one little birdie

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me

A lone eagle flying free

 

And now it's time for Beermas!  The only way to celebrate is with a beer every night, so here we go with DouGall's Leyenda.  It's an Extra Special Bitter, so there should be no disappointment.

It's one of those dark golden beers, and while there's a little foam on top, it's not much.  There isn't a whole lot of aroma either, just a slightly grainy, typically beer scent.  It's bitter for sure, with a woody background, a fresh and mouthfilling beverage.  It's a pretty simple flavor, not a lot of layers of fruit or spices, just a solid and rather traditional sort of beerishness.  In the space between holidays some might be looking for more exotic or complicated drinks, but there's nothing wrong with a simple and uncomplicated beer.  As long as it's a good one, of course.  Certain tasteless products need not apply.

Door #8

Dougall's is a familiar name to me, and I thought maybe maybe this had been a Beermas beer in the past.  It wasn't.  I did have a regular Saturday beer of the same name, but not quite the same style it seems.  It's still in the same family, though, an APA, and with connections to the water.  I wonder if the Manzanares otters are as happy as Happy Otter.  Eh, probably not.

It's a slightly cloudy golden color, with a clean white head.  The head is particularly resistant, floating over the beer like a cloud for minutes on end.  It has the bright aroma of IPAs, very fruity and citrusy.  It's a little more like fruit candy than real fruit, though.  Interestingly, it's much more sour than the scent would lead you to believe.  There's a little touch of fruit in there, but it's a much weightier bitter and wood type flavor than other APAs.  There are background noises of orange candy, but it's mostly a simple and refreshing bitter ale, good for clearing the head after being out on a sunny afternoon...or warming up a little on a windy fall day, I guess.  Despite the sunny appearance, there's a good amount of body to this beer, enough so it stands up to end-of-year sentiments.  It's not just a pretty taste, is what I mean.  Although I always prefer to start with the heavyweights, this is a beer I could end my evening out with, in any season.

This might be a good candidate for an end of cycle tasting.  Hell, there are a thousand good candidates, who am I kidding?  It's going to be a little bit of chance, I'm afraid.

new corners

A new beer store has snuck in without my notice!  I guess I'm not on a notification list or anything.  La Cervecista is right in Malasaña, along with several craft serving bars and numerous students, tourists and assorted snobs at any given time.  My impression is that, although the craft beer is present, there's a pretty strong connection to the bigger beers too, in particular Mahou.  There is also a large representation of German and Belgian beers that are not, quite exactly, craft...although there is certainly demand for them from the same quarters.  I did manage to pick out a Dougall's from the pack, their DDH IPA 9.

There is a familiar explosion of hoppy citrus as soon as the cap comes off, and the beer has a cloudy straw color that screams refreshment.  It has a surprising lack of bitterness, being very light and tangy, one of those mandarin IPAs.  While not terribly sweet, it's definitely fruity.  I was expecting a double anything to have a heavier feel, but it's vanishingly light.  Practically no aftertaste, although after some time there is a little sticky build-up with a tad bitter lurking under it.

Supplier: La Cervecista
Price: €2.90

higher than the waves

On the tenth day of Beermas I picked out for me
A lone surfer leaping
A fruit-filled dressed-up lady
Alcoholic café con leche
Hopefully unendangered feathers
A laid out insomniac
One secret promise
A possibly chatty barnyard animal
A random French reference
A bird that's not a pigeon
And a flamingo with mangoes and beets

Funnily enough, it's no easier to find some good beer lords than it is to find all those birds.  DouGall's 942 could hit the mark, though.  Somebody, the Lord of the Waves let's say, is leaping around pretty well on the label.  Again, light beer, APA, but if you plan to be jumping and carousing it might not be the best idea to load up on the black stuff.

There is nothing too special about the beer in appearance, but if you have a soft spot for beer it should be appetizing.  It's a nice, bright gold color with the typical white head.  Rather citrusy in aroma.  More spice and toast in the flavor than expected, with a sharp and bitter beginning that quickly morphs into a bready taste.  It's not quite sweet in spite of the dulling of the bitterness.  Seems very peppery too, giving the flavor more dimension than the smell.  Although it goes down well and has a nice light feel, there is a tendency for a little bit to hang back on the back of the tongue, causing some stickiness after a while.  Maybe some crackers would soak that up.  It does seem like a beer that would play well with snacks.

Supplier: Birra y Paz
Price: €2.85

an otter one

Nobody can resist happy otters, even less hoppy, happy otters.  Dougall's brings out an attractive summer label with its cool aquatic mammal on the front and its clear references to beer, cool, relaxing beer.  It's Happy Otter Pale Ale to the rescue on a hot summer day!  Just imagine a dip in a pool, river, or ocean, floating on your back, with a bottle balanced on your stomach.  Then you lick up a particularly difficult fruit cocktail can.  Use that bottle to smash it open, just like an otter!  See?  Aren't you happy?

Yaaaaaaaaay!

This ale has a light orangey, spicy scent, and a clear orange color with a good head of white foam.  The taste is bitter, bitter and something else; maybe caraway?  There's a little extra spice lurking in the background anyway.  There's practically no sweetness, but there is a touch of sour.  On the whole, a light and refreshing beer, very summery.  Dougall's generally does not disappoint, and this fits right into the pattern.

Supplier: Bee Beer
Price: €3.60

raqin' out

Oh, it's just too hot for anything pleasant, except a nice cold beer.  Maybe one with a little bite.  Pilsner sounds like the thing.  Dougall's, despite its name, is "the Beer from Cantabria", so it allows me to stay within my Beer Week limits of national beers for the second half.  I've had a couple of their offerings before, and they've been pleasing.  Why not Raquera?

Dive right in

It definitely has the look of a classic pilsner, golden colored and white headed.  It also smells right, like a Central European beer.  Flavorwise, it does perk you up a little, being bitter, but not too sharp, with a touch of sweetness hiding in the background.  A little puddle of bitter sits at the back of the tongue, keeping you alert, but not being distracting.  A pleasant summer beer, good for a relaxing evening drink.  For some reason Jeff Buckley feels like just the right accompaniment.

Supplier: Prost Chamberí
Price: €2.60

go fish

I had a hankering for something heavy and filling, and the beer store clerk, rather proudly I think, pointed Dougall's out to me.  In spite of the name, it's a Spanish company, one that's been around in fairs and specialty shops for a while.

Popping the cap releases a heavy, chocolatey smell, although it's a very light odor.  I can already tell this will be a good one.  Indeed, it's one of those flowing syrupy stouts, gently filling the glass, bubbling up some tannish foam frosting.  Smoky, bitter taste at first, but it quickly blends into a sweeter and noticeably chocolate flavor.  The sweet and bitter trade off in potency over the time it takes to drain the glass, which makes for an interesting experience.  There were no suggestions for accompaniment on the bottle, and I don't know that I'd want anything to interfere in the enjoyment.  It's really a very nice beer, one you'd want with some good music or good reading while you lounge around under a fluffy blanket on a poofy couch...someday that drinking couch will be mine.