life in the sun

Given family and vacation connections, I could not ignore Jakobsland's I Can Make You Smile.  A Florida weisse?  It seems to make sense from a weather standpoint.  Those weisses are sharp and refreshing, not the kind of beers that leave your mouth coated, suitable for additives you might feel like doing while you laze around on the beach or by the pool.  Maybe it's even a beer you could have in celebration of voting out a wildly unreasonable governor who will then not go on to be president.  Maybe?  Hopefully.

Similar in appearance to fruity lambics, a little tang in the aroma.  Fluffy, resistant head, tinted pink.  It has the tight dryness of a weisse, with a little sour only developing in the aftertaste.  There's kind of a fruity bed that the stiff alcohol rides in on, but it's not very sweet at all.  Wild fruit, just sweet enough to not punish you for eating it.  It's almost shockingly untropical for something labeled with Florida.  The dryness wears off a little over time and rising temperature, but it stays clean and mouth cleansing more than anything else.  I have to be honest, though, while the beer has a nostalgic Kool-Aid color, and it's a perfectly fine modern weisse, a stout would always make me smile more.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €6.85

celebrations

Back to basics, after reading up on German beer history.  Feirabend (sic)!  Dortmunder Export style!  Naparbier!  Ok, it's not a German-made beer, but you can't deny that Naparbier is a respectable and trustworthy brewery, voted best in Spain a few years ago no less.  Although temperatures have gone down, and there's even been some rain, there's nothing wrong with having a nice, light, easy-drinking beer for an evening chat with friends.  Not that I wouldn't be happy with a stout, but sometimes that kind of darkness is threatening when you want to talk about freedoms and rights and...things you raise your voice about.

Not Day of the Dead?

Very golden beer, fluffy white head, it's a perfect example of the typical beer.  It has a tiny bit of sourness in a grainy aroma, just enough to give it a little something unexpected.  It's just a little bitter at first, but suddenly an explosion of beery bitter wallops you in the mouth and disappears down your throat as soon as you swallow.  It's a little fizzier than I would expect, so the mouthfeel isn't quite comfortable enough for quick drinking.  It has a serious feel to it, while light in the mouth the flavor gives it weight and power.  Without being too complicated the beer demands attention.  The name fits perfectly in this case.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €3.20

harvest time

Labirratorium just rearranged their stock from country-based to style-based, which means all the stouts are right there!  Of course, sometimes you want some national representative, but then you ask about it, the same as you used to when you wanted a particular style.  Some people worry about their searching habits, but jeez, you can get used to anything and this isn't even a weird change.  I was very happy to find Laugar's Soul Reaper Imperial Breakfast Stout right away.  Yes, the name and label had something to do with its choosing.  It isn't that long til Halloween after all.

There's just a whiff of chocolate stout, but definitely something there.  It's not especially heady, although the head that's present it tight and resistant.  Promising dark and opaque brown, very nearly black.  Taking a closer sniff, there's a more toasty background than obvious at first, but with a dusting of dark chocolate still on top.  The chocolate comes out big on the flavor, giving you a good shove right up front.  Then there's a more licorice finish, typical for many stouts, which always makes me question my devotion.  It feels slick and smooth, although it has a lot of body.  It goes down pretty easy despite having plenty of weight, even with a tiny little kick at the back of the palate coming in on the swallow.  A little spiciness builds up on several sips, something cinnamony and even a little minty, very Christmas-y I'd say.  It feels like a good partner with gingerbread, for example.  Even over time it stays smooth and satisfying, with little change in texture.  It's s solid beer, one that would tempt me every time.  Even the licorice dies down after a while, nearing it to perfection.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €6.10