English beer – Let's Learn Beer!

kernel of joy

por Ceit
febrero 17, 2024marzo 2, 2024

Still winter, technically, but the temperatures might cause you to doubt just a little. Or at least doubt where you are. But I still have the hankering for the dark beers, so I can’t refuse a stout when it comes my way. It’s a little different from most that catch my eye, a so-called Imperial Brown Stout, but it comes from The Kernel, which has its fame and its fans. A simple brown rather than a more profound black should be welcome once in a while anyway.

It’s a good dark brown, not the lightest purported stout I’ve ever seen. It releases just a whiff of toasty malt aroma as it pours and produces a neat and not too thick beige head. In the glass, it has a little more of a grainy sharp scent, a little lighter than some stouts, to go with the color I suppose. It’s very toasty in flavor, and much heavier than I was expecting. In spite of the evident smoke on the palate, it’s a smooth and easy beer for drinking. It seems to have a tiny bite of hop, like a hoppy lager or a really laid-back black IPA. Despite its subdued feel, it’s quite a strong beer at over 9%, but it doesn’t quite drink so strongly. The overall feel might be what knocks people out first.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €7.40

let down

por Ceit
diciembre 8, 2023noviembre 18, 2023

Another pre-holiday holiday, so maybe it’s a good time to break out another seasonal beer. St. Peter’s has a safe place among beers, so it seemed like the way to go rather than another Belgian. There are plenty of days left to give another one a chance. Christmas Ale has a more festive label than their standard beers and promises some festive flavors as well.

Similar in appearance to Delirium, but less explosive. There’s kind of a fruitcake aroma to it, happy and light. But, there’s something else in there too, something dark and … peppery? It definitely has a stronger flavor than Delirium, but it’s a weird, kind of dishwatery flavor. Is the Christmas ale off? It certainly doesn’t have the spicy tastes that the label says, and there is that bit of cardboard that isn’t a great thing for a beer’s preservation status. It feels like it’s trying to come back from the poor first impression, throwing a little apple cider into the mix, but it just doesn’t come up to expectations. Kind of sad, but maybe we should be more used to disappointments these days.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €4.99