbles, great staff- only opens at 6 and is pricey for the city. €4 for a small glass of draught, between 6 & 7 € for a pint (especially for US imports). The only drawback is that Never Stop Beer is slightly (8mins) away from the old town where all the real fun takes place.
As most people will tell you, the really fun thing to do in San Sebastian is to go on a Pintxo trail in the old town. There are countless bars that serve small tapas of immense variety. Depending on the bar, you ask for a plate (platido) and start picking up small snacks which they total and pay for (some bars have an honour system and trust you to report back when you're leaving how many you have had & pay accordingly). It's a lovely way to eat, especially if you're in a crowd.
In the past I've tended towards pintxos with incredibly nice & cheap vino tinto given that the beer alternative was yellow fizz. So it was a pleasant surprise to see that the Basqueland Brewing Project have made some inroads into getting their beers into some of the more established local joints- such as Gandrias and Nestors. No draught, only bottles and you have to ask for it as they don't have fridges to play "tippy toes" to see what is there. Also, some of the barmen love to make an eloborate gesture of pouring a pale ale like it was a vintage Trippel- and end up dunking all the yeast in ! Mostly it's Aupa, the pale ale, which isn't amazing- but in comparison with your other beer options, it will seem like Punk IPA & you'll be delighted with this option. Retails at about €3-€3.50 for a 33cl bottle- money well spent (although Rioja by the generous glass is about €1.50!!)
There is also Bar Exteberria off Plaza de la Constitucion (towards the end of Inigo Kalea) that has about 5 taps serving beers on rotation (found it as it was closing on my last night- naturally) that is on the old town. They had a few German & English beers on tap and looked like a decent bottle range- so they may well be a decent Parte Vieja/Old Town suggestion to get some local ale.
On the "other" side of the River Urumea is Gros, which has a lovely, more exposed beach which makes it popular with surfers. It has slightly less manic pintox bars & restaurants, many of which stock both Gross Beers. Didn't see any draught at all, but lots of them advertise bottles of Gross in the window (nice, spartan green & blue labels which are very eye-catching).
Finally, if you want to stock up on samples for during the day or to bring home, you'll want to visit Pantori- it's a local artisan shop stocking olive oil, bread, cheese meat- and loads of local craft ale (and also beers from Pamplona, Barcelona and further afield). Lovely staff too. It's near the Puente de Kursaal, on the Kalea Reine Regenta across the road from the Donostia Kultura (the theatre).
Right, hope that provides enough pointers for anyone who is heading there. Things are on the up & hopefully they will continue to grow- judging by the number of beer aficionados heading into Never Stop Beer, it certainly has a local following.
