Olive Oil Beer Arrives: Clemenbeer Is the World’s First Brewed With Real Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Spain has just given the craft beer world its most unexpected entry yet: an olive oil beer. A family olive mill in Extremadura has launched Clemenbeer, billed as the first and only beer in the world brewed directly with real extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) — not olive extract, not artificial aroma, but the oil itself. It is a genuinely novel idea from one of Spain’s leading olive oil regions, and it is already drawing attention from drinkers and the trade alike.
What is Clemenbeer, the world’s first olive oil beer?
Clemenbeer is the work of Aceites Clemen, a traditional almazara (olive mill) in Puebla de Sancho Pérez, south of Badajoz in Extremadura, in partnership with the master brewers of Castreña Brewing. The drink fuses two icons of southern Spanish food culture — craft beer and extra virgin olive oil — using EVOO pressed from manzanilla olives grown in Extremadura.
Crucially, the company says Clemenbeer uses real extra virgin olive oil as a flavour ingredient, with no artificial olive aromas, no “refreshing” extracts and no olive by-products of the kind some other novelty beers rely on. That distinction is the heart of its world-first claim.
How the olive oil beer is brewed
This was not a quick experiment. According to Aceites Clemen, Clemenbeer is the result of several years of research and development. After two earlier versions that carried only a light touch of manzanilla olive, the new version 3.0 finally achieved what the company describes as a full molecular and sensory integration of the olive oil into the beer — the technical hurdle being that oil and water do not naturally mix. To crack it, the mill teamed up with Castreña Brewing, a respected name in Spanish craft beer.
The presence of real olive oil also changes the beer physically. The natural fat in the EVOO interacts with the brew to produce a lighter, more delicate foam than you get in a conventional beer — a visible signature of what is inside the can.
What does olive oil beer taste like?
Clemenbeer is built on a lager base. It opens with the noble bitterness of hops, rounded out by a subtle sweetness from corn. But the star is the polyphenols of the manzanilla EVOO, which bring floral notes, herbaceous nuances and an elegant bitterness that lingers on the palate. The result is closer to a refined, food-friendly lager than a gimmick — the kind of drink the makers hope will appeal to chefs, sommeliers and curious beer lovers as much as to olive oil fans.
Clemenbeer at a glance
- Style: Lager brewed with real extra virgin olive oil
- Olive variety: Manzanilla EVOO from Extremadura
- ABV: 4.8%
- Format: 44 cl can
- Gluten: Gluten-free — suitable for people with celiac disease
- Serving temperature: 2–8 °C, to bring out its aromatic complexity
Olive oil in beer is not entirely new — but this is different
Olive oil and beer have crossed paths before, which makes Clemenbeer’s specific claim worth understanding. On one hand, a handful of Spanish “olive beers” — most famously the Catalan Oliba Green Beer — are brewed using whole olives or olive extract, giving a green hue and a subtle olive character. On the other, brewing scientists have long known that a microscopic dose of olive oil, rich in oleic acid, can be used as a substitute for oxygen to keep yeast healthy during fermentation.
Clemenbeer is neither of those. It does not use olives as the base, and it does not use oil merely as a fermentation aid. Instead, it puts extra virgin olive oil itself at the centre of the recipe as a flavour ingredient — which is exactly why its makers describe it as the first beer of its kind in the world.
Who is behind it: Aceites Clemen
Aceites Clemen is no newcomer. The family business traces its roots to 1942, when the grandfather of today’s generation bought the village oil mill. More than eight decades on, it is run by the Fernández Ortiz siblings and their mother, Clemencia — the “Clemen” behind the brand. The mill has built a reputation for quality, earning honours such as the Gran Premio CINVE 2014 for its Clemen Platinum oil, and has steadily diversified beyond oil into gourmet chocolates made with EVOO, natural cosmetics, flavoured oils and table olives. Clemenbeer is the latest chapter in that story of turning a single raw material — great olive oil — into unexpected products.
Where to buy Clemenbeer
For now, the simplest way to get hold of the olive oil beer is through the official Aceites Clemen online store, where it sits alongside the company’s olive oils, chocolates and cosmetics. The makers are betting that this curiosity will intrigue not just consumers but also professionals across the gastronomy and brewing worlds.
Frequently asked questions
What is Clemenbeer?
Clemenbeer is billed as the world’s first beer brewed directly with real extra virgin olive oil. It is made in Puebla de Sancho Pérez, Extremadura, Spain, by the olive mill Aceites Clemen together with craft brewery Castreña Brewing.
What does olive oil beer taste like?
It is a lager with the gentle bitterness of hops and a light sweetness from corn, lifted by floral and herbaceous notes and an elegant, lingering bitterness from the polyphenols in manzanilla extra virgin olive oil. The oil also gives it a lighter, more delicate foam.
Is Clemenbeer gluten-free?
Yes. Clemenbeer contains no gluten and is suitable for people with celiac disease.
What is the alcohol content of Clemenbeer?
Clemenbeer has 4.8% ABV and comes in a 44 cl can. The maker recommends serving it between 2 and 8 °C.
How is Clemenbeer different from other olive beers?
Other olive beers are usually brewed with whole olives or olive extract, or use a trace of olive oil only as a brewing aid. Clemenbeer is made directly with real extra virgin olive oil as a flavour ingredient, with no artificial aromas and no olive by-products.
Where can I buy Clemenbeer?
Clemenbeer is sold through the official Aceites Clemen online store, alongside the company’s olive oils, chocolates and cosmetics.
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