Beermas Day 7

On the seventh day of Beermas I poured out for me
Seven spicy mockswans
Six stones a-hanging
Five golden caps
Four calling birds
Three speckled hens
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree

Yeah, I know it's not a swan really, but it kind of looks like one, doesn't it?  Any excuse for a good stout.  This one is special too, very festive with all those spices added to it.  It reminds me of The Mayan, which I quite enjoyed at l'Europe some time ago.  Tempest has made appearances before, but I don't remember seeing this particular beauty.  I suppose it was waiting for the right time.  Mexicake is just the thing to ring in a new year.  It recommends serving at room temperature, but I did chill it a little before opening it up.  It's not like I'm going to drink it in one gulp, so I'll get a development of flavors as it warms up.

The smell is oddly delicately sweet, without a lot of spice or chocolate smokiness.  I think I can convince myself that I smell the chili, but I might be imagining things in anticipation.  It certainly looks right, maybe a little light in the head.  The taste is very chocolatey, almost like pudding, and the chilies don't come out until the beer is practically in your stomach.  Even then, they're not spicy exactly, but they give a little kick and dissolve into bitter.  It's probably the cinnamon that I'm picking up more than the chilies.  The vanilla starts to make itself known after a couple of sips, but it comes out swinging, beating back the chocolate easily.  The chili is sort of ghostly, drifting in not even as an aftertaste, but as a kind of delayed reaction.  A little tingle builds on the lips with continued sipping, although the beer itself remains sweetish and smooth.  It's a powerful beer, one which pleases me greatly, but it might be a little much for a casual night out with friends.  For a tasting, fantastic, something a little different and memorable without a doubt.  May all our new year's beers be half as good.

Supplier: Espuma
Price: €5.50

Beermas Day 6

On the sixth day of Beermas I poured out for me
Six stones a-hanging
Five golden caps
Four calling birds
Three speckled hens
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree

Yeah, there wasn't much chance of a good match here.  I wondered if maybe some brewery had a goose, or an egg, as a label design, but no such luck.  Still, we can infer a vulgar synonym if we accept a slang use of "egg" common in languages other than English.  The bottle was very stately on the shelf, and there's nothing like a good stout on a chilly December eve.  Ilkley's Hanging Stone will be welcome on my Beermas table!

It certainly looks good, with its rich chocolatey color and abundant head.  It's not heavily scented, being just slightly on the sweet side.  The chocolate taste is pretty heavy, though.  There's an odd blast of bittersweet first, then unmistakable dark chocolate.  We're to expect notes of burnt caramel, so maybe that's the sweet part.  There's also a hint of coffee, and no smoke or earthiness in this beverage.  It's really a clean if weighty flavor, fine to sit back with and focus on other things.  What can you expect from something full of oatmeal?

Supplier: La Buena Pinta
Price: €3.90

Beermas Day 5

On the fifth day of Beermas I poured out for me
Five golden caps
Four calling birds
Three speckled hens
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree 



Well, this one is pretty close. Bottles caps are round, rings are round. Right? Anyway!

Yep, gold and round all right!

La Sagra is one of the standards these days, being found (in the bottle) in supermarkets and bars all over the place. It's well worth trying, whatever's available. My personal favorites were presented at fairs, and one was a special run, but the other is at my local Carrefour. It'll get here someday. Tonight, though, it has to be something gold, and the cap is good enough for me. Also, this is a wheat beer, which tends to be a little sunnier yellow than others.

It's a nice wheaty color, with an enticing sweet and citrus smell. The head is a bit thin, but what's there doesn't dissipate too quickly. The taste is pleasant, sweet but delicately so, very light and refreshing. It is, perhaps, not the beer for this time, being dark and chilly evenings and an atmosphere that calls for something darker and heavier, but there are tastes that will long for a rather uncomplicated flavor and satisfying beer at any time. On the other hand, there is a subtle candied aftertaste, so maybe fans of preserved or candied fruit would find this Sagra a fitting Christmas/New Year's beer.

Tee-hee, flip cap!

Supplier: Carrefour
Price: €2 

Nobody Loves a Poe

What a night that was.  Now I'm sitting exhausted on my rumpled bed, thoroughly spent but exhilarated.  A small part of my soul is wondering if it was all just a dream, but I mostly know that it wasn't.  At least I feel that it wasn't.  There's an easy enough way to prove it to myself.

I go through the living room towards the old guest room, now hidden behind a rather handsome bookcase, if I do say so myself.  I pull The Classic Mystery Collection out of the fourth shelf up and squint into the little hole behind it.

It is still there.  Just as I'd known, even if I was too gleeful to believe it completely.  Sprawled on the floor, now bare of carpet, it was groaning softly.  Probably just regaining consciousness as I had been minutes before.  Suddenly it realized it didn't know where it was and heaved itself to its feet with a squeaky grunt.  Its eyes darted around the bare room, floor and walls stripped of all decoration and comfort, and it started panting in a panicked way.  Huh, "panicked".  Of course, I'm only projecting what I think I would feel.  I have no idea if it feels anything at all.  Well, if it doesn't feel anger, it does a remarkable job of approximating it; it starts bellowing my name and stomping around the room in that familiar manner, kind of lurching about, like Frankenstein's monster.  There's a recessed light in the ceiling so I can keep an eye on it, but I start to feel a glimmer of nervousness that it will notice the small hole in the wall.  I replace the book quietly and begin my daily routine.  But it is the first day of a new world for me.  A world where I know it won't find me again.                                                                                                      
The day goes by normally, doing my work, having my lunch with colleagues, making small talk.  I do my best to put my secret at the back of my mind, knowing it would not be smart at all to let people know I had something cooking, so to speak.  At the same time, I cannot bring myself to forget it completely.  It is just too enjoyable.

When the end of the day comes, I hurry home and race on tiptoes, like a child, to the bookcase.  I gently remove the book again and peek into the hole.  It was on its back, arm thrown over its eyes.  Still breathing, raspily.  I wonder if it has been screaming while I was at work.  No neighbors close enough to hear it if it did.  It doesn't move for what seems like a long time, and I grow impatient, tapping on the wall.  Stupid move.  It flies to its feet, bellowing, "You have to let me out of here!  This is illegal!"  I replace the book and back away from the wall, hoping I haven't given my position away.  I realize the light has been on all day, and was on the whole night too.  It must be tired now, without a good night's rest since waking up in a strange room.  I go to the upstairs crawlspace to switch off the light and hear it roaming its space, still shouting.  Good.  It doesn't seem to have figured out where my tap had come from.  I'll be more careful in the future, though.  I wonder if the noise will keep me awake tonight, but in the end it doesn't.  My satisfaction puts me to sleep without any trouble.

I start awake in the bleak grayness of the morning, sure it has escaped and is stalking the house for me.  I listen for any sound at all in the dim early of the day, but there is nothing more than the blood pounding in my ears.  I creep out of my warm bed and out to the bookcase.  Everything is in place.  The light is out in the room and I don't hear it shuffling around inside.  Even though it's earlier than usual, I am awake, so I start my day.  Before leaving, I go upstairs to switch on the light and hear thumping and scrabbling noises from the room below.  No shouting though.  Too thirsty?  Too bad.  I go off to my regular life, much calmer than the day before.  My prize is now surely mine, and the specialness is wearing off.  You can get used to anything.

Well, you can get used to anything if you want to.  Some things are not worth getting used to.  Some problems need to be kicked in the face.  That was what I did.  Unfortunately, instead of breaking off the weed, I hit the hornet's nest, and my only options were to run or to exterminate.  I couldn't run.  Not far enough, anyway.  Extermination was the only choice left for me.  I still remember feeling incredulous that it had agreed to meet me for drinks, and the joy and triumph in its eyes as it strode in the door of the bar.  Could it really have convinced itself that I was in fact deeply in love with it after all?  It didn't come to argue, but drank down the beer I had ordered for it and commenced to gloating questions about whether I was sorry.  I don't remember what I actually said, but the act was apparently convincing.  When the drug kicked in, one of the waiters helped me get a taxi and load it into it.  The driver helped me unload to my door.  And no neighbors saw me pull it inside.  Nobody saw me leave a while later, alone, back to the bar where I complained quietly to the bartender about how much whiskey dick sucks.  I drank another beer in private victory.

Now my problem is behind bare walls.  It waits, grunting and mewling, for any sort of stimulation.  I watch its clothing grow ever more rumpled and filthy, and I know there will be some scrubbing to be done later.  I wait with anticipation for the skin to shrivel and peel.  I savor the voice growing thin and harsh.  Maybe I'll be lucky and make a mummy.  Won't that be a treat for future archeologists?  Such a luxuriously large burial chamber!  And I'll be sure to leave it a crown to wear in its dusty eternity.

Beermas Day 4

On the fourth day of Beermas I poured out for me
Four calling birds
Three speckled hens
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree

Hah!  There's no cheating at all with this one!  Look at that label and tell me that's not a calling bird!  I did hesitate a little before snatching up the orange and coffee oatmeal stout, mainly because of the orange.  Real oranges are good, orange soda is good, but orange in the vicinity of anything even remotely chocolatey puts me off.  Still, how can you resist that name?  F*ck The Christmas Tree Is On Fire!!!  That's a Christmas for the movies.  I hope it's not something the Dutch have to put up with regularly.

It has an exciting consistency, strong color, and thick head.  It looks just like a stout should look, and while there is a noticeable orange perfume, it's not as overwhelmingly citrusy as most craft IPAs.  At first I get a light milk chocolatey taste, but it's quickly overcome by bitter orange.  Yes, the orange is there, but heavily influenced by coffee.  I'm not displeased by it, as I feared I might be, in fact it is a festive little beer without making too much of the unusual citrus addition.  It's smoky like a good stout, too.  It's got something for everyone!  Well, ok, not so much for teetotalers.  I would not be upset to see a couple of these under the tree some Christmas morning.  Wait...

The what tree??

Supplier: Espuma
Price: €3.95

Beermas Day 3

One the third day of Beermas I poured out for me
Three speckled hens
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree

This one isn't quite cheating, since the name has the right bird in it!  It also has a festive color for a beer, being a darkish one.  A strong ale, it looks like.  Old Speckled Hen is English rather than French, but quite honestly I don't see that many French beers here anyway.  Morland looks awfully classic, although the bottle is clear, unusual for beers.  The name is explained as a homage to a car that was used in the MG factory, "the owld speckled un", when the ale was first brewed for the company's 50th anniversary.  I wonder if it's still there, producing cars.  I could google it.

That's not a hen!

A tempting orangey brown, not-quite-white head, and little odor greet me.  Taking a big sniff, I detect a little bitterness, but just barely.  The taste is interesting, a little bit floral at first, then taking on a woodiness with just a hint of bitter.  I'm reminded of some barrel aged beers, although they had a heavier sweetness about them.  I probably have it chilled too much, being an English ale, and as it warms up I expect to get more flavor out of it.  It feels like a nice chatting beer, one that quietly slips by with the conversation and surreptitiously helps it get more animated.

Supplier: Más que Cervezas
Price: €2.65

Beermas Day 2

On the second day of Beermas I poured out for me
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree

Ok, so an ostrich isn't a dove of any kind, nor is it a turtle, but they lay their eggs in a dirt nest like turtles do!  So there, a connection.  There are actually a lot of birds on beer labels, but not so many that are exactly the same as in the song.  There's certainly no ostrich, but it's just such a fun bird.  Several types of the Dutch Struis were hanging out on the shelves, but I picked up the one that was among the stouts, for obvious reasons.  I don't see it call itself a stout or porter anywhere, but I'm willing to give it a chance.

The scent of chocolate is strong, but the brown is a little lighter than is comfortable for a stout or porter, at least for me.  The head is fluffy and off-white, and resistant.  Once in the glass, the smell is closer to typical Belgian beers, being sweet and identifiably fruity.  I believe I detect some apple in there.  The taste is also Belgian, with a fermented but candied fruitiness that goes down quickly, but leaves a little bit of sourness that intensifies a few seconds later.  It doesn't seem quite right to call it an aftertaste, as it feels almost like a different taste altogether, appearing in the front of the mouth like it does.  While not the smoky or bitter stout I was hoping for in the back of my mind, there is a certain holiday cheer to the Struis flavor, not as deeply alcoholic as a glühwein, but certainly spicy sweet.  Kind of a fruitcake in a glass.

Supplier: La Tienda de la Cerveza
Price: ~€3.50 (Christmas surprises...)

Beermas Day 1

On the first day of Beermas I poured out for me
A pear cider fresh off the tree

Oh, the first day and I'm already cheating!  Cider is not beer!  It's in the same family, though, and damned if I can find a beer that has anything to do with partridges.  Bulmers is a fairly common cider producer, to be found in bars and larger supermarkets, but I needed something with pears.  Lindemann has peaches and pineapples, of all things, but no pear lambic.  Not in the stores I frequent at least.  Still, I'm not dissatisfied with a pear cider, even if it feels like a more summery drink than is probably warranted at the moment.

It has a dry and slightly sharp scent, kind of like a Spanish cider.  It's sweet at first, though, not dry or champagne-like, but a little sour does creep out just before the drink goes down.  It's not as sweet as regular apple cider, and not as cloying as they can be, but it is a fresh and clean taste.  Probably would be better if I had been running around shopping today, but hah!  Santa's already come.  I guess considering where I am, I should be preparing for the Magi too.

Supplier: Más que Cervezas
Price: €2.99

putting the más in xmas

My Beermas project starts tomorrow, but since this is my regular beer day I had to get a Christmas beer that really is a Christmas beer.  There are a number of them in the stores, mostly Belgian from what I can see.  Dubuisson's Bush de Noel had the most subdued label, which I wonder if it might be reverse psychology.  It does say it's "the strongest Christmas beer" on the back.  The quiet, snowy label lulls you into a sense of security and then the beer itself knocks you out?  Won't know if you don't try!

So unintimidating

It smells a little sweet and tangy, but no more than expected from a Belgian beer.  It's a little more subtle than many, in fact.  It's a nice, dark toasty color, promising flavor.  The flavor is quite strong, and not easy to break down on the first sip.  It's sweet, as expected, but there's also a lurking alcoholic strength and a base of heavier spices, cinnamon or nutmeg perhaps.  It's not syrupy like many sweet beers, even though it has definite weight on the palate.  Is it a little fruity?  Another taste reveals something like apple as a finishing note.  It takes a while for a tang to develop, but eventually it does come out, still with a layered sweetness and alcohol kick.  There is pleasantly little aftertaste, the beer going down cleanly without any lingering bits.  It is quite a party beer, with strength and ease of consumption that recommend it, as well as the fruity, spicy notes that seem perfect for the current holidays.

The water comes from "beneath" the brewery!  The mix of ten thousand beers?

Supplier: Más que Cervezas
Price: €2.49

bit of bubbly

I don't know what to do with myself in the beer stores anymore, there are always so many beers I haven't seen yet.  Will there be time for them all?  Who knows?  No harm in trying.  I went out on a limb for a fruity beer, but not a lambic style.  It's a pale ale from Magic Rock, High Wire Grapefruit.  Sounds almost like a breakfast beer.  The can is acceptable, since it'll have to chill quickly for the evening tasting, and we've been told that's an advantage of the thin metal of the can over the glass bottle.  Onward!

A whiff of grapefruit juice comes out as soon as you pop the tab, and the beer pours out like grapefruit soda.  It's not as pink as you might expect, but there is a hint in there.  The taste is full and mellow, but most definitely bitter.  It doesn't have the citrus sharpness of grapefruit juice or the biting bitterness of an ale, just the flavor that makes you think you're taking in something that better be good for you.  A hint of sweetness lurks around the aftertaste, but never quite makes it out on its own.  It may be a little bit light for a winter evening, having the waking powers and happy feel of a summertime drink.  In spite of its rounded and softly bitter flavor, I'd wait a few months before having it again.  Dark nights call for dark beer and light evenings call for ...well, dark beer too for me, but refreshing ales can also be appreciated.

Supplier: Espuma
Price: €3.50

give the oldies a chance

Established manufacturers have funny ways of dealing with newcomers.  You would expect them to be not exactly happy at the thought of new competition, but in the spirit of capitalism (and we all have that spirit, right?) they should pull up their pants and get to work.  One famous American brewery went about it by establishing its cool jock cred, while buying up small breweries all over the place.  Its counterpart, at least in this part of the country, hangs out at Beer Weeks, has draft beer workshops, and owns a moderately significant percentage of (American) craft beer Founders.  It also produces some crafty looking beers itself, which I haven't taken the opportunity to try - until now.  Why not?  It's a season to be generous.  A whole collection of special Mahous were sitting in the refrigerator, so I grabbed the red label.  Seemed like the most festive.  It's proudly called Cerveza Extra, with the year 1890 on it, like this is the real Mahou classic.

Signed...

...engraved

It's a nice color, a bit of a dark gold, looking very much a beer with a little something extra in it.  Good head, too.  The smell is a little bit wheaty, slightly sweet, but not odd for a lager.  It is lagerish in taste, with a little heavy honey rolling in after the first taste.  That note of grass is there, recalling German beers, but there's also a bitter-sour finish that cleans up the first sweet notes nicely.  I find it a bit heavy, especially considering what the regular products are like, but it's really not bad for the dark evenings of December.  Could use a little something salty with it, though.  Some nice pretzels would go well.

It says it's inspired by the decorative paper factory started by Casimiro Mahou, and that the ice and beer factory is (was) on Amaniel.  I've been down there, quite recently in fact, and there's no brewery down that way now.  The only one in the area these days is the possibly not uncoincidentally named Fábrica Maravillas on Valverde.

Supplier: Birra y Paz
Price: €3.85

not mistletoe then

I have to think about Christmas now, what with time flying by as it is.  Gotta browse for some brews.  I haven't been down to Palma Brew very much; I was disappointed the first time because I expected to see cakes.  On their website they say they have cakes!  And there aren't any immediately visible cakes!  They have the bar, a big table in the middle, the shelves of unchilled beer and the refrigerators of chilled beer, but no display case of cakes.  Well, I'll get over it.  They do have some really nice beer.  At first I thought Triple Virgin Cherries could be pushed into a theme, but later thought better of it.  So, it gets drunk tonight.  It's a celebratory kind of beer, though, and although it's not actually my birthday, it's pretty close.  So, near-birthday cherry beer it is.

Some nerve, lounging around like that with Christmas beer to look for

It's opaque and an odd blend of color.  Pink lemonadeish brown for the beer and with a pale pink tinged head.  It smells tangy and sharp, as these red fruit beers tend to do.  The taste, though, is dry, like a champagne or Spanish cider, with just a little sourness coming up as an aftertaste.  A teasing sweetness does appear once the beer has warmed up a little.  Maybe I just had it too cold to begin with.  It loses a little bit of the edge (hah!) but still has a pretty clean and light taste.  While I could see it as a summer pick-me-up, it would also be an alternative to holiday punch, a light counterpoint to the heavier meals of the season.

Supplier: Palma Brew
Price: €2.90