I’m excited for something from La Quince, although it isn’t a famous Black Velvet. Maybe a later date? Anyway, this is something that might tickle anime fans with the picture on the label, and maybe the name Angry Boy would make more sense to them too. It’s a DDH Cream IPA, which doesn’t sound like an aggressive or punchy style, but I have been fooled by light-sounding modifiers to IPA before. It’s a respectable level of alcohol at over 6%, so it shouldn’t be watered down in any way.
Very light – creamy- color, and almost whipped cream resting on top. Just popping the top of the can releases a slightly spicy fragrance. There’s a flowery perfume too, a sophisticated blend of hops. The taste is very subtle at first, but soon a little clovery sweetness makes an appearance, washed down by a light IPA bitter. Some spikes of bread also pop up. It’s a soft tasting beer, despite being double dry hopped, so maybe things got better kept in the aroma. There’s some sensation in the aftertaste, warming the throat and tickling the back of the tongue. It settles down into a pretty stable but layered flavor, a bed of bitter and a topping of sweetness. Much sweeter than you expect an angry boy to be.
I got my beer calendar, weeks before I even expected it, and excitedly ripped into day 1…only to see sin alcohol on the can. Alcohol free? In a craft beer calendar? Is the universe trying to tell me something? At least it is an interesting craft style, a hazy IPA, and from a reliable brewery. Actually, Boira is a collaboration between trusty Guineu and Althaia. If they made the effort to bring the beer out, I guess I can make an effort to drink it.
Very cloudy and a very pale color greet me, not a bad aroma at all with a little bread and a little ginger (but not quite gingerbread), and a wrapping of grapefruit. The head forms with relatively large bubbles and vanishes within seconds. Now it really looks like a fizzy lemonade, one you would expect to be “organic”. Flavorwise, it’s the grapefruit that comes out on top. The bitterness is heavy although the beer itself feels almost effervescent, and it doesn’t have the sharpness that some hazies or NEIPAs end up with. It’s not a bad imitation of its alcoholic counterpart, maintaining a feeling of bitter beer juice and citrus snap that is the attraction of the style. It has less juice than many “real” NEIPAs, but there are quite a few that it lines right up with.
Beermad is back in force, doing its biannual meets, and once again it was in Casa de Campo. The space has been alright, although not quite as well equipped with toilets as Caja Mágica was; still, a bit better than the port-a-potties outside the Railroad Museum. I had been thinking about heading up to the Barcelona Beer Festival sometime soon, but it turns out it was the very same weekend this year. Oh well, another time it shall be…
Being the antisocial introvert that I am, I got my ticket for Sunday morning, since I figured there would be fewer people desperate to get in. I was right, it was pretty calm in the beginning, although I have to say it was a little sadly calm. People did fill in over the next couple of hours, but the space felt empty somehow, like there weren’t as many stands as other times and less movement in general. It could have just been my impression. I will say that they did not have such loud music as last time, which I appreciated.
Another thing I am is a sucker for black beers and I did go looking for one to start with. It was a slow start, relatively, with Leoncia’s Irish Stout. Only 4.5%, but good color and appropriately stouty aroma. Nice head at first, but it dies off quickly. Vaguely bitter-toasty, with a light and fizzy feel, pretty much what I expect from the more moneyed stouts. It’s not a pastry stout or infused with any special flavors or barrel aging, it’s a very plain and straightforward kind of drink. A perfectly fine beer example, and one I would recommend over any number of macros.
Ever since I first saw their logo, I’ve had kind of a soft spot for 28030 Brewing. The tree of knowledge, the play on the symbol of Madrid, it just fit too perfectly. And hey! The beer ain’t bad either. To go to an extreme, I chose Mango Vice Fruit IPA. There were actually a good number of fruity IPAs and the like to choose from, more than dark beers disappointingly, but I am happy to alternate. The appearance is very pleasing, cloudy and juicy, with a slightly herbal scent, and a thickish head that dies back to a thin mat after a few minutes. It has a very juicy taste, natural, like a fresh-crushed mango, and some slight orange juice in the background for some more liquid. It’s rather like a NEIPA at its best, although not using the name. There’s a touch of sweet, a thick but smooth feel, and some grassy/herbal aftertaste. It’s not cilantro exactly, but I feel like it’s in the family.
I go back to black and it’s GO! Gata Negra stout now. It was touted as very smooth, and indeed it is – light hints of chocolate, not as much coffee as you might fear. Some touch of sour lurks, like milk just about to go off, but it’s more yogurty than dangerous. It’s a little more delightful than the Irish stout, more in tune with my picky sensibilities.
I got roped in by La Candaja, ready to provide me with something to my taste. They were pretty sure their Pasión NEIPA would do the trick and by god it did. Super smooth, silky, leaves a feeling of peace down your throat. It’s not exceptionally aromatic, but tastewise it’s perfect – a little juice, a good amount of beer, everything softly blended for an exquisitely refreshing drink.
Still plenty to choose from, and I let my linguistic curiosity point the finger. Ossegg was back and I had to ask about their use of let for their flights, and I was told that it was chosen specifically to reflect the English usage. How about that! Also, apparently, vuelo gets thrown around in Spain, although I have not come across it that I recall. Another Irish style was on the menu, and I was told it was quite a treat, so I end with an Irish Red Ale. It is a nice rounded beer, only mildly bitter, with a whisper of grain and a pleasantly full mouthfeel. It’s a middle-of-the-road kind of red, without extremes of flavor, soothing, not hit over the head with bitter or punched in the gut with sweet. It’s very enjoyable on its own, although it has the feeling of a beer made with the intention of accompanying a meal. Maybe it’s time to look into an end of year dinner.
It’s the month of darkness, of creeping horror, of the best of holidays. At yet, I ended up with an IPA to open it. Not only that, but crafty IPA more than a craft one. How dare I! Well, Alhambra is not a bad beer, especially in the bottle, and we do have to try things of all kinds. You never know when you’ll be in a situation with limited options. It looks appetizing anyway, Esencia Citra IPA does. But you can bet I’ll be looking for more frightening choices later on.
Instant lemony aroma, kind of a darker color than expected, but not that unusual for IPAs. Good head, very bubbly. Bitter, citrus and bread come in together, it’s a little surprisingly grainy for an IPA. The main flavors are definitely ale-y, though, with a very traditional bitter beeriness and a modern slice of Citra hops. It tends toward lemon or grapefruit rather than tropical fruits, leaving a feeling of wanting to be a summer beer. Still, there is a certain weight behind it while you drink, a little more muscle than most summertime, beach-lounging beers dare to show. It’s not quite as clean as you might think from the aroma, but it’s not an overwhelming amount of stickiness. The aftertaste tingles with light citrus, floating you on to the next sip without the need to hurry. In that, being a beer to take at your leisure, it is a beer for all seasons.
It’s vacation month here and things are slow and at odd hours. Of course, if I were a better planner it wouldn’t make any difference because these are things I know ahead of time, I just choose not to do anything about it. A macro beer, getting back to “roots”, is still easy enough to pick up, though. You can’t have supermarkets closing for an entire month. You can’t even really have them altering their hours significantly. Essential work, that’s what that is. Sipping San Miguel’s Manila India Pale Lager is really more of a luxury task. Yes, it is San Miguel, but I was told it was really alright, and Cruzcampo’s IPA wasn’t bad. So, might as well give it a try.
A relatively strongly aroma-ed lager, dark orangey color, and rather abundant head. It’s very heavy on the grain, but mildly sweet and bready, not grassy or toasty. The flavor follows closely with the scent at first, but lets in a little bit of deeper bitter at the end. It has a heavy, kind of old-fashioned lager feel, definitely not pilsner, which is interesting given the origins of San Miguel. Still, in a warmer climate you want to feel well stocked with energy as much as you want to be refreshed. Overall it’s smooth, no spikiness or bite on the way down, but there is some feeling of lingering bitterness. It’s less an aftertaste than a vague sensation, the shadow of bitter if you will. It develops a little more lager round feeling as it gets warmer, but the aroma maintains itself at a fresh and inviting state.
Speaking of poor planning, I found out about a beer store a couple weeks ago, put off and put off and put off going, and then this last week I was making the time – only to find it was closed for good! Too bad, Lambeer, it wasn’t meant to be.
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