in the neighborhood

It's necessary in this life to keep seeking new challenges and achieve new things.  Especially when you're in the drink business, people are always looking for the next thing to try, even though we also like to have our favorites available.  Fábrica Maravillas has always had a variety of beers ready to serve, although for many years there were three stand-bys: Flipa, Valverde Saisón and Malasaña Ale.  In recent times they've been less steady with those as they expand the repertoire and throw some guest taps in too.  Ale, especially pale ale, is always around, if you need something to cling to, and WAM (We Are Malasaña) fits right into the mix.

It's as classic a visual as you can have with a beer, although the head is a little bit scanty.  The dark gold brew is translucent and gives off a slightly piney aroma.  The flavor has a mix of woodsy spices, a sort of caraway and sunflower snap.  There's just a tad of bitterness, but it definitely isn't a sweet beer either, and there isn't much citrus in this ale.  It's a smooth drinker, in spite of the call out to the sharper spices.  While not sticky, it has a certain amount of weight and presence, and washes over the tongue with a perky and clean sensation.  It's kind of a wet weekend right now, so a lighter and more stimulating brew might be just the thing for a lot of people.  I, of course, will always fall back on a stout if I can.  (Cabrona Cuvée was canned and ready for take away, but...it's not stout for one, and I didn't like it much the last time.  It was one of those bubble gum beers.  Can't be perfect all the time, I guess.)

Supplier: Fábrica Maravillas

Price: €7.90

revival

So it's been ten years that Fábrica Maravillas has been serving us local craft beer, right in the heart of the city.  They've been sticking in some guest taps and doing some brewing for others in the last few years, and have a snack menu now too.  They've even planted some tables outside (across the street) in response to COVID restrictions, that might not be forced to pack up when we go back to "normal".  Another change over the years has been the availability of their beers; they started selling bottles - at Cervezorama - and later had the possibility of growlers for the most needy customer to fill their needs even at home at 3:30 in the morning.  Finally, like many, they have turned to cans.  Now, you can run in and grab a can of Cabrona Cuvee, or Compis, or WAM to drink at your leisure in your refuge.  Compis NEIPA is my leisurely choice today.

It pours kind of thickly, with a succulent sound filling the glass.  It looks like a more substantial beer than many, very cloudy and a color like dusty fruit.  Head is fluffy and thick as well, making a very attractive drink.  It has a pine forest in its aroma, evoking northern woods and greenery.  We'd be happy to have some greenery here, but we'd need a little more rain first.  It has an oddly salty flavor, backed with a calming bit of melon.  It's not as fruity or piney as you might expect from a NEIPA, but there's definitely a full body of beer in the glass.  It's a smooth and satisfying weighty drink, despite the subdued flavor.  Actually, it goes very well with the season, not being flashy or overly bright.  A warm winter beverage, just a touch of sunshine for the end of your day.

Supplier: Fábrica Maravillas

Price: €7.90

a font of light

It's still only February, but there's a noticeable softness in the daytime temperatures these days.  While I don't have to cool off too much yet, it's enjoyable to have a lighter beer every once in a while, especially as an evening pick-me-up.  Enter Acid Rain, a sour fruit IPA from Pyrene.  It was sold to me as tasty and well-balanced, a real winner of its style.  Time to test the waters.

There's a mild touch of fruitiness in the initial aroma and the beer is a happy bright gold.  Not a lot of head, despite a certain amount of fizz.  The flavor is interesting; although it has a bit of sour fruit, it's not as tart or tangy as others, nor is the fruit leaning towards the sweet.  The taste is somewhat dry, even though the beer itself is very thirst quenching and pleasant to drink.  It's not as sharp and spiky as some fruit sours can get, but there's a good lightness to it.  I try to pick apart the flavor for the fruit, noting the typical tropical kind of taste, a little bit of pineapple, perhaps something melony.  The actual fruits are passion fruit and mango.  Maybe they add up to a nicer version of pineapple in a beer (although BeeBeer's pineapple IPA was not at all bad).  It's a confident beer, one that doesn't have to show off too much.  It knows it has the right thing to offer for the evening but lets you dig down and discover it for yourself.

Supplier: La Mundial

Price: €6

keeps my pictures?

Days getting warmer and brighter mean most people want their beer to do that too.  Well, the brighter part anyway.  Some people can't do with a dark beer on the most wintery of days.  Hard to understand, those other people.  I'm not averse to an IPA every once in a while myself, and if it's from a brewery like Basqueland, even better.  SSD is a West Coast IPA, so maybe not as soft and breakfast-wake-upy as a NEIPA might be, but both sides have their good points.  Refreshment assured being one of them.

A remarkably fruity aroma leaps out, more peachy to me than citrusy or anything else.  After a little time some of that spicy pine that you would expect from a beer of this style does push its way through.  It's a lighter colored beer, pale gold, abundantly headed.  The flavor is darker and mellower than I was expecting, although there's no surprise citrus.  I get more melon than peach, although some sweeter, woodsier fruits are hiding in there as well, peeking out from time to time as you try to figure out how a pine-smelling beer can be so creamy.  It has a fairly thick feel, if the peach was more in the forefront it would be a peaches-and-cream kind of beverage.  As it is, it's perhaps a filtered melon drink.  With melted ice cream.

Supplier: La Mundial

Price: €7