Cantabria has a handful of craft breweries that open their doors to the public, almost all less than an hour from Bareyo: Cerveceros del Asón in Ampuero, Smach in Santander, DouGall's in Liérganes, Pedales Beer in Cabezón de la Sal and Redneck Brewery in Reocín, each with its own tasting room or taproom.
For years, ordering a beer in Cantabria meant ordering an industrial lager on tap and nothing more. That's changed: over the last decade, half a dozen craft breweries have opened across the region, brewing their own beer, and several of them welcome visitors, run guided tastings or have their own taproom where you can drink it fresh from the tank.
This selection brings together five projects that meet two conditions: they brew their beer in Cantabria, not just distribute it, and they offer some form of visit or on-site drinking, not just shop sales. Brands sold only in shops or supermarkets are left out, however good they are, because the point here is to taste them where they're made. They're ordered from closest to furthest from Bareyo, for anyone planning an afternoon of brewery-hopping without spending the whole day behind the wheel.
Cerveceros del Asón (Ampuero): the beer that pays tribute to the Covalanas deer
It's the closest to Bareyo, just over half an hour by car, and also the smallest of the five: a craft workshop that brews in Ampuero with water from the River Asón, with no concentrates, unpasteurised and unfiltered, its carbonation coming solely from a second fermentation in the bottle. Its best-known beer, La Cierva, takes its name from the Covalanas cave, the rock art site declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ramales de la Victoria, a short distance from the brewery, where paintings of red deer give the beer its name. It opens this list precisely for that reason: closeness and a local story you won't find anywhere else.
Smach – La Fábrica Craft Bar (Santander): the brewery served right in the centre
Smach brews its beer in an industrial estate in Camargo, but the place to try it without leaving Santander is La Fábrica Craft Bar, its taproom right in the centre, with ten taps pouring its own production plus the occasional seasonal guest beer. It takes second place because it's the most practical option for anyone who already has a day of shopping or a visit to the Centro Botín planned: it's a short walk from the old town and there's no need to book ahead.
DouGall's (Liérganes): the brewery that opens its doors on Saturdays
DouGall's, along with Smach, is one of Cantabria's most established craft breweries, and the only one on this list with a regular guided tour: every Saturday at 12:30 they open their Liérganes brewery to walk visitors through the brewing process step by step, finishing with a tasting paired with local cheeses. The taproom, right next to the brewery, also lets you drink it just steps from where it's made, any day of the week. Its IPA 4 is probably the most recognisable Cantabrian craft beer outside the region itself, and it's usually the go-to starting point for anyone trying DouGall's for the first time, though it's worth asking about the seasonal beers too, which change several times a year. It takes this spot because, of the five, it offers the most complete experience for anyone who wants to understand how the beer is made, not just drink it.
Pedales Beer (Cabezón de la Sal): the taproom that only opens Thursday to Saturday
Further west, in Cabezón de la Sal, Pedales Beer brews its own beer and serves it in a taproom that mixes high tables with a relaxed vibe, open Thursday to Saturday; the rest of the week there are tastings and experiences by reservation only. It's about 50 minutes from Bareyo, so it makes more sense to pair it with a visit to the town's Sequoia Park than as a stand-alone plan. It drops to fourth place for that reason: it's neither the closest nor the one with the most flexible hours, but it's worth it if you're already in the area.
Redneck Brewery (Reocín): the brewery in the industrial estate that opens its doors
Closing the list is Redneck Brewery, one of Cantabria's most reputed breweries, set in an industrial estate in Reocín, near Torrelavega. It's not your typical bar: it's the brewery itself, open during office hours on weekdays and Saturday mornings, aimed more at people who want a close look at the brewing process than a quick pint on the way through. It comes last for logistical reasons: being in an industrial estate, it's best to drive there yourself and, if possible, call ahead before showing up.
What you need to know
When planning a craft beer route in Cantabria, the first thing to keep in mind is that none of these five breweries works like a regular bar: DouGall's and Redneck Brewery only show the brewery at set times (best to confirm by phone or email before going), and Pedales Beer is closed Sunday to Wednesday. Smach, on the other hand, can be visited like any bar in central Santander, no plan needed beyond showing up. All of them are between 25 and 50 minutes by car from Bareyo, so the easiest approach is to pick just one per afternoon and spread a full route across several visits. If your trip falls in summer, the Asón valley usually also hosts the Asón Craft Beer Fair, which brings together several local producers over a single weekend; it's worth checking the dates for each edition on the Cantabria Tourism website. Most of the taprooms on this list also let you take bottles or cans home, so it's worth asking before you leave, especially if there are seasonal batches you won't find outside the brewery itself. And, as with any tasting, it's best to share the driving with someone who isn't drinking, or leave the car and take a taxi back.
"Five years ago, Cantabria had almost no alternative to industrial beer. Today there are five breweries opening their doors to show how theirs is made."
None of these five breweries is right around the corner, but they all fall within what at Bareyo Residences we consider a reasonable radius for an afternoon getaway: a drive, a back road and back in time for dinner on the terrace. If you like the idea of getting to know local producers up close, add our guide to the cheese dairies in Cantabria you can visit to the list, to round out the route with some cheese alongside the beer. And if the plan is to stretch it into more getaways, September 2027 is starting to have fewer open slots on the villas' calendar, so it's worth not leaving it until the last minute.
