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review

T(welve)-11

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On the eleventh day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Eleven whales blowing
10 lords a-robbing?
Nine night owls hooting
Eight maids not for cleaning
Seven avian vampire teasers
Six plans a-hatching
Five collaborations
Four miles of nowhere
Three tropical tree eggs
Two staring wings
And an icy raven looking needy

I almost pushed this one into number seven, for the swimming animal on the label, but those neck-like tubes could not be denied.  So, what to do with Mala Gissona’s Shackeltown IPA?  There’s definitely a connection to the sea; they brew their beers with the fortitude and solemnity of the old Basque whalers, or something like that.  Well, at least some sailors like to have a little music, a little wind instrument accompaniment.  Also, whales do a bit of blowing themselves.  There we go, our representation of pipes!  Less literal than some other years, but that’s the fun.

It’s a stunningly dark IPA, maybe more in line with older varieties. Very typical IPA aroma, though, bright, herbal, grabs the nose hard. The taste is juicy and modern, a very fruity kind of ale, like a fruit cocktail. There’s that citrus of course, but also a little pineapple and mango. Although the fruit feels like it should be sharp, the beer is very smooth and slides right down the throat. It’s actually very festive feeling, like a nice holiday punch. The bright and shiny IPAness of it would also make it palatable to those summer people who prefer their beer sunny and cheerful instead of dark and blankety like my best stout buddies.

T(welve)-10

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On the tenth day of Beermas I went and bought for me
10 lords a-robbing?
Nine night owls hooting
Nine night owls hooting
Eight maids not for cleaning
Seven avian vampire teasers
Six plans a-hatching
Five collaborations
Four miles of nowhere
Three tropical tree eggs
Two staring wings
And an icy raven looking needy

Oh, the things I’m willing to do for the season!  Drink a Belgian beer?  Well, alright, it does have somebody lordly on the label, so it goes with the song.  I’m also tickled that it says “Robijnrood” on one side, which I misread repeatedly as “Robinhood”.  Shows where my sympathies lie, I guess.  What it really is is a red ale, ruby red is the promise, from Brouwerij Haacht.  Charles Quint is no stranger to Belgian beers, but he also has his place in the Spanish beer world.

It does have some ruddiness to it in the glass, sort of a rusty brown color overall. Very light beige head sits firmly on top. It certainly smells Belgian, although not as sour or tangy as some. For the most part the aroma is sweet, although there’s just a touch of sour apple. In the mouth it is plainly a Belgian beer, malty, slightly sour, a real mouthful. It doesn’t have an unpleasant aftertaste, and the flavor is balanced and well under control before the swallow. It’s not a bad sipping, talking beer, with enough body to make snacks welcome but unnecessary.

T(welve)-9

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On the ninth day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Nine night owls hooting
Eight maids not for cleaning
Seven avian vampire teasers
Six plans a-hatching
Five collaborations
Four miles of nowhere
Three tropical tree eggs
Two staring wings
And an icy raven looking needy

Am I wasting a bird on dancing ladies?  Perhaps.  But damn if Night Owlers NEIPA didn’t call out to me for that night out.  It’s La Quince and Salama Brewing, another collab from the wise owl.  Can’t think of one that hasn’t turned out delicious.

Rather opaque, sort of lemonade cocktail look, very fleeting head. It’s not terribly fruity or spicy in aroma, with just a whiff of bitter hops and a tail end of bread. The flavor is also subdued, but with a more typical NEIPA bent, that layer of sweet orange juice. It doesn’t quite get to bitter, although there is a less sugary part, more mealy or pithy. Something in the aftertaste comes across as sharp, acidic, but it is also very temporary, like the head.

T(welve)-8

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On the eighth day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Eight maids not for cleaning
Seven avian vampire teasers
Six plans a-hatching
Five collaborations
Four miles of nowhere
Three tropical tree eggs
Two staring wings
And an icy raven looking needy

I complain about all those birds, but the other gifts aren’t all that easy to match up either.  This year the maids a-milking was one of the harder ones, for some reason nothing stood out that was maidenly or milky.  Finally, there’s a good stout that has a good picture on it.  It’s a little more like a sexy maid than a milkmaid, although I don’t think she’s quite that either.  More like somebody who’s going to be doing some milking of a slightly different kind.  Hopefully, in a nice warm room.  It’s from Estonia, a brewery called Pühaste, so I think this Dekadents ought to be formulated for warm indoor spaces, no matter what’s going on outside.

Pouring out, it’s lighter than expected, although the dark brown color is pretty strong once the glass is full. The aroma is a lot fuller than the coloring, sticky, syrupy, heavy chocolate and toast. The first impression of the taste is similar, but quickly followed by a blast of licorice, wrapped up in a return of toasty, burny sensation. It’s a heavy, melted milkshake of a beer, extra thick. It doesn’t have excessive sweetness, with just that pop of mediciny licorice. It’s not hard to get down at all, although the full texture does not encourage chugging.

T(twelve)-7

On the seventh day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Seven avian vampire teasers

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

Half the days over and we are almost done with the birds.  This is the last one, those elegant white bastards.  There’s no bird on the can really, but there is the impression of a swan neck winding its way across the front, reflecting the colors of a volcanic sunset.  Caravelle’s Peachy Keen Wit also sounds artistic and sophisticated, ready for a flowing chat about things that matter in life.

This is a summery straw colored beer, very clear, especially in comparison with those hazies. The very subtle aroma has more to do with sours and that gassiness than wheat beers and their grain and spice. It also smells a little soapy. The taste is light and clean, not sour or astringent. It’s a little fizzy and there’s a hint of peach floating around, so it’s a little more like flavored mineral water than straight beer. Actually not too bad to finish off the night with, it’s refreshing and thirst quenching, without weighing you down for the trip home.

T(welve)-6

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On the sixth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

This was one of the bird suggestions, grabbing at straws a little bit.  It is a bird, for sure, not one that’s in the song I think, but maybe I can make do…in fact, I’m sure I can make do.  Look at that face!  That bird has a plan.  We might even say he’s hatching something.  A plan like an egg, right?  Right?  It’s not that much of a stretch!  This might be the first can of Cosa Nostra I’ve picked up, although I remember them from the Vallecas beer fair.  Then it was a porter, and now it’s a Double Hazy IPA, a little backwards some might think.  But, Brufol might have some tricks up its feathery sleeve.

Extra juicy looking, with very fine bubbled head, very much like a fresh-squeezed orange juice. Similar aroma, maybe a little bit lighter. The feel is also very juicy, thick and mouth-filling. It feels like it wants to get to sweet, but can’t quite make it out of bitter, although it isn’t fair to call it a bitter beer either. It’s weighty and pleasant to drink, without disappearing into the ether, but there’s no over-reliance on acidity or citrus, so it’s really well balanced. I’m hoping the plan was to make a perfectly drinkable hazy because that’s what was achieved.

T(welve)-5

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On the fifth day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

What do I get for number five this year, another golden ale?  Can I get away with any blond beer on color alone?  Actually, Península comes to the rescue with Entre Amigos and its friendly circles on the can.  Not only is it an invitation to potential drinkers, it’s a collaboration beer, with Sparkle, only deepening the ties.  It’s a hazy IPA, so a style that several friends of mine would be happy to share a can of.  Later I found out there were more than one iterations of Entre Amigos, with different partners.  Makes sense, and now I’m wondering if I can track more down…

For an IPA, it has a surprisingly ruddy color, even being a hazy. Quite opaque too. The aroma is perky and sharp, with a very modern feel to it. The taste is no surprise based on that: a little spice, caraway, snappy, not very citrusy but there’s some light summery fruit in there. In the mouth it makes itself unignorable, but once swallowed it disappears cleanly, so really a very nice drink. I might prefer it on a warmer day, on a sunny street, but then again I drink inside whenever I can.

T(welve)-4

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On the fourth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

Ok, this one is pretty close to the song, although the birds aren’t seen actually calling.  And there are only two, but the other two are just out of frame I’m sure.  And they are birds!  Probably calling their friends a long way off, in that desolate landscape.  Gekko Brew’s The Other End of Nowhere looks like it should be some dark beer, for a depressing sipping session, but it’s a NEIPA, so at least visually it ought to be pretty cheerful.  Some of those NEIPAs are a little abrasive though, and so strong they might leave you in a place you have to memory of going to.  This one is a pretty standard 6.5%, so I don’t think we’ll go that far.  If by chance we do, I guess there will be some calling involved.

This is one of those very juicy looking NEIPAs, with its cheery gold color and light cap of lacy foam. It has kind of a zesty aroma, orangey but with a little something extra. Caraway or some other spice maybe. The juice is echoed in the taste, although the beer is a slender and healthy feeling one, not an overwhelming mouthfeel, very light in body. It kind of evokes the hopelessness of the label, a sensation of being in complete solitude without even a beer to weigh you down.

T(welve)-3

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On the third day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

Getting creative again!  Is it because I ran out of time and had to make do with what I grabbed off the shelves?  Is it a true challenge propelled from within?  Is it just the cussedness of refusing to not have a stout?  All three?  Let’s say all three.  It’s true, I really really wanted to fit Gran Cacao in somehow, just by virtue of it being an imperial stout with cacao nibs.  So instead of French hens imagine French Polynesia or the French Caribbean.  It’s not quite the temperature up here right now, but there’s an almost tropical humidity the past couple of days.  Weird, but could be worse.  I guess the people at centrally Spanish Península and Caleya also wanted to enjoy a warm weather fantasy.

It pours smooth and creamy, with almost a nitro like consistency in building the head, although with much bigger bubbles. It looks delicious and doesn’t smell like sunblock at all. There is just a tantalizing whiff of cacao, but it’s mostly a sturdy, earthy stout. The cacao is present in the taste, but very…natural. Meaning, it’s not overly sweet or sticky, there’s kind of an earthy sensation to it, like dusty nibs grabbed off the ground for the brew. Also, it’s impressive how smooth and slick the beer is for it’s mouthfeel; it’s a weighty one, and at almost 10% to boot. It’s a really pleasant stout, with a delightfully easy balance. It might even be acceptable for the squeamish in the summer, with it’s tropical hints, especially going along with a cold dessert. And for me and those of my tastes, it’s a beer for every day of the year.

T(welve)-2

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On the second day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

I guess I’ll have to be a little creative, since there are a damn lot of birds in this song and not that many beers with birds.  Surprisingly few, actually, it seems like something people might like to use.  Symbol of freedom, knowledge, power, why wouldn’t you link it to a beer?  Especially in a country where beer has not been the drink of the average citizen until quite recently.  Anyway, I went looking in some less-frequented places, and I got this tentative suggestion.  Almost immediately taken back, since that’s a moth, or something, on the can, but what the hell?  Things that fly count.  Also, taking the place of turtledoves, it makes sense to have all the eyes and be a monstrosity, because if there’s something you like to look at it’s your lover and if there’s anything that makes a monster into a masterpiece it’s love.  This is Rec Brew with Naked Lunch.

It’s strongly aromatic, with a whole tropical fruit basket flowing out as soon as it’s opened.  While cloudy, the color isn’t very bright, sort of a muted lemonade.  The flavor is less tropical, but still strong, snappy, and a little bit acidic.  It has some elements of certain NEIPAs, being a little throat-grabby, but it isn’t quite as strong as the DDH IPA set.  There’s a depth that keeps it from being a simple warm-weather drink, something about the hint of abrasiveness I think.  It is light in the mouth, but you can comfortably drink it surrounded by wintery figures and gray streets and not feel like it’s leaving you unprotected from your current weatherscape.  After a little while I start to get some woody notes, sort of pencil shaving-like, so a reference to a possible winter fireplace?  You put wood shavings in fireplaces, right?  Probably better that than moths.

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