2023 Lisbon Trip (Day Three – Papillon Craft Beer Bar)
As the name of the bar suggests, the owners are trying to market this venue as a craft beer bar and I think it’s quite a new opening so that’s all positive. This is the bottled beer area at the rear of the shop, which was a little understocked but I imagine that’s linked to their being relatively new.
The beer list seemed slightly odd to me and somewhat padded out with Deuce and Black Sheep beers having an oddly strong presence. These aren’t big hitting modern craft beer bars, such as just one example of thousands being Funky Fluid which I keep going on about and which we’d had in the previous bar, but rather more generic. This isn’t necessarily a complaint, as I like venues that sell beer that isn’t just generic mass produced lagers and it’s always positive when there’s plenty of choice, but I suspect this is why this bar has managed to get only a relatively small number of check-ins on Untappd.
The seating is far from ideal, the seating at the bar is a little too low and the seats in the main part of the bar are all either beer barrels or very low and uncomfortable. I’m all for rustic seating but it didn’t really add a great deal to the ambience of the bar, it just made it feel slightly awkward. However, the service was impeccable, the staff member was friendly, engaging and knowledgeable with the welcome being warm and hospitable.
I went for the Deuce Wheatbeer which was unexceptional but tasted OK, it’s far from the best wheat beer going and perhaps the bar could have been braver with its choice of draft options.
Hopefully this post doesn’t sound too negative, as all bars trying to cater for the craft beer market should be welcomed and the staff member here was doing a marvellous job at engaging with customers. The rest felt a little formulaic and missing the mark though, the beer choice didn’t feel well curated and the bar furniture is ill-fitting to its environment. The external signage focuses on the craft beer and mentions that it’s the taproom of Vadia, but I’m not sure where the link with that brewery is as I couldn’t see any of their beers on draft. But, I’m sure it’ll all work out well here, with a friendly welcome and keen prices that should make it popular. It’s one venue that I’d say really needs to become Untappd verified, so that the beer menu is more transparent and also to encourage beer drinkers to head slightly off the beaten track to get there.
