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IPA

siebte

  • por

On the seventh day of Beermas I went and got for me
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 not swans, but it’s definitely swimming. Or at least it’s something that used to swim, until being snatched up by undead hands. Somehow I think O Fortuna has several levels hiding in its name. It’s a complicated beer, DDH West Coast IPA, and to go with that it’s a collaboration between three, count ’em three, breweries. The magic of working together on a concoction has a fairy tale ring to it, three witches brewing up a potion that can only be counteracted by seven feathers of seven swans from seven seas, or some mystical folk numerology like that.

We’re back to clear, golden, blinding white headed brew, with a heavy and spicy aroma fitting of West Coast IPAs. There’s a mix of snappy hops and pine, and a sort of hot marmalade. The blend of perfume is reflected in the taste, although there’s more sourness and grain on the tongue. It dances and sparkles on the tongue, like fingerbones tapping. There’s a sweet center hiding in a ball of roughage and savory herbs, hard to identify exactly, but always peeking out. It’s like the setting sun in a mostly cloudy sky.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €7.40

sexto

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On the sixth day of Beermas I went and got for me
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 not every time that you can find the exact bird, but geese aren’t all that unusual. These geese have hatched after the laying, though. The name seems to be sarcastic; I don’t remember ever noticing geese flying in silence, or even walking that quietly. It’s just an IPA, from Barcelona’s Little Rain, no super hopping or extra zap, but it is a classic style. Classics usually hang around for a reason.

All the recent beers have been very foamy and this one is no exception. It seems to have been filled right to capacity and there’s a threat of an escape when the tab pops. The head does not actually hang around very long, releasing a standard IPA hops cloud. There’s also some kind of rubbery smell lurking in there. The taste starts out like a more traditional bitter IPA with a light coating of more modern fruity hops, but suddenly it’s all wrapped up in a raincoat. And in rubber boots. I guess that’s to go with the name.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €6.31

čtvrtý

  • por

On the fourth day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Four obvious non-kiwis
A three-time remade masterpiece
Two guarding lions
And a crow glaring silently

It’s a perfect match! Four calling birds! Actually, I can’t tell if they’re calling from the label, but they look like maybe swallows and I recall them being a bit vocal. But then the brewery – Doskiwis? Only two! And they don’t fly! And the beer name is just…Ideal. It’s not my ideal, not being a stout, but those hazy IPAs can be good drinking.

It’s somewhat of a lighter color, but still cloudy and heady, albeit with bigger bubbles. It has a more relaxed aroma, just a distant call of orange at first, with an aftersniff of pine. It’s also very quiet in flavor, no big IPA bitter or tropicality, kind of a melony essence. There’s a sharp feel to the beer that comes at the end of the sip and trails off like it’s supposed to raise an aftertaste, but it’s more feel than flavor. I guess there’s an airiness to it, something that pulls you up and out, inviting spiritual expansion. You feel like there’s a stronger sensation somewhere just waiting for you. Maybe this is a beer to encourage you to spread your wings.

Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €7.50

dritte

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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

  • por

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

mediaticly recommended

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One of my semi-secret treats to myself is watching videos on The Craft Beer Channel. They are a UK based channel, so a lot of their content is focused on the products of their nation, as is fitting. I’ve head them mention St. Austell’s Proper Job IPA more than once, and especially recently, so if there’s a choice to be made for something not stout, maybe go with something that has a presence among the experts? It’s unseasonably warm these days still, so this is a style that would be more popular among the masses. Also, this is heavily hopped, so just what people who feel a little nostalgia for the early days of craft might be looking for.

It looks like a picture dictionary entry of beer, with the right color, head and bitsy bubbles. The aroma is lagery at first, with grain and grass, but the hop tickle comes in at the end with a touch of spice. It tastes like a standard English IPA, maybe a little less bitter, but not very fruity and wild like its modern counterparts. Despite the simplicity of flavor there’s also a depth there, a towering brightness that illuminates your mouth and prepares you for launching a blistering opinion on that classic film you just saw (totally a classic/totally overrated). Since it isn’t an extra strong IPA, it has a gentle and friendly feel, very much for the street or a party that you don’t want to miss too much of. It’s another last gasp of summer, although we might be past those by now.

Supplier:
Price: €6+

what do you expect?

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Picked up a few new gems from Hidden Beers, reopened after the summer holidays. I didn’t get my email in correctly though, so the exact prices have flown off into the ether. They’re a little over 6 euros each, that much I can be sure of. Close enough? I was hoping for more stouts or themed beers, but there wasn’t much to be had. There was this DDH double IPA, with a season appropriate design. Leave it to Germans to give us just what we need when we’re on a beer hunt. Sudden Death’s Devil In Disguise might burn a hole in my throat if DDH beers of the past have given me anything to go by. It might start out nice, you know, in disguise, but eventually that fiery devil will have to come out.

Bright and sunny looking liquid and frothy laundry-white head, this devil definitely appears friendly at first glance. The aroma is sweet on top but layered on nuttiness and savoriness. The savory comes out first in the flavor, followed by a melony feel and peachy finish. There’s some pith lurking in the aftertaste, but it’s very smooth in feel in general. It starts to develop almost a candy flavor, with a mix of lemon and butterscotch. It’s not the rough and tumble DDH I was expecting, but maybe that’s part of the disguise. Maybe there’s a big pile of grassy, caraway sediment on the bottom waiting to surprise me. No, there is not. The beer remains pleasant, smooth and weirdly desserty to the end. I don’t think I want to complain much about it though, it’s been unseasonably warm and a sugary treat gives you energy to get to the shade.

Supplier: Hidden Beers
Price: €6+

ruby noma

  • por

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.

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.

no punch

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The only nice thing about not being in the city center should be having less cement around you, but this neighborhood is at least as paved as any central neighborhood. Yes, there are some dirt areas trying to nourish some plant life, but the streets and the luxuriously wide sidewalks are all cemented and bricked and fake stoned, and they do not stop being little ovens after the sun goes down. Last week, when it was very windy, it was bearable, I must admit. Anyway, enough complaints, it’s time for a drink! This one impressed the guy at Hidden Beers when I pulled it out of the fridge and he waxed eloquent over its positive qualities. It’s an IPA, with no other qualifiers, from Triple Crossing in Virginia, very well made, very stable, very drinkable. It certainly looks to me like it has aspirations. Ready to fly into the sun, perhaps. Here comes Falcon Smash!

Once again, an abundance of foam in the first pour. It’s not quite completely white, and very bubbly. The beer itself is bright gold and just a little cloudy. It gives off a typical IPA aroma, slightly citrus and gruffly hoppy underneath. Most of the head vanishes in a minute or so, leaving a sort of crown around the edges of the glass. A fried egg of a beer, looking down on it. There’s a lot more forest in this IPA than tropics, tilting it towards more classic English styles with a touch of West Coast. It has a snap of citrus at first, but it gets rolled over with pine and climbing vines. Although smooth and light, it has a stickiness that hangs around the mouth, without any unpleasant aftertaste, just a sensation of just having swallowed something. While it looks like the perfect summertime beer, it has a deep almost bitter to it that lurks and clings, and might make it less refreshing than you want for a sidewalk drink. Inside, with the A/C wafting over you, you might just have a winner.

Supplier: Hidden Beers
Price: €9.99

PS. I learned about a week ago that Chinaski has shut its doors, so there goes another craft bar in town. Sure, they have a taproom in Valdemoro, but how often do I go there? Maybe I should look into it.

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