Sé La Vie is a brewery in Braga.
A craft beer bar with a terrace overlooking a church on Rua Dom Paio Mendes, with exposed brick walls, wooden floors and live music on weekend evenings.
Tip: Come on a Saturday for live music at 21:00. The terrace church view and the Portuguese fado-influenced sets are distinctive.
Address: Rua Dom Paio Mendes 37, 4700-424 Braga
A specialist craft and imported beer shop with a bar counter on the São Lázaro side of the city. The fridge stocks Portuguese craft, UK ales.
Tip: The Belgian Trappist section is the strongest part of the shop. A bottle of Westmalle Tripel with the team's cheese recommendation makes a quiet afternoon tasting.
A São Vicente beer-bar restaurant pairing a long list of Belgian, German and Czech imports with house francesinhas and prego no prato. The kitchen sets it apart from pure tap bars and the imported list goes deeper than the local-craft venues nearby.
Tip: Order a francesinha with a Belgian dubbel rather than the standard lager pour; the kitchen's sauce reads to deeper malt better than to a pilsner.
The Belgian tavern of Braga: the most curated Belgian beer list in the city, covering Trappist, Abbey, Saison and Witbier styles alongside the famous.
Tip: The Chimay Blue with the Taberna Belga francesinha is the house combination. The beer's dark fruit notes cut through the sauce better than any Portuguese beer.
The evening bar mode of the APE Coffee Roasters building, with a small craft beer selection from Braga producers. Letra and PCB feature on the four taps.
Tip: Good for a quick craft beer before heading to SETRA upstairs. The ABV range tends toward session beers (under 5%) which works for the late-evening format.
The Braga urban taproom for Cerveja Letra, one of the oldest and best-regarded craft breweries in Portugal, founded 2013 in nearby Vila Verde.
Tip: Order the Letra sampler: five 150ml pours covering the full core range for around €10. Ask the staff about the seasonal and limited releases on the rotating guest taps.
The home brewery and brewpub of Cerveja Letra, 20 km north of Braga in Vila Verde. The taproom has glass walls overlooking the production floor.
Tip: Book the guided brewery tour in advance (contact via the website). The tour explains the 10-year story of Letra and includes a tasting of beers not available in the Braga taproom.
