Time to venture down to the beer stores, and Be Hoppy is hoppin’. It seems like somebody’s having a party, but hard to tell who and what for. In any case, it’s good for places to be busy, even if it’s less comfortable for me. Not too many stouts in the fridge right now, but there is a rather eerily beautiful can on the shelf. Oh, it’s Seven Island! Now it has to come with me. There is a small note on the can that Polish Stu Mostow also has something to do with this, but that is not a deterrent. There is a series, apparently, of Dark Ages stouts. This one is Light Devourer, an Imperial Stout with pecans and creme brulee. Not a pastry stout? Still a find, and now that the resurrected fridge is with us, it will cool off properly.
A delicious pour, maybe festival worthy, with a rich dark brown beer and a milk chocolate head. The bubbles aren’t quite even in size, but it doesn’t dissipate very quickly. It’s not terribly aromatic, but there is a promise of chocolate and liquor, possibly with a foundation of toast. It has a prickly entry, in spite of being a very smooth tasting beer. It is somewhat candied, with a little bit of butterscotch and caramel. The toast might be slightly burned, but not to the point of making the drink unappetizing. The smokier flavors fizzle out pretty quickly, leaving a desserty essence. It’s not quite a pudding pastry beer, but it definitely leans in that direction. The creme brulee is certainly present, and maybe it’s those pecans that are providing a slightly savory and gritty undertone. Despite the growing weight, it remains slippery and lively. It’s no Trees For Life, or even Passage Temporaire, but Light Devourer is a beer that can hold its head high.
While Beermad prepares for a fall appearance, Oso Brewing organized a festival while we wait. They tried something a little different in terms of consumption; pay a fairly sizable entrance fee and then drink as much as you want. Given that I seek out stouts, which tend to be on the more expensive side, I think I can make the €40 worth it. It’s in the upstairs space of Chamartín, where Beergote was a few years ago, and most likely with much better temperatures. Unfortunately, those temperatures come with some moisture as well, making the outdoor space a little less usable. I was happy to see quite a line ahead of me when I arrived 20 minutes before the doors opened. This is what a festival is supposed to start up like, with anxious patrons looking forward to getting in there! We were lined up under some overhanging building features, so when it started raining, hard, just before noon, we were not bothered. It took a good 15 minutes to get in the door, with some starts and stops to keep the glass distribution uncluttered. I did not see stouts featured at first, but checking the guide, I saw a few on offer. I managed to hop right up to Vault City while the tapman was explaining their stout Swiss Peaks to some other interested visitors. It’s based on Toblerone, with chocolate and caramel, and supposed to be a cheeky little brew. How can I resist?
Waiting, waiting…
It’s a good, dark color, with a candied and nutty aroma, and an inexistant head. It really does smell like a Toblerone. The taste is a pleasant blend of stouty earth, salt, chocolate, and something a little rubbery, reminiscent of airports. It’s not very heavy in texture, but firm bodied. They keep the ABV a secret on the guide – too strong and scary or too unbelievably light?
It’s coming on 12:30 and there’s still a pretty long line of people waiting to access the fest. Seems like a positive, except for them. I find Soma and Factory side by side, each with a nice sounding stout for me. Factory is a little less busy, so that’s where I start, with Lady Cupcake #10. It’s another “simple” imperial stout, nicely dark colored and also rather lacking in head. There’s a vaguely sweet aroma, but very subtle. Tastewise, it’s something a little different. There’s a burst of cherry with a dark chocolate cake, oddly dry feeling in the mouth, and a slight hint of timber in the aftertaste. I’d expect it to be shortly barrel aged, but it doesn’t seem to be one of those. It’s a very respectable stout though.
There’s a line building up inside, and at first I’m not sure what for. Later I see it’s for Messorem, and even later I find out why everyone is willing to wait.
I wander back to the pair from before, but this time I sidle up to Soma. Burial sounds like something preprared for a Halloween release, but here it is on a fertility promoting May afternoon. Again, merely imperial stout, but also again, very good looking. He filled the glass right up to the tippy top, but still no head. The aroma is very slight, but there’s something earthy and wooden wafting up. The wood also comes out in the flavor, strikingly so. Hard nuts and vegetation also come to mind. It has that nutty flavor that’s not exactly sweet, but there’s no traditional stout bitter. There’s another character in there too, some kind of smoking supporting actor lurking in the background, not quite in focus but leaving its mark.
Anspach & Hopday sounds like it ought to be German, but it is not, it is English. They didn’t get their Stout Porter delivered to them, so maybe some postal workers are having a party somewhere, but lots of people spoke very well of London Black, so I’m persuaded to give a nitro beer a chance. It’s fascinating to see in the glass, but the show is over a little too quick for my camera skills. As expected, it’s very easy drinking, with a sort of mineral watery flavor. The head, finally, is perky and abundant. All respect to A&H, they must work hard, but it is as I feared and just another nitro beer. I can understand what other people like, but it does nothing for me.
The bubbles, almost got ’em!
Neighboring stand Cloudwater had a **barrel aged** stout, which felt like something deserved after that nitro. The rain had let up and people were drifting out into the patio area for a little extra room, although the surfaces were not really ready for sitting on. Cleaning staff was mopping inside most of the time, and were even trying to dry off the outside tables, to little avail. Trees For Life is quite the name, and quite the beer from the get go. Cinnamon, cherry, ginger, the aroma is incredible. It has a sort of Christmas candle essence to it. The taste does not disappoint. Apfelstrudel, gingerbread, a faded memory of Sachertorte, this beer is a glory and privilege to drink. It kills off any previous disappointment, and doesn’t stop there. The complexity of flavors builds, they melt into each other to create a fantastic blend of experiences. This isn’t an all-year beer, this is a beer that transcends time, with notes for every season, a weight for winter and a shining light for summer.
It mught not be fair for any beer to come after Trees, but Lervig is a formidable stout maker and if anyone can come to the match up, it’s them. Five By Rackhouse is also barrel aged, so it’s starting from the same place at least, but it doesn’t have the jack-in-the-box of scents. It’s mild and disarming, and diving in there’s a definitely stouty but also syrupy flavor. It leans toward bourbon, clearly displaying its barrel aged background, but it’s not as explosive as Trees. Still, Five is well-presented, solid, balanced, self-assured and hitting all the necessary points. It might not be a Black Forest Stout, but it is a delight in itself.
It’s finally time to switch it up and look for something else, perhaps a fruit sour to cleanse the palate. Sudden Death has an enticing one: Blåbärsoppa International Women’s Day Celebration Beer! There was a woman serving, fittingly. So, a couple of months late, but still appetizing. It’s a deep ruby red with a strawberry whiff, and wow oh wow, it’s cherry Kool-aid! It is in fact delicious, not to mention clean, sweet, summery and hopeful.
Sad, cold empanada
I haven’t visited the local beers this festival, which you really should. If not for them, there would be no audience, after all. I wander over to their taps and at this time we have Arktos, which I am well familiar with. I’m still trying to land gently after all those stouts, so I choose the honey beer, which is not exceptionally heavy. It’s not exactly a palate cleanser, but it certainly doesn’t take up all the air and has that touch of sweetness that perks you right up.
Water down yer drink?
Wandering with my honey beer, I run into my old beer friend Javi! It’s been years, but he’s looking well. He strongly recommened Messorem’s stout to me, and for good measure let me enjoy the last drops that he had in his glass…I was ready to let it go because of the line, but holy shit, that is not a beer to pass up. After warmly felt niceties I hustle over and get in line. I’m not quite sure why it moves so slowly, maybe there are some very chatty people up front. Finally I reach the end and get my little taste of heaven, Messorem Passage Temporale. We’re back to low head beers, and with a licory aroma on top of that, but there’s something else. This is a familiar sensation. It’s Sahale’s special rum stout! It’s cake in a glass, honeyed and cunning. It doesn’t have the onslaught of Trees, but it is undeniably delicious and a beer after my own heart. Despite its smoothness, it’s not a beer to rush through, it deserves its time and contemplation, and would really be a better beer for a porch or terrace than a bustling beer fair, where you can calmly observe your surroundings and enjoy to the utmost.
I still have some time and some thirst, so I veer back over to the fruity beers. How could anyone walk past Pretty Decent Beer? What kind of name is that if not perfectly unassuming? They must be hiding some kind of achievement! Since it’s coming close to closing time for the first shift, I’ll go for a moderate sour, Honk If You’re Sour redcurrant beer. It’s dark red with a generally fruity aroma, no specific ingredients stand out. It’s not very sweet in taste but has a strong flavor of natural fruit, not very sour but very drinkable. There’s just a touch of acidity and to my relief, no sulfur or gassiness like that which plagues other fruit beers.
Time is running out! Do I have enough time for something light? I think I can make time. There’s Prizm, a venerable contender among cans, always with something special and tasty. No stout, but the one for the road should be something lighter anyway. How about a NEIPA? Recess is also a collab with Frau Gruber, so all the better for me. It’s a light straw color, with hardly any aroma, but there’s a strong ale flavor. It’s only slightly bitter, and somewhat melony, very refreshing, a good send-off. Time to go sleep off the excesses of the day, and get home while the sun still shines.
Beermad is pushed back to the fall this year, but there are other celebrations filling in. One is Fresh Fest, a new venture organized by Oso, among others. Next week we’ll find out how it goes, but for now we can sample some of Oso’s wares. Bigtime Imperial Stout has a self-assured label and a tempting description. A good omen?
It’s so thick, the first word I think to describe it leaving the can is oozing, since I’m pouring carefully. That’s such a negative word though, maybe something more neutral. The beer emits itself, dives into the glass, pulls itself ropelike from container to drinking vessel. The head is not hugely thick, but mousse-ish and with great staying power. Hints of chocolate, vanilla and toast drift up to the nose. It’s almost a smoothie in texture, thick with tiny nubbins that melt away in the mouth. The taste isn’t a kick in the tastebuds, but swims between dark chocolate and coffee, with a touch of licorice for good measure, surprisingly light down the throat. A gentle aftertaste starts to build about a quarter of the way through, leaving an essence of caramelly chocolate syrup. It starts out subdued and begins a lean into dessert, maybe my favorite kind of stout.
As the heat grows, some people gravitate away from dark beers, preferring to match sunlight and beer shade. There’s something to be said for a sharp or bitter beer, or even a light and sweet one, but I cannot be swayed from my path of darkness. I picked up a special one too, an anniversary beer from Polish brewery NEPO. 11 years, it says. They also hint at going for a full century, and why not? The beer industry may be floundering a little these days, but it’s hardly the first time. Small breweries with good product and loyal following have survived to another boom before.
In a shadow it’s a rich black beer with an off-white head, but once in a brighter spot it takes on a warmer brown shade. The aroma hints at syrup and smoke and the flavor does not diverge from that. It’s lighter than I expected, almost effervescent. There’s an undercurrent of pastry and chocolate. It builds in body and strength, expected really, since it is something that happens with a strong beer. It still goes down easily, without leaving a slick behind or tumbling its way down the throat like a slinky. It takes quite a long time for the coconut to start coming through, I guess because it’s natural “aroma” and not a flavoring. It’s very tasty and a good cozy evening beer. I might be worried about the apparent thinness at the beginning of the can, but as it expands itself over time and warmth it starts to grow in robustness too, making it more of a formidable beverage. Here’s to 11 years, NEPO, if you make it to 100 you’ll deserve it.
No, I cannot resist that can, that fun, funny, whimsical can. Garage does have a tendency to use those kind of designs. Also, imperial stout? Fuck yeah, gimme that now! I think I have had this beer before, possibly at Bee Beer, and I have the vague memory that it was quite a treat. I seem to have lost the receipt, so I don’t know exactly how much it was, but I can make a good guess. It certainly isn’t at the level of the German Red, but real craft beers, even domestic ones, are not in that price range. It is my little luxury, and I find ways to indulge. I might cry Alfajor Tears if I couldn’t.
The liquid is just lurking right under the tab, ready to leap up and grab you by the palate. It doesn’t, but somehow you know that it could have. It looks heavy enough to pull you down into the can and produces an impressive, dark beige head. There’s a good amount of chocolate in the aroma, not overly sweet, but not a smokey or raw baking chocolate scent either. It also comes through in the taste; first there’s a slightly medicinal, almost cola flavor, but the chocolate bubbles up quickly after. It’s an interesting mix of sweet, bitter and that special cola, surprisingly light in feel given the look. There’s a slightly dusty feel in the aftertaste, which brings out more natural flavors, almost like an horchata weirdly enough. It gets stronger over time, developing some almost sour notes as an undercurrent, and gaining a certain amount of robustness. While not a pastry stout, it gives a nod to dessert, and still has a close to classic profile. The weight is probably enviable for a Guinness, although it is not as smooth and nothing to swallow, which might be a problem for fans of that particular brew. It’s just right for me, though, my baby bear’s beer. And I’m not Goldilocks, so I don’t even have to break into somebody else’s house to get it.
Despite rising temperatures, I deliberately seek out a stout to relax with. We’re having a discussion on love tonight, so I think I might need something to chill out. I haven’t gone looking for more Steam beer yet, but I have revisited an old favorite, La Buena Cerveza. They don’t have an overwhelming variety on the shelves, being a bar/store now, but there are quite a few nice looking stouts. Almost immediately, my gaze is drawn to Bowie, an imperial stout from Drunken Bros. The blend of deep blue and red on the label is both enticing and calming somehow. I am promised cocoa and vanilla; we’ll see how desserty this stout ends up.
A liitle jumpy, but no explosion with careful opening. It’s a sticky looking dark brown, with almost milk chocolate head. Not much aroma, which is a little disappointing, just some ghostly toast and echoes of vanilla. It’s smooth and mouth-filling, a slippery devil. Not very sweet, so not drifting into the realm of pastry stout. There are notes of dark chocolate and licorice along with a hint of raisin. Smoke and earth also start to rise with a little bit of time. Dimensions of flavor start to unfold themselves, although the texture doesn’t change much from the start. A sort of dustiness starts to form over it, but the beer still elbows its way smoothly through the mouth and heads down the throat unimpeded.
It’s practically spring in Madrid, rain almost never stops, the temperatures are in fact quite pleasant, and yet it still feels like the beginning of the year. I turn to my stouts for stabilization. While many have cheeky, punny names, this one is very straightforward – Bourbon Barrel Aged Chocolate x Coffee Imperial Stout 2025. It’s one of Arpus’s special brews, a bit more expensive than I typically allow myself, but I’m thinking of it as an appeal to karma. And it does sound like a damn special beer. Arpus makes some real crowd pleasers, in spite of their unpretentious naming. Even people who aren’t especially fans of beer like their sours. I have been witness to such miracles.
Deliciously slick pouring, appetizingly dark color, nice mocha head, although it fizzes away. There’s a good pinch of bourbon aroma with some chocolate/vanilla background. It has a typical rough around the edges essence of many barrel aged beers, like you have to look out for splinters. But of course, the beer itself has practically no roughness at all. There’s just a bit of bubbliness, to keep you aware that it’s there, but it’s an overall smooth and syrupy sensation. There’s a definite weight and robust mouthfeel; unsurprisingly, this imperial stout is no pushover. Some dried fruit flavors start to push through after a while, adding complexity and depth. I can’t say that I detect a great amount of coffee, but there is a hint of smoke that starts to puff out once you really get into the glass. Arpus doesn’t bother giving their beers fun and clever names, but all the creativity and energy definitely goes into the beer itself. If I had to choose, I would support the emotional investment in the beer, hobby drinker that I am.
On the twelfth day of Beermas I went and got for me Twelve thunders thundering Eleven drinkers drinking Ten drug lords delivering Nine priestesses priesting Eight pirate maids a-sailing Seven boney swimmers Six geese post-laying Five gold nuts Four obvious non-kiwis A three-time remade masterpiece Two guarding lions And a crow glaring silently
It’s the end! Another Beermas drunk through! There were some stretches in meaning and metaphor here and there, but there’s always one that just doesn’t fit like you hope for. This final beer is a good finale. It was the label that caught my eye with the wild sky and moody color palate, but then I saw the brewery: Laugar. Hooray! And then I saw the style: Imperial Stout with marshmallows. Double and triple hooray! Nimbus carries a threat of rain and dark days, but with a sweet surprise, or maybe a consolation. The solstice is over anyway, so we’re on the way to brighter and brighter times.
Beautiful pour wit a sensible amount of mocha head. It doesn’t look quite as thick as number ten, but still presents body and substance. There’s a vapory whisp of marshmallow in the aroma, riding a stout dragon through the storm clouds of the can. The smell is disarmingly light so when you take a sip it’s a real wallop. While not the thickest beer ever, there’s a good amount of weight that floods over the tongue, and the touch of marshmallow sweetnes gives the whole thing an essence of s’more. It’s silkier than Midnight Call, really in keeping with the stouts from Laugar. Even though they produce some heavy hitters, and Nimbus comes in at 10.5%, the majority of their stouts are easy to pour down the hatch, even dangerously so. This is quite a climax to my Beermas; sometimes the stars, or the clouds, align.
On the tenth day of Beermas I went and got for me Ten drug lords delivering Nine priestesses priesting Eight pirate maids a-sailing Seven boney swimmers Six geese post-laying Five gold nuts Four obvious non-kiwis A three-time remade masterpiece Two guarding lions And a crow glaring silently
Hey…isn’t that a scene from a Tarantino movie? Not the famous one, that other one, less famous and sillier. Well, maybe not, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, or any Tarantino movie for that matter. Suggestions for holiday films? Ok, not only is it stirring film nostalgia, it’s an imperial stout (finally!) and from La Quince. A safe bet if I’ve ever heard one. Maybe I’m stretching the definition of lord, but I imagine people in illegal occupations do a lot of leaping. If not physically, then morally and philosophically. Collaborator Seven Island is a Greek outfit, so philosophy is almost certainly a part of this beer. I seem to recall an earlier collab with Yria that resulted in a stout that would leave you one the floor – almost literally, since it was a seventeen percenter. Midnight Call looks powerful, but manageable. Let’s find out!
First time in a while I don’t get a good head on the first pour, but there is a little beige crown there. While not pitch black, it’s a pleasing dark brown, hot fudge syrup if I had to compare it. The aroma is pretty standard stout, a little toast and earth. Wow, it’s a real mouth filler! The taste is surprisingly subdued for such thickness. It hits hard with bitter, but then there’s a support structure of something sweet. Could it be the oats? It has kind of a breakfast element to it. There’s a tingling to the sip, like a thousand teeny tiny bubbles at once. It does leave a sticky residue on the lips, although no unpleasant aftertaste or other problems. Is it one that you’d get a hankering for at midnight? A secret treat that has to come under cover of darkness? That might make it more exciting, but stouts are a pretty acceptable indulgence. I would call for this beer any time.
I was pointed to a number of almost experimental stouts on the shelves of Más Que Cervezas, it’s so hard to choose! In the end I went with a whisky barrel aged stout. It felt better than the bourbon barrel one, and it seems like both a less complicated and an extra packed choice. I have partaken of Kees before, and probably a stout, since that where I see them most represented on these shelves. This is a promising Caramel Fudge Stout, lovingly (I’m sure) aged in Craigellachie whisky barrels, and canned in standard yet playful design. I hope I don’t regret having a light lunch.
A little sparse where head is concerned, but good color and aroma. It has a deep, rich caramel smell with a toasted edge. It’s resonant where others can be thin and shrill. The flavor is not quite as substantial, although it does deliver on stout, caramel and a drop of whiskey. While the beer looks opaque and thick, it’s rather thin on the tongue and slides down the throat without complaint. Even the whiskey doesn’t give much resistance. It doesn’t feel like it’s 11.5% with all the smoothness, but it doesn’t take long for a little buzz to kick in. Strong it is, after all. There’s a feeling of relaxation about it, like it should be poured in a snifter and sipped in front of a fire, or in a mug to go with a terrible comedy. I don’t know why it feels more like a bad comedy than a good one; maybe the good one would be too distracting.
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