Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you and your current job?
Manu Murillo, co-founder, and brewer at Mala Gissona.
What was the inspiration behind your brewery?
Me and my business partner (the other founder of Mala Gissona), Iban Zabala, are friends since childhood. We had completely different professional careers but some years ago we started homebrewing together. At a certain point, we decided to try to live out this passion, brewing adventurous and quality beer to pair with good food. We launched our first beers in February 2015.
We’re now present in Spain, France, UK, and Italy. We also opened a craft beer pub in December 2015, where we serve 12 beers on tap ( 6 are our brews, 6 guest brewers’), 150 different references in a bottle and great food. Mala Gissona collects the spirit of the ancient Basque whalers on their long journeys across the North Atlantic Sea. A personality forged by “sea and wind” that has left a deep imprint.
Can you give us a tour of your beer scene?
The Basque and Spanish craft beer scene are growing vigorously. New breweries are being opened every day, also new distributors and pubs. The quality of the whole value chain is improving every minute, so we’re proud to be part of this movement.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a brewery?
Be passionate about what you’re doing.
