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straightforward

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It’s back to my stouts, just in time for days to be less sweltering. It even gets just a bit uncomfortable to be uncovered at night now. Somehow it seems fitting to pick up this particular stout, a collab between dear Arpus and Blackout of Romania. Catch that? Blackout? See what…yeah, anyway. As usual, Arpus does not put an ear catching name on their beer, merely describing what you can expect. In this case, it’s Chocolate Cinnamon Chilli Imperial Stout. That’s a mouthful, in a couple of ways. The can makes a lot of promises about the pleasures within, and I have a certain degree of trust in Arpus, but these stouts don’t always deliver on all the details. Time to dive in.

Delightfully dark pouring out with a darkish beige topper of foam. The head bubbles away like a mess of Poprocks – revisit glass cleaning? It’s certainly chocolatey, a dark hot chocolate aroma wafts up, with a touch of cherry. Maybe even cherry liquor. The first thing one notices on drinking is the feel. It’s thick and heavy while being smooth and unbelligerent. I keep waiting for the chilli to make its appearance, and it takes some time. Eventually it does start a slow and controlled burn (something that several areas of the country would be wishing for right now), but there’s no explosion of spice or pepper. Fruit is also present in the taste, possibly the blend of cinnamon and chocolate produces the feeling. A little gastronomic placebo. A surprising ingredient is Tabasco sauce. That’s actually where the heat comes from, and I’m impressed that that bit of vinegar is smoothly covered over. The impression is of a rich chocolate cake, possibly filled with some kind of jelly or nougat. Unlike some other chilli stouts, the spice remains low and only a mild tickle. It’s almost disappointing, but at the same time it’s the kind of stout that can be picked up any day at any time, not one you have to plan around with other drinks and food. A splendid result for this collaboration.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €8.50

roll for luck

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It’s coming down to the end and I just need to fill another week with beer. As if that’s a problem. Maybe today I’ll take a short detour from the path of darkness, and pour out something new and shiny – a West Coast Pils. Hang on, what’s that? Is it just a pilsner with West Coast hops? According to some, it does hang quite a bit on the hops, although not exclusively. This one is primarily flavored with Krush, which is indeed a hop from the West Coast, and also “a touch of Citra”. It was the newish style plus the name Loco Dice that decided me, and only checking out did I realize it was from Garage. Now I’m well and truly sold on it.

It’s ridiculously light, with an abundant head that almost glows. It’s also perfectly clear, showing the tiny bubbles flying around like sea monkeys. The hops are present from the first second of the can being opened, jungly, catnippy, hitting both West Coast and pilsner notes. Straight from the beer, the aroma is extra bready and with a generous helping of savory. It’s like a liquid pretzel. A little bit of salty spice comes through in the flavor, but it’s definitely balanced with a natural grain sweetness. I’m pulled to try to identify a fruit sensation in keeping with the traditional connection of WC with IPA, but it really pulls off the pilsner. There’s that touch of honey and lemon that the classic ones give you, after a startling caraway puff into your nose. Despite it’s pilsiness and appearance of a quiet summer drink, it has a complexity that you feel the need to examine and almost brood over. From Garage, you can expect no less.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €5.75

a possible preview

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Boy, time flies when you’re having fun with beer, and it’s the last Arriaca in my stash. Maybe the red IPA would have been nice to save for the end, something powerful to go out with a bang to, but I do have a soft spot for märzens. I like to have one at the end of most days to shove me off to sleep. Thus far, Arriaca has been strong in both drinkabiliy and style compliance, so we can expect nothing less from Tostada Märzen. Just letting the Spanish drinker know what they’re in for with that first part, I guess.

It’s as typical a märzen as you could find, with the reddish gold color, the slightly honeyed aroma, and the rough malty flavor. As similar as it appears to Voll Damm, it has a little more stability and body. It’s smooth and soft, very pleasant drinking, and would be a nice counterpoint to sour-savory kraut and wurst or the blandness of potatoes. I have Oktoberfest on my mind already, especially since I’ve already seen signs around town for it. Maybe it’s a little heavy for some, but märzen is supposed to carry the strength of a whole summer of lagering. Once again, Arriaca shows its talent and skill, producing a quality beer that’s a true representative of its style and its maker.

ruby noma

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Now we’re getting daring! Parting from the pale ale and lager, it’s time for a red IPA, and Imperial Red IPA to boot! At least it must have been easy to choose the color for the label. I have learned that Arriaca was the first craft beer to appear in cans, certainly a trend later and practically the norm now, and one of the founders of AECAI, the association of independent Spanish craft brewers. They aren’t as old as some, but they are more than a decade old at this point, and as far as I can tell are still forging their own path. It’s probably a little romantic to hope for things to be long-lasting and unchanging, or at least changing slowly, in this day and age, but we all need some stability in our lives.

This is an appetizing look, with a dark rusty brown liquid and a thick off-white head. This one, despite its IPA category, is not especially aromatic. There’s just a little tickle of hops, but it’s more toasty than fruity. Like many red ales, it doesn’t follow a particular pattern, but has a wavering flavor between sweet and bitter. For most of the sip it’s on the sweet side, but there’s a definite bitter aftertaste. It has a well formed body that fills the mouth without being overwhelming, goes down easily, and is disarmingly soft for its alcohol content. It’s a little dangerous in fact, so easy to sip down that if you’re not careful you’ll have drunk the whole can, and a second one, before you know it.

hop day

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Right in the middle of my Arriaca flight, with a hoppy lager. While a more modern style, I’m expecting something of a traditional bent, much like their ales. My can is a little dirty, which I didn’t notice before, but it must have been something that happened on the shelf. The shitty fridge isn’t going to have dirt raining down from the top, is it? Nobody’s complained about food contamination yet. I’m a little disappointed that Arriaca does not list their hops like some other breweries do; it would be interesting to compare the varieties used in their styles.

This one has aroma that leaps out of the can. It’s not quite head-butting, but it makes itself known. The look is classic lager, bright golden color and bright white head, which really fills up the top of the glass. It takes its protective role seriously for this beer, I see. The taste is also practically an homage to traditional lagers, with sweet maltiness and just a touch of hops to cover up excess grain (not that I suspect excesses). It’s a bright call to arms, more energetic than the session IPA, although not too much more complex. It has a few layers to it, with the malt and a touch of lemon and honey. The frothy head decreases little by little, but pouring out the rest of the can revives it to its original glory. It’s a well balanced hoppy lager, with both components clearly detectable, but in a way that complements each other rather than fighting for attention.

quiet session

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Day two of Arriaca “flight¨, and I’m taking it easy. Today it’s their Session IPA, at less than 4%. It seems like the brewery is more active in fairs and industry activities towards the north of the country, showing in Salón Gourmets and winning medals in Barcelona and Frankfurt. I don’t know if the beer fairs of Madrid have become too small for their gastronomic ambitions, but there’s nothing wrong with pushing beer to a higher standard of recognition. It’s been the drink of kings, after all.

It appears to be a lighter version of the regular IPA, a more sunny golden color, and fluffily heady. Slightly spicier aroma, but still clearly in the IPA family. The session IPA is actually heavier on the citrus than the regular one, very orangey and tart. It doesn’t have the background of maltiness in the taste, being very clean and sharp. It’s a tasty but simple flavor. As a session IPA, it has a light feel and maybe the unsandwiched notes are best for its probable habitat – an afternoon drink or a nightcap, probably no meal, potentially a group sitting around having a good conversation.

a jaunt down memory lane

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My world tour might be over but my month of beer is not. Just over halfway through, so still a few days to go. I have another small series in line – Arriaca. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed an Arriaca, they used to be a little more present in the craft beer bars, being from nearby Guadalajara. Now, they’re easier to find canned on a supermarket shelf. Good for them, although it does make you wonder about their craft cred. I haven’t seen anything that shows them “selling out” at all, or doing collaborations that might tarnish their name, like some of our early craft friends. They have changed up the cans and modernized the labels a little, but it looks like pretty standard fare. They’re a brewery that always went for a quality known style rather than being overly experimental. Somebody has to do it! I’m starting simple this, with their IPA.

It looks like just the thing you want in an IPA, very clear, dark gold, abundantly headed. Quite a few bubbles decorate the sides of the glass, without obscuring the clarity. It also has the modern classic aroma, tropical citrus hops. It’s much maltier on the tongue than I expected, adding a touch of honey to the buzzy bitter. It has a pretty robust body on it, although there isn’t a lot of aftertaste or odd sensations left behind. There’s kind of a sugar cookie flavor to it, albeit one without that much sugar. It’s a striking example of the 21st century IPA, while still having nods to the historical style. It makes me wish Arriaca was more easily found on tap. Or hell, in a fridge.

music to your mouth

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Well, the final leg of my international beer tour is upon me, at least for now. This is a little bit surprising too: a French Irish stout. As usual, the name of the craft brewery is in English, but the beer has a French name. This is Filé La Laine from Jukebox, an Irish Extra Stout. It’s been a weird day weatherwise, with a small rainstorm in the afternoon, but all day has been cloudy. A lot like Ireland, I guess. Jukebox is in Cognac, of all places, which I don’t know if it has dreary, rainy weather. It does make me think that a barrel aged stout would have been a more appropriate choice. Maybe they do make one…? Can’t find confirmation, although there are references to several more powerful stouts that were not on the shelf this time around. Oh well, I guess it keeps me coming back.

Portrait at dusk

It’s a solid brown being poured out, but opaque in the glass and with abundant dark beige head. The head dissipates quickly, though. It smells a little burned, but chocolatey, like brownies you didn’t keep an eye on. It’s smooth feeling and with a blend of malt and toast that rings true to classic stouts. It’s a laid-back although solid kind of beer, not one that needs to show off. It’s kind of a meal beer, seeming like something that would be happy with something beside it. Although it’s smooth and light, it starts to build up over time, leaving some kind of filmy afterfeel, which would probably be taken care of by a little snack. Is it my favorite stout of recent times? No, but it’s certainly a fine specimen, and one that might make a Guinness drinker think twice.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €6.75

better angels

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Oh yes, continue my path of stouts, and the Euro-tourism. Now I’m actually outside the EU, since Vocation is an English brewery. Hey, if anybody is going to know how to make a good stout, right? Oh, wait, I guess I should be saying that about a porter. Stouts might have arisen from porters, but the two modern styles are more likely to compete than lift each other up. It’s a very tempting stout from the label, even without a lot of color, very fitting for its name – Sweet Temptation Naughty & Nice. I don’t see what’s supposed to be naughty about it, it all looks like fine flavors and aromas to me. It isn’t even the alcohol, which is at a noticeable but not crazy 6.6%. I guess it’s the whole decadence of this extra sweet and pampering beer that you’re supposed to feel is a little less proper than a standard lager or the like.

The head is much more stable now, so glass cleaning has been successful. Dark beige foam and dark brown beer, it definitely looks the part of a chocolate stout. There’s a strong scent of chocolate syrup, nothing smoky or toasty here. The first sip is sweet alright, but it’s also clean and slick, with just enough to delight you without any heavy sugar. There’s little to no aftertaste, once you swallow, it’s gone. It’s almost disappointing in its smooth simplicity. The can promised more layers and some stouty toastiness, which I am not finding. I am getting kind of a buttery sensation, though, something I don’t imagine was intended originally. Maybe I’m misinterpreting the caramel?

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €4.40

the floor is

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I’m still on my European tour, now in Poland! I feel like I may have had Funky Fluid before, but if I have I wasn’t blogging it. I’m pretty certain whatever I had was not Lava. A 12% peated imperial stout. That will leave you burning for sure. Apparently, it’s also sold as a barrel-aged version, but for some reason that one was not on the shelf. Well, I can probably guess the reason. So, a stout does not need to be exceptionally cold to be palatable, and even benefits from being more flavorful, so the shitty fridge will be just fine.

Again, head fizzes away in seconds. I really have to do something with my glass. Otherwise, it’s a fine looking beer, a nice dark brown and only a touch of smoke in the aroma. There’s a hint of chocolate swimming around in there too, so it’s not as much like the fire from a few days ago and more like a boiling pot of hot chocolate. The taste though, wow! It reminds me of bacon chocolate bonbons, with that meaty flavor all wrapped up in sweetness. Most bacon candy isn’t smoked as far as I know, so that’s a difference. It isn’t a delicate beer at all, although it doesn’t look very heavy being poured, it packs quite a punch. There’s some residue that you have hanging around the back of your tongue for a while, which might be good at preventing you from drinking this one too fast. There isn’t much aftertaste and the memory of the sweetness lingers more than the smoke. I would appreciate some food with this beer, as smoked beers aren’t really my favorite, although the snacks would have to be subtly flavored themselves to not start a fight.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €7.99

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