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The Hobby Drinker Blog

a real dessert

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So the month of stouts finishes, and I have a very nice brewery with something that might be very nice.  Frau Gruber sounds like it should be kept until Women’s History Month, but it was actually the work of two brewdudes (the Frau comes from the surname of one of them, so it’s not actually any kind of appropriation).  This is a 5th Season Imperial Stout (without Schischi), which sounds like it ought to be something revelatory and the result of years of testing.

Weirdly no head whatsoever – kept it too cold maybe? It still looks appetizing, very black and a little bit slick, with a slight perfume of banana bread. The flavor is sort of a rum banana cake, a little bit sweet and filled with alcohol. It has a very rounded feel, like a candy ball in the mouth almost. There’s some reminder of a Sahale rum barrel aged stout, which left very positive impressions, so there’s the familiarity and nostalgia factor working for it too. It’s not a beer to simply swig down; although smooth, there’s a weight behind it that makes itself known. They call black beers petroleum in Spain, and this one definitely has that kind of essence to it. It feels like fuel, giving off potency and power, the kind of drink that you imagine revving in the glass as you pour it.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €9.50

the wolves

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February is still a dark month, although little by little the days get longer.  It’s especially noticeable in Madrid, it seems to me, more than in places I’ve  lived before.  The change is obvious even over a couple of days.  So, I guess I need some shade before it gets to bright for all my waking hours.  Laugar is one of the best breweries in Spain for black beers in my opinion, and it seems to me that I might have even come across Basatia in the wild.  No reason not to have a quiet evening at home with it anyway.

The head is very dark and foamy, but unstable, disappearing in a few seconds. It leaves behind a good looking liquid behind, though, and a thick stout-appropriate aroma. I get licorice, a little dirt, some heavy fruit. It didn’t look very thick pouring out, but the scent promises almost syrup. It’s pretty smooth in feel, but there is indeed some good heft to it, and less licorice than I feared. There isn’t much stone fruit or sweetness at all, but it’s not quite bitter. It’s a smoky, earthy beer, leaving a little toastiness in its wake, treading softly. Despite having some respectable mouthfeel, overall the impression is of a laid-back beer, one that you can easily have a conversation with, and it won’t push you out of your chair.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.90

modern nostalgia

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What to do about a holiday dedicated to drinking? Skip it since it’s too mainstream? That sounds like me, although not really because of the idea of the mainstream, but because that usually means crowds. I’ll just take something to go, thank you. The least I can do is have a black beer, even if it is a porter rather than a stout, and “remastered” instead of classic. It’s Drunken Bros Remastered Porter, promising something new in the comforting shell of the familiar.

The can seems extra full, with a little spit up on opening the tab, but it doesn’t explode in fury. The aroma explodes, like a freshly ripped open pack of coffee. It’s one of the more coffee than petroleum beers, a rich dark brown and only beige-ish head, and a roasted and lightly sweetened scent floating off it. The beer feels smooth and light, and starts out like a nice milky coffee, but it doesn’t take long for claws to grow. First there’s more bitter that rises up and grabs your attention, and then the beer itself leaves some of its smoothness behind. Now it’s a little more like a coffee cake that got left out overnight, crumbly and scratching but still delicious.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurra
Price: €3.55

for the pros

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Continuing the route of darkness, another nationally made stout.  I get raves about Sanfrutos from various sources, although I have not been blown away by their stuff.  Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t been disappointed either, but their beers have been limited to proper, well-made, satisfies, not miracles.  Actually, there was a stout on tap at Gaztambirra that did me good, now that I think of it.  I should really give Pro Negro a fair shot.

Very promising appearance, black, deep space black in color. It’s slightly plummy in the nose, a little bit scratchy. The drinking part is smooth as silk, though, with a touch of fruit on top of a well-cooked dark chocolate cake. It has a nice feel to it, very balanced and not overly heavy, but also no watery nothing in the mouth. With such a carefully crafted start, it’s no surprise that there isn’t much change from the first sip to the bottom of the bottle; the feel, flavors and overall sensation of the beer remains the same from beginning to end. And maybe this wasn’t a miracle, but it was a damn fine drink.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.95

black bear

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Oso Brewing is one of the many little breweries doing Spain’s craft beer sector proud, with creative and surprising recipes popping out all the time.  I have been especially impressed with their pastry stouts in the past.  La Penúltima is no pastry stout, although it certainly looks like something you wouldn’t have as an appetizer.  13% beers don’t often leave a lot of room for the main course.

Extra thick and extra smooth, it looks like a melted milkshake but smells like an extra strong cocktail. It’s kind of a licorice-y aroma, a heavy perfume, with something recalling petroleum floating around. There’s a touch of licorice on the tongue, but the smooth soft-serve mouthfeel is much more noticeable. It starts out mild with just a touch of sweet but develops some rough edges with a little time, and starts to get sticky, no surprise given how thick it is from the beginning. It’s a very satisfying beer, although not one that you can really have a marathon drinking session with. Hell, it even slows me down a little, but that wouldn’t stop me from having another the next day.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €6.10

flying high

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It’s not a craft beer, but it has nostalgia factor, and was in fact the biggest brewery in Spain 100 years ago. El Águila’s unfiltered, historic, lager seems very similar to Boston Lager to me, so even as an arm of Heineken we can be pretty comfortable that reasonable beer is produced. This is Dorada, “inspired” by the original recipe, apparently with the addition of caramelized malts to give it a little more depth and character. I’m not sure which one is closer to the first beers that El Águila has putting out in 1900, but by that time either one was perfectly possible.

Almost unnaturally clear, like some kind of artificial resin. Good fluffy head, though, and not a bad aroma. There’s a little freshness and grain, with a little snap to it. The taste is very lagery and stronger than you expect from the appearance. It’s more on the sweeter side than the bitter, a kind of daily lager feel. Although bright and extra-present in the mouth, it doesn’t leave a lot behind. It’s a more modern type than the unfiltered, more like what people claim to be looking for when in search of a relaxing little brew to hang out with. I could see it as a buddy to a meal or lubricating conversation, but it isn’t much of a marvel by itself. I guess not everything has to jump on you and slap you in the face.

a little color

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Weather is weird in the spring, temperatures fluctuating crazily. As much as I enjoy my stouts, sometimes it’s nice to have something a little lighter and zingier, a sour or really fruity IPA for example. Sometimes it’s the can that gets you, like with Amundsen’s cherry cola ice cream float sour. Doesn’t get much trippier than that, and even in Madrid winter isn’t especially colorful.

It’s as pretty as any other red fruit sour, clear and cherry candy red. The aroma is also more candy-like than some, hardly any of that sort of gassiness that wafts off of a fruit beer or two you might come across. At first its almost disappointingly un-sweet, with the touch of herbalness hitting before anything else. After a second or two a little sweetness peeps out, and the beer finishes very cleanly, leaving hardly any aftertaste at all. It has a natural feel, with a pleasant balance, an easy beer to take down and at 6% it’s not an especially dangerous one – although you might be careful having more than two or three cans in one sitting.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €7.55

not in a box

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The only thing Valentine’s day is good for is the discount chocolate the day after.  And actually, I have my doubts that there are going to be huge discounts, the way prices have been going.  Maybe people will have loaded up on chocolate beforehand, being the comfort food that it is.  Wary as I am of Belgian beers, when it comes to sweet ones that aren’t pastry stouts, that’s the first place you should look.  And Kasteel’s Barista Chocolate Quad is right there to be seen.

Somewhat startlingly, the first impression is the smell of tootsie pop. Then, the beer pouring out like tootsie pop infused water, but once in the glass it does have a comforting brown color and reasonable head. A good close-up sniff brings out more depth of chocolate, which I hope is a good sign. Chocolate is front and center in the flavor, better and butterier than tootsie pops thankfully, but with that little Belgian tang at the end. It’s not actually that strong and it balances the sweeter chocolate flavors well. There’s even a little puff of smoke that seems to waft up after the swallow, so it’s no one dimensional beer. At a fairly strong 11%, it’s the kind of beer that makes you want to cuddle up next to somebody and fall asleep, if you don’t have a whole queue of Youtube to watch for the week.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.25

flashy

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In preparation for stout month, I get something to kind of dip my toe into.  Something that won’t weigh me down when I go deep and dark.  Still ought to give me a little tasty treat, though.  Won’t you, Licher 1854 Kellerbier?  A quick search shows that the kellerbier was not Licher’s 1854 original, that was a steam beer, the name is just a reminder of the brewery’s age.

It’s a very light straw color, lighter than I expected for some reason. The head is a good consistency with very fine bubbles. It smells a lot like a German beer, slightly bready, slightly grainy, but there’s an interesting peppery bit on top. Does it carry over into the taste? Well, no. It’s a clean lagery beer, although the feel is a little heavier than usual. It almost feels like melted Jello, but without the stickiness. The flavor remains subdued, subtly sweet but nothing overwhelming. It’s almost a pre-pilsner, but not as bitter as those would become. It develops a little woodiness over the course of the bottle, but still little aftertaste or excess weight. I was expecting something more robust from a kellerbier, but as a last drink of the night it’s not bad at all.

Supplier: La Mundial

Price: €3

yes, beer can

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Another holiday upon us, and I’m cheating again! It’s Beer Can Appreciation Day, but I don’t have a beer. It is hard cider, another drink that you don’t expect to find a huge amount of quality in if it’s in a can. But, if cans can be better for beer, they can be for cider too. It seems the first canned beer in the US came from New Jersey-based Krueger in 1935, but they didn’t become popular packaging until after the Second World War. Steel cans were produced in Germany in the early years of the 20th century, but again, did not catch on. Cans appeared in the UK around the same time as they did in the US, and apparently did not suffer much from lack of material once the war was over. Spain saw its first cans in the ’50s at the hand of Mahou. The benefits of cans are simple – cans are cheaper to produce, easier to recycle, cool faster, protect the beer from light better. It’s true that you don’t feel as fancy chugging from a can as sipping from a bottle, but pour a glass and take care of that problem.

I was looking for beer, of course, but just seeing a can labeled “meadery” was enough to catch my eye. Superstition Meadery has put together a delightful sounding blend of flavors for their Super Station hard cider. Let’s see if they play nicely together. The cherry has had quite an impact on the color, but it’s not as powerful in the aroma. There’s a little ginger, a little lime, and something I can only identify as out-of-doors. It’s pretty heavy feeling, not as light and refreshing as some more well-known cider names, but it doesn’t have that oversweet sensation that is also common. It is sweet, a little bit of cherry candy, but it’s held tight and doesn’t overwhelm you. It’s an interesting balance of the more summery fruits and that ginger I associate more with winter treats. It’s tasty and energizing, a good choice for those who don’t feel up to a good stout or a fruity but heavy modern IPA.

Supplier: La Mundial

Price: €10

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