Foster's Club

It is now that time I spoke about a typical Erasmus site in my city: Murcia. It is one of the best places to drink beer around here and serves as a warm up to build the party up somewhere else (be it Badulake, Music, etc. ) or simply as somewhere to enjoy quality beer.

The majority of the times I go out with my friends to enjoy a good beer, we end up going to Foster's club or well to La casa de la cerveza which is another great place although personally, I prefer Foster's.

It's important for the Erasmus to know that every Monday, there is an Erasmus 'meeting' in this place, which they usually call 'Intercambio linguistico' (language exchange). People from many places in Europe or the United States of America come and use the beer as a common link to unite them. After having barely met a minute before, they are laughing in no time; all of this thanks to a sort of game, where they go round having conversations with different people, talking and changing 'pairs'.

It's very recommendable for people who come to Murica and still feel a bit lost and don't know people here, so that they can open themselves up socially to the other Erasmus and improve in the language. It's not just advisable for the Erasmus who aren't from Murcia but for the Murcians themselves, who can go to open themselves up internationally and to improve in whatever language they would like, although Spanish, English and French are predominantly spoken. I went once. It was a year before I went on Erasmus and my English was so bad that I didn't return - a slight error, because if I had continued going to these meetings, I would have improved a lot and I wouldn't have felt lost with the languages on my own Erasmus. I met very nice people; amongst them an American who gave classes in the Official Languages School of Murcia. I mean there is no excuse not to go to the meetings. People also go there to get to know people from the city and improve their Spanish.

To give you an example, I know a friend on Erasmus, who formed a group of Erasmus friends here which lasted for practically the entire year she was here.

Apart from this, it's a famous place for the quantity of different types of beer to choose from - from high quality expensive beer to beer, which aren't very good but that is 'the most affordable' for those who want to come and take part, without spending barely a euro.

When you are approaching the area, you will see that like in the street and the premises door there is always a great atmosphere. Many people are outside with a beer, smoking or simply chattering, which generates a welcoming first impression for the great social movement which exists in it's surroundings, above all on the weekends although it's one of the places that opens mid week and you can see people almost filling the place on a Tuesday or Wednesday, while the other places are emptier during the week.

More than once, I've been with a friend on a Tuesday to have a beer and the place had enough people and a very good atmosphere, whereas other places which are packed during the weekend either deflate like a balloon during the week, or are simply not open.

The design of the Foster's club is special. The colours that feature the most predominantly are blue and yellow and the entrance doors and interior tables are predominantly made of wood. Everything tries to replicate the authentic Australian beer bars since Foster's beer is Australian.

There is a display cabinet in the club's entrance, which displays a large quantity of beers and the back of it is seen from the establishment interiors. This first impression wants to emphasize the quantity of different types of beer which the establishment possesses whilst it's name already clearly states which the club's most special pint is: The pint of Foster.

Once inside, there is a first main room which is the only one to usually open during the week because there is less of an influx of consumers. In the first room there are two serving bars, four independent wooden blocks with their own tables where up to five or six people can fit, and wooden barrels painted with the premises logo, which sometimes serve as tables.

It's very typical for each group of people to gather over a barrel (or two if they are many people), place the stools around it and support the beers on it's centre - This image is repeated and represented in several groups in the centre of the main room. It's what is the most typical and I like to see it whenever I enter.

An advantage of this is that it's easy to make conversation with the groups on the barrels adjacent and it isn't strange that people are getting to know one another and are joining barrels together, with people they have recently met. As you can see, the atmosphere is great.

In regards to the age of people who usually frequent the place, I have to remark that when it first became famous, the people who went there were about twenty. Later younger people started to go (sixteen years old or so), but I would say that it is now almost exclusively frequented by university students or recent university students, which means that by far, the most common age group is from between nineteen to twenty six or twenty seven years old. It is rare to find people above and below this age range, but they are also welcome.

The latter I commented because when I go to a beer place or to party, the age range seems important to me. It's fun to meet people of your age or similar, and it's not if you are surrounded by people who haven't even started university yet, more often than not, to be able to talk about common themes and they are more similar to you.

A second room exists which is also quite big but it only usually opens during weekends or when an important event is on (like the language exchange or some important football match). That is when there is more capacity on this site. It's sometimes even a bit overwhelming to tell the truth. In this second room, there tables aren't barrels, but very large, long rectangular tables with benches at both sides where people sit, like in the typical meals in medieval knight films.

The decoration is very interesting. On each pillar there is a different animal, emphasizing the kangaroo because as I have said, it attempts to represent the Australian style but there is also shark head and another head of a crocodile, which give it a really cool touch. The walls are also decorated with typical Australian images or signs, and with typical or famous people from there.

The music in the establishment is like what you would find in any other of the city's pubs. It isn't Australian. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing for this site. Personally I believe it makes it more commercial but less representative of the Australian spirit which the place is based on.

In regards to the beer, the majority of people who frequent it typically order a pint or half pint of Foster. It's very cold and very good. It's very recommended and costs 1 euro 20 so as you can see, it's not at all expensive which is another advantage of this place.

However if I had to choose a beer personally, those that I like the most are: the Alhambra 1925 (what happens is that it's a bit more expensive, I believe I remember that it's 2 euros or 2 euros 50), Alhambra oro (only 1 euro 20 and amazing value for money) and the Voll-Damm. This last one I love. It's an intensive beer with a lot of personality but at the same time, the quality is great. The price is 1 euro 50.

For those who are indifferent about the quality of beer and are just looking to take part a little, I recommend the bavaria. Half a litre of beer is 1 euro 50. I mean you can imagine the quality of the beer... It isn't very good and it rapidly goes to your head, but it's very economical.

I really like that when ordering beer, you can also order popcorn or nuts with no additional cost, although you can't pass on ordering it. Everything in moderation but they aren't usually shy with offering it to you in abundance.

The people working on the bar are usually girls, usually two or three girls, normally they aren't Spanish and usually they are also Erasmus or from another part of Europe, without being Erasmus.

Once you've enjoyed the place and the beer, there is another advantage and it's the place's location. Being in the centre of 'las tascas' you have the usual partying places, other breweries or places to eat scarcely minutes away. Whatever you want will be in your surroundings. Because of this, I mentioned that it's great as the preamble to the night - have some beers here and then go to the places adjacent to continue the party. La plaza de Santa Eulalia is in the centre of the Murcian 'tascas' which is ideal for the Erasmus.

On the same road, you have San Nono, a pub which is also very good with a table football and a very good atmosphere. Yes it's true that it's quite a bit smaller than Foster's club but it can serve as a stepping stone to another place during the night.

To get to the establishment, ask for the plaza de Santa Eulalia. The establihsment is just here and it's also a very pretty square with benches where people often sit to smoke and drink, without any bad vibes. The church in the same place is beautiful. It's worth having a look when leaving the brewery, but there are also sometimes beggars on the benches.

The famous Tablas del Escribano are also very close by, which have an independent entrance dedicated to them and which would be the perfect dinner before coming to Fosters. Of course, don't confuse it with the American food restaurant, Foster's Hollywood as my group of friends had some misunderstandings with it.