The last Saturday of June and it’s not all that comfortable. It’s not roasting like it has been until this week, but it’s plenty hot for me. I guess I’ll stick with a sour for refreshment. It’s kind of a fancy sour too, Cloudwater, nobly presenting its name for inspection. Hopefully Cherry Sour Breeze will give me some cool feelings and help me relax in this wretched, wretched season.
It’s a very rusty red, lightly headed, probably what you can expect from a more natural cherry. There’s hardly any aroma at all, just the merest hint of sour fruit. It isn’t really identifiable, just a generic fruit scent. It’s fizzy on the tongue and not really sweet or sour, although it leans more to the latter. It’s kind of a cherry jam taste. Once the fizz dies down a little, it’s a smoother drink (naturally), but also slippery and shiny feeling. It’s a polished marble counter, a well-worn wooden bannister. There is some kind of woodiness to it, kind of like the old Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. Let it sit for a while and a certain amount of tangy sour comes out, like mist off a morning lake. It has an effervescence about it, very easy to drink, but the lack of candy sweet and sour gives it a maturity and solemnity that keeps your attention on it.
It’s hot! I’m not a fan. The fridge is less right that it was a week ago, although I have my doubts that the weather is to blame for that. Even though I often brag about my devotion to heavy, black beers, at any time and temperature, I do like to surprise my palate every once in a while. This feels like a good moment for a sour, and most especially a fruit sour. Basqueland is a good one to go to, having provided much tasteful examples in the past. Not to mention the label design. This is a real salaf of a fruit beer, with four berries going into it, including my preferred raspberries and blackberries. Strawberries are taste, but sometimes a little more acidic than I’m looking for when I pick up something fruity. Then there are the blueberries…I’m a fan of their cran cousins, although they often make kind of a rough beer for drinking. But, for some reason, blueberries have never grown on me. Maybe this time it will hit me like a bolt a lightning. Cold Fruit Lightning.
Very fizzy with a good head build-up and retention. It’s candy cherry red and some dark pink bleeds up into the foam too. The aroma is very faint but tantalizing, with whispers of fruit and a little sulfur as a sober foundation. The taste is tangy and a little dry. It has a certain similarity to dry ciders or wines. There’s an odd medicineIt’s y bitterness, maybe a hint at some natural ingredients and production, but I’m having trouble picking out individual fruit flavors. A kind of metallic taste starts to surface after a while, some steely knife slicing through the general fruit. It leaves a little stickiness behind although not much aftertaste, so it isn’t quite as refreshing as other sours. It’s still quite a shocker, hence pickmeup, one that would find a lot of popularity on days like these.
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.
On the eleventh day of Beermas I went and got for me 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 close enough to a pipe, even though it isn’t a pipe by any means, that porrón. Things flow out of the spout and that’s enough for me. I don’t think a weiss is exactly the beer to pour down your throat like you would using that device, but maybe one with a good amount of syrup would be easy to take. As far as quality goes, it’s Garage, so clearly a quality beer. And from the right city for the style. I just wonder what P9 is supposed to refer to.
Are people just filling cans to the tippy top anymore? There is a little liquid escape as soon as there’s an opening, but nothing too serious. I was expecting a light orange or even barely yellow beer, what I remember from weisses, but this is a very floral rosy peach color. Even the head is barely tinged pink. Not like the flamingo from a few years ago, but a very happy appearance. It has a tangy and fruity perfume, sort of a strawberry scent, but from a sticker or a doll. I associate weisses with a sharper smell, somewhat acidic and grainy, but this one is soft and slightly juicy. Could just be my memory, I don’t often indulge in the style. The first sip is definitely tangy, like a sour candy. And much like those candies, the sour wears off and you’re left with a calming sweetness covering your tongue. On the side it says “fruited sour ale bursting with raspberry and passion fruit”. Ah, yes, it all makes sense now.
I went looking for stouts as usual, and lo and behold, they have appeared for the fall! We will see them soon enough. I got caught up with a sour first, a strawberry and black currant number. Funny how they get stored near the stouts, maybe they’re going alphabetically. This sour bears the name Syd and is part of Drunken Bros. Memorial Series, which I didn’t think about at first, but now I suppose it must be named for a certain punk musician. Well, no, after a little research it is a different musician altogether that the beer is namesake for. Wrong spelling for the punk’s name anyway. In any case, it does look more fitting for this other Syd, with the somewhat psychedelic design on the can and the ruddy color scheme.
A little explodey, possibly from not being chilled enough, but no real disaster. It very much has a natural strawberry appearance, with a calm orangey salmon pink, not so much black currant. Abundantly headed, not so well-endowed aroma-wise. There are tantalizing hints of bread and jelly, a morning sort of smell, maybe triggering a wake-up response. It does not taste like toast and jelly, though, it tastes exactly like a fruit sour beer. There’s the tang with some sweetness underneath and a clean and smooth feel down the throat. Strawberry sours often have some kind of dustiness to them, and do not tend to be desserty really, and there’s a touch of that, but there’s also an almost syrupy currant nectar playing alongside it. My impression is that currants themselves are not that sweet, maybe even astringent like cranberries, but a black currant drink always carries a heavy load of sweetness. A warmer beer, more settled, starts to show more character and bite, giving a little bit of sting on the way down. It’s not quite winter yet, and doesn’t even completely feel like fall, and this beer has a fitting last gasp of summer in it to my palate.
So, a quick break from the road of darkness, but don’t worry! We’ll be back on it soon enough. It felt right at the moment to get a variety pack from Lambeer, since I’m focusing on cans in the refrigerator. I hesitated before picking up Crab Fruit, to be honest, but it doesn’t look like it has isinglass or anything. It is a smoothie sour ale, packed with tropical fruit and a restaurant mascot quality crab on the label. We thought it might have been coming on fall, but it looks like temperatures will be going back up. Oh well, a good sour can perk you up on a steamy night, no matter the season.
Very bright and lemonadey color, fizzy and nice head at first, but it soon fizzles out. There’s a tiny bit of sour and seashore in the aroma, barely gassy, peachy and coconutty. It almost tastes like a piña colada, but maybe a little more sour than they usually are. There’s a light covering of tropical fruit flavors over a sourball center. I’m clear on the pineapple and coconut, and I think I can detect the vanilla, although I had to be reminded that it was there, but damned if I can’t identify the passionfruit in it. It stays tangy and with a little prickliness even as the fizziness peters out, but the brightness does keep it easy to drink. It’s an absolute ball of sunshine. The end of the can is … suddenly chunky. There’s quite a bit of sediment, I’m assuming the fruit puree. It doesn’t disrupt drinking at all, and brings a lot more pineapple to the flavor for the final kiss.
There’s a name I haven’t seen for a while – Arpus! They had a whole suite of fruity sours that pleased even the less enthusiastic of beer drinkers. A little surprisingly it wasn’t at Más Que Cervezas or Be Hoppy, but La Buena Cerveza. I don’t see a name on the can, but a description. A long description. Black Currant x Cherry x Blueberry x Coconut x Almond Smoothie Sour Ale. That is quite a collection of ingredients. It was the currant that sealed the deal for me, although I’m not sure if coconut in a sour rather than a stout is going to come out very well. I guess it’s common in tropical cocktails, so it’s not like there’s no established connection with fruity drinks. Piña colada anyone?
This one has a real hurry to escape as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Kind of like how I imagine that octopus, it oozes out of the can in a determined way and starts bleeding over the edge. I rush to get it in the glass and notice a very unusual amount of solids. This really is a smoothie beer! There is something like a head of lighter colored ruby red stuff in the glass in the end, but most of the product is dark movie blood red. Again, should have saved for a later holiday? It smells weirdly salty, with a hint of toasted almond. With careful sniffing, coconut also makes its presence known. There is a small nip of fruit, although I can’t distinguish them. Wow oh wow, that is one chunky beer! It isn’t hard on the throat though, which is a plus. The currant is especially present in the flavor, and probably has a lot to do with the coloring, but the blueberry is kind of hiding in the background, keeping things from getting too crazy. Even the coconut does its part to soften the blow of acidic berries. That being the case, it’s not a terribly sour beer. Being in the shitty fridge, it isn’t super chilled, it would possibly benefit from being a couple of degrees colder. But it definitely does not taste bad, and starting at a lower temperature I might have missed the interplay of the ingredients at first. I was excited for the black currant and cherry but hesitant about the addition of coconut and almond, but I must say this is a successful experiment. Another real dessert stand-in, not only not needing a food on the side, but would probably but interfered with by its presence.
It’s Beermad number ten, and more populated than the last time, from the very beginning. It wasn’t that much of a line, not like years ago, but last year I was the only one at the gate until practically opening time. There were about 20 people hanging out patiently this year, even as opening time came and went and the gate remained shut. They got us in pretty quickly once things were worked out inside, whatever it was that had to be done; people are pretty used to what is expected by now. It’s only 11(:15) and I’m already feeling thirsty, so I set off to get my first drink and take a look around.
There are quite a few new names this year, along with some old familiar friends, so I’m feeling hopeful. As usual, I want to start off strong with a nice stout/porter. Not far from the entrance I found Japi, beer from Cantabria, and a new one for me. Fortunately, they have a black beer, simply called Japi Negra, which I happily accept as my first of the day.
Kinda looks like an Ozzy Man more than a … Cantiman
It has a good look, dark brown, fluffy beige-ish head, and with kind of an oaty stout aroma. Maybe a little malt-heavy, but that’s not bad for a dark beer. It hits a little malty on the tongue, and gives a heavy first impression, but it really is pretty slick drinking. It takes a bit for some bitterness to make an appearance, but eventually it does, from the back of the tongue, interestingly. As a relatively light stout, it’s a good beginning for me. Other times I dive in a little too fast, but this feels…sensible.
I do not remember that motto for Leiner
Now it’s time for something different, and I noticed quite a few different things on the signs. As usual, lots of IPAs, but also some fruity sours with less common fruit. I toss some plans around in my head as I head for another new name, Tensina. There’s a Little Cherry Sour waiting for me.
Incredible color, Kool-Aid worthy, bubbly but not much head, and not much aroma either. It does have a little bit of a cherry yogurt smell, maybe due to the lactose that they told me was in there. Although it looks fizzy, it’s very smooth feeling, not a single tickle on the tongue. The sour cherry flavor is there, but it’s hardly overpowering. It has a very dry feel, in fact. It seems like Kool-Aid with less sugar than normal, and a little watered down too. Well, the color is right anyway. That’s not necessarily bad, we need to have some subtle things to tune our palates to once in a while, to keep us on our toes. I’ve been awfully spoiled with strong flavors as of late.
Is Iris the brewer? Got distracted, didn’t ask
Now we get back to my preference, the dark beers. I saw Pohjala’s Chocolate Porter listed alongside some Lervig and others, and had to go back for that. I think I’ve probably had it either at Taproom or from the bottle, but there’s no harm in trying a new serving style and new environment.
As expected, it looks splendid with it’s color and head. It smells a little coasty, but it is a Baltic porter, after all. A second whiff gives me a hint of licorice. Dark chocolate taste, crumbly, slightly savory, a real mouthful. Licorice is enhanced by the Sachertorte, which is quite dry. Again, it’s not a kick you in the face kind of beer, it’s very mild, but the flavors that are there come right out without shame. I start to pick up a little porter plumminess after a while, adding something sweet on top. The bottom of the Sachertorte has some fruity, jammy surprises awaiting, which end up adding some moisture, but overall it is the porter that is carrying the weight of softening things up here. Not a bad combination at all.
Finally, one more tongue cleaning sour. There’s some mystery about the exact fruit in it, it might be cranberry, but probably raspberry. This is DAI Sour.
Big bubbles, but little head, suggestive if light aroma. It’s fuzzier than the cherry, but with more woodiness and confidence. It does have the essence of a cranberry drink with something sparkling added. A cranberry virgin cocktail, I guess. I am a little whistful for the days of tongue wresting brews that fight all the way down, but Anne Bonny here is no doubt a thirst quencher. Not a flavor bomb in any way, but definitely palatable, and not as dry as Little Cherry. It’s very much a drink, not a sensation.
And with that, my Beermad concludes. See you next year…
Another rainy Saturday, and not a stout for me this time. No, I found something that seemed more appropriate, at least in name – Fruit Jesus! The label looks very similar to those fruit portraits from some Renaissance painter whose name I can never recall. It’s not too surprising that this comes from Basqueland, they have a record of interesting labels and names. It would be quite a shock to find that it’s anything but a sour, and there’s no shock in store. Will it be a transcendent experience, or just an earthly delight? Better open up that can and find out.
It has that sort of gassy puff that a lot of sours do, sort of sulfury, but probably not what you’d get by opening a grave. It has a very juicy appearance, opaque, maybe a shade lighter than orange juice. The head is not abundant, but it is bright white and resistant. Other aromas start to make their way out, a little citrus and pineapple, something smoother too. I’m not sure if it’s mango or some other tropical fruit. It’s supposed to contain passion fruit, and peach, but I think I don’t really know what passion fruit tastes like. The peach might be the smooth part I think I can sense. The taste starts out on the sweeter side, sort of a fresh fruit salad. Then the sour creeps in, leaving a sort of champagne tickle feel along with a lingering aftertaste of sour candy. Not a bad beer at all, not too crazy for a sour, but I don’t know if it would wake the dead.
I saw it sitting on the shelf behind the bar, raising its glass, winking without eyelids. Burger Burger was not a beer to be rejected. I did have a moment’s hesitation seeing it was a sour, but it was also a milkshake inspired sour, and packed with fruit that make almost anything worth drinking – raspberries, black currants, even the strawberry. A black jacketed skeleton doesn’t seem like the most appetizing choice for the label, but the brewery, Fermenterarna from Sweden, might be making a reference to their ghostly lack of internet presence. There is a Facebook page, but their website doesn’t have much to speak of, except the posts from said Facebook page.
Slightly shocking color, although with the fruits listed I shouldn’t have been. It does give off a little puff of that fruity sour gas, along with some overripe banana. The top layer of flavor is pretty much strawberry milkshake, tangy fruit and fluffy creaminess, but there’s an undercurrent of banana and vanilla too. The raspberry and current are not immediately apparent but I suppose they add to the tanginess. On a relatively cold and wet evening, I might have preferred to pull out a stout that’s waiting in the wings, but there’s also a feeling of fun in a less common style and a creative can design. Also, skeletons totally go with windy, rainy weather. Early Halloween!
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