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stout

don’t get washed away

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There are some very interesting labels on a can of craft beer, artistic, surreal, eye-catching to say the least. When choosing for Beermas you have to throw a little imagination at it, but Calenbeer only has to be pleasing. The mechanical fish on Althaia’s Batiscafo has an odd connection to the current weather and the season, being a toy that somebody might hope to see under the tree in the not too distant future. Of course it’s an imperial stout, souped up with cocoa and toffee, maybe to weigh down that fish in the depths of the ocean.

It’s a thinner looking beer than some recent ones, fine head of tiny, tiny bubbles, dark chocolatey color. The sweeter ingredients are very forward in the aroma, with a sugary high note and a rich caramelly base. The flavor has more of a jungle essence than I expected. It’s very leafy and green, and actually quite easy to drink. It doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of body although there is a certain amount of bulk to the aftertaste. Like a jaguar, it’s lying in wait for you to stop paying attention. The greenness makes me think of horchata, which isn’t quite the drink you reach for in December, but it does offer a light balance that might make it a good drink with some heavier desserts of the season.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €6.50

measured by minutes

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Back to my stouts again, and now with a design that is also after my own heart. Matter Of Time was tucked away on a lower shelf, but the will of the universe was such that I patiently scanned until I saw it. I have Espiga in my mind as more of a traditional beer maker, but with Resident Culture they have put out this pastry imperial stout. There might be deviations from the path, there might be unexpected obstacles, but everything that has to come comes in its own time.

It’s one of those rich, thick looking stouts, generating a pretty good head without going overbroad. It has a strong chocolate aroma, pudding rather than cacao powder, promising a heavy but enjoyable mouthful. Indeed, the chocolate comes through in a powerful way, although there is plenty of stouty toast to lay foundations for it. It’s like the most gourmet Nutella sandwich. Even the breadiness has something extra, with notes of sunflower seed and a good dollop of banana. The mix makes it seem more like an afternoon beer, a busy drink that bounces off a snack (or two), more than a calm and quiet evening sipper.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €5.75

one moment

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I’m still on my quest for shade and shadows, and Hop Hop Hurrah…does not have a whole lot of that actually. They have much more bright and saucy stuff, and a good selection of sodas and non-alcoholic beers, for the family oriented gathering I would guess. It’s not completely devoid of stouts and porters, though, Drunken Bros was in the fridge and a couple of super special barrel aged bottles were on high shelves. They were a little too special for my solo Calenbeer journey. In the end, Dougall’s fit the bill with their lovely Session Stout. At about half the alcohol of Bocq’s Christmas beer, it’s a good step back for a little breather before plunging deeper into the dark.

Warm dark brown color and fluffy beige head, along with a slightly smoky stout aroma. There’s also a tiny bit of musky hops. Or is that something they managed to pull out of the highlighted malt? It has a grungy flavor, earthy, bitter, a little bit salty. It’s a pretty standard stout on the face of it. The bitterness gives it strength, but it’s a light liquidy example of its type. It’s one of those especially clean stouts, the ones you can drink without paying attention if you feel like it. Very appropriate for a session beer. At the same time, it has character and subtle pride in itself that comes through over the tongue. The simplicity almost makes it a palate cleanser, but it doesn’t have the snap or astringency that you might want for that particular job; instead, it’s a pleasant interlude, a quiet moment of reflection. Who doesn’t need one of those once in a while?

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurrah
Price: €2.75

no black outs

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The veritable god of Spanish stouts is Laugar. They have a whole line of them, with variations of barrel aging and other special ingredients that put most stouts of the world to shame. Sure, there are delicious pastry and chocolate stouts, but when those are excellent they are exceptionally excellent, while Laugar’s stouts are each and every one a delight. Black Tundra is a “simple” Russian imperial stout, so no super extra added processes, but I am confident that it will be absolutely satisfying.

It has the tactile, almost visible scent that Laugar’s extra-heavy stouts often have. It smells a little plummy, a little like medicinal alcohol. It’s a fruit cake giving off all the vapors of its liquor. It’s a much earthier flavor than you might think from a sniff, more whisky than rum in there. It has a definite body, leaning into melted Jello, but in spite of the obvious ABV it’s smooth and not hard to swallow at all. It’s a very stable and resistant beer, holding onto the same feeling and taste from start to finish. There’s no weird aftertaste or texture build-up, as long as it’s the feel that you enjoy it’s an enjoyable beer all the way to the bottom of the bottle. And for me, that’s exactly what it is. Can’t go wrong with a Laugar stout!

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €5.45

mother of beers

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Now this looks like a beer I should have had a few weeks ago! Still, better late than never. Of course the can was what caught my eye first, but it is also a desired imperial stout, and from Sibeeria! The design should tip you off to the specific type of stout therein. That’s right, Mexican hot chocolate! I think it will definitely be…Padrísimo.

It pours like a heavy stout, not quite liqui-gel but getting there. I manage to get a nice head of dark beige foam this time, and while it settles down to a much more unassuming level, it still looks like it will do the job. As I have been learning, if anyone knows how to make beer head work, it’s the Czechs. It’s surprisingly un-aromatic, with just a whiff of smoky fire lurking. Getting deep down into the glass, it seems like there’s a little chocolate in there too. The first sip is pure stout, just a little bitter and earthy, but that rolls back to reveal the chili infused chocolate. It’s only a touch of spiciness, a lot like the chocolates with chili bits. You get more spice in the aftertaste than in the mouthful itself. The chocolate part is lighter than I would expect; usually these types of stouts have a darker, baking chocolate character, but this one puts milk chocolate in mind. It’s a sweet middle-taste, lightening the touch of the heavy stout before letting the tickle of the chili follow everything down. The combination of a lighter chocolate and the uplift of chilis makes this stout a very easy drinker and happy company rather than the limelight seeker that some strong-flavored or higher alcohol beers can be. Está padre, de verdad.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €8.20

wake up

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It seems to me that the stouts are getting more and more extravagant, which means they are also getting more and more expensive. I guess if you want something special you better be ready to shell out. I also guess since it’s the end of the year we can treat ourselves a little bit. And if anything’s a treat, it’s a flavored imperial stout, something like vanilla, coffee and maple all together. Latvian Arpus and Michigander Transient have made something that appears gentle and subdued on the label, but might turn out to be quite the flavor bomb.

Another next-to-headless pour. Maybe I’m letting things get a little too cold. Somehow the aroma is frosty, even though it’s clearly the vanilla and maple promised on the can. It’s one of those very dark brown beers, not terrifying black, like overdone syrup. The taste is a maple explosion, with a good floor of pancake. It’s really like drinking breakfast, although there’s no scrambled eggs or breakfast sausage in the beginning. It is pretty heavy on the sweet side, without any of the savoriness or even saltiness some of the other pastry stouts have brandished. If there’s any change in the flavor over time, it’s that it gets a little more sour after a while. It still feels slick and unburdensome, much softer than you would expect from the advertised elements. Maybe I should have kept this one for a little while longer, getting closer to the end of the season with a greater emphasis on the sweet and sugary to keep your engines burning. Oh well, I’m sure I won’t be without tasty beers over the month, extra sweetened or not.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €9.50

from the café

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This was another one that I couldn’t just leave behind. Sachertorte pastry stout? Fuck yes, Frontaal! You might imagine that some Austrian brewers or even Bavarians were behind this, but it’s the Dutch Frontaal Brewing Company. Calling it Piece of Cake #1 makes me think there’s a whole series that I should be looking for. Beer for thought, indeed.

Small explosion but no disaster, head accumulates but then dies back quickly, good dark beige to it promises cake. This beer has more of a marzipan aroma than the one that claimed to have it, along with a touch of bread and wood. It has a much richer flavor than the first few stouts, although not quite as layered as Dead Barrel. It definitely gives the sensation of liquid cake, with a little chocolate, nuttiness, and perhaps just a whisper of ginger. It feels like it ought to have to little bit of spice to balance out the sweetness, but it really doesn’t. It’s a heavy battery baked good in a can. Maybe all that weight will keep your thoughts from wandering too far.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €6.75

taste of the season

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I could not leave this can behind, no way, even though it’s on the pricey side. It’s coming on Christmas, so I guess that’s my excuse. But really, marzipan chocolate stout? Who can resist?! I do have my doubts about the creaminess of Choco Cream with the use of almonds, but I’m happy to see where it takes me. La Grua and 28030 cooperate in its creation, so it’s a reliably made labor of love.

Another extra heady one, although this foam isn’t quite so luxurious and dies back quickly. It has kind of a green scent to it, foresty, slightly woody. I was expecting a little more sweet chocolate or vanilla, but if anything it tends toward chili. Some deeper breaths pull back the curtain on some cacao-ishness. Taking a sip it becomes clear that it was all hiding out and waiting for the tongue to come along. The taste is an explosion of rich choco-nilla, like a well-made slab of gourmet chocolate. It develops a little bit of powdery texture, not quite as smooth as most gourmet chocolates, but there are certain companies that insist that sort of thing is proof of natural ingredients. It’s not distracting from the overall experience anyway. The beer has a nice moderate weight and never gets overbearing, which seems like a great accomplishment. It could have gotten syrupy or sticky, too sweet or even sour, but it stays balanced and controlled, extremely pleasant and a good for an animated talk or a quiet read.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €7

all for me

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Let’s get a little more into the kind of beers I expect in my Advent calendar – stouts, dammit! Now, this is a Belgian stout, with the medieval name of Troubadour, but it fits right in. As much as I’m going to lean into darkness, Christmas beers can be admitted, and who makes Christmas beers? Most famously? The name of the brewery makes me think it would be a secret pastry stout, or at least a much sweeter stout than normal. But maybe The Musketeers are just about collaboration and solidarity.

Head is extra-fluffy coffee ice cream, and not prone to melting off fast. It’s not terribly strong in aroma, but there is a tiny bit of pleasant toastiness and dark chocolate. It feels creamy and luxurious, spreading hints of licorice as well as the expected coffee over the tongue. It leaves a tiny taste of char at the back of the tongue, otherwise sweeping down the throat easily and without the typical Belgian beer tang. I was afraid it would develop at first, but it’s another pretty standard stout, maybe a little bit thicker and smoother than Bidassoa’s. It gives you a slightly wooly feeling, being a strong and atmospheric beer, and maybe just a little nod to the well-known seasonal beers of its country.

Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €3.70

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

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