Beer in Portugal has a long history, going as far back as the time of the ancient Roman

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

 province of Lusitania

Lusitania

Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...

, where beer

Beer

Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

 was commonly made and drunk. Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 is among the 11 largest beer producers in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, and is the 7th largest European exporter of the product.

The word for beer in Portuguese

Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...

 is cerveja, coming from the Latin word cerevisia. Modern Portuguese breweries were started in Portugal in the 19th century. Portugal's Estado Novo regime, headed by António Salazar, protected national industry from foreign control, including the beer sector, during his time in power. Brewing in Portugal was long dominated by two companies — Unicer - Bebidas de Portugal, S.A.

Unicer

União Cervejeira SA , is a Portuguese beer producer, owner of several beer brands, including Super Bock, Cristal, Cheers, Cool Beer, Clok, and is the Portuguese distributor for Carlsberg, Tuborg, Guinness, Tetley's, and Kilkenny. One of the most famous is Super Bock, the market leader in the country...

 and Sociedade Central de Cervejas, S.A. They were created from the remains of well-established Portuguese brewers after the 1974 military coup

Carnation Revolution

The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...

, when the industry was nationalised

Nationalization

Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...

. Both were privatised

Privatization

Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...

 in the 1990s. Between them, they control more than 90% of the Portuguese beer market.

In 2003, Portugal had seven breweries, employing approximately 1,848 people.

Native Beers

• Super Bock
  Super Bock
  Super Bock is a Portuguese brand of strong pale lager from the Unicer brewery which produces a range of beers under the same name. Established in 1927, Unicer is based in Leça do Balio, just outside the city of Porto, Portugal...
  
  
• Sagres
• Coral
• Cergal
• Cintra
• Cristal
• Magna
• Melo Abreu Especial
• Melo Abreu Munich
• Onix
• Tagus
• Topazio
• Zarco

Breweries

• Central de Cervejas
  Central de Cervejas
  Sociedade Central de Cervejas is a Portuguese brewery, founded in 1934. Its main output is the Sagres brand of beers...
  
  
• Unicer
  Unicer
  União Cervejeira SA , is a Portuguese beer producer, owner of several beer brands, including Super Bock, Cristal, Cheers, Cool Beer, Clok, and is the Portuguese distributor for Carlsberg, Tuborg, Guinness, Tetley's, and Kilkenny. One of the most famous is Super Bock, the market leader in the country...
  
  
• Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira
  Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira
  The Madeira Brewery is a brewery in Madeira. The main brand is Coral Lager. The company is the biggest producer and drink distributor in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. It produces alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Until 2007, ECM drinks had been awarded 117 Monde Selection Medals...
  
  
• Cereuro
• Cervejeira Lusitana
• Drink In
• Fabrica de Cervejas e Refrigerantes João Melo Abreu

External links

• Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira (in Portuguese
  Portuguese language
  Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
  
  )
• www.sumolis.pt - Cereuro Brewery
• www.unicer.pt
• www.cervejacintra.pt
• www.superbock.pt
• www.cervejacoral.com
• Portuguese Beer Caps (in Polish and Russian)