Skip to content

Let's Learn Beer!

Facebook Twitter Instagram

Let's Learn Beer!

Twitter Youtube Instagram Facebook

Let's Learn Beer!

Twitter Youtube Instagram Facebook

Let's Learn Beer!

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

English beer

we’re all mad here…or is it just me

  • by

It’s amazing how the days are noticeably shorter in a week, just the opposite as in the spring. Is it the latitude? The altitude? The misaligned time zone? In any case, the time for dark beers never ends, and with a certain holiday only weeks away, why not a chocolate porter? Thornbridge’s Cocoa Wonderland has an almost majestic look to it and a promise of desserty fun. Will this be another highlight of my weekend? There have been fascinating and fun metro visits, and now a tasty looking can before me. Wait, did Alice get bigger or smaller from drinking?

It looks rich and chocolatey, with a very fluffy coffee ice cream head. It’s more chocolate in scent than coffee, but there is a hint of a warmer brew lurking. It delivers on the name, full mouth of chocolate, not sickly sweet but not weighed down by earth or smudged by smoke. It isn’t thin and vapory, which I appreciate, but has a round body that sits perfectly on the tongue and rolls down the throat. This is quite a companion beer, something that works well alone, with a snack (I’m imagining dark chocolate or pretzels), in a group of friends, all alone in contemplation. The options are many. I don’t think I’ve grown or shrunk, by the way, but maybe there needs to be a rabbit around for things to work.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €5.90

from the heavens

  • by

So, the end of the month, almost the beginning of new opportunities. Or something? I cannot keep away from my dark beers, although this is a porter rather than a stout. It’s quite a well-known name too, Northern Monk. The ethereal name is Northern Star, but it’s description as a chocolate, caramel and biscuit stout makes it sound very earthy, if not temptation from the underworld. Perhaps a little early for dessert, but let’s just call it an evening snack.

Delicious appearance, practically black, but slightly lighter head than others. Very light aroma, with just a hint of toasted grain and a tiny ding of grass and chocolate. Chocolate floods through on the first sip, but is quickly overwhelmed by a dusty maltiness. There’s also a sour tang at the end, almost like a chocolate/orange thing. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at a little fruit from a porter, but it isn’t the typical dark fruit of the porters I’m familiar with. It’s an extra sweet porter, with that touch of caramel coming through if you look hard enough. Looking at the label, you’d think it would be a thick and heavy kind of beer, but it really isn’t heavy at all. There’s a good amount of body, it’s very pleasant to drink, but it’s almost whispery going over the tongue. You finish the can surprisingly quickly, so it’s fortunate that the beer is a “normal” level alcohol-wise, at just over 5%. Maybe it is a trustworthy guide.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €3.90

eyes on the skies

  • by

Continuing on the dark path, there’s a little dark humor to be had too. First I was tickled by the price tag calling this an “impy” stout, and then I saw the name: Beware Oblivion Is At Hand. The label seems to imply that Mayan temples were build before the extinction of the dinosaurs, or that a T-rex or similar species survived in Mesoamerica into practically modern times. It’s a statement that feels right these days, what with all the bullshit going on, and even if the world gets past another potential political disaster, there are plenty of individual oblivions for individual reasons to go around. At the same time, there’s a message of hope in the beer description, since they end telling us that whatever we’re going through our ancestors got through it. Although, if our ancestors had already reproduced they could have easily met unsolvable oblivion in adulthood and we would still be here.

Not much head to this one, but still good looking liquidly. This one also has a hot chocolate aroma to it, but more of a milk chocolate than a dark. The taste is strongly chocolate, and more of a milk chocolate there too. It’s a pure chocolate bar, not a fancy filled one with fruit or liquor. It’s simplicity is almost soothing, it’s a beer you can almost mindlessly drink. It remains steady over time, not getting syrupy or developing any odd flavors as it warms up. It is fairly strong at 11%, so it’s not one that you can just pour down your throat. It is most certainly a joy, though, one that might get you through the end of the world.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €8.95

better angels

  • by

Oh yes, continue my path of stouts, and the Euro-tourism. Now I’m actually outside the EU, since Vocation is an English brewery. Hey, if anybody is going to know how to make a good stout, right? Oh, wait, I guess I should be saying that about a porter. Stouts might have arisen from porters, but the two modern styles are more likely to compete than lift each other up. It’s a very tempting stout from the label, even without a lot of color, very fitting for its name – Sweet Temptation Naughty & Nice. I don’t see what’s supposed to be naughty about it, it all looks like fine flavors and aromas to me. It isn’t even the alcohol, which is at a noticeable but not crazy 6.6%. I guess it’s the whole decadence of this extra sweet and pampering beer that you’re supposed to feel is a little less proper than a standard lager or the like.

The head is much more stable now, so glass cleaning has been successful. Dark beige foam and dark brown beer, it definitely looks the part of a chocolate stout. There’s a strong scent of chocolate syrup, nothing smoky or toasty here. The first sip is sweet alright, but it’s also clean and slick, with just enough to delight you without any heavy sugar. There’s little to no aftertaste, once you swallow, it’s gone. It’s almost disappointing in its smooth simplicity. The can promised more layers and some stouty toastiness, which I am not finding. I am getting kind of a buttery sensation, though, something I don’t imagine was intended originally. Maybe I’m misinterpreting the caramel?

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €4.40

let it flow through you

  • by

Yes, it’s still summer. Just the damn beginning, in fact, and it already feels like it’s been summer for years. I had my nod to most people’s summer preferences last week, so now it’s time for my tastes to come back – stout! And not just a stout, imperial stout. And not just imperial stout, but chocolate! And coconut. Coconut is also good. It was really the name that called to me, though. How could I not pay attention to something called Hokey Religion? From Emperor’s Brewery, no less. Welcome to the dark side!

Black, black, black, and while fizzy, not much head accumulates. The adjuncts are evident from a whiff; I’m getting a good amount of marzipan. Flavorwise, it has more liquor than simple stout. There’s a wine-y tang, a slight whiskey burn, and not a whole lot of sweetness, actually. The beer has body and soul, very mouthfilling yet drinkable. At its 12.6% it does pack a punch right away, so not one you really want to indulge in on an empty stomach. It smooths out with some time, though, getting even easier and more dangerous to drink. These days are not for savoring this kind of beer right on the street, unfortunately, but hidden away in a little cave and lurking in the shadows feels just right for this brew. I don’t know if I could stand wearing a hood, though.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €9.30

decadence

  • by

It’s the end of an era…about a year late. But better late than never, we must agree. Despite the remaining beers being very Belgian heavy on the fast-emptying shelves of Labirratorium, there were still some that fit my typical tastes – chocolate stout! This is Vocation’s Triple Truffle Naughty & Nice Chocolate Stout, in a tall can and a subtle but suitable label. It’s been chilling for quite a while so I let it sit on the table for a bit before even opening, trusting that chocolate beer won’t go off very fast. At 8.4% it’s strong, although not the strongest I’ve ever had. Sounds like the chocolatiest I’ll have had, though.

It has a definite chocolate aroma, with a touch of liquor, kind of like those cherry liquor bonbons. While not especially heady, a nice layer of thick and lasting foam forms on the top. The flavor does not deviate from the scent clues, piling on in fact. It’s not heavy on the alcohol feel, but the chocolate is thick and dark tasting, very much like Möser Roth’s truffle. Actually, I think it’s a little sweeter than that. It maintains a pleasant texture, not getting to syrupy or heavy, and the flavor also stays constant. It’s quite an easy drinking beer for what you might expect from the description. The wait certainly didn’t hurt it, although I’m sure it was delicious from day one.

kernel of joy

  • by

Still winter, technically, but the temperatures might cause you to doubt just a little. Or at least doubt where you are. But I still have the hankering for the dark beers, so I can’t refuse a stout when it comes my way. It’s a little different from most that catch my eye, a so-called Imperial Brown Stout, but it comes from The Kernel, which has its fame and its fans. A simple brown rather than a more profound black should be welcome once in a while anyway.

It’s a good dark brown, not the lightest purported stout I’ve ever seen. It releases just a whiff of toasty malt aroma as it pours and produces a neat and not too thick beige head. In the glass, it has a little more of a grainy sharp scent, a little lighter than some stouts, to go with the color I suppose. It’s very toasty in flavor, and much heavier than I was expecting. In spite of the evident smoke on the palate, it’s a smooth and easy beer for drinking. It seems to have a tiny bite of hop, like a hoppy lager or a really laid-back black IPA. Despite its subdued feel, it’s quite a strong beer at over 9%, but it doesn’t quite drink so strongly. The overall feel might be what knocks people out first.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €7.40

let down

  • by

Another pre-holiday holiday, so maybe it’s a good time to break out another seasonal beer. St. Peter’s has a safe place among beers, so it seemed like the way to go rather than another Belgian. There are plenty of days left to give another one a chance. Christmas Ale has a more festive label than their standard beers and promises some festive flavors as well.

Similar in appearance to Delirium, but less explosive. There’s kind of a fruitcake aroma to it, happy and light. But, there’s something else in there too, something dark and … peppery? It definitely has a stronger flavor than Delirium, but it’s a weird, kind of dishwatery flavor. Is the Christmas ale off? It certainly doesn’t have the spicy tastes that the label says, and there is that bit of cardboard that isn’t a great thing for a beer’s preservation status. It feels like it’s trying to come back from the poor first impression, throwing a little apple cider into the mix, but it just doesn’t come up to expectations. Kind of sad, but maybe we should be more used to disappointments these days.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €4.99

en_USEnglish
es_ESSpanish en_USEnglish