juice of the druids

That's what the label on Ebulum's Elderberry Black Ale says, anyway.  It has a very, very slight fruity smell if you stick your nose right over the bottle after opening.  When poured, it's amazingly bubbly.  It has nice, dark brown color, which you would expect from the name, with a kind of off-white foam.  It does seem to be more bubbles than beer head.  It is lightly sweet at first, the taste colored by the smell, but there are some earthy undertones.  Like other beers with some fruit or berry added, the sweetness increases as the beer warms, but in this case it never becomes overwhelming.  It's quite a satisfactory drink, but I'm almost disappointed that I'm not having visions.  That seems like something that would happen with a product inspired by druids.  Maybe I've read too many fairy tales.

Is that a dragon or a pig?  And is its tongue hanging out?

in the neighborhood, again

I picked up another example of the local brews, from a brewery I had sampled from before, although a different drink.  I'd had La Virgen's Jamonera, which is a nice red ale, but not their lager.

It comes out very bubbly, with typical beer color.  There's the cloud-white head, and barely any smell at all.  It seems to be the simplest beer you could ever want to find.  It's slightly sweet at first, later a little bitter-sour.  It's a beer that goes down very easily, you could knock back four or five bottles before you know it, probably.  Personally, I prefer a little more character to my brew, but there's nothing to really complain about at all.  Anyone who feels like drinking with connection to the city could find Madrid Lager enjoyable.

Notice the Madrid bear with the beer!

red hot temps call for...

Red ales?  Maybe a St. Peter's Ruby Red Ale?

It seemed like it should be worth a try, since my other encounters with St. Peter's were resounding successes.  The bottle itself is interesting, with kind of an almond shape instead of being round.  It makes me think of an old medicine bottle for some reason.  Trying to recall the medicinal uses of alcohol in the past?  An invitation to self-medicate, perhaps?

Easier to hold onto?

The beer keeps just a thin cover of foam after filling the glass.  It has a sharp smell, one that might wake you up after a tiring day.  The taste is also sharp, even spicy, as they suggest on the label.  There isn't much sweet, although I seem to detect hints of citrus, and once the brew goes down there's a more earthy aftertaste.

And it's really red, too

 My brushes with St. Peter's continue to be positive.  It makes me want to plan a trip.