The Hobby Drinker Blog
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dritte
On the third day of Beermas I went and got for me
A three-time remade masterpiece
Two guarding lions
And a crow glaring silently
Already it’s time to do some interpretation of the gifts, but that’s all part of the fun, isn’t it? Although later movie mythology gives vampires wings (sometimes), the old time monster Nosferatu didn’t transform into anything. Oh, maybe rats. But, it has been remade twice, giving it three versions to enjoy or not…I am not partial to the ’70s remake myself. Still have to see last year’s fluid filled one. See? Fluids! Just like beer is a fluid! Connections abound! Anyway, I’m surprised that it’s a hazy IPA, or any type of pale ale, really. Wouldn’t a red ale be more appropriate? Or a stout to reference the darkness. Even a rauchbier, given what happens to vampires in sunlight. That’s not a spoiler, the damn thing is more than a hundred years old.
Not as jumpy as the last one, and much cloudier. True to name. Still brilliant white head that hangs on for a bit, and a more perfumed opening. Very IPA, citrus and caraway and salt. The first sip is wildly fruity, with mango, mandarin and maybe a little pineapple. The beer is both light and filling, which is kind of an odd feeling, but it’s also clearly bright and perky. It’s such a strangely happy beer, very summery and with a suggestion of a Caribbean soundtrack. There’s really a clash between what you would expect from a beer called Nosferatu and what you get, but ’tis the season for surprises.
Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €6.50
segundo
On the second day of Beermas I went and got for me
Two guarding lions
And a crow glaring silently
These two just jumped out at me from the shelf, a pair, a couple, a duo, ready and willing to fill the role of number two. The armor on those Chinese lions covers the shell of the turtle in the turtledove I think. It’s also a good beer for starting the journey; first was the session stout, now a tropical IPA. It’s stronger, of course, but is supposed to have a mild and easy taste, very low on bitterness. Maybe this will be more like a typical NEIPA. Being tropical, I’m not sure why there are Asian lions garding the can, beyond having the Japanese name of Ikigai. Maybe Yria has a fascination with islands of any kind.
There was a bid for freedom as the tab opened, but only one little sprite splooshed out of bounds. I’m a little disappointed that there’s no explosion of aroma, but it does pour out nicely. It’s almost lagery in its clarity and dazzling golden color, but the sting of IPA comes up to your nose when you sniff. It isn’t as sparkly and fruity as you might expect a tropical ale to be, but more mellow and smooth. Melon, something flowery like hybiscus, and the barest whisper of citrus. The beer remains steady and bright, glowing like a harvest moon, a thoroughly pleasant experience from beginning to end.
Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €6.70
first
On the first day of Beermas I went and got for me
A crow glaring silently
I’m under a little pressure to get my Beermas together, since there will be traveling this year. I came across El Cuervo a while ago, and thought, “Why not start now?” And then let it lie around for a couple of weeks. It is a session stout, though, so it shouldn’t suffer very much. It’s also Sanfrutos, which makes solid and resilient beers, so no need to worry at all.
Is it me or do a lot of Beermases start with a crow? They must end up being solitary on cans more than other birds.
Extra foamy and bubbly, but good color and pleasantly roasty aroma. It’s thin, which shoudn’t really be a surprise, but the dark roast carries through. It has a hint of coffee but without some of the lactose or sweetness that other lighter stouts have. There is some milky aftertaste, so it’s not completely free of Starbucks connections. The beer consistently froths up with each new pouring, although the glass isn’t so bedecked with dew-drop bubbles after the first time. It’s not quite a stand-alone beer, but one you might like with food, or snacks, and maybe a scary movie. Up for The Birds?
Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €4.07
come on, baby
The colors are right for the season, or at least half right, and the mascot is right for me according to some zodiacs. Yes, it’s a step away from the stouts for a moment, but I can’t resist that smile. Demon Dragon just calls to me. Although black beers are my default, a good NEIPA is always welcome too, and this one is a doozy double NEIPA, packed with a variety of malts according to the ingredient list. Barley, oats and wheat all come together in this liquid package. It sounds a little like a baking recipe, just missing some spices to be for Christmas. And those northern breweries do like to be festive. This is Kom Beer, a microbrewery in Cataluña, which I recall from Barcelona Beer Festival. What they had then was fine, but not especially memorable. Maybe this dragon will light a fire that lasts?
Dirty lemonade looking, bright headed, cracker and caraway scented, at least it looks the part. The beer is heavy and thick on the tongue, but oddly subdued in flavor. The herbal spice is not too heavy, but I’m certainly not getting the juice and natural citrus that I have come to associate with NEIPAs. The feel is familiar though, smooth yet sticky, a sort of melted jello sensation. It seems to me that New Zealand’s Riwaka is having more effect than Simcoe, which isn’t even from New England anyway. Besides the savoriness there’s wood and grapefruit, but at a low and enticing level, not a hit-you-over-the-head style, which you might expect from a double NEIPA. It doesn’t feel like a very alcohol heavy beer, more of a strong grain blend, but it is 8%. It actually takes a little while, but that makes itself known in the end. There’s a mild danger to it with how light the flavor is, and how easily the beer slips down, but with a proper lunch it probably wouldn’t cause too much trouble. Even as a late-night treat.
Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €8.30
what season?
It took only seconds to see Ostara on the shelf and see that it was a blessed stout, so that went right into my metaphorical basket. I only buy a few beers at a time, I don’t normally need a real basket. This is a Galway Bay beer, so it is promising, although the back gives some information that makes me pause. Ostara, it says, is the Irish name for spring (not what Duolingo says, but what would you expect), and is meant as a push to celebrate the change of seasons. Well, it’s either late or early for spring, but I guess I am about at the cusp of a season change. Hopefully no old gods will be offended.
The can seems extra full, burgeoning like a coming spring, and it also produces another lavish head. This beer is even more chocolatey looking than fossil fuely, but has a sharp and slightly seawater aroma. They taste is malty, rounded and somewhat vegetal. A thin layer of smoke lies over it like a wreath. While light in feel, there is a slight dustiness as well, like a piece of dark chocolate that has been sitting around just a little too long. It has a pleasant, convivial experience to it, definitely the kind of beer you drink in pints at the bar while hours slip by in conversation. It isn’t actually a session stout, but it does have that feel to it, being solid and and reliable in its flavor and feel from beginning to end. It’s smooth enough to suck down with some speed, but also tasty enough to savor for a while. While it isn’t a flavor explosion or surprise, it’s a beer well worth spending some time with.
Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €4.90
warmer upper
I was pointed to a number of almost experimental stouts on the shelves of Más Que Cervezas, it’s so hard to choose! In the end I went with a whisky barrel aged stout. It felt better than the bourbon barrel one, and it seems like both a less complicated and an extra packed choice. I have partaken of Kees before, and probably a stout, since that where I see them most represented on these shelves. This is a promising Caramel Fudge Stout, lovingly (I’m sure) aged in Craigellachie whisky barrels, and canned in standard yet playful design. I hope I don’t regret having a light lunch.
A little sparse where head is concerned, but good color and aroma. It has a deep, rich caramel smell with a toasted edge. It’s resonant where others can be thin and shrill. The flavor is not quite as substantial, although it does deliver on stout, caramel and a drop of whiskey. While the beer looks opaque and thick, it’s rather thin on the tongue and slides down the throat without complaint. Even the whiskey doesn’t give much resistance. It doesn’t feel like it’s 11.5% with all the smoothness, but it doesn’t take long for a little buzz to kick in. Strong it is, after all. There’s a feeling of relaxation about it, like it should be poured in a snifter and sipped in front of a fire, or in a mug to go with a terrible comedy. I don’t know why it feels more like a bad comedy than a good one; maybe the good one would be too distracting.
Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €7.18
digging for history
Darker and darker are the days, finally raining a little bit. If we had a good old downpour, that would clean up the streets too. But as always, I’m in the mood for dark beers no matter the weather, so it’s just a flimsy excuse to pull out a porter. And what a porter it seems to be! The Kernel’s Victorian, historic London porter, presented by Stigbergets no less. It looks to be on the heavy side for a porter at almost 6%, but there’s a strange cheeriness to the can. Even though those badgers remind me of Edward Gorey illustrations somehow.
A membrane of bubbles forms on the sides of the glass, but also a respectable head. It does descend, but only slowly, gradually getting more and more Swiss cheese holes in it. This is a brown porter rather than a black stout, but it’s a tarry and precious stone kind of brown. There’s a mild smokey roast aroma, but no smoke alarms. It has a heavy and earthy taste, but the beer still manages to be very drinkable. There’s a little plumminess raising the flavor off the ground, but it doesn’t quite get to sweet, exactly. It has the feel of a spectator’s drink, one you have while watching a game show. Especially trivia, when you always know the answers without the pressure of being on the stage.
Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €5.50
right name for the times
It’s a crazy time we’re living in, and good beer does much to steady the pulse. While I’m always open to a new possibility, I also tend to rely on old standards. You can only take so many surprises. Oso Brew is a reliable choice, if more focused on lighter beers. This is an oatmeal stout, one I might have had during a Sunday chat, with a mildly dizzying label and a fitting name: Delulu.
Much more subdued than Affogato, so it’s been unmolested in the fridge. Not as impressive headwise, but respectable. There’s more earth and nature in the aroma, no hint of sweetness. It carries over into the taste, although there is also a milky balance to it. Like other oatmeal stouts, it’s smooth and with a touch of breakfasty grain. I’m getting kind of a medicinal taste, something almost cola-like, which is a surprise. Not altogether unpleasat, though. It is a bit surprising how robust the beer is, given its relatively modest alcohol content. Oso has always seemed like a maker of tasty but delicate beers, even their IPAs have a lightness and fleeting quality that you don’t find often, but Delulu really holds its own. It’s well-balanced, certainly, a centerpiece of a drink. Oso, you’ve done it again!
Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €4.50
is there a mug on amazon?
We’re waiting for the shitty fridge to be moved out to the balcony so the cooling system can be cool. How can that be the solution? Why not replace it with a fridge that works in the space that was constructed? Why not buy an appropriate appliance in the first place? In the meantime, beer! My imperial stout seems to be cold enough, although it looks like it did get knocked over today. Hopefully this morning so it’s had some time to relax. It’s a promising one too, from Garage, very trustworthy. It is a coffee stout, which can be a little overwhelming, but I’m willing to give it a shot with its vanilla essence. I hope Affogato Tears doesn’t leave me in tears…nah, like I said, it’s Garage.
A little jumpy, so maybe not felled too long ago. No disasters, just a few drops over the edge. Although extra-bubbly on the side of the glass, the bubbles appear static and the head maintains itself well. It’s a chocolate milk kind of head, mostly creamy with a few intruding bigger bubbles. The liquid is going for dark coffee colored rather than black, but that makes sense with its development. There is a good whiff of coffee too it, although it’s not as roasty as most coffee. Maybe cold brew leaves the aroma a little watered down. The first sip rushes in with the coffee flavor, but some vanilla creamer is right on its tail. Given the alcohol content it’s not a surprisingly heavy beer; while not syrupy it lies heavy on the tongue and slurps its way down the throat. The chill and vanilla really solidify the connection to iced coffee or frappuccino for me, more than simple cold brew.
Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €8
true names
Now is the time to delve into the darkness (as if it’s never that time for me), since the stores are stocking a greater variety of stouts and similar beers. A lot of them are fancy pastry and barrel aged stouts, with a few classic examples mixed in. How can I resist those flavor bombs, though? I can’t, that’s the answer. Which brings me to tonight and Yanawa, double vanilla imperial stout, in a can that looks like Big Cat Rescue might sponser it. Well, maybe not, they lean heavily into AI these days. I am almost fooled into thinking it’s a northern Spanish beer with the Basque coming first on the label, but it turns out to be French. True, Anglet is part of the French Basque Country, but I don’t really know how much Basque is present there. They certainly think highly of themselves and their product if the name is any indication. Who wouldn’t want their business to be known as La Superbe? Let’s see if it lives up to the presentation.
It’s a little floofy, coating the side of the glass in tiny bubbles and supporting a kingly crown of dark mocha foam. There’s not a huge aroma coming off it, but there is a hint of quality chocolate, which is due to the vanilla I guess. The taste is weighty, with a good load of vanilla and an undercurrent of toast or coffee. It starts out smooth, but builds up a tickly body over time. There’s a wink of high-falutin’ bonbons, with the sweetness, the smoothness, the feel of luxury treats. Although it starts off easy and light in feel, it develops some stickiness and grabbiness. It doesn’t have the complexity or surprises that some other beers have had, but it’s definitely tasty and satisfying, after so long without indulging in my stouts (who am I kidding, I had some at the bar last weekend), BY WHICH I MEAN my Saturday special in my own space. A fine choice to curl up with a good book or movie!
Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €7.37
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