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.
Time for a sidetrack? It’s actually less oppressively hot than in previous days, but still very clearly summer if you venture out on the street. I’ve had the feeling that I ought to delve into some other styles, just for the contrast, and what do you know? Oso Brew’s Gold Helles right on the shelf. That’s a contrast if there ever was one. Oso has always been good for a lighter colored beer and a lighter beer for drinking as well, so going down the brighter path with them shouldn’t be too much of a risky bet.
As usual, the can is filled up to the top with a little bloop coming out of the tab. The beer itself looks extra light and ephimeral, with a straw gold color and abundant head, although the foam dies down very quickly. It’s a little more bubbly than might be desireable, but it might also be agitated from the fridge storage. It has a typical German aroma, with a sweet grain and bread top, wrapped up in summer meadow. The taste is also fresh and light, with notes of rounded malt and a touch of lemon. It vanishes down the throat, but after a few sips it does seem to start building up some aftertaste. That is very typically beery, lagery, heavy with harvest. Although there is a little sting of bubbles at first, the beer once settled is confidently smooth and drinkable. There is some sediment in the bottom, which clouds the last glass a bit, but doesn’t affect the smoothness or delicateness of the flavor.
In spite of the uncomfortable blazing of the day, I insist on seeking out stouts. They can be refreshing too, you know? They don’t have to be very alcoholic to be true to style and tasty. So I feel pretty confident in Deep Web, a so-called draught stout in a can. It is from Laugar, after all. While my experience with Laugar tends to be with much stronger barrel aged and similar strength stouts, this one is a very reasonable 5.5%. Stronger than the most widely available version of Guinness, but nothing too crazy. I wonder about the name; is it trying to say that the Deep Web is more normal than we think and we have little to fear from traveling through it? Or is there some hidden message, perhaps in the beads of the web (chin scratching emoji)?
Extra full can, but no explosion. A little bit bubblier than you might want, but good dark chocolate color and a fluffy head on the darker side of beige. It falls to a light cap pretty quickly. There’s a pretty typical stout aroma, a little bit earthy and smoky. The taste is malty and thick, maintaining the notes present in the fragrance, and with a slightly green undertone. It makes me think of fresher plant-based drinks, like horchata. While the first impression is sweet, a little hint of bitter starts to build up with each sip. While not an excessively strong stout, it does leave it’s mark on you, and it has a body that lives up to Laugar’s record with me. It’s quite pleasant and flavorful, a happy standard kind of stout for a bar visit or a gathering of friends when you don’t want to be distracted by your drink.
There were supposed to be storms this weekend, but not thus far. There’s always tomorrow, I guess. In the meantime, I fall upon my trusted stouts. This time it’s Dos Kiwis Gravity, an luscious sounding imperial, recommended at the store as a sturdy and headturning choice.
Rich and dark, with a mocha colored and bubbly head. It dissipates quickly but leaves a thin cap behind. The aroma is heavy and boozy, with overripe bananas, a little coffee and a splat of chocolate. The taste is also overripe fruit, jelly toast, not much chocolate or coffee. The flavor gets heavier, raisiny, prickly, a mouthful that doesn’t leave you struggling, although it feels ready to throw its weight around. Cinnamon and some other wintery spices start to make an appearance with a little bit of settling. It blooms like Christmas, a hint at more tolerable days to come.
Toasty weekends, that’s what we can look forward to from now on. This is a German Film Fest (official name now, remember) weekend, but I didn’t make the time to seek out some German beers to add to the list. I don’t even have a German style for tonight, although plenty of German craft breweries make their own IPAs of various substyles. It is practically a requirement of craft beering. It is a bit of an experiment, since you always have to go farther than your fellow travelers to make your mark, and Soma has taken the farther path. Midnight Club is not the first QIPA to come on the market, but there aren’t that many of them out there. Probably with the price of ingredients now everybody has to cut back, so it’s a good idea to take advantage when we can. Before midnight.
Oddly light for an extra IPA, fuzzy peachy straw colored. A good fluffy head, though, and with staying power. There’s some new IPA citrus in the aroma and also a little bit of dark caraway base. It’s a strong bitter at the first sip, with a rough feel and bustling swallow. There’s an almost candy sweet chaser that raises its head for just a second. It feels both oddly light and predictably weighted. It doesn’t show off its alcohol content, although it has a wild and woolly body, but it does sneak up on you over time. It’s one of the more fitting sipping and conversation IPAs, too strong to just suck down, but without an overwhelming hit of booze, which you might expect from such a powerhouse of a beer. It doesn’t hold a candle to the Belgian (style) quintuple, or even some quads, in that regard, but it’s certainly pleasurable and inviting to drink.
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.
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.
It’s been threatening to be summer for the past couple of days, so a NEIPA is more attractive than usual. Not that they aren’t attractive normally, but the A/C isn’t on yet. What’s this? The refrigerator is actually cold! It’s an Easter miracle! Or something. Well, from my reborn appliance comes Knuckleball, a collab from Oso and Attik, with a very summery label. They promise a surprising beer, well-populated with echoes of fruit, and coming from Oso, I am convinced.
A creamy straw color with a thick cloud of white head, and a light but tantalizing aroma. It has notes of citrus and musk, but very light ones. It’s one of those nice, juicy looking NEIPAs, an old school one, the way they should be! The flavor starts out like an Orange Julius mixed with cantaloupe, a delicate taste, almost like a reflection. A more herbal flavor starts to develop in the aftertaste, and the texture is quite thick and heavy. It’s not a smooth and silky beer, but also not overwhelming. It feels bubblier than it looks, although there was a thin ring of bubbles near the bottom of the glass when it was poured. I think it probably was colder than ideal at first, as a deeper and more rounded fruit cocktail flavor starts to develop as the beer sits. The citrus pith remains but there are now hints of pear and honey coming through. It’s less blaring orange than many NEIPAs, which might surprise and even disappoint some, but it’s a nice option, one that has some weight and complexity. Not so much a beer to pour down your throat, but one to savor and probably have a chat with a friend with.
Well, not exactly a stout, but porters are right up there, and we know that historically they were forms of the same style. It’s a nice peaceful looking can, with a calming night scene, perhaps an Arctic landscape. Love Letter, it says, a Baltic Porter from Dos Kiwis. That scene could be somewhere on a Baltic coast, but the mountians look a little low to be New Zealand and it’s a little snowy to be Cataluña. Andorra maybe, but they only share a language, sort of. Is this beer coming a month too late? Let’s see if it is worthy of the professed live.
Super foamy, middling beige head, nice extra toasty brown brew. There’s also a breakfasty aroma, grains on the overdone but still palatable side. There’s a shot of coffee in it, but with a very natural feel. It’s not full of sweeteners and softeners that give a coffee candy aspect to a lot of stouts, and it doesn’t seem to be hiding any fruit in its depths, as I’ve come across with porters. Maybe it’s a hint of smoke from a steamship, one of those vessels bringing longed for black beers across the northern waters. It’s has a good mid-level weight, not thin or watery, but not overwhelming. It’s a relatively hefty 8%, but there isn’t an exceptionally loud note of alcohol. It’s a very drinkable beer, on its own or with some company. A good companion to a biopic about persecuted and reknowned artists, perhaps. Those are often some dark stories.
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