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Spanish beer

homages?

  • por

Yes, another stout to enjoy, although it still seems like summer. Next week will be better, but will it last? We can only wait and see. Anyway, my glorious stout, my precious pastry, Brewed Velvet Back To Black. Is the ghost of Amy Winehouse possessing it? Doesn’t seem like it. Maybe a David Lynch character is lurking around somewhere. This is a healthy 10-percenter, imperial pastry stout no less. Drunken Bros. are living up to their name this time.

It looks like there’s some sediment sitting on top of the beer in the can, since it isn’t foam, and the beer pours into the glass looking “dirty”. It cleans itself up pretty well and with some speed, although the foam has some oddly huge bubbles in it. The aroma leans heavily into mocha, so the chocolate and coffee are coming through quite strongly. The flavor, on the other hand, is a trumpeting blast of vanilla. It’s something like those chewy vanilla toffees that are a lot like Tootsie Rolls, but nicer. Like many pastry stouts, it ends up being something more akin to a Starbucks special than what you expect in your favorite alcohol dispensary, but there are evenings when that’s what you’re looking for. It gains weight as it sits, even while it stays cool, although it doesn’t get too syrupy or leave any amount of sludge behind it. The second pour gives a more unruly head, which puffs up unexpectedly and lets a few drips roll over the edge. Tears of a chocolate angel. It now seems a lot like a beer float, although the ice cream seems to have melted into it. It’s quite the sipping beer, and for its strength it doesn’t leave you reeling, at least if you take your time with it. Don’t forget that it is not actually an ice cream float.

Easy there….

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €7.90

great expectations

  • por

So, starting a new month, I make damn sure I have me some of my favorite style! No regrets, IPAs and sours, but everyone is entitled to have a favorite. I have a a big start too, with Basqueland’s Chocotastico, an Imperial Pastry Stout that looks like just the thing. A pretty simple list of helpers for this one, just chocolate, caramel and salt. It sounds like a sundae of a beer, but there’s nothing wrong with that at the end of the day, and at the end of a season.

Lusciously chocolate looking, with a tightly bubbles dark mocha head, which doesn’t actually stick around for too long. Chocolate is also heavy in the aroma, of a syrupy sort. First there’s the chocolate on the tongue, dark chocolate, not overly sweet or sticky, but then there’s a rush of coffee and a kind of dry feeling, very tannic. It reminds me of some barrel aged stouts that have absobed much of the barrel along with some other alcohol scent. It starts to come out of its shell a little bit after a few sips, with the body building at every drink and notes of nuttiness making an appearance. I don’t notice much of the caramel, but maybe that’s what’s lending weight to the brew. There is a halo of savoriness around it, the work of the salt I supposed, but it’s like adding salt to cookie dough; the end result isn’t really salty and it just highlights the sweetness that is the main focus. I do have to mention a strange lack of stability in the flavor, though. Mostly it is tasty and a liquid bonbon, but every once in a while I get a weird goosh of just…water. It’s like ice melting in an ice coffee. Still, that’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me with a beer.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: ~€7

have some respect

  • por

Although still plainly summer, the temperatures have been moderating themselves these past couple of days. We’re supposed to stay below 30ºC for about half of next week. It’s still blowing a furnace wind and it’s still plenty sunny, though, so no real relief. I will sigh and take another unstout, Drunken Bros. Aretha Double NEIPA. This one is made in the facilities of Baobeer, a Basque brewery, which adds the fun of the ingredients list being in Basque first.

It has more of a lemony look than an orange one, although natural orange juice is more yellowish. The head starts out beautifully fluffy, but bigger bubbles start to poke through and deflate the foam with some speed. It has a light and enticing aroma of piney citrus and tiny savory notes. Something wooden spicey, not quite caraway. Flavorwise, it’s fairly typical for a NEIPA, sweet orange and a floor of pith. It is somewhat stronger than normal, but IPAs have been climbing the ABV ladder for the last few years, so it’s not a huge difference from “normal” NEIPAs. It doesn’t feel too strong, no alcohol burn or snap on the throat, goes down well without much aftertaste. It starts to get a little sour after some time resting, which adds interest but also some roughness in the swallow. That 8% doesn’t knock you out, which might be a surprise for some, but it doesn’t leave you untouched either. There’s just a tiniest lightness in the head, a kind of pick-me-up feeling.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €7.20

softly

  • por

Could the eclipse have called in the rain finally? Nah, probably not. It isn’t really raining for one thing, even though the air smelled like it yesterday morning. It’s even a little cooler than a week ago, although hardly cool enough to be comfortable on the street, despite the cloud cover. I guess I can deal with a lighter beer, just for a change. It’s Basqueland, so quality, and a session IPA, so unburdensome. I have a couple of heavier choices waiting in line, so I’m not disappointed that this is the one that I grabbed from the fridge (the good one, so cold too). The black and white sketch kind of design on the label is very busy, giving you a kind of sense of being in nature, but in a previous time. Black and white photo, like. Also, it’s full of animals, which is not something you come across in great numbers in Madrid, at least if you don’t count pigeons. There is one animal that is a common sight though, peeking from behind a tuft of long grass: the older human male. I think it is supposed to be David Attenborough, since the name of the beer is The Attenbrew. According to Basqueland’s website description, it’s a tribute. As a session beer it probably wouldn’t interfere in nature observation, so a safe choice for most naturalists.

One of those quite eager beers, ready to come flying out of the can, but no explosions. It has a bright, clean IPA aroma, and kind of a dirty lemon color. Good looking head for a minute or so, unfortunately it collapses pretty quickly. This is one of those melony ales, with a smooth and summery taste that you can’t quite distinguish in the smell. You get a bigger body from it, a rounder feel and a more refreshing sensation. It’s extremely clean drinking, with practically no aftertaste at all. The garden presentation pulls back into a bit of forest as the beer sits, with something more savory and wild. I think of New Zealand hops, but it’s an American combo. The initial fruitiness should have been remembered, but we all have memory problems these days.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €6.90

nope, not sunburn

  • por

It seems like the flames of last week have died down, and now people are fanning the flames of alarm – too many desperate bastards trying to get into the country without enough money. It’s still a little too hot to enjoy a drink outside until the sun goes down, but at least marvellous technology makes it bearable inside. This is Estrella Galicia’s 1906 Red Vintage, according to their webpage a resurrection of a historical recipe. They don’t say if it’s a red lager, to go with their pilsner and helles, or ale, which would have been perfectly acceptable in a 19th century context. I’m leaning towards lager since they say it gets stored for an extended amount of time. Let’s see how it measures up.

“Red” might not be the first word that comes to mind, but it’s definitely toastier than the more widespread pilsner and helles. It’s on the bubbly side, but the heady is pretty fluffy and resistant. Like the typical industrial beer, it’s not very aromatic, with just subtle shadows of beery grain, and an odd poof of pepper. Maybe some condiments drifted during lunch. Or, maybe it’s a secret ingredient of Estrella Galicia’s. The taste is more expected, a somewhat heavy slightly sweet specimen. Despite the weight, it’s a refreshing beer, one that one would enjoy from under an umbrella or a well-leaved tree. For all my sootiness about industrial beer, I do get humbled by Estrella Galicia.

not buried

  • por

Time for a sidetrack? It’s actually less oppressively hot than in previous days, but still very clearly summer if you venture out on the street. I’ve had the feeling that I ought to delve into some other styles, just for the contrast, and what do you know? Oso Brew’s Gold Helles right on the shelf. That’s a contrast if there ever was one. Oso has always been good for a lighter colored beer and a lighter beer for drinking as well, so going down the brighter path with them shouldn’t be too much of a risky bet.

As usual, the can is filled up to the top with a little bloop coming out of the tab. The beer itself looks extra light and ephimeral, with a straw gold color and abundant head, although the foam dies down very quickly. It’s a little more bubbly than might be desireable, but it might also be agitated from the fridge storage. It has a typical German aroma, with a sweet grain and bread top, wrapped up in summer meadow. The taste is also fresh and light, with notes of rounded malt and a touch of lemon. It vanishes down the throat, but after a few sips it does seem to start building up some aftertaste. That is very typically beery, lagery, heavy with harvest. Although there is a little sting of bubbles at first, the beer once settled is confidently smooth and drinkable. There is some sediment in the bottom, which clouds the last glass a bit, but doesn’t affect the smoothness or delicateness of the flavor.

Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €4.50

identified

  • por

In spite of the uncomfortable blazing of the day, I insist on seeking out stouts. They can be refreshing too, you know? They don’t have to be very alcoholic to be true to style and tasty. So I feel pretty confident in Deep Web, a so-called draught stout in a can. It is from Laugar, after all. While my experience with Laugar tends to be with much stronger barrel aged and similar strength stouts, this one is a very reasonable 5.5%. Stronger than the most widely available version of Guinness, but nothing too crazy. I wonder about the name; is it trying to say that the Deep Web is more normal than we think and we have little to fear from traveling through it? Or is there some hidden message, perhaps in the beads of the web (chin scratching emoji)?

Extra full can, but no explosion. A little bit bubblier than you might want, but good dark chocolate color and a fluffy head on the darker side of beige. It falls to a light cap pretty quickly. There’s a pretty typical stout aroma, a little bit earthy and smoky. The taste is malty and thick, maintaining the notes present in the fragrance, and with a slightly green undertone. It makes me think of fresher plant-based drinks, like horchata. While the first impression is sweet, a little hint of bitter starts to build up with each sip. While not an excessively strong stout, it does leave it’s mark on you, and it has a body that lives up to Laugar’s record with me. It’s quite pleasant and flavorful, a happy standard kind of stout for a bar visit or a gathering of friends when you don’t want to be distracted by your drink.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €5

no falling

  • por

There were supposed to be storms this weekend, but not thus far. There’s always tomorrow, I guess. In the meantime, I fall upon my trusted stouts. This time it’s Dos Kiwis Gravity, an luscious sounding imperial, recommended at the store as a sturdy and headturning choice.

Rich and dark, with a mocha colored and bubbly head. It dissipates quickly but leaves a thin cap behind. The aroma is heavy and boozy, with overripe bananas, a little coffee and a splat of chocolate. The taste is also overripe fruit, jelly toast, not much chocolate or coffee. The flavor gets heavier, raisiny, prickly, a mouthful that doesn’t leave you struggling, although it feels ready to throw its weight around. Cinnamon and some other wintery spices start to make an appearance with a little bit of settling. It blooms like Christmas, a hint at more tolerable days to come.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €8.80

a happy world

  • por

Toasty weekends, that’s what we can look forward to from now on. This is a German Film Fest (official name now, remember) weekend, but I didn’t make the time to seek out some German beers to add to the list. I don’t even have a German style for tonight, although plenty of German craft breweries make their own IPAs of various substyles. It is practically a requirement of craft beering. It is a bit of an experiment, since you always have to go farther than your fellow travelers to make your mark, and Soma has taken the farther path. Midnight Club is not the first QIPA to come on the market, but there aren’t that many of them out there. Probably with the price of ingredients now everybody has to cut back, so it’s a good idea to take advantage when we can. Before midnight.

Oddly light for an extra IPA, fuzzy peachy straw colored. A good fluffy head, though, and with staying power. There’s some new IPA citrus in the aroma and also a little bit of dark caraway base. It’s a strong bitter at the first sip, with a rough feel and bustling swallow. There’s an almost candy sweet chaser that raises its head for just a second. It feels both oddly light and predictably weighted. It doesn’t show off its alcohol content, although it has a wild and woolly body, but it does sneak up on you over time. It’s one of the more fitting sipping and conversation IPAs, too strong to just suck down, but without an overwhelming hit of booze, which you might expect from such a powerhouse of a beer. It doesn’t hold a candle to the Belgian (style) quintuple, or even some quads, in that regard, but it’s certainly pleasurable and inviting to drink.

Hey there, perspective

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €8.25

no storm

  • por

It’s hot! I’m not a fan. The fridge is less right that it was a week ago, although I have my doubts that the weather is to blame for that. Even though I often brag about my devotion to heavy, black beers, at any time and temperature, I do like to surprise my palate every once in a while. This feels like a good moment for a sour, and most especially a fruit sour. Basqueland is a good one to go to, having provided much tasteful examples in the past. Not to mention the label design. This is a real salaf of a fruit beer, with four berries going into it, including my preferred raspberries and blackberries. Strawberries are taste, but sometimes a little more acidic than I’m looking for when I pick up something fruity. Then there are the blueberries…I’m a fan of their cran cousins, although they often make kind of a rough beer for drinking. But, for some reason, blueberries have never grown on me. Maybe this time it will hit me like a bolt a lightning. Cold Fruit Lightning.

Very fizzy with a good head build-up and retention. It’s candy cherry red and some dark pink bleeds up into the foam too. The aroma is very faint but tantalizing, with whispers of fruit and a little sulfur as a sober foundation. The taste is tangy and a little dry. It has a certain similarity to dry ciders or wines. There’s an odd medicineIt’s y bitterness, maybe a hint at some natural ingredients and production, but I’m having trouble picking out individual fruit flavors. A kind of metallic taste starts to surface after a while, some steely knife slicing through the general fruit. It leaves a little stickiness behind although not much aftertaste, so it isn’t quite as refreshing as other sours. It’s still quite a shocker, hence pickmeup, one that would find a lot of popularity on days like these.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €6.47

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