“Catraio” is the first craft beer shop in the centre of Porto with the largest selection of Portuguese and foreign beers. Bia and Ricardo Queiros have finally given all beer lovers of Porto a place of worship. “Catraio” is a slang word for kid or child and the owners picked it since they came from a wine related background and they were “kids” in this world of beer, but they have quickly gained experience and adapted their taste, since the bar opened on the 31st of Jan 2015.
The Bar is situated on the secondary shopping street of Porto “Rua de Cedofeita” quite close to the centre and it’s very cleanly designed with a sitting area in the back, an outside area for when its good weather and for smokers. They have 25 different Portuguese beer brands, 22 foreign beers which totals around 47 different beer brands with a constantly expanding menu. They also have 8-12 different beers on tap which change weekly according to when the barrel finishes. It’s a great place to come and taste all the craft beers Portugal has to offer as well as the biggest selection of foreign beers I have found in Porto.
Last time I was at “catraio” I asked, if you had to try 5 Portuguese beers before you die which ones would be a must, after a couple minutes Bia came back with this list :
- Lindinha Lucas (Czech Pilsner) €3.50
- D’os Diabos (weizen) €3.50
- OPO 74 (brand) Red Mosquito (name) (American Amber Ale) €3.50
- Burguesa (Belgian Dubbel) €4.20
- Post Scriptum (Imperial Stout) €5.00
All these beers are bottled (33cl) and according to her you should drink them in the order listed above, she tried to include different types of beer styles.
In terms of food they have snacks which include different types of nuts as well as some tapas on weekends, the tapas are constantly changing and they cost between €3.50-€6.00. They are also trying to introduce a take-away beer system where u can take home 1L-2L of craft beer in a swing-top cap bottle, this beer needs to be consumed in 2 days, but it is a good option if you want to take some craft beer to drink at home.
As a beer lover and enthusiast, I found that this place was a breath of fresh air in Porto, as one of the posters in “Catraio” suggests “life is too short to drink cheap beer”. Portuguese beer culture has always revolved around cheap commercial beer since the focus, culturally and traditionally, had been mostly around wine. Over the last couple of years Portuguese craft beers have been emerging and finally there is a stage in Porto where they can truly be appreciated.
Address: Rua da cedofeita 256, Porto, Portugal
Tel.: 934360070
Email: catraiobeershop@gmail.com
Opening Times: Sunday & Monday Closed, Tuesday – Thursday 16:00-23:00, Friday – Saturday 16:00 – 2:00.
Links: Facebook
Location: GMaps