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Imperial Stout

brighten up the evening

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It’s practically spring in Madrid, rain almost never stops, the temperatures are in fact quite pleasant, and yet it still feels like the beginning of the year. I turn to my stouts for stabilization. While many have cheeky, punny names, this one is very straightforward – Bourbon Barrel Aged Chocolate x Coffee Imperial Stout 2025. It’s one of Arpus’s special brews, a bit more expensive than I typically allow myself, but I’m thinking of it as an appeal to karma. And it does sound like a damn special beer. Arpus makes some real crowd pleasers, in spite of their unpretentious naming. Even people who aren’t especially fans of beer like their sours. I have been witness to such miracles.

Deliciously slick pouring, appetizingly dark color, nice mocha head, although it fizzes away. There’s a good pinch of bourbon aroma with some chocolate/vanilla background. It has a typical rough around the edges essence of many barrel aged beers, like you have to look out for splinters. But of course, the beer itself has practically no roughness at all. There’s just a bit of bubbliness, to keep you aware that it’s there, but it’s an overall smooth and syrupy sensation. There’s a definite weight and robust mouthfeel; unsurprisingly, this imperial stout is no pushover. Some dried fruit flavors start to push through after a while, adding complexity and depth. I can’t say that I detect a great amount of coffee, but there is a hint of smoke that starts to puff out once you really get into the glass. Arpus doesn’t bother giving their beers fun and clever names, but all the creativity and energy definitely goes into the beer itself. If I had to choose, I would support the emotional investment in the beer, hobby drinker that I am.

Supplier: HIdden Beers
Price: €13.99

dvanactý

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On the twelfth day of Beermas I went and got for me
Twelve thunders thundering
Eleven drinkers drinking
Ten drug lords delivering
Nine priestesses priesting
Eight pirate maids a-sailing
Seven boney swimmers
Six geese post-laying
Five gold nuts
Four obvious non-kiwis
A three-time remade masterpiece
Two guarding lions
And a crow glaring silently

It’s the end! Another Beermas drunk through! There were some stretches in meaning and metaphor here and there, but there’s always one that just doesn’t fit like you hope for. This final beer is a good finale. It was the label that caught my eye with the wild sky and moody color palate, but then I saw the brewery: Laugar. Hooray! And then I saw the style: Imperial Stout with marshmallows. Double and triple hooray! Nimbus carries a threat of rain and dark days, but with a sweet surprise, or maybe a consolation. The solstice is over anyway, so we’re on the way to brighter and brighter times.

Beautiful pour wit a sensible amount of mocha head. It doesn’t look quite as thick as number ten, but still presents body and substance. There’s a vapory whisp of marshmallow in the aroma, riding a stout dragon through the storm clouds of the can. The smell is disarmingly light so when you take a sip it’s a real wallop. While not the thickest beer ever, there’s a good amount of weight that floods over the tongue, and the touch of marshmallow sweetnes gives the whole thing an essence of s’more. It’s silkier than Midnight Call, really in keeping with the stouts from Laugar. Even though they produce some heavy hitters, and Nimbus comes in at 10.5%, the majority of their stouts are easy to pour down the hatch, even dangerously so. This is quite a climax to my Beermas; sometimes the stars, or the clouds, align.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €7.18

décimo

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On the tenth day of Beermas I went and got for me
Ten drug lords delivering
Nine priestesses priesting
Eight pirate maids a-sailing
Seven boney swimmers
Six geese post-laying
Five gold nuts
Four obvious non-kiwis
A three-time remade masterpiece
Two guarding lions
And a crow glaring silently

Hey…isn’t that a scene from a Tarantino movie? Not the famous one, that other one, less famous and sillier. Well, maybe not, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, or any Tarantino movie for that matter. Suggestions for holiday films? Ok, not only is it stirring film nostalgia, it’s an imperial stout (finally!) and from La Quince. A safe bet if I’ve ever heard one. Maybe I’m stretching the definition of lord, but I imagine people in illegal occupations do a lot of leaping. If not physically, then morally and philosophically. Collaborator Seven Island is a Greek outfit, so philosophy is almost certainly a part of this beer. I seem to recall an earlier collab with Yria that resulted in a stout that would leave you one the floor – almost literally, since it was a seventeen percenter. Midnight Call looks powerful, but manageable. Let’s find out!

First time in a while I don’t get a good head on the first pour, but there is a little beige crown there. While not pitch black, it’s a pleasing dark brown, hot fudge syrup if I had to compare it. The aroma is pretty standard stout, a little toast and earth. Wow, it’s a real mouth filler! The taste is surprisingly subdued for such thickness. It hits hard with bitter, but then there’s a support structure of something sweet. Could it be the oats? It has kind of a breakfast element to it. There’s a tingling to the sip, like a thousand teeny tiny bubbles at once. It does leave a sticky residue on the lips, although no unpleasant aftertaste or other problems. Is it one that you’d get a hankering for at midnight? A secret treat that has to come under cover of darkness? That might make it more exciting, but stouts are a pretty acceptable indulgence. I would call for this beer any time.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €7.50

warmer upper

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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

true names

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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

counted

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Officially fall and no excuses to not have a black beer. I’m not exactly enamored of oatmeal stouts, they are often a little too soft for my demanding tastes, but they can be a pleasant evening unwinder. This one comes from Garage, so we can be sure that it will be delicious. It’s also an Imperial Oatmeal Stout, so any concerns about lightness are probably in vain. The label makes me wonder if I should be working to put this beer together with a good meal, but I just can’t be bothered. Yambic Pentameter will have to do on its own, and going by the name it’s one that would be put off by a heavy meal anyway. It could very well want to have center stage to itself.

The can is quite full and spits out a little on opening. It looks fizzy although not too thick, just oozing out onto the top. A good pour produces a good, mocha colored, fluffy head, but little aroma. I have to really get my nose in there to find that fine stoutiness. It has some dusty sweet oats and a touch of malt. The flavor and feel are a surprise compared to the scent; I was expecting something lightly sweet, not exceptionally thick, a mild and calming evening drink. Instead, it’s bold and thick, full of body, and real oatmeal feel. There’s kind of a licorice aftertaste that I wasn’t expecting either. After a while I get something kind of appley, like apple cinnamon oatmeal. Well, actually not as sweet as that tends to be, just a nice level of inviting snackiness. It bridges the summery desire for sugar and relaxation with the fall feeling of warmth and energy.

Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €9.40

mine!

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It’s a almost a new month, with old tastes. Sure, there will be some surprises later on, but for now, my old reliable stouts. There’s something both ancestral and futuristic about this label. That animal could easily be some kind of heraldic symbol, but it could also be a modern fever dream. The website for Stigbergets does not provide much history, so I’m guessing they aren’t some off-shoot of a traditional brewery. Fever dream seagull it is. The name Batch 1000 gives the impression of some kind of experiment, although it could also be that they’re just counting their production closely. 1000 is a big number, but with a number of beers going on, it could also be fairly soon after founding. Let’s see if it lives up to the aura of the big, round number.

Extra dark and heady, with almost a milk chocolate foam crowning this beast. The aroma is subtle, peeking out from under a bush, just light touches of malt. Somehow I smell more forest than field, it’s interesting. It’s quite a thick and heavy stout, oozy yet smooth body. Even the earthy bitterness is mild and muted, leaving the mouthfeel to do all the work of making you work at drinking it. It has a sophisticated and classic taste, leaning on tradition and history rather than any sort of experimental surprise. After some time it develops a warmer, woodier, toastier flavor, while maintaining a good amount of body without falling into stickiness. It’s not dazzling with bells and whistles, but it’s a beer you might fight off a seagull to keep.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €9

carved out

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This was the first beer I grabbed off Más Que Cerveza’s shelf, with that luscious cake on the can and the promise of a dessert stout in the name. It certainly looks promising, this Black Forest Gateau. It’s an imperial milk stout with cherry puree and aged on oak chips, which makes it sound all fancy. I assumed Soul Fire was an English brewery, but the price should have tipped me off; you don’t often find big cans under €5 anymore, and an imported one would be absolutely unheard of. It is, in fact, a Spanish brewery, based in Jerez de la Frontera. The contact with wine-making was a benefit for a lot of the early craft breweries in the center of Spain, so maybe sherry will have a similar effect.

Finally a blacker stout, not so heady as recent ones though. There’s chocolate in the aroma, but with some kind of rubber. It smells more like a chocolate toy than real chocolate. Keep sniffing and the cherries will also come out to greet you shyly. Not as sweet as the name implies, and a little rubbery in flavor too. I wonder if it’s some reaction in the oak that brings that out. Eventually the fruit essence goes more banana than cherry but it never really gets sweeter. The woodiness comes out more and gets a little rougher, which is something different. Although the flavor is unignorable, the beer itself has a very light feel and a certain smoothness in spite of the up-front oak presence. I think this one would really benefit from some dessert along with it, just so you don’t feel like you’re chewing on wood chips through the whole can. It starts to pick up some smokiness after a while, is the wood doing something special in there? I can’t say that this is my favorite of any recent beers, or even one I would recommend. Somebody probably likes it, but I wouldn’t want to presume.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €4.89

don’t get salty

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Can I ever get enough stouts? Nope! At least this is a little bit of a change with the country of origin. Who wants a fancy French beer? That’s right, Fauve Sensation Pure a chocolate and caramel beer, comes from the land of wine. The beer stores are still well stocked with stouts, but I notice that the bars don’t have all that many on tap or in bottles/cans. I thought this was the year of the stout! Maybe I’ll just have to wait a little longer.

This one is also more brown than black, and a little thinner brown that yesterday’s. Still good head. The aroma is packed with caramel, with a touch of chocolate and salt. It’s a dark chocolate caramel filled snack bar. Again, it isn’t as sweet as expected, but there is a hint of sweetness that slips through the middle of the suckerpunch of bitterness. It’s almost old IPA bitter, since the beer is not exceptionally weighty. It feels sneaky, like it has something it’s hiding from you, waiting to spring it when you least expect it. The dark chocolate bitterness is almost overwhelming, but it does keep you from sucking it down too fast, at its 12%. It starts out a little rough around the edges, but smooths out with some time. I wasn’t feeling the pastry side of it at first, but eventually it comes around.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €6.50

eyes on the skies

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Continuing on the dark path, there’s a little dark humor to be had too. First I was tickled by the price tag calling this an “impy” stout, and then I saw the name: Beware Oblivion Is At Hand. The label seems to imply that Mayan temples were build before the extinction of the dinosaurs, or that a T-rex or similar species survived in Mesoamerica into practically modern times. It’s a statement that feels right these days, what with all the bullshit going on, and even if the world gets past another potential political disaster, there are plenty of individual oblivions for individual reasons to go around. At the same time, there’s a message of hope in the beer description, since they end telling us that whatever we’re going through our ancestors got through it. Although, if our ancestors had already reproduced they could have easily met unsolvable oblivion in adulthood and we would still be here.

Not much head to this one, but still good looking liquidly. This one also has a hot chocolate aroma to it, but more of a milk chocolate than a dark. The taste is strongly chocolate, and more of a milk chocolate there too. It’s a pure chocolate bar, not a fancy filled one with fruit or liquor. It’s simplicity is almost soothing, it’s a beer you can almost mindlessly drink. It remains steady over time, not getting syrupy or developing any odd flavors as it warms up. It is fairly strong at 11%, so it’s not one that you can just pour down your throat. It is most certainly a joy, though, one that might get you through the end of the world.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €8.95

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