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estrella galicia

nope, not sunburn

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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.

always a season

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It’s been a hallmark of craft breweries to do some seasonal beers, either traditional styles or more modern innovations. Sometimes they become regular, like Christmas beers, sometimes they appear and vanish into the dark expanses of memory. Even those breweries taken under the papery wings of Big Beer sometimes continue fun, like Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy or La Virgen’s Castaña ale. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see Estrella Galicia joining the fun, after all they hype themselves as being at the level of craft breweries in terms of innovation and attitude. Is Fresh Summer Ale another way to resist the summer temperatures?

Very bubbly, fluffy head that gently dissipates, very light orange and transparent. It has a somewhat ale-y aroma, but it’s more like industrial beers with a good load of grain than the citrusy craft ales. Flavorwise, it hits you with a firm bitter, but rolls back into more of a maltiness. It’s light and easy going down, doesn’t leave a lot of aftertaste. It gets a touch of lemon after a couple of sips, although not to the point of being shandy-like. It has a very summery profile, definitely something that you would enjoy under an umbrella on the beach or at the bar, you could probably put several down without thinking much about it. I don’t mind this for a little change, but I think I prefer helles even for the summer. Keeps my grounded, or something.

somebody’s memories

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It isn’t a beerliday yet, so just a random pick today…something a little more subdued, with less excitement about it.  Well, it’s kind of exciting to see a historical beer on the shelf, although you always have to wonder just how close an industrial remake really is.  They have sanitation and health requirements to fill, you know.  At least it’s my favorite industrial Spanish beer, Estrella Galicia.  This is their Primera Generación, supposedly a recipe developed by the first generation of beer-making Riveras, but right on the bottle they say the most important thing is the tradition of technique, not so much ingredients.  Of course technique is often a big part of recipes too.  Another reason I like this brewery is their campaign of making themselves look like the underdog beer, the one you need a special sense to really appreciate.  Like I said, it’s my favorite industrial beer, but it seems just as silly to emphasize how smallness of your clientele as it is to sniff at drinkers of smaller beers that are just like products your own larger company produces.  No, scratch that, the latter is definitely sillier.  Estrella Galicia’s Resistencia and Cerveza para la Inmensa Minoría seem more like gentle jokes in comparison.

It opens with a poof of barroom air, very typical industrial lager smell. The beer is very light colored, translucent, good looking head. It’s like a super hoppy German lager, it’s even a little peppery, which I don’t think was particularly desirable at the beginning of the last century, but who knows? It’s flavorsome, malty, a little spicy in the taste too. The flavor makes you think it’s going to be a much heavier feeling beer than it actually is. Like the color, it’s light and fluttery. The strong taste disappears quickly after the swallow, leaving no aftertaste or feel. It’s very drinkable once it’s drunk, since you can easily forget that you just had a sip. Pretty clever for getting people to keep consuming. The strong flavor and aroma might give the drinker the impression of a product that was thoroughly worked over and developed, but it’s the right kind of feel for the Spanish climate. Even in Galicia, there’s a little sun, sometimes.

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