The famous Quinta das Lágrimas estate in Coimbra is closing out its summer Garden Parties with a Bavarian-flavoured send-off. On September 25, from 6.30pm to 10pm, its historic gardens will host a Portuguese take on Oktoberfest, run with local brewery Praxis.
Fire cooking anchors the food menu: grilled meats, sausages and German-inspired snacks designed to pair with the beers on offer. And the drinks list is anything but generic. Alongside Praxis staples like Topázio, a Pilsner, and Onyx, a Dark Lager, there's Caxôpo, a malt-based alcohol-free option with apple flavouring.
The standout pour is 1326, an Imperial Stout brewed jointly by Praxis and Quinta das Lágrimas to mark 700 years since the estate first appeared in documented records. The name is simply the year, and it ties into a wider anniversary programme running through 2026 that includes guided visits to the estate's historic gardens and the whole Garden Party series.
Music fills out the evening, all held outdoors in the gardens where the summer events have been staged. Hotel general manager André Vilaça framed the concept simply: after a season of combining gastronomy, music and live cooking in the gardens, the team wanted the finale to nod to the calendar — hence the Oktoberfest theme, filtered through Coimbra's own brewing scene.
For those wanting to make a night of it, the estate also operates as a hotel, so you can roll from the last beer straight to a bed without negotiating Coimbra's hills. Tickets are €37.50 per person, or €19 for under-16s, and bookings go through the hotel by phone (239 802 380) or email.
Why care? Quinta das Lágrimas is one of central Portugal's most storied addresses — the gardens are tied to the legend of the tears of Inês de Castro, one of the country's great romantic tragedies — and this is a rare chance to drink a beer brewed specifically for the estate's 700th birthday, in those very gardens, for a single evening. If you're anywhere near Coimbra in late September, it's a tidy combination of local craft beer, open-fire food and centuries of history in one ticket. Praxis fans take note: the brewery is a Coimbra institution, so even if you miss the event, its taproom makes an easy follow-up stop on a city break.
