A Copa Con...Bob Worboys

Today's installment in the "A Copa Con..." series is an Englishman made good in the French side of Basque Country. Well, if not made good, at least MAKING good (great) beer.  Bob Worboys is the founder, head brewer, driver, office manager, and any other titles you care to invent at his business Etxeko Bob's. It's truly one of the only artisan microbreweries in the area, and it's growing slowly but surely in the small French village of Hasparren.

What do you do?

I make beer. I founded Etxeko Bob's about seven years ago.

How did you end up brewing, when your career had you in the marketing/TV industry in England?

I got very drunk one night, and I woke up and I was here. No, just kidding. I fell in love with the Pays Basque. I wanted to actually do something where you're working with high-quality raw products, to add value.

Can you compare beer making to, say, winemaking?

If you look through the chain, it's more, especially in terms of raw materials, than grapes. It's a continuous activity. We're producing all year. Right now we're trying to build up stock for the summer.

Is there a secret to brewing beer?

You're only working with four things: malts, water, hops and yeast.

At the end of the day, I hate to say it, but it's true: beer is 90% water. When I first opened I didn't talk about 'the water comes from the mountain' because I didn't think it was important. Because you can modify water. Before, long ago, it wasn't safe to drink.

What's it like, being a producer in the Basque Country?

There is a huge sense of pride in things that come from this area. If you're producing a locally made product, you'll have, to a certain extent, a market.

So has it been smooth sailing since you began seven years ago?

No. Because all beers here are so homogenous, you would just order a beer. People would say to me, 'the problem with your beer is it's got too much taste'.

Would you change anything about your journey?

The reason I came here is because I like the Basque Country. Five years was when I really felt I turned the corner. It's complicated at the moment, with the economy.

What's exciting right now for Etxeko Bob's?

At Mugaritz I worked with them on a menu. I began to think: how can we find alliances? How can we find things that go with this beer? We got right back to the basics. Rather than trying to match a beer with a dish, let's look at developing dishes with ingredients you use to make beer.  You're building awareness, and everybody wins.

Thanks to Bob for the wonderful visit and interview. Leave us a comment on the above topics, and if you're in the area, you've got to try his beer!

365 Tuesdays

Bread at Frutategia Baratze

We've arrived to the end of The Loaf, San Sebastián's first-ever pop-up bakery, and maybe you're wondering what the heck you're gonna do about bread.  Well, there's always the typical spot on Calle Mayor, but if you're looking for something more you'll find it at Frutategia Baratze. This tiny fruit shop has a big plastic thing in front in the mornings, full of bread. The bread is rustic bread from the caserío Barroeta in Ezkio-Itsaso, outside of Zumarraga, and it's the kind of bread that lasts for days and makes you go 'wow, that looks good.'  

2.50 a loaf
General Etxague 2 Behea

365 tuesdays

In a country so in love with its daily bread, one would think there was good bread. And there is, in one place. It's Galparsoro that provides bread to the 3-Michelin star restaurants. It's Galparsoro who always has lines during bread pickup hour.  And it's Galparsoro who has the range of different types, from real French brioche to rye bread. There's nowhere else. Ultimate.

Part of the 365 Cities project.

life's little pleasures.

Every now and again, I get to do awesome stuff. Well...I often get to do awesome stuff. But every now and then I get to do stuff that makes me feel like a giddy teenage girl.

Like sticking my hand in old bloody salty fish juice.

On a recent visit to Getaria, we made the obligatory stop in to Itsas Mendi to buy/eat what some say are the world's best anchovies.  Our friend Michael showed us around the back of the store, which is actually where they clean and process all the anchovies from the ocean right outside.  And this time, they had a barrel of fish curing, which they do for 7 to 8 months in loads of salt at room temperature before being refrigerated. 

I loved learning about the process of making anchovies. Then, Michael invited me to pick up some of the fish.  And it was awesome. In America I never get to stick my hand in a barrel of dead fish. For me, these are the moments where I really appreciate where I am. Weird.

galparsoro: san sebastián, gipuzkoa

In San Sebastián, despite the incredible level of gastronomic excellence, there's only one place to buy good bread.

And you're going to have to wait for it. That place is Galparsoro, in the old part, and there's almost always a line out the door. Once you start looking, you see the tale-tell signs all over the city, though...old men with berets, carrying an orange bag; young children straight from the colegio, gnawing off the end of a baguette, poking out of an orange bag...all Galparsoro breads.

Why is it so good, so different?

The owner, Mikel Galparsoro, has an affiinity for (and an incredible base of knowledge about) French bread. Le pain par excellence. In a recent interview, he says: "Technique is fundamental and as a result of it you can have an excellent bread or a bread that doesn't taste like anything. The longer you prolong the fermentation, the better the bread. The key is knowing how to play with and control the fermentation."

As an American, it's easy to be wowed by the habit of daily baguette buying and the freshness of even the most boring loaf. After all, we're used to wonderbread that eats for weeks (until mold begins to appear around the edges).  But after several months, when the initial glow has worn off, you start to notice that there is meh fresh bread and there is YEAH fresh bread.

At Garlparsoro, among other local rarities, they stock breads distinguished by their wheat. Breads made with no additives. Breads made with no added yeast. Breads made with all-organic ingredients. Breads in the traditional French style. Breads made on premises.

And I lied: there's not only one place to enjoy this bread. Arzak, Mugaritz, Akelarre, and Martin Berasategui all use Galparsoro bread in their restaurants. And if you happen to be buying other very fine grocery products at Don Serapio, you will be happy to know you need not trek to the Parte Vieja, because Galparsoro stocks their daily bread supply.

But it's worth the walk.