One of the other dark beers pulled off the shelf at Hop Hop Hurra, Pohjala’s Cosy Nights Vanilla Porter. The shopkeep was impressed with the choice, saying he was just blown away by it. Pohjala is a very respectable source of beer, especially the dark beers I’ve found, and it looks like there will be some drizzly days ahead. Perfect for a porter at home!
Good color and fizzy head, looking on the slimmer side for feel. It has something of a vanilla ice cream aroma. The first sip is oddly tickly, with a tiny feeler of bitter, but then it smooths out into something more candy-like, and the vanilla is definitely leading the way. It has something more of a coating feel in the mouth, not a beer that slides on and disappears, although not sticky at first. There’s a shadow of licorice and coffee boiling up in the middle, fortunately for me the licorice remains just a whisper. It has a definite warming effect, very appropriate to being a winter porter, and just the thing when you’re suffering a little cold. After a while there’s some kind of banana flavor sneaking in, giving it even more of a pudding sensation. In the end, there’s much to recommend the beer, it’s tasty and it’s calming, it goes perfectly with its own name. A fine choice indeed.
Beermad is back in force, doing its biannual meets, and once again it was in Casa de Campo. The space has been alright, although not quite as well equipped with toilets as Caja Mágica was; still, a bit better than the port-a-potties outside the Railroad Museum. I had been thinking about heading up to the Barcelona Beer Festival sometime soon, but it turns out it was the very same weekend this year. Oh well, another time it shall be…
Being the antisocial introvert that I am, I got my ticket for Sunday morning, since I figured there would be fewer people desperate to get in. I was right, it was pretty calm in the beginning, although I have to say it was a little sadly calm. People did fill in over the next couple of hours, but the space felt empty somehow, like there weren’t as many stands as other times and less movement in general. It could have just been my impression. I will say that they did not have such loud music as last time, which I appreciated.
Another thing I am is a sucker for black beers and I did go looking for one to start with. It was a slow start, relatively, with Leoncia’s Irish Stout. Only 4.5%, but good color and appropriately stouty aroma. Nice head at first, but it dies off quickly. Vaguely bitter-toasty, with a light and fizzy feel, pretty much what I expect from the more moneyed stouts. It’s not a pastry stout or infused with any special flavors or barrel aging, it’s a very plain and straightforward kind of drink. A perfectly fine beer example, and one I would recommend over any number of macros.
Ever since I first saw their logo, I’ve had kind of a soft spot for 28030 Brewing. The tree of knowledge, the play on the symbol of Madrid, it just fit too perfectly. And hey! The beer ain’t bad either. To go to an extreme, I chose Mango Vice Fruit IPA. There were actually a good number of fruity IPAs and the like to choose from, more than dark beers disappointingly, but I am happy to alternate. The appearance is very pleasing, cloudy and juicy, with a slightly herbal scent, and a thickish head that dies back to a thin mat after a few minutes. It has a very juicy taste, natural, like a fresh-crushed mango, and some slight orange juice in the background for some more liquid. It’s rather like a NEIPA at its best, although not using the name. There’s a touch of sweet, a thick but smooth feel, and some grassy/herbal aftertaste. It’s not cilantro exactly, but I feel like it’s in the family.
I go back to black and it’s GO! Gata Negra stout now. It was touted as very smooth, and indeed it is – light hints of chocolate, not as much coffee as you might fear. Some touch of sour lurks, like milk just about to go off, but it’s more yogurty than dangerous. It’s a little more delightful than the Irish stout, more in tune with my picky sensibilities.
I got roped in by La Candaja, ready to provide me with something to my taste. They were pretty sure their Pasión NEIPA would do the trick and by god it did. Super smooth, silky, leaves a feeling of peace down your throat. It’s not exceptionally aromatic, but tastewise it’s perfect – a little juice, a good amount of beer, everything softly blended for an exquisitely refreshing drink.
Still plenty to choose from, and I let my linguistic curiosity point the finger. Ossegg was back and I had to ask about their use of let for their flights, and I was told that it was chosen specifically to reflect the English usage. How about that! Also, apparently, vuelo gets thrown around in Spain, although I have not come across it that I recall. Another Irish style was on the menu, and I was told it was quite a treat, so I end with an Irish Red Ale. It is a nice rounded beer, only mildly bitter, with a whisper of grain and a pleasantly full mouthfeel. It’s a middle-of-the-road kind of red, without extremes of flavor, soothing, not hit over the head with bitter or punched in the gut with sweet. It’s very enjoyable on its own, although it has the feeling of a beer made with the intention of accompanying a meal. Maybe it’s time to look into an end of year dinner.
One of the other dark beers pulled off the shelf at Hop Hop Hurra, Pohjala’s Cosy Nights Vanilla Porter. The shopkeep was impressed with the choice, saying he was just blown away by it. Pohjala is a very respectable source of beer, especially the dark beers I’ve found, and it looks like there will be some drizzly days ahead. Perfect for a porter at home!
Good color and fizzy head, looking on the slimmer side for feel. It has something of a vanilla ice cream aroma. The first sip is oddly tickly, with a tiny feeler of bitter, but then it smooths out into something more candy-like, and the vanilla is definitely leading the way. It has something more of a coating feel in the mouth, not a beer that slides on and disappears, although not sticky at first. There’s a shadow of licorice and coffee boiling up in the middle, fortunately for me the licorice remains just a whisper. It has a definite warming effect, very appropriate to being a winter porter, and just the thing when you’re suffering a little cold. After a while there’s some kind of banana flavor sneaking in, giving it even more of a pudding sensation. In the end, there’s much to recommend the beer, it’s tasty and it’s calming, it goes perfectly with its own name. A fine choice indeed.
Found out there was a beer store I hadn’t visited yet, and after the disappearance of the nearby Cervecista – Hop Hop Hurrah! Yeah, that’s the name, I’m not exclaiming my joy. Not just, anyway. Like La Mundial and Prost Chamberí before, it’s a smallish place in a municipal market. Actually, Barceló has ceased to be a mere market and is now a “polyvalent center” containing a market among other things. I think there’s a gym and at least one other thing that isn’t about food. Although compact, the selection on the shelves was more than adequate; I had to leave a couple of black beers behind, not wanting to lug too many home. First I have a national to try, Yria’s Bauhaus Imperial Stout, whiskey barrel aged. Committed to supporting craft wherever they can obviously, Yria has used Sackman whiskey barrels, another national product.
Didn’t get a very good head on it, but a momentary mat of dark beige bubbles did make it for a photo-op. The beer is highly aromatic, heavy on the chocolate and malt, promising to swamp the mouth in flavor. And indeed, it is exceptionally tasty, more bitter than I was expecting, but well within the lines of a nice stout. There a good head of smoke, a base of earth and the chocolate core whistling its way through everything. It starts out very smooth also, but develops an edge after just a few sips. The fire starts to make its way more to the top, leaving an alcohol burning behind it, more or less extinguishing the earthiness. The chocolate still maintains itself, though. It never gets exactly syrupy, but over time it does build up in weight. Of course, that could also be an effect of the whiskey sneaking in…
It’s the month of darkness, of creeping horror, of the best of holidays. At yet, I ended up with an IPA to open it. Not only that, but crafty IPA more than a craft one. How dare I! Well, Alhambra is not a bad beer, especially in the bottle, and we do have to try things of all kinds. You never know when you’ll be in a situation with limited options. It looks appetizing anyway, Esencia Citra IPA does. But you can bet I’ll be looking for more frightening choices later on.
Instant lemony aroma, kind of a darker color than expected, but not that unusual for IPAs. Good head, very bubbly. Bitter, citrus and bread come in together, it’s a little surprisingly grainy for an IPA. The main flavors are definitely ale-y, though, with a very traditional bitter beeriness and a modern slice of Citra hops. It tends toward lemon or grapefruit rather than tropical fruits, leaving a feeling of wanting to be a summer beer. Still, there is a certain weight behind it while you drink, a little more muscle than most summertime, beach-lounging beers dare to show. It’s not quite as clean as you might think from the aroma, but it’s not an overwhelming amount of stickiness. The aftertaste tingles with light citrus, floating you on to the next sip without the need to hurry. In that, being a beer to take at your leisure, it is a beer for all seasons.
Given family and vacation connections, I could not ignore Jakobsland’s I Can Make You Smile. A Florida weisse? It seems to make sense from a weather standpoint. Those weisses are sharp and refreshing, not the kind of beers that leave your mouth coated, suitable for additives you might feel like doing while you laze around on the beach or by the pool. Maybe it’s even a beer you could have in celebration of voting out a wildly unreasonable governor who will then not go on to be president. Maybe? Hopefully.
Similar in appearance to fruity lambics, a little tang in the aroma. Fluffy, resistant head, tinted pink. It has the tight dryness of a weisse, with a little sour only developing in the aftertaste. There’s kind of a fruity bed that the stiff alcohol rides in on, but it’s not very sweet at all. Wild fruit, just sweet enough to not punish you for eating it. It’s almost shockingly untropical for something labeled with Florida. The dryness wears off a little over time and rising temperature, but it stays clean and mouth cleansing more than anything else. I have to be honest, though, while the beer has a nostalgic Kool-Aid color, and it’s a perfectly fine modern weisse, a stout would always make me smile more.
Back to basics, after reading up on German beer history. Feirabend (sic)! Dortmunder Export style! Naparbier! Ok, it’s not a German-made beer, but you can’t deny that Naparbier is a respectable and trustworthy brewery, voted best in Spain a few years ago no less. Although temperatures have gone down, and there’s even been some rain, there’s nothing wrong with having a nice, light, easy-drinking beer for an evening chat with friends. Not that I wouldn’t be happy with a stout, but sometimes that kind of darkness is threatening when you want to talk about freedoms and rights and…things you raise your voice about.
Very golden beer, fluffy white head, it’s a perfect example of the typical beer. It has a tiny bit of sourness in a grainy aroma, just enough to give it a little something unexpected. It’s just a little bitter at first, but suddenly an explosion of beery bitter wallops you in the mouth and disappears down your throat as soon as you swallow. It’s a little fizzier than I would expect, so the mouthfeel isn’t quite comfortable enough for quick drinking. It has a serious feel to it, while light in the mouth the flavor gives it weight and power. Without being too complicated the beer demands attention. The name fits perfectly in this case.
Labirratorium just rearranged their stock from country-based to style-based, which means all the stouts are right there! Of course, sometimes you want some national representative, but then you ask about it, the same as you used to when you wanted a particular style. Some people worry about their searching habits, but jeez, you can get used to anything and this isn’t even a weird change. I was very happy to find Laugar’s Soul Reaper Imperial Breakfast Stout right away. Yes, the name and label had something to do with its choosing. It isn’t that long til Halloween after all.
There’s just a whiff of chocolate stout, but definitely something there. It’s not especially heady, although the head that’s present it tight and resistant. Promising dark and opaque brown, very nearly black. Taking a closer sniff, there’s a more toasty background than obvious at first, but with a dusting of dark chocolate still on top. The chocolate comes out big on the flavor, giving you a good shove right up front. Then there’s a more licorice finish, typical for many stouts, which always makes me question my devotion. It feels slick and smooth, although it has a lot of body. It goes down pretty easy despite having plenty of weight, even with a tiny little kick at the back of the palate coming in on the swallow. A little spiciness builds up on several sips, something cinnamony and even a little minty, very Christmas-y I’d say. It feels like a good partner with gingerbread, for example. Even over time it stays smooth and satisfying, with little change in texture. It’s s solid beer, one that would tempt me every time. Even the licorice dies down after a while, nearing it to perfection.
Øl– is the Norwegian word for beer. The term is shared with other Scandinavian languages, and comes from the same root as English ale. A word related to English beer also existed – bjórr – which was borrowed into Old Irish, becoming Modern Irish beoir.
A final splurge from Birra Y Paz for the summer, Valhalla Ragnarök mead. I’m a little apprehensive, what with temperatures going up again, but it’s not a fruited mead so I don’t expect it to be too sweet. I’m not sure if it’s going to be a hoppy mead, which I’ve been told is a thing, but it is one of their special products, very simply made with a nod to history and care.
It sounds violent if I say I’m assaulted by a sweet pastry aroma as soon as the liquid hits the glass, but there is a viking on the bottle, so it fits. It’s not a cloying excessive kind of sweetness, it’s the expected honey and a little bit of wine in the background. It’s a very fizzy drink, with a head that bubbles up a lot at first and dies down just about as fast., leaving a little ring around the outside of the glass. Colorwise, it’s something like a cider, very clear and a tannish gold. The flavor is meady, full honey, but not sticky. There’s a hint of fruitiness lurking, maybe cherry or raspberry. It has a sour tail that stings a little as a goodbye from the sip, but overall it’s a very clean and smooth drink.
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