Lervig

It’s weirdly cloudy outside, but it hasn’t gotten any cooler. Do gray skies give me an excuse for a dark beer? You bet! And this one is a northern one, so maybe fitting. If we got a good rain, which we won’t, it might evoke some seafaring fantasies. Or forests, dark and foreboding. Actually, that sounds a little more like Laugar, threatening images on the label, and what we have today is Lervig. Not only that, but there’s something light and silly about a three bean stout. You can only imagine the symphony later.

It doesn’t look especially thick as a liquid, but the head certainly has a whipped-up appearance. It’s a very dark beige and only diminishes slowly. More than any kind of beans, I’m getting cinnamon from the aroma, with a touch of gingerbread. It’s thick, smooth and rich on the tongue, liquid gingerbread in fact. Is there vanilla and cacao? Vanilla for sure, cacao probably, but I can’t identify tonka as a distinct flavor. When I have had it, in stouts, it’s been more of a variety of cacao than something uniquely its own. The whole blend is very Christmasy, and it’s too bad I didn’t pull this out for Beermas. Well, maybe I can make an exception with repeats. It is almost a whole dessert in itself, I think any kind of baked good or pastry would just be too much. A nice simple ice cream might be ok, even something like strawberry. It does calm you right down, almost giving you a gauzy curtain to shield yourself from reality, and I expect it has to do with the strength. But for the life of me I can’t find the ABV on the can. It does seem to recommend splitting this little 330ml can into several servings, though. Should have been a warning.

Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €6.50

Hoo boy, it’s really summer now! Not my favorite season, really, even though I am blessed with A/C at the moment. Maybe it’s my aversion to beaches that turns me off of the season. Also, the dearth of dark beers in the past. This year there are a few more stouts around than other years, which certainly warms my heart, and you’ve already seen some evidence of my enjoyment. This is the last one from La Mundial, a Lervig Imperial Stout with a name that makes me thing there ought to be a story – Konrad’s Stout. Can’t find a story in a quick Google search, but maybe that’s a Google problem. We’re having more and more of those.

Beer float worthy head, thick and bubbly, and a little nest of tiny bubbles at the bottom. It’s slightly cakey in aroma, but only a mild whiff. It smells fresh and bready, almost perky. Tastewise, it is a full-fledged stout, bitter and toasty warm. It warns of coffee or licorice, but doesn’t quite go there, staying strong in its stouty identity. It doesn’t quite feel as strong as its 10%, but it definitely has presence. It’s also fairly clean going down, not a whole lot of afterfeel, although there is a little bit of film on the back of the tongue reminding you that you have had a drink. In a way it’s good, since you don’t have the desire to just chug the thing. As usual, it might be too heavy for some given the weather, but I have no problems sitting in a shady place and enjoying a fine northern stout.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €5.20