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bubbly berries

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It’s still summer and still hot, so we quench our thirst with something a little lighter. Every once in a while, you have to lighten the mood. This is so light, it was commented on by the bar/store guy, since it’s not my usual dark and sticky or crazy heavy beer. It is in fact a cider, so really on a different path this time. It’s a raspberry cider though, so maybe closer to some of those pastry stouts with the sweetness? We shall see. It’s a Basque creation, from cidery Zelaia, so a northern libation, historically accurate. It’s also supposed to be a very natural process for these folks, so the craft is strong.

There is another thing to be excited about – Beermad is coming! It was pushed into September this year, and has been pushed to a new place. I got my prepaid ticket refunded by surprise, and had to look into what was happening, fearing the worst. I got an email later explaining that the new location is public space so they can’t really charge people to come in and wander around, although you still have to buy a glass to get your beers. Will the change be a positive one? We’ll see next week!

It’s quite a bit paler than I was expecting, since raspberry tends to get a nice bright red in other concoctions, but maybe they’re golden raspberries? There’s a sharp cidery aroma, with that tickle of aged fruit and puff of sulfur. It’s bubbly, but as a cider not heady. It’s sour at first and then dives into a little sweetness and finishes with a weirdly creamy exit. The sharpness remains on the tongue, but more as a pinchy feeling than as a lingering flavor. There are reminders of lambics and sours with its balancing act of sour and bitter, but the nature of the drink as a cider is never in doubt.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: ~€7

homages?

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Yes, another stout to enjoy, although it still seems like summer. Next week will be better, but will it last? We can only wait and see. Anyway, my glorious stout, my precious pastry, Brewed Velvet Back To Black. Is the ghost of Amy Winehouse possessing it? Doesn’t seem like it. Maybe a David Lynch character is lurking around somewhere. This is a healthy 10-percenter, imperial pastry stout no less. Drunken Bros. are living up to their name this time.

It looks like there’s some sediment sitting on top of the beer in the can, since it isn’t foam, and the beer pours into the glass looking “dirty”. It cleans itself up pretty well and with some speed, although the foam has some oddly huge bubbles in it. The aroma leans heavily into mocha, so the chocolate and coffee are coming through quite strongly. The flavor, on the other hand, is a trumpeting blast of vanilla. It’s something like those chewy vanilla toffees that are a lot like Tootsie Rolls, but nicer. Like many pastry stouts, it ends up being something more akin to a Starbucks special than what you expect in your favorite alcohol dispensary, but there are evenings when that’s what you’re looking for. It gains weight as it sits, even while it stays cool, although it doesn’t get too syrupy or leave any amount of sludge behind it. The second pour gives a more unruly head, which puffs up unexpectedly and lets a few drips roll over the edge. Tears of a chocolate angel. It now seems a lot like a beer float, although the ice cream seems to have melted into it. It’s quite the sipping beer, and for its strength it doesn’t leave you reeling, at least if you take your time with it. Don’t forget that it is not actually an ice cream float.

Easy there….

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €7.90

great expectations

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So, starting a new month, I make damn sure I have me some of my favorite style! No regrets, IPAs and sours, but everyone is entitled to have a favorite. I have a a big start too, with Basqueland’s Chocotastico, an Imperial Pastry Stout that looks like just the thing. A pretty simple list of helpers for this one, just chocolate, caramel and salt. It sounds like a sundae of a beer, but there’s nothing wrong with that at the end of the day, and at the end of a season.

Lusciously chocolate looking, with a tightly bubbles dark mocha head, which doesn’t actually stick around for too long. Chocolate is also heavy in the aroma, of a syrupy sort. First there’s the chocolate on the tongue, dark chocolate, not overly sweet or sticky, but then there’s a rush of coffee and a kind of dry feeling, very tannic. It reminds me of some barrel aged stouts that have absobed much of the barrel along with some other alcohol scent. It starts to come out of its shell a little bit after a few sips, with the body building at every drink and notes of nuttiness making an appearance. I don’t notice much of the caramel, but maybe that’s what’s lending weight to the brew. There is a halo of savoriness around it, the work of the salt I supposed, but it’s like adding salt to cookie dough; the end result isn’t really salty and it just highlights the sweetness that is the main focus. I do have to mention a strange lack of stability in the flavor, though. Mostly it is tasty and a liquid bonbon, but every once in a while I get a weird goosh of just…water. It’s like ice melting in an ice coffee. Still, that’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me with a beer.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: ~€7

canned cocktail

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I had it in my head that I was saving myself a stout, maybe a pastry stout, and now that we’re in a trough of relief, it’s time to bring it out. Alas, it is pastry, but a pastry sour. Still, it sounds pretty luscious, and some dark chocolate is involved, so it should work out. No disappointment! It’s Nepo Brewing, which I think I’ve come across before, and a healthy looking selection – Smoothie Bowl Fruit Fondue. Ok, maybe the fondue part isn’t the healthiest, there are several fruits in there, including grapes, unusually. Will this be a happy distraction from the craziness of entertainers leaving us and madmen unable to comprehend geography? Most likely, I’ve been lucky with my beer choices of late.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but the apricot color, full opaqueness and less than exuberant head just make sense once there’s liquid in the glass. The head is snowy white but doesn’t build up, and stays a jaunty little cap for a couple of minutes before dissolving into a delicate ring around the edge. The aroma is hardly beery at all, but very much like a fruit cocktail, heavy on the sour tropical fruit. There might be some old grape in there, not as clawing as in a wine, a touch of pineapple, and the strawberry, but in a preserve, not a jelly. It’s the banana that I’m not getting, or dark chocolate, but that might wait for the taste. Oh yeah, big banana on top of the sip. The other fruits hustle by in the middle, and a soft note of chocolate brings up the rear. It’s kind of a banana split smoothie more than a general fruit one, but I am not very familiar with fruit fondues. Maybe that’s just how they end up when bananas are involved. I’m not sad about this one, it’s a sweet treat that makes up for not being a stout. Now come September…

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €6.80

have some respect

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Although still plainly summer, the temperatures have been moderating themselves these past couple of days. We’re supposed to stay below 30ºC for about half of next week. It’s still blowing a furnace wind and it’s still plenty sunny, though, so no real relief. I will sigh and take another unstout, Drunken Bros. Aretha Double NEIPA. This one is made in the facilities of Baobeer, a Basque brewery, which adds the fun of the ingredients list being in Basque first.

It has more of a lemony look than an orange one, although natural orange juice is more yellowish. The head starts out beautifully fluffy, but bigger bubbles start to poke through and deflate the foam with some speed. It has a light and enticing aroma of piney citrus and tiny savory notes. Something wooden spicey, not quite caraway. Flavorwise, it’s fairly typical for a NEIPA, sweet orange and a floor of pith. It is somewhat stronger than normal, but IPAs have been climbing the ABV ladder for the last few years, so it’s not a huge difference from “normal” NEIPAs. It doesn’t feel too strong, no alcohol burn or snap on the throat, goes down well without much aftertaste. It starts to get a little sour after some time resting, which adds interest but also some roughness in the swallow. That 8% doesn’t knock you out, which might be a surprise for some, but it doesn’t leave you untouched either. There’s just a tiniest lightness in the head, a kind of pick-me-up feeling.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €7.20

softly

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Could the eclipse have called in the rain finally? Nah, probably not. It isn’t really raining for one thing, even though the air smelled like it yesterday morning. It’s even a little cooler than a week ago, although hardly cool enough to be comfortable on the street, despite the cloud cover. I guess I can deal with a lighter beer, just for a change. It’s Basqueland, so quality, and a session IPA, so unburdensome. I have a couple of heavier choices waiting in line, so I’m not disappointed that this is the one that I grabbed from the fridge (the good one, so cold too). The black and white sketch kind of design on the label is very busy, giving you a kind of sense of being in nature, but in a previous time. Black and white photo, like. Also, it’s full of animals, which is not something you come across in great numbers in Madrid, at least if you don’t count pigeons. There is one animal that is a common sight though, peeking from behind a tuft of long grass: the older human male. I think it is supposed to be David Attenborough, since the name of the beer is The Attenbrew. According to Basqueland’s website description, it’s a tribute. As a session beer it probably wouldn’t interfere in nature observation, so a safe choice for most naturalists.

One of those quite eager beers, ready to come flying out of the can, but no explosions. It has a bright, clean IPA aroma, and kind of a dirty lemon color. Good looking head for a minute or so, unfortunately it collapses pretty quickly. This is one of those melony ales, with a smooth and summery taste that you can’t quite distinguish in the smell. You get a bigger body from it, a rounder feel and a more refreshing sensation. It’s extremely clean drinking, with practically no aftertaste at all. The garden presentation pulls back into a bit of forest as the beer sits, with something more savory and wild. I think of New Zealand hops, but it’s an American combo. The initial fruitiness should have been remembered, but we all have memory problems these days.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €6.90

shining dark

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Still in the thoes of summer heat, but I feel the need for something dark. A reminder of shadows and cool and damp. It’s supposed to be slightly rainy today, according to my weather app, but it certainly isn’t in my neighborhood. If only there was a good summer storm to go with my nice pastry stout, my Sweet Tooth. Scanning the shelves, I saw that Lervig star and that was pretty much it. A nice pastry stout, black as an eclipse that might be seen not too far away from here. It’s also a good quiet celebration beer, to go with some recent news. But, I think will detail that another day.

A rich and sticky looking pour, with a warm dark brown color. Dark mocha head sets nicely and gently shrinks over a minute or so. The aroma is very fitting for a pastry stout, full of vanilla, fresh muffins, syrup. I think the coconut is in there too, but I might just be anticipating it. The first sip is also a real blast of sweetness, so much that I can’t even untangle what I’m tasting. Going back, there’s a hint of cocnut and some sharpness like gingerbread, the smoothness of vanilla chasing it all down. Then a little licorice pokes its head out in the aftertaste. Sitting inside, it’s a delight and even refreshing for me. There is a certain amount of weight to it, and while smooth, it’s no breezy drink that flies by in a flash. It also doesn’t take too long for the alcohol to start leaning on you, although only lightly. But we are talking about an 11% beer, so it would be odd if that didn’t happen.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €6.90

nope, not sunburn

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It seems like the flames of last week have died down, and now people are fanning the flames of alarm – too many desperate bastards trying to get into the country without enough money. It’s still a little too hot to enjoy a drink outside until the sun goes down, but at least marvellous technology makes it bearable inside. This is Estrella Galicia’s 1906 Red Vintage, according to their webpage a resurrection of a historical recipe. They don’t say if it’s a red lager, to go with their pilsner and helles, or ale, which would have been perfectly acceptable in a 19th century context. I’m leaning towards lager since they say it gets stored for an extended amount of time. Let’s see how it measures up.

“Red” might not be the first word that comes to mind, but it’s definitely toastier than the more widespread pilsner and helles. It’s on the bubbly side, but the heady is pretty fluffy and resistant. Like the typical industrial beer, it’s not very aromatic, with just subtle shadows of beery grain, and an odd poof of pepper. Maybe some condiments drifted during lunch. Or, maybe it’s a secret ingredient of Estrella Galicia’s. The taste is more expected, a somewhat heavy slightly sweet specimen. Despite the weight, it’s a refreshing beer, one that one would enjoy from under an umbrella or a well-leaved tree. For all my sootiness about industrial beer, I do get humbled by Estrella Galicia.

elemental

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Whew, exciting times! You can win a sporting event and come home to a burned-out wasteland! It seems to be one of the benefits of living in a modern city, that you don’t get evacuated from a forest fire. You can get bothered by it, of course, as huge clouds of smoke roll overhead, but I think a lot of people might feel some nostalgia with the campfire essence that surrounds you in the street. The light reflecting off the walls is red, the moon is as Halloweeniest orange you can imagine, it’s at least semi-apocalyptic. If I really believed it was the end I would have dug up the most decadent beer I could, but this is an unfortunate summer tradition. Still, I can honor the wildlife with color. It’s been some time since I’ve had a red ale, and even more an Irish red. Galway Bay might bring some cool, watery winds to blow away the last ashes, or at least I can imagine with Bay Ale.

Oh yeah, normal evening sky hee
Will it quench the flames?

There’s a little leakage on opening, but no geyser, and the beer pours nicely. It’s more rusty than ruby, but you can accept it in the realm of red. Nice head at first, but it’s quick to dissipate. There are ghostly hints of grain flitting up from the liquid but otherwise no strong aromas. Taking a drink opens up the bakery – grain raw and toasted floods in, with a fresh sweetness and a solemn bitterness, and just a snap of bubbles. I guess being in a real cold fridge hasn’t damaged the carbonation. There’s some dustiness to it too, which I often get from these darker ales, fitting for the atmosphere these days. A tickling of cidery flavor starts to make an appearance after some minutes on the table, adding complexity and interest, although it’s something you have to look hard for. It’s pretty standard but of quality, maybe something you wouldn’t mind pouring into your mug on your upper floor balcony to watch the world burn.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €4.50

not buried

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Time for a sidetrack? It’s actually less oppressively hot than in previous days, but still very clearly summer if you venture out on the street. I’ve had the feeling that I ought to delve into some other styles, just for the contrast, and what do you know? Oso Brew’s Gold Helles right on the shelf. That’s a contrast if there ever was one. Oso has always been good for a lighter colored beer and a lighter beer for drinking as well, so going down the brighter path with them shouldn’t be too much of a risky bet.

As usual, the can is filled up to the top with a little bloop coming out of the tab. The beer itself looks extra light and ephimeral, with a straw gold color and abundant head, although the foam dies down very quickly. It’s a little more bubbly than might be desireable, but it might also be agitated from the fridge storage. It has a typical German aroma, with a sweet grain and bread top, wrapped up in summer meadow. The taste is also fresh and light, with notes of rounded malt and a touch of lemon. It vanishes down the throat, but after a few sips it does seem to start building up some aftertaste. That is very typically beery, lagery, heavy with harvest. Although there is a little sting of bubbles at first, the beer once settled is confidently smooth and drinkable. There is some sediment in the bottom, which clouds the last glass a bit, but doesn’t affect the smoothness or delicateness of the flavor.

Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €4.50

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