A LOCAL BREW

Dedication that is Lager than Life, might be a bit of a word play, yet, befitting the owner and craft brewer of Senescal beer.

French by birth and raised in Brazil, Gabriel was living and working in the UK with his Portuguese wife. Being a trained musician and travelling around the country with his band, from one hamlet to another, is where he met his second passion, ale (naturally his first passion is, of course, his wife).

Gabriel appreciated the craftsmanship of the local ales and the many different varieties. Eventually travelling took its toll, a permanent position was acquired in a pub closer to home. In 10 years time, he worked his way up to be the bar supervisor. From the ins and outs of specialised ales, maintaining the equipment, to the politics of larger international brewers, all was learnt and knowledge acquired for the unknown future.

In 2019, with the family expanding, the cost of living rising in the UK and the desire to be back to a sunny country, Gabriel and his family of 4 took the leap and moved to Portugal. It was just before the first lockdown.

Being blessed with a combination of not being able to sit still and extreme attention to detail, it was during this period where Gabriel decided to pursue his passion. Behind the walled village of Castro Marim, Gabriel got busy making his own liquid gold. During this quiet time and in his garage, Gabriel sourced ingredients and experimented with local products such as carob, oranges and figs, adding spice and giving his brew a taste of the Algarve and creating 8 speciality beers; Royal IPA, Cardinal Ale, Marshall Porter, Templar Stout, Lager Delight, Algarvian Sunrise, Mystic Brew and Tripel Kings. Experience, creativity, patience and passion culminated into officially recognised success as Senescal was recently announced as the winner of the National Craft Beer contest in the category of Best Portuguese Craft Lager, with the Mystic Brew, a Dunkels Bock with organic figs.

If you want to sample bottled passion, Senescal can be found at these locations:

Castro Marim: Velho Cavalinho Taberna Medieval (bottles and draught); Mercado Local - Tourist Information Centre (bottles)

Vila Real de Santo António: Bar-Bistro Latté (bottles); Mercearia Meio-Limão (bottles); Jossy’s The American Burger (bottles); 3 Marias - Restaurante (bottles)

Cabanas de Tavira: Wild Thing - Wine, beer and healthy food (bottles and draught)

Tavira: Café Bar 22 (bottles, draught soon); Sabores da Terra (bottles); Coisa Linda (bottles)

Faro: Veru - Beerhouse & Tapas (draught, bottles soon)

And of course, at the Medieval Festival of Castro Marim. Contacts;

Website: www.senescal.pt Telephone: +351 969 899 201

Email: master@senescal.pt Facebook: 'Senescal Brewery'