DESPITE having been a key part of Spanish social life for decades, Spain’s caña is seemingly dying due to changing beer habits.
Many bars are taking the caña, a small glass of draft beer, off their menus and instead are offering copas, dobles or tercios, all of which are larger beverages.
Part of the reason for the caña’s decline are changing beer habits: since the global pandemic Spain’s beer consumption has stopped growing as it once did.
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The consumption per capita now sits at about 52 litres per person per year which is a slight decline since before the pandemic, according to recent studies.
This lower consumption is not the only factor leading to the disappearance of Spain’s caña; waiters and restaurants dislike the drinks because of the chaos they cause.
Cañas require continuous service because people order more drinks in the same time period.
This extra effort caused by the caña was mentioned by Miguel Garcia, the owner of traditional restaurant La Montana.
From a restaurant perspective the drink’s removal from menus is occurring because of the same reasons that caused the removal of jamon legs from bars.
“In bars there was almost always a leg and a person cutting it,” says Garcia. Now this has changed because it was not the most efficient method.
Likewise getting rid of cañas will allow waiters to provide a more efficient service.
However, the possible disappearance of the caña is disappointing for many who believe that the drink forms part of the Spanish bar culture.
The smaller cup size reflects a different way of socialising, one that is slower and involves numerous courses and continuous rounds of drinks.
This type of drinking is not as common in big cities, like Madrid, where people tend to grab a doble.
In these large cities tourists tend to fill many tables: these individuals are less likely to be aware of the caña and therefore also go for a larger beverage.
In smaller, and less tourist-filled areas, the caña is often still preferred by many customers.
“For me the caña or the botellin is associated with my town in Zamora where I ask for this size because normally we are drinking together, we have rounds, and this allows me to control what I am drinking,” one consumer, Leticia Pinto, told El Diario.
For individuals like Pinto the potential disappearance of the caña is disappointing as it is a drink associated with the nation’s drinking culture.
Others, like restaurant owners and heavy drinkers, believe that the change is a natural progression and will help the efficiency of establishments.
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