You must have passed it many a time; millions of residents and tourists have, passing the San Miguel beer factory as they entered or left the airport complex en route to or from the Costa del Sol. It has to be said, that little factory does catch the eye, not least because it reminds one to grab a glass of Spain’s cool, refreshing beer, but also because of the livery of the building in unmistakable San Miguel colours.
Some say the factory was painted in honour of the visit of America’s First Lady Michelle Obama to Marbella some years ago, but inside sources inform us that the idea actually came from the plant director, who realised how much promotional potential all that passing trade represents. We got our insider information from the horse’s mouth, having been invited through the Marbella Dutch Business Club to visit the very factory that has fascinated us all these years.
Now few of us will have much first-hand experience with factories, so it is always with a sense of initial surprise that you receive your protective gear when first entering such a plant. In our case it came in the form of plastic glasses and headphones with a receiver, the latter so we could hear our guide Elvire’s softly accented English above the machinery, bottles and cans.
Armed with our visitor’s pass we ventured into the place that supplies our region with perhaps its favourite beverage, stopping first to view a large-format video presentation on the history of San Miguel. Next came an excursion into the bowels of the factory where, surrounded by the aroma of malt, barley and yeast, we witnessed the cleaning, recycling and bottling process involving bottles, cans and kegs.
With beer being so highly bubbly and frothy, this is easier said than done, and executed according to exact procedures. Once bottled, the products are date-stamped and packaged, ready for distribution to many thousands of restaurants, bars, cafés, chiringuitos and hotels. We asked, of course, but no recipes were divulged, as all brewers jealously guard their own secret formula.
In fact, San Miguel’s is kept under lock and key in France, though Elvire was willing to confirm that 80 per cent of beer is made up of water, which in this case comes from their own well here in Málaga. Filtered through a process of reverse osmosis, it forms the base ingredient around which our local golden lager is made – much to the delight of locals and summer tourists alike.
This being Spain, we were invited to enjoy a glass together with a tapa in the plant’s own bar, and presented with a goody bag on leaving – making this just about the best San Miguel bar in Andalucía and satisfying our long-held curiosity about this pretty little factory on the airport turnoff of the motorway.