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bitter

T(welve)-1

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

An icy raven looking needy

It’s the first day and I have to decide between bird or fruit.  In some ways it’s the easiest one to find something to represent it.  There’s something about a wintery old raven that makes you think of some solitary place, the loneliest number if you will.  Even the name of this IPA, Hold Me Tighter, brings up feelings of isolation.  Somehow I thought Wylie had a more jovial and social image, but I’m not complaining.

Minor explosion on opening, the beer is eager to escape and better existence outside its can. It’s a very pale IPA, sort of lemony, It’s very heady, with a bright white and fluffy cloud perched on a sea of dirty lemonade. Even the aroma evokes summery lemonade more than beer, with a lemon candy scent that just tickles the nose. The taste comes as a bit of a shock, wielding a much more bitter punch than you expect. It isn’t actually that bitter, but from the aroma you don’t quite prepare for it. It’s also pretty clean and even a little dry, leaning towards a wine sensation rather than juicy, sticky modern IPA. Left standing a while, more spicy notes start to come out in the smell, but the flavor doesn’t pick up much in the way of spice. It’s the sort of beer you wouldn’t mind having with you on a break from doing work in your orchard. Of pear trees, of course. Where a crow or even a partridge could find a place.

wandering now

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Kind of a ’60s reminiscent style on the label, but it sounds like a more traditional leaning beer – kellerpils.  I guess it’s a reminder of the goal of any brewer, to make a product that people long to have in their glasses, but there are lots of ways to get there.  Normally similar, only a few have significant differences of make-up or difficulty.  Everyone heading the same way to the same place of happiness, not with Santiago, but with Sanfrutos.  Time to mark out some Caminos Paralelos.

Very light in color and not a hint of cloudiness, also very classic head. The aroma is pure German lager, lots of grain, a little grass, practically honey sweetness. Flavor is surprisingly light as well. I was expecting either a striking bitter or a rounded breadiness, but the beer is almost difficult to even feel in the mouth and the taste is really subdued. It is more bitter than anything else, but there’s a tad bit of corn and cucumber sneaking around too.

vroom vroom

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It’s not a black beer, but it is pretty dark, and strong besides.  Attik Brewing offers Hot Rod American Strong Ale for another rainy December day, with a label that ought to warm the table.  It looks exciting, and vaguely dark and dangerous.

It has the dark color of a strong beer, with a light beige and resistant head. There’s a little bit of apple floating around in the air, again hitting the notes of strong beers in memory. For some reason I expected a thicker and sweeter entrance, something like a barleywine, but it is not like that at all. It’s strongly bitter, playing up the ale part of its build, with a bit appley sweetness wandering in only when most of the sip is already down your throat. The bitter never goes away either. Although it’s not a heavy or sticky beer, echoes of sharp bitterness remain much longer than you expect. Good to keep you from chugging it down too fast, I would imagine.

have a prize

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The World Cup is right around the corner, and while I don’t really care about that, I see from some advertising that Victoria Malaga is a sponsor of the Spanish national team.  Not a beer I know, so why not give it a try?  The spectators in Qatar aren’t likely to have a chance.  A quick look into the history of the brewery reveals a strong German connection, German brewmasters being brought in at the company’s beginnings and a happy German tourist being a memorable mascot mid-century.  Although the beer is named for the patron of Malaga, Our Lady of Victory, it does seem appropriate to sponsor a sports team.  Wishful thinking and all that.

As expected, very light, very foamy, a slightly sweeter aroma than many. A nice lager flavor, bready and malty, with a tiny hint of bitter skittering over the top. It has a disarmingly full mouthfeel, but then disappears right down the throat, making it both very satisfying to drink and quite easy to go for another sip. However Spain does in soccer, the beer is a winner.

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