shades and shadows

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.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurrah

Price: €7.80

Beermad once more

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.

cosied up

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.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurrah

Price: €5.75

building up

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...

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurrah

Price: €6.20

into the sunset of summer

It's the month of darkness, of creeping horror, of the best of holidays.  At yet, I ended up with an IPA to open it.  Not only that, but crafty IPA more than a craft one.  How dare I!  Well, Alhambra is not a bad beer, especially in the bottle, and we do have to try things of all kinds.  You never know when you'll be in a situation with limited options.  It looks appetizing anyway, Esencia Citra IPA does.  But you can bet I'll be looking for more frightening choices later on.

Instant lemony aroma, kind of a darker color than expected, but not that unusual for IPAs.  Good head, very bubbly.  Bitter, citrus and bread come in together, it's a little surprisingly grainy for an IPA.  The main flavors are definitely ale-y, though, with a very traditional bitter beeriness and a modern slice of Citra hops.  It tends toward lemon or grapefruit rather than tropical fruits, leaving a feeling of wanting to be a summer beer.  Still, there is a certain weight behind it while you drink, a little more muscle than most summertime, beach-lounging beers dare to show.  It's not quite as clean as you might think from the aroma, but it's not an overwhelming amount of stickiness.  The aftertaste tingles with light citrus, floating you on to the next sip without the need to hurry.  In that, being a beer to take at your leisure, it is a beer for all seasons.