Spain
Málaga is more than a beach town, even if the Costa del Sol postcards never quite say so. The old town has real depth: the Moorish Alcazaba fortress, a Roman theatre sitting right at its base, and the Picasso Museum which displays the artist's work in his home town.
That said, don't skip the water. La Malagueta has a split personality worth knowing: the beach on one side for sand and sun, and Muelle Uno on the other with its shops, restaurants, little harbor cruises, and easy boardwalk feel.
The beer scene genuinely surprises, with at least one bar in town that counts as a destination on its own. And keep an eye on the palms while you walk. Those flashes of bright green darting overhead are monk parakeets, South American birds that decided the seafront was close enough to home and never left.
A Belgian beer hall that washed up on a Spanish beach.
Filed from Málaga — February 2026
To say that Untertürkheim is a surprise find is understating it. How many other beer bars are located on a sunny sandy beach? The name alone (a mouthful even for German speakers) suggests something out of place on the Costa del Sol. And yet here it is, sitting directly on Playa la Malagueta, Málaga's main city beach, with Mediterranean views from the patio and the faint smell of salt air competing with Delirium signage.
The selection is extraordinary by any standard, let alone the standard of a beachside bar in southern Spain. Over 200 varieties of beer (bottles and cans from Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, the UK, and across Spain), plus twenty taps covering the full range from Belgian tripels to German wheat beers to Spanish craft lagers. The tap board on my visit included Delirium on draft, Gulden Draak, and a rotating selection that suggested someone was paying careful attention to what went on it.
Suspended from the ceiling, a large inflatable pink Delirium elephant surveys the room with appropriate gravitas. This is not a bar taking itself too seriously, and it's better for it. There is plenty of seating inside and a proper patio outside with tables facing the street and, beyond it, the Mediterranean. Our favorite spot was right inside near an open window, where you could look out over the Paseo Marítimo and catch the sea breeze. The people-watching is half the draw: monk parakeets in the palm trees, locals out for an evening stroll, and once, a drunk tourist who tried to skip out on his tab and didn't get very far.
The food follows the beer hall model: German sausages, hearty snacks, bar food done with some care. The staff are attentive and clearly know what's pouring, no generic "what do you want" guesswork here.
Right next door is a little bar called Magic, run by a longtime magician with the decor to match. If the bar's not too busy and you're lucky, you might catch a trick or two. It's a friendly little space, worth a stop for a cocktail before or after.
No crap on tap.
Filed from Málaga — February 2026
The slogan is "No Crap on Tap," which is both a promise and a mission statement. Kiwi House of Beer is a small but purposeful New Zealand presence in the heart of Málaga's city centre, and the slogan holds up. The taps I tried were genuinely good, including a New Zealand-style pilsner that made a strong case for itself.
The setup follows the reliable formula: eight or so taps, a cooler of cans and bottles, a selection that covers Spanish craft alongside the New Zealand contingent and whatever else made the cut. We also had a bowl of chili that was more than generous enough for two people and entirely deserving of a positive mention.
