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Let's Learn Beer!

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Let's Learn Beer!

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Let's Learn Beer!

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Let's Learn Beer!

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Spanish beer

beer-o-ma

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It’s one of those times when the label is what gets a beer into your hand. I mean, look at that thing! Not that I’m a fan of the Clockwork Orange movie, I think it’s too easy to see as a glorification of assholery, but it’s so visually identifiable. And that’s the vision right there, staring out at you and daring you to risk your evening drinking a 7.4% DDH NEIPA. Octavo Arte knows what they’re doing with La Naranja Segoviana, at least in terms of attracting attention.

It’s a very light color, a little too dusty to be sunny and a reflection of the early summer day. There’s a very strong citrus aroma, even through my summer-air-dulled stuffy nose. Does it open the nasal passages a little? Maybe a little, in anticipation. It’s on the bitter side of the NEIPA scale, although it has a pretty solid body to it. It’s less juicy than some of its style, more piney and westward-leaning. But, that works just fine for the weather. The beer is smooth and a soft drink, but if you’re not careful with the sediment you get a good amount of sludge in the glass. It doesn’t affect the taste too much, although there is a little bit of a sting-y afterfeel. The infusion makes the beer more juicy looking, to be sure, but it isn’t that sweet and perky juicy NEIPA that some people love and love to look down on.

Supplier: Birra Y Paz
Price: €7.15

rewind

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Times change but processes are always the same. It’s not so strange for businesses to close after a few years, some sooner than others, but it’s usually a little sad when they go. You get used to having them there in the background, even if you don’t patronize them super often. It’s going to be time to say goodbye to another beer store, this time near Retiro, so not too surprising that costs might catch up to them. It was a convenience, though, if you spent some time in the park and then went and got a good beer (or two) to take home. RIP, Birra Y Paz, these last few purchases will be your legacy. La Quince Vanilla Black Velvet is definitely something legacy worthy. My introduction to it was my first experience of glory with a craft beer.

Rich and chocolate syrup smell, deep dark color, only light head. It’s malty and bitter, very stouty flavor, not as sweet as more recent pastry stouts, but with that touch of chocolate that blew my mind all those years ago. This particular batch or bottle is a little bit dusty, not smooth or syrupy, although it goes down easy and doesn’t have any distracting aftertaste or leavings. It has a more classic feeling to it, more of the echoes of beers of old being reflected in a craft brew than the craft beer shining its own dazzling light. This classic from La Quince (and Guineu) may have its off years and less successful variations, but it’s hard to say that it’s ever not good. The starry-eyed beeriness that I get from it awakens some nostalgia and some determined hope for the future. Good beer is here to stay and arriving over the horizon.

Supplier: Birra Y Paz
Price: €4.50

sunny days

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What kind of year starts out with early summer temperatures before spring even officially starts? A damn hot one, I bet. Also full of fire, apparently. It’s getting to be a good time to be a minimalist, who doesn’t need a lot of time to pack up and isn’t too concerned about losing a few things here and there. Beer, though, you can just grab and drink. Especially a lager beer. Enter Basqueland’s Santa Clara Lager.

Lemony yellow and light head, with a mild bready aroma. It’s definitely the kind of beer that people typically look for when the weather gets warmer, although it also has its year-round fans. The flavor is much toastier than the smell, heavier and harsher. It really perks up the drink, to be honest, the aroma was a little too subtle to be very interesting. The feel is pleasant, with just enough body to be noticeable, but not overwhelming. It’s a sweet little lager, not too bad for the beach, but with enough bite to keep it safe on the street.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurra
Price: €3

heavenly day

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As it’s unseasonably warm, I don’t have much against having those beers that aren’t as usual for me. Lighter, fresher, less soothing, pleasers of the masses, German pilsners. It is Naparbier, though, so at least I can be sure it’s quality, even if Spanish pilsners are always something of a risk. But, sometimes you need to take a risk to get to Paradise!

It’s extra light and extra foamy, filling half the glass with head on the first pour. The color is just barely yellow and crystal clear. There’s something a little reminiscent of the coast in the aroma, some salty sea air. But it’s heavier on the field, grain and grass. It feels light and creamy, with a little less bitter than you expect in a pilsner. It’s not that weird for Spanish ones, though. There’s a good amount of lemony citrus, so in keeping with German possibilities. It’s a very clean and summery beer too, with little to no aftertaste, easy to have a few of before you know it on a warm afternoon. It’s not quite summer yet, but spring has arrived with a vengeance.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €2.60

modern nostalgia

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What to do about a holiday dedicated to drinking? Skip it since it’s too mainstream? That sounds like me, although not really because of the idea of the mainstream, but because that usually means crowds. I’ll just take something to go, thank you. The least I can do is have a black beer, even if it is a porter rather than a stout, and “remastered” instead of classic. It’s Drunken Bros Remastered Porter, promising something new in the comforting shell of the familiar.

The can seems extra full, with a little spit up on opening the tab, but it doesn’t explode in fury. The aroma explodes, like a freshly ripped open pack of coffee. It’s one of the more coffee than petroleum beers, a rich dark brown and only beige-ish head, and a roasted and lightly sweetened scent floating off it. The beer feels smooth and light, and starts out like a nice milky coffee, but it doesn’t take long for claws to grow. First there’s more bitter that rises up and grabs your attention, and then the beer itself leaves some of its smoothness behind. Now it’s a little more like a coffee cake that got left out overnight, crumbly and scratching but still delicious.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurra
Price: €3.55

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