DouGall's

DouGall's is one of Spain's pioneering craft breweries, based in Liérganes, in the heart of the Miera valley (Cantabria). Its story begins with Andrew Dougall, an Englishman who grew up on the hand-pulled real ales of Richmond's pubs and who, won over by American hops during his travels in the United States, settled in Cantabria in 1997. Unable to find the beer he was looking for locally, he began brewing his own recipes; in 2006 the DouGall's brand was officially born, in a second-hand kit brought over from Wales with a capacity of barely 400 litres and three initial styles: blonde, amber and dark. The brewery is defined by a philosophy captured in the motto that tops every bottle cap, "Piensa global, bebe local": care for raw materials, a personal touch, and deliberately organic growth — "we brew the beers we like, and sell whatever's left over." That approach, together with its rural roots, has taken it from an initial 15,000 litres a year to a capacity of half a million litres, with milestones such as the arrival of Enrique "Kike" Cacicedo and Anna in 2008, the creation of the celebrated 942 (an American Pale Ale hopped with Simcoe and Cascade) in 2012, the setting up of a lab and quality control in 2018, and a 2019 crowdfunding round that brought together nearly 400 backers and €1.2M to expand the brewery. DouGall's was also among the first to develop a gluten-free craft range in Cantabria. Its core range includes classics such as the 942, Tres Mares (amber ale), Leyenda (extra special bitter), Raquera (lager), Session Stout and several IPAs (IPA4, IPA9), alongside special and seasonal releases. The brewery has earned awards at competitions including the Barcelona Beer Challenge and the Brussels Beer Challenge. For the beer traveller, the brewery offers guided visits by prior booking (usually at weekends, around 1.5 to 2 hours): an introduction to the project and the brewing process, a tasting of the beers in stock, and a tasting of artisan cheeses from the area. A highly recommended stop, at the foot of the "Tetas de Liérganes".