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Spanish beer

dark curtain

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Success! I have completed my month of darkness…even if it was only the Saturdays. As hard as it is to find black beers on tap most of the time, bottles and cans to take home and drink at your leisure aren’t scarce. Thankfully. A sentiment that fits the weekend. Most stouts you come across are a little bit extra, if you know what I mean, but there are still some that are plain Russian Imperial Stouts. Yeah, at one time that didn’t sound plain at all. How things change! What I trust hasn’t changed is Bidassoa’s product quality, since this is their work for their Dark Series.

As soon as the cap comes off little puffs of malty goodness fill the air. It has a warm brown-black color and quite a respectable head, one of the fluffier I’ve managed to get in a while. I seem to detect hints of woodiness in the aroma as well, like wet forest walkways. After some sweeter stouts, this one gets back to basics – toasty, smoky, a cloud on the tongue. The simplicity is even a little imposing. This is a beer that’s very sure of itself and you can tell. A sweetish woodiness starts to make an appearance once the beer gets more towards room temperature, but it has a very natural feeling to it, certainly not like sweetened or even barrel aged stouts. I feel like this is a little throwback to earlier days of stout enjoyment, when everyone was vying for the most representative result instead of the most innovative. Not that innovation is bad, it will come in handy later, I think.

Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €5.10

not left behind

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Half of the darkest month is over, although I think I’ll be able to keep a good shadow over December too. While last week was a can of surprises, this week looks like something a little more predictable, which should not mean unpleasant. Garage Beer Co. and Track both contributed to this imperial stout, a rich blend of coffee, vanilla and chocolate from the looks of the ingredients list. Blue Straggler has an unlikely label for this blending I would say, but who knows? There might be some unusual aftertaste that pops up unexpectedly when you look at those featured components.

This one also has some fruity aroma about it, but the head is less satisfying. Colorwise, it’s deep and dark, befitting my streak. It’s not as exciting as that old Diamond, really just plum on the fruit side and the barest whisper of chocolate tickling the nose. The chocolate was lying in wait for the drink it seems, giving a good wallop of bittersweet right up front. The fruit aroma might have been a ghost of my own making, influenced by the can design. Anyway, a very filling and fulfilling beer, with good body and subtle flavors after the initial impression. It has a bit of a dusty coat but is easy enough going down without stickiness or excess sweetness. I am not getting the vanilla or coffee to be honest, it’s actually a fairly simple flavor in that regard. Maybe the chocolate and tonka are asserting themselves a little too much; maybe those notes were only supposed to be suggestive anyway. In any case, it’s undeniably cozy and warming, just what you want on a dark, dark post-Halloween night.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €6.80

opening the door to shadows

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Yes, Halloween and Day of the Dead have passed, but daylight is still winding down, and the darkness is more present every day. Might as well have a beer to go with it, right? Any excuse for me! I’m always slightly perturbed that stouts are not more prevalent in the winter (or ever), but maybe that makes the discovery more pleasing. Espiga has been more familiar to me for pale ales and the like, but I cannot resist a stout from anybody. If those ales were good, the stout will be too, I trust. It’s also a pastry stout, so the addition of that sugary shock just brings you right out of November Saturday doldrums. I wonder if Magic Cookie would play nice with Ben ‘n’ Jerry’s Cookie Dough, or if they would battle to the death.

It’s absolutely oozing with liquory aroma, vanilla, rum and cookie dough. While not exceptionally heady, there are quite a few bubbles collecting at the top. The initial taste is a deep dark…void, really. There’s a whisper of bitter and smoke, but once you swallow a punch of sweet bakery goodies covers your tongue. You might expect it to start getting syrupy quickly, but there’s a stronger bitter in the aftertaste than at the first sip and it balances the cookie part really well. The flavor starts to develop more of a planty element, reminding me of horchata. It’s actually not as rich and drippy as I thought it was going to be given the luxurious scent, but it is a scrappy and flavorful brew. Perhaps not as smooth as some people would like. There’s even some wood lurking around like it’s a barrel aged stout on top of everything. I’m not unhappy with it at all. Out of the shadows with you, Magic Cookie!

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €5.80

this one counts

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We’re on the cusp of fall and Oktoberfest, what better time for a beer called Nosferatu? It’s not a German beer sadly, but we can’t have everything. A mountain brewery like Pyrene will be able to give their product the light and shadow worthy of a Murnau movie. Maybe there’s even a little bit of the supernatural spirit of old Iberia left up there that nobody in civilized, modern cities talks about anymore.

A very agreeable introduction, with a dusty rose color and hint of grapefruit aroma. Plenty of tiny bubbles on the sides of the glass, but not much head. Even upon closer inspection, it smells more like grapefruit soda than anything else. But upon tasting, that vanishes. The taste is also quite a surprise, though, with gingerbread, apple and just a little bit of dirty wood in the starring roles. The color makes it look like spring, but the flavor is definitely fall. It might even lean a little more into Christmas, making Jack Skellington a more appropriate namesake than Count Orlok. It takes a while for the expected sourness to make an appearance, and then it’s only drifting in on the aftertaste. I was also expecting some saltiness, but I guess that’s wrapped up in the gingerbread. It’s definitely a surprising beer, and a welcome surprise at that, although a gose purist might not be so happy with it. I did not double check the fruit content before drinking, so it’s a little odd that none of the listed fruits came through at all, and even knowing to look for cherry or current, they are only discovered with difficulty. I think the tonka bean has completely escaped me. Must have flown off into the darkening night.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €5.15

unrattled

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A festive season is approaching, but for the moment, a lighter beer might be the most appropriate. I am saving up the darkness for the near future, when I intend to wallow, wallow, wallow, so even a radler is acceptable as a nice contrast. To be honest, I don’t see too many craft radlers or shandies, although they are around, sours seem to be the fashion of our time if you want to get away from strong bitterness. So, it was somewhat surprising to see Bidassoa standing innocently on the shelf. They’ve been around for a while, so I guess it’s time to try even these commercial creations.

It pours out like the fizzy drink that it really is, although with a good whiff of musk. The bright white head dissolves into a thin mat pretty quickly. The taste is sharp and summery, very sweet lemonade at first with a mildly bitter beer chaser. It feels very full at first, the sweetness probably makes you think the beer is heavier than it really is, but once you swallow it doesn’t leave much behind. To be honest, it’s a little too sweet for me and a little too sticky when in the mouth. As a more equinoxial beer I think it would do fine, but while summer is still strong I would actually be happier with something a little more bitter or foresty. Or a stout, always a stout.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurrah
Price: €2.65

bee’s knees

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Things are cooling down outside but about to heat up in work, so it feels like a good time to grab one more strong drink. Of course, stouts are my go-to at any time for any reason, but I have plans for the future and variety is always good. So, why not an IPA? Why not indeed, and let’s make it double! Garage, makers of oh so many fantastic brews, has a hearty product on the shelves – Hexagons Honey DIPA.

Slightly spicy aroma, something like caraway, and a color that speaks to its name. Head appears fragile with larger bubbles, but does keep a pretty good cap on for a while. The scent in the glass takes on more sweetness, mostly typical IPA citrus, but there’s some honey lurking at the base. The first impression of the flavor is that it’s more like the first NEIPAs I had, smooth, sweet, like a beermosa. It has some extra sharpness in the throat, so it’s not completely a pushover, but for the most part it’s very drinkable light. I get a bit of coating on the tongue, although the beer itself doesn’t feel sticky at all.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €6.75

tinta de verano

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Weather patterns are strange things. Last summer was unbearable straight through, and this summer is only intermittently so. It’s bad when it’s bad, though, makes you feel like hibernating. The best I can do, I think, is turn to Oso Brew, with their snappy label designs and wild pastry stouts and sours. Or maybe not so wild this time, Tinta porter is actually a very laid-back can in comparison with others.

Perhaps a little extra bubbly, and with murderous bubbles at that. You can see them attacking the head and eating it away from the second you stop pouring. The color is nice, rich chocolate brown, and the aroma sends up tendrils of plum and cocoa. Yes, you might think it’s more appropriate for colder days, but I will not be denied my dark beer at any time of year. The chocolate carries over into the flavor, with shades of fruit – I can’t quite tell if it’s more cherry or raspberry, but it is a lot like those fancy dark chocolate bars with bits of fruit in them. Maybe more cherry, like the ones with chili and cherry gel. The taste is pleasant and mouth-filling, although the beer doesn’t feel very heavy in itself. There is a slight trail of aftertaste, leaving hints of smoke. It’s a happy little beer, maybe not as elaborate as Oso’s pastry stouts, but it gives you something extra in the style, something that leaves you well satisfied.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €4

7/10 would drink again

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As we roll into the month of vacations, it’s nice to look back as well as forward. Spain’s craft beer scene has just barely cleared a decade, and the field is still vibrant, changeable and volatile. Bars and stores come and go, breweries appear, expand, and sometimes get absorbed or simply vanish. As humans, we like to celebrate round numbers especially, those multiples of ten making the biggest emotional impact. Is the first decade the most exciting? It might be in most cases, actually, but the desired answer would probably be that the excitement will only grow as time goes on. San Frutos Siete, a Catarina Sour, shows the blending of fashion and tradition we still see in craft beer. Let’s see if it shows their typical quality as well.

Very, very light color, kind of a washed out gold. It has good head at first, but that goes down quickly. It’s extremely fruity in aroma, without the usual sulfur or swampiness that I get off of sours and some fruity beers. My first impression is mandarin, but there’s some passionfruit and maybe mango lurking in there too. Very tropical overall. There might be a hint of banana? Maybe that’s just psychological as I imagine a typical fruit basket, which tends to have some bananas. It’s not nearly as sweet and fruitpunchy as it seems when you get it in your mouth. The sour part of the style comes back with a vengeance, wiping out most other flavors you’re looking for. It even hangs around like a powerful sour candy, just waiting to take out anything you send after it. After the initial shock, I think some fruitiness does come out in the aftertaste, a little citrus and maybe some other tropical fruit I can’t describe properly. It has almost a ghostly feel, no weight at all, leaving all the heavy lifting to the flavor. It’s extremely refreshing, and not a bigass beer at a modest 4.6%. To sit in the shade, let the world pass by, and enjoy by itself, it’s a good choice. Happy Anniversary indeed.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €6

wake up

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It’s as summery as you want and I will insist on a stout. Pastry stout! It’s almost more refreshing to have a pastry stout than a normal one, since that sugar kicks in. And this particular stout by Malandar is not only sugary, it’s chocolatey and coffee…-y. Some might be put off by the name – Donkaccino – but those people probably shouldn’t be drinking exotic liquids anyway.

Appealing color, but not very heady, even with an abundance of bubbles. There’s a good whiff of chocolate and vanilla, although with a touch of licorice. All come through in the flavor, although there’s also a good bit of toastiness, almost to the point of burned toast. The smokiness of charred bread hangs around in the aftertaste, well after everything else floats away. It starts off smooth and silky, every easy to get down, but the stickiness rises over time and after a few sips starts to leave a little residue along with flame-based aftertaste. Towards the end a woody flavor develops, reminiscent of barrel aged stouts, but maybe it’s just some absolutely sucked-dry coffee beans.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €7.90

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.

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