Beer in Portugal has a long history, going as far back as the time of the ancient Roman province of Lusitania, where beer was commonly made and drunk. Portugal is among the 11 largest beer producers in Europe, and is the 7th largest European exporter of the product.The word for beer in Portuguese 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. and Sociedade Central de Cervejas, S.A. They were created from the remains of well-established Portuguese brewers after the 1974 military coup, when the industry was nationalised. Both were privatised in the 1990s. Between them, they control more than 90% of the Portuguese beer market.
Tagus Pours with a half-finger of pure white head that retreats pretty quickly, but does leave some lilly pad spots on top of the brew; some minor spotty lacing that’s really not impressive; very clear light yellowy gold color with some noticeable rising carbonation throughout. Nothing major going on in the aroma, but certainly has more interest than most in the style, and certainly for Portuguese beers in general; some light maltiness; touch of minerally and spicy hops, but that’s about it. Flavor is quite OK, with some hop bitterness present; lightly herbal; some biscuity malts; very light in general; pretty basic but nothing majorly off. Lightish body overall, a little fluffy and soft; carbonation comes in at a nice level and is not as aggressive as others in the style. Not bad drinking at all, and certainly would suit a nice warm summer afternoon. No complaints from me on this one.
