CAÑA BELIEVE IT: Foreigners drink one in every beer consumed in Spain

EIGHTY per cent of the beer drunk in Spain is done so within six of the 17 autonomous communities.

Andalusia, Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands are runaway national leaders in beer consumption, apparently due to the influx of thirsty tourists they receive each year.

From June to September of last year, 11 million hectolitres (a unit equal to 100 litres) of beer was consumed in Spain and according to sobering statistics used by brewers like Jacobo Olalla Marañon, one of every four beers is drunk by a foreigner.

Most people opt to drink out of the house in Spain, in bars and often with something to eat. This distinguishes the country’s drinking culture from other European countries as generally the statistics are skewed in the other direction. The presence of so many ‘taperias’ and bars around Spain apparently entices locals and foreigners alike to step out and enjoy a tipple.