In 2015, Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau explored an unlikely connection within Portuguese gastronomy by pairing Serra da Estrela PDO cheese with the traditional codfish cake, creating an experience rooted in the authenticity of ingredients and their origin. The creation of the brand was a gesture of valorising an entire ecosystem — the cheese, the pastoral practices, and the ancestral knowledge behind it — helping sustain a craft that, due to its demanding nature and low profitability, was at risk of disappearing.

Eleven years later, the brand returns to the origins of that same system, bringing forward its most discreet element: the flower — now taken into an unexpected territory: beer. Cardo Beer is made from thistle (*Cynara cardunculus*), a plant that has shaped the landscape of Serra da Estrela for centuries and plays a fundamental role in the production of Serra da Estrela PDO cheese, where it acts as a natural coagulant — one of the oldest examples of nature being used in food production.

Building on this foundation, the brand explored the potential of thistle beyond its traditional function. In collaboration with Dois Corvos, it developed a craft beer where the flower takes on a new role, contributing to both the aromatic profile and the identity of the product.

Developed from a Belgian Saison reinterpreted as a Thistle Saison, this beer incorporates thistle seeds and leaves into the brewing process, bringing into the glass an ingredient historically linked to the transformation of milk into cheese. The result is a beer with a complex aromatic profile, subtle notes, and a light yet persistent bitterness. With a golden to amber hue and a creamy texture, it stands out by replacing the traditional spices of the style with thistle, giving it a distinctive identity.

Designed for the table, Cardo Beer was created with food pairing in mind, with a natural affinity for the codfish cake with Serra da Estrela PDO cheese — an unlikely yet compelling combination. More than a product innovation, Cardo Beer proposes a new reading of an ancestral ingredient from Serra da Estrela, exploring its potential beyond traditional use.

Cardo Beer is now available at Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau at Castelo de São Jorge and at the Museu da Cerveja in Lisbon, with availability across all Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau locations coming soon.