Oso Brewing is one of the many little breweries doing Spain’s craft beer sector proud, with creative and surprising recipes popping out all the time. I have been especially impressed with their pastry stouts in the past. La Penúltima is no pastry stout, although it certainly looks like something you wouldn’t have as an appetizer. 13% beers don’t often leave a lot of room for the main course.
Extra thick and extra smooth, it looks like a melted milkshake but smells like an extra strong cocktail. It’s kind of a licorice-y aroma, a heavy perfume, with something recalling petroleum floating around. There’s a touch of licorice on the tongue, but the smooth soft-serve mouthfeel is much more noticeable. It starts out mild with just a touch of sweet but develops some rough edges with a little time, and starts to get sticky, no surprise given how thick it is from the beginning. It’s a very satisfying beer, although not one that you can really have a marathon drinking session with. Hell, it even slows me down a little, but that wouldn’t stop me from having another the next day.
On the eighth day of Beermas I went and bought for me Eight maids not for cleaning Seven avian vampire teasers Six plans a-hatching Five collaborations Four miles of nowhere Three tropical tree eggs Two staring wings And an icy raven looking needy
I complain about all those birds, but the other gifts aren’t all that easy to match up either. This year the maids a-milking was one of the harder ones, for some reason nothing stood out that was maidenly or milky. Finally, there’s a good stout that has a good picture on it. It’s a little more like a sexy maid than a milkmaid, although I don’t think she’s quite that either. More like somebody who’s going to be doing some milking of a slightly different kind. Hopefully, in a nice warm room. It’s from Estonia, a brewery called Pühaste, so I think this Dekadents ought to be formulated for warm indoor spaces, no matter what’s going on outside.
Pouring out, it’s lighter than expected, although the dark brown color is pretty strong once the glass is full. The aroma is a lot fuller than the coloring, sticky, syrupy, heavy chocolate and toast. The first impression of the taste is similar, but quickly followed by a blast of licorice, wrapped up in a return of toasty, burny sensation. It’s a heavy, melted milkshake of a beer, extra thick. It doesn’t have excessive sweetness, with just that pop of mediciny licorice. It’s not hard to get down at all, although the full texture does not encourage chugging.
On the third day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Three tropical tree eggs
Two staring wings
And an icy raven looking needy
Getting creative again! Is it because I ran out of time and had to make do with what I grabbed off the shelves? Is it a true challenge propelled from within? Is it just the cussedness of refusing to not have a stout? All three? Let’s say all three. It’s true, I really really wanted to fit Gran Cacao in somehow, just by virtue of it being an imperial stout with cacao nibs. So instead of French hens imagine French Polynesia or the French Caribbean. It’s not quite the temperature up here right now, but there’s an almost tropical humidity the past couple of days. Weird, but could be worse. I guess the people at centrally Spanish Península and Caleya also wanted to enjoy a warm weather fantasy.
It pours smooth and creamy, with almost a nitro like consistency in building the head, although with much bigger bubbles. It looks delicious and doesn’t smell like sunblock at all. There is just a tantalizing whiff of cacao, but it’s mostly a sturdy, earthy stout. The cacao is present in the taste, but very…natural. Meaning, it’s not overly sweet or sticky, there’s kind of an earthy sensation to it, like dusty nibs grabbed off the ground for the brew. Also, it’s impressive how smooth and slick the beer is for it’s mouthfeel; it’s a weighty one, and at almost 10% to boot. It’s a really pleasant stout, with a delightfully easy balance. It might even be acceptable for the squeamish in the summer, with it’s tropical hints, especially going along with a cold dessert. And for me and those of my tastes, it’s a beer for every day of the year.
Just what I was hoping for, another stout! And it is an imperial, and a pretty good alcohol content too. Oso Brewing has put on an almost sinister label, warning the weak off it I guess. Called La Penúltima, it plays on Spanish drinking culture, where every drink the next to last. At 15% I wonder if this one wouldn’t send you home right after, though.
It pours out like chocolate syrup, and even has a little bit of that smell around it. It isn’t an overly sugary kind of chocolate, a little bit sharp, something you wouldn’t actually drink on its own, but use as a flavoring. The beige head deflates a little but stays firm looking if a little thinner. The chocolate carries over into the taste, giving the beer a rich chocolate shake feeling. It’s dark chocolate of course, so not cloyingly sweet, but there’s hardly any bitter to be noticed. It doesn’t leave much aftertaste behind, but there is a kind of feeling of weight that does stay. Oddly, the beer itself feels very smooth and light. It is a lot like a gourmet milkshake, with the high quality dark chocolate and natural, fatty milk. It’s a treat for sure, maybe so much that it has to be…the ultimate.
Finally! I’ve been hoping to have a black beer pop up, you just can’t have a selection of wintery beers without stouts and porters! Now, most people like to bring out their ales and pilsners and sours for a little brightness, but good Bacchus, alcohol should be fitting with the season. I have had this particular beer before, La Pirata’s Vanilla Black Block, and I know I won’t be disappointed.
Very fluffy dark beige head, and the color, while dark, doesn’t quite seem perfectly black. A little more like dark roasted vanilla. The aroma also hits on the toasty side, with hints of leafy vegetation. The vanilla does come out in the flavor, along with warm smoke and fresh bread, giving a feeling of a powerful stout. It starts out a bit light, but develops more heft over time, adding both sweet and bitter notes. There’s even a kind of fiery smoke trail in the aftertaste, and some kind of sour fruit preserve that bites as it goes down. It’s a fine and fitting part of an Advent calendar, not excessively spiced and pastried, but in tune with the atmosphere of ever darker days and with just enough of a surprise to be gift-worthy.
Lambeer, I thought you had escaped me! I only just discovered its existence east of me when they closed up shop. But then…they announced a reopening! Now they are in Mecado de Prosperidad, not in an independent store, but that’s no reason to complain. It works for La Mundial and La Buena Pinta. Stock had just come in when I arrived, so there were some bare spots on shelves and things out of place, but if you know what you want it isn’t that hard to find. And what I want is stouts! There were several peeking at me, but finally Dichosa De Tranquis was the chosen one. I wasn’t sure, seeing as it proclaims its licorice flavor right on the label, but I was assured it was a tasty and easy drink, in spite of its relatively strong 10%.
It has a sticky raisiny aroma right away, and a pleasing black brown color. Not a lot of head; I might have overchilled again. The first sip is a blend of smoke, dried fruit and breadiness. Despite the complexity of the flavor, the feeling is of a lighter, softer beer, very easy going down. There’s little aftertaste, just a slight feeling of baked goods. I have no regrets, not being overwhelmed with licorice, or coffee candy, as can also happen. Good advice and a good beer!
A spooky beer for a spooky time, dark as night and full of surprises! Of course, it has to come from a reputable place and Basqueland is one of the most reputable around. This pastry stout has some extras in it, delicious raspberries, “berried alive” in fact. What a way to Live Forever.
A beautiful black beer, with a thick looking cocoa powder head, surprisingly not as heavily scented as I thought. There’s some raspberry in there alright, and a touch of stout punch. It is not a heavy hitter in flavor either, sliding in very gradually with upfront fruity raspberry and only revealing a little bitterness almost in the aftertaste. Some chocolate starts coming up as well, leaving a feeling of a dark chocolate, raspberry jelly treat. Quality too, Lindt or some other fancy Belgian chocolatier. The feeling is a little scratchy after swallowing, like the tartness of a red fruit filling. Close attention also brings out a touch of campfire smoke, tinged with roasted marshmallows and fresh-made s’mores. It’s much more pastry than stout, but a good flavor for the holiday.
Found out there was a beer store I hadn’t visited yet, and after the disappearance of the nearby Cervecista – Hop Hop Hurrah! Yeah, that’s the name, I’m not exclaiming my joy. Not just, anyway. Like La Mundial and Prost Chamberí before, it’s a smallish place in a municipal market. Actually, Barceló has ceased to be a mere market and is now a “polyvalent center” containing a market among other things. I think there’s a gym and at least one other thing that isn’t about food. Although compact, the selection on the shelves was more than adequate; I had to leave a couple of black beers behind, not wanting to lug too many home. First I have a national to try, Yria’s Bauhaus Imperial Stout, whiskey barrel aged. Committed to supporting craft wherever they can obviously, Yria has used Sackman whiskey barrels, another national product.
Didn’t get a very good head on it, but a momentary mat of dark beige bubbles did make it for a photo-op. The beer is highly aromatic, heavy on the chocolate and malt, promising to swamp the mouth in flavor. And indeed, it is exceptionally tasty, more bitter than I was expecting, but well within the lines of a nice stout. There a good head of smoke, a base of earth and the chocolate core whistling its way through everything. It starts out very smooth also, but develops an edge after just a few sips. The fire starts to make its way more to the top, leaving an alcohol burning behind it, more or less extinguishing the earthiness. The chocolate still maintains itself, though. It never gets exactly syrupy, but over time it does build up in weight. Of course, that could also be an effect of the whiskey sneaking in…
One of the other dark beers pulled off the shelf at Hop Hop Hurra, Pohjala’s Cosy Nights Vanilla Porter. The shopkeep was impressed with the choice, saying he was just blown away by it. Pohjala is a very respectable source of beer, especially the dark beers I’ve found, and it looks like there will be some drizzly days ahead. Perfect for a porter at home!
Good color and fizzy head, looking on the slimmer side for feel. It has something of a vanilla ice cream aroma. The first sip is oddly tickly, with a tiny feeler of bitter, but then it smooths out into something more candy-like, and the vanilla is definitely leading the way. It has something more of a coating feel in the mouth, not a beer that slides on and disappears, although not sticky at first. There’s a shadow of licorice and coffee boiling up in the middle, fortunately for me the licorice remains just a whisper. It has a definite warming effect, very appropriate to being a winter porter, and just the thing when you’re suffering a little cold. After a while there’s some kind of banana flavor sneaking in, giving it even more of a pudding sensation. In the end, there’s much to recommend the beer, it’s tasty and it’s calming, it goes perfectly with its own name. A fine choice indeed.
Beermad is back in force, doing its biannual meets, and once again it was in Casa de Campo. The space has been alright, although not quite as well equipped with toilets as Caja Mágica was; still, a bit better than the port-a-potties outside the Railroad Museum. I had been thinking about heading up to the Barcelona Beer Festival sometime soon, but it turns out it was the very same weekend this year. Oh well, another time it shall be…
Being the antisocial introvert that I am, I got my ticket for Sunday morning, since I figured there would be fewer people desperate to get in. I was right, it was pretty calm in the beginning, although I have to say it was a little sadly calm. People did fill in over the next couple of hours, but the space felt empty somehow, like there weren’t as many stands as other times and less movement in general. It could have just been my impression. I will say that they did not have such loud music as last time, which I appreciated.
Another thing I am is a sucker for black beers and I did go looking for one to start with. It was a slow start, relatively, with Leoncia’s Irish Stout. Only 4.5%, but good color and appropriately stouty aroma. Nice head at first, but it dies off quickly. Vaguely bitter-toasty, with a light and fizzy feel, pretty much what I expect from the more moneyed stouts. It’s not a pastry stout or infused with any special flavors or barrel aging, it’s a very plain and straightforward kind of drink. A perfectly fine beer example, and one I would recommend over any number of macros.
Ever since I first saw their logo, I’ve had kind of a soft spot for 28030 Brewing. The tree of knowledge, the play on the symbol of Madrid, it just fit too perfectly. And hey! The beer ain’t bad either. To go to an extreme, I chose Mango Vice Fruit IPA. There were actually a good number of fruity IPAs and the like to choose from, more than dark beers disappointingly, but I am happy to alternate. The appearance is very pleasing, cloudy and juicy, with a slightly herbal scent, and a thickish head that dies back to a thin mat after a few minutes. It has a very juicy taste, natural, like a fresh-crushed mango, and some slight orange juice in the background for some more liquid. It’s rather like a NEIPA at its best, although not using the name. There’s a touch of sweet, a thick but smooth feel, and some grassy/herbal aftertaste. It’s not cilantro exactly, but I feel like it’s in the family.
I go back to black and it’s GO! Gata Negra stout now. It was touted as very smooth, and indeed it is – light hints of chocolate, not as much coffee as you might fear. Some touch of sour lurks, like milk just about to go off, but it’s more yogurty than dangerous. It’s a little more delightful than the Irish stout, more in tune with my picky sensibilities.
I got roped in by La Candaja, ready to provide me with something to my taste. They were pretty sure their Pasión NEIPA would do the trick and by god it did. Super smooth, silky, leaves a feeling of peace down your throat. It’s not exceptionally aromatic, but tastewise it’s perfect – a little juice, a good amount of beer, everything softly blended for an exquisitely refreshing drink.
Still plenty to choose from, and I let my linguistic curiosity point the finger. Ossegg was back and I had to ask about their use of let for their flights, and I was told that it was chosen specifically to reflect the English usage. How about that! Also, apparently, vuelo gets thrown around in Spain, although I have not come across it that I recall. Another Irish style was on the menu, and I was told it was quite a treat, so I end with an Irish Red Ale. It is a nice rounded beer, only mildly bitter, with a whisper of grain and a pleasantly full mouthfeel. It’s a middle-of-the-road kind of red, without extremes of flavor, soothing, not hit over the head with bitter or punched in the gut with sweet. It’s very enjoyable on its own, although it has the feeling of a beer made with the intention of accompanying a meal. Maybe it’s time to look into an end of year dinner.
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