end of year sparkle

I'm going to be sampling some brews from home soon enough, so I felt I should make the effort for one last local, or national, beer.  Arriaca has been good for ales.  Seems like a safe bet.  I picked up a session ale, also to be safe since mornings are hard recently.  Cans are becoming more and more popular, it seems, with some breweries using them exclusively.  Although, I think I have seen bottles of Arriaca in the past.

The beer is slightly ruddy, but mostly a clear straw color.  The ale citrus is there, but it's a very light note, flitting to the nose and brain.  I expect something sweet and fruity, but I'm surprised by the complexity of the flavor.  There's a moment of sweetness, but it's quickly overwhelmed by bitterness, and the swallow ends with a touch of sour.  I'm reminded of some citrus sodas, purporting to be all natural, that end up brisk and biting without added sugar.  Some sweetness does kind of build up towards the end, mellowing out the aftertaste.  The citrus doesn't punch very hard, leaving an impression of something more like a lager.  A nice light beer, as session ales should be, a good accompaniment to snacks or a meal.

Supplier: Espuma
Price: €2.07

full of beans

Another exotic pick from Be Hoppy, Lervig's 3 Bean Stout contains vanilla, cocoa, and tonka beans, whatever those are.  According to Wikipedia, they are a South American crop that has been used as a vanilla substitute and in perfume, before being banned by some countries.  Apparently, in high concentrations it can cause liver damage.  And here it is in an alcoholic drink, another culprit for failing livers.  Lervig is a Norwegian brewery, so this follows along in the pattern of Scandinavian stouts.  Hopefully, it's up to snuff with the excellent others.

Not very foamy, but there are plenty of bubbles clinging to the glass.  It's a good dark color, but not very aromatic.  Leaning in, there is a whiff of vanilla.  It's a spicy and sweet flavor, very much like liquid gingerbread.  If I try, I can pick apart some vanilla and some cocoa, but it's mostly a roasted mouthful of flavor.  It's on the strong side at 13%, and there's a little warning at the back of the throat from the beginning.  I feel some tingling and a spicy afterburn, like a strong cocktail.  It takes a while for some stout bitter to kick in, but it does eventually show up and try to balance out the sweetness.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €3.70

/s tag necessary

Ever notice that most conspiracy theorists belong to a particular group of people?  They tend to have a similar look, don't they?  Yep, white guys.  Of course ages vary, as well as economic status, but that's the group you find in this activity, by and large.  They might even be straight white guys for the most part, but that's none of my business anyway.

So, why is that worth commenting on?  Well, we've all been in conversation with one of those people, who just absolutely have to angle the flow of talk away from the original topic and into their preferred angle of attack.  It's easy to brush this off as some quirk of personality,  maybe even part of some social disability.  It could even be true in many cases.  However, there might be something else going on, something more sinister.  This is my theory: conspiracy theorists are working hard to distract us from solveable issues while their masters prepare to bring us back to Feudalism.

Consider the conspiracy theories that are bandied about: mysterious poisons in the air; mind control that may or may not be wirelessly produced; technological knowledge hidden from the public "for our own good".  Now, it is true that pollution and general wastefulness have created an unknown danger to us from our own environment.  It is also true that governments and militaries have technology that they do not share.  However, the conspiracy theorist never points to a specific target as the source of the problem, except for vague entities like the Illuminati or occasionally "the government".  They leave us nowhere to aim at if we need to attack.  Everything is a danger, and everyone should be in a state of constant vigilance - or panic.  When the source of danger is ill-defined or omni-present, fear is a great method of preventing action, as much as it can be a spur to action.  We cannot fight against people we see in offices and in the media, but we must fear members of secret societies whose names and faces are a closely guarded secret.  What can this be but demoralizing?  What better way to prepare us to accept a fate of subservience and slavery by telling us we have no chance in the first place?

Now, a good many conspiracy theorists claim to have the good of humanity in mind.  Their fight is against the "elites" who would tamp down the population with either fear or marvel.  But again, I say their targeted problems are not ones that are clear and fightable.  Moreover, they insist on drawing attention to those problems and away from others, which are defined and have people searching for workable solutions.  Interestingly enough, those problems that they distract from tend to affect people who are ... not in the same group as these conspiracy theorists.  Consider: when did conspiracy theories become a popular pursuit?  Perhaps in the mid-twentieth century?  I think another thing became popular around that time, and that was the demand for civil rights by groups of people who not white, men, or either.   Quite the coincidence!

It could be enough to leave it there, with conspiracy theories being a smokescreen for resisting social change.  However, I did mention feudalism towards the top, and as long as we're talking about conspiracy theories, let's go big.  Without trust in technology, health care will decline.  Without trust in expertise, education will decline.  In any case, many people will be denied access to those things.  Those people will then be simple labor, with no way to intellectually impose their will.  They will be cogs in the machine.  Ironically, the decline in technology will mean a greater need for human labor and less mechanization, so it is true that more work will be available.  The question is if it is good work. 

Imagine that people work for one employer who is able to provide them with services they need, such as housing and security.  This is not a new idea exactly, as company towns existed in the nineteenth century in the revving of the Industrial Revolution.  The government, for lack of funds or lack of interest, provides little to nothing.  Who will people be loyal to?  To an abstract government that provides to proof of its very existence, or the source of their daily bread?  People will focus their loyalty on local providers, and the very concept of the nation will vanish.  This is feudalism, the organization of laborers around a local power.  We will exist in a collection of small states that have little to nothing to do with each other, fostering a sense of suspicion and tribalism.  Not only that, but communication will be tamped down to the bare minimum.  For one thing, what does a person with no immediate connection to the outside world care what happens in it?  For another, how will most people be able to pay for access to that information?  We will also be in a world without access to health care, so we can assume there will be little to no birth control.  This works out splendidly for those who need labor, as unwanted and uneducated hands will have few opportunities to work for their own survival.  The human being will be practically interchangeable.  A cog in the machine.  And when we are at the state of laborers and masters, how will we manage to escape?  How will we recognize "talent" if everything is designated from birth and social class?  Naturally, those who were in a privileged position before the decline will have more opportunities to maintain a good position.  So, again, the white male conspiracy theorists only seem to be fighting to protect themselves and their privilege, not humanity as a whole.

Who'd a thunk it!!

and back again

Oops, there's been a break in the continuity!  For a number of personal reasons.  Anyway, back to the beer.  I was going down to the George Herriman exhibition and there happens to be a beer store right on the way, where I've been but once before.  I managed to get in before they locked up for siesta and picked up a session ale by Buxton Brewery, Myrcia.  It contains oats, harkening back to some of my winter stouts, and yeast in the bottle.  I'll have to watch how I pour.

The aley scent of citrus is prominent and the beer is straw colored and bubbly.  While light in color, it's also cloudy, not surprising since it's unfiltered.  It's bitter but without the heavier fruity notes of most ales, even session ales like All Day or Valverde.  It's a grapefruit like flavor, cleansing and light.  It feels even healthy.  A little bit of sweetness oozes up over time, but it's a very subtle shade on the overall taste.  It's kind of a light version of the NEIPAs I'm seeing around now, which are also very juicy and healthily bitter, but with a bigger flavor.  Myrcia is kind of like a tonic with a little orange juice.  It's bracing and refreshing, much better for summer than winter I'd say.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €3.70

just the beginning

I took a nice walk down to Retiro the other evening, and on the way back stopped at Birra y Paz.  It doesn't look like they have taps like some other beer stores, but there are a couple of tables and a fridge, so you could have a pleasant beer if you needed a break from hiking through the park, dodging bikes and joggers.  As I couldn't attend the stout tasting on Thursday, I had a hankering, so I asked for recommendations; there are classics, but there's also always something new.  Nómada isn't a new brewery for me, although it appears I've only had it on tap, but Imperial Coco Stout rings no bells.  There was also a hazelnut stout.  Well, next time!  Might as well try something exotic when it jumps up at you.

The coconut smell is immediately present, and grows into a sort of Christmas liquor candy aroma once the beer is in the glass.  The beer is properly dark, although not terribly foamy or completely black.  The flavor starts with the sweeter bit, clear coconut taste and a little bit of that stout chocolate, but soon morphs into a woody, deeper bitterness.  There is an undercurrent of tropical fruitiness, thanks to the coconut's association with tropical cocktails I suppose.  It's like a piña colada mixed with a heavy stout.  The beer also feels thick and substantial, not watery at all.  Not easy to ignore.  I even get some hints of peppermint, which don't seem to be mentioned anywhere on the label.  Tricks of the mind for the season?

Supplier: Birra y Paz
Price: €4.95

a little pick-me-up

I was looking forward to a stout tasting this coming week, but alas, it is not to be.  So, I better get on a stout tonight.  For some reason, there weren't a whole lot of black beers in the store today, the stock was leaning much more towards ale and lager.  Maybe people have been picking them up, now that they go with the evenings.  I ended up with a can of coffee stout, Epic Brewing's Son of a Baptist.  They say they use local coffee from a number of sources, and the producer's name for this batch can be found on the bottom of the can.  Didn't see anything, though.  Maybe it got rubbed off in transport?

For some reason I expected more fire and brimstone.  Or hot peppers.

The beer is a beautiful black, and on the fizzy side.  Not much head.  The aroma of a sweetened stout wafts out as it's poured.  The taste is quite coffee-ish, as the beer is cold it's an ice-coffee.  The bitter is there, but it's very mild.  It might be the cacao that give it the earthy sweet touch, a pleasing dark chocolate flavor.  It is, I would say, more delicate than what I've been drinking out of the house recently.  The dark chocolate taste remains stable, without veering into syrupy or sour territory.  As a stout it's fairly light feeling, but there's enough flavor and perkiness to make it appetizing.  Plus, it's a good choice for summer months for us black beer lovers.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €3.80

after 'fest

With a change of hour the light gets weird.  It's lighter earlier in the morning, but then darker in the evening, and to be honest I prefer a darker morning.  Eases me into the day, or something.  So, a nice dark beer will help me deal with the night.  Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel isn't a stout or porter, but things aren't always completely black.

Such a lovely scene

It's very bubbly with sort of a root beer candy color, not very heady.  The smell is sweet and tangy, promising malty goodness.  The taste is actually very mild, just very slightly sweet in fact.  If I didn't know better, I might think it was a particularly mellow root beer.  If any flavor stands out it's the sweet, which makes me feel like I need a pretzel snack.  The level of sweetness develops over time, picking up the malty feel.  It's a quiet and laid-back beer, good for swallowing many glasses of, over a pool table perhaps.

Or in front of the bar at 9am.  The Bavarian way!

Supplier: Ruta 33cl
Price: €2.65

patron of beer

I wondered who it might be before, and there are lists and lists of names, but I think the leading candidate must be San Lúpulo.  Four neighborhood businesses organize a festival of beer, promoting local brews, and with a special challenge: drink two pints from each place over the two days of the festival.  It is two days, but eight pints is plenty for most people I think.  I can do it, though!

I start at La Birratorium, the only not-bar.  They have eight taps, though.  I wonder what kind of license you need for that.  My first pint was La Quince Hop Fiction IPA.  It's a standard beer color, with light head and a very mild ale smell.  It has a clean and slightly grassy taste, a little salty even, with only a hint of bitterness.  I was told that it was "young", about a week in the keg, which might account for the grassiness.

Looks like breakfast

With pastrami instead of bacon, but okay

I strolled over to the market for more, stopping first at Craft 19.  La Quince was on tap here too, and I had a Green Mind NEIPA, intrigued by the name.  The beer itself is intriguing, it looks like fizzy orange juice, maybe a little yellower, and with just a touch of citrus aroma.  As for flavor, the orange Julius bittersweet predominates, but not terribly strongly.  In fact, the beer is a well mixed brew of flavors with no loud notes drawing attention away from anything else.  Salty chips are really nice with this sweetish beer, bringing out the lightness of the taste.

Now a new place for me, Drakkar.  They have a nice variety in nine taps, but only about half were part of the promotion.  Among those was La Pirata Súria IPA.  There is a definite pattern in these beers.  Súria is clearer than the previous IPAs, more filtered looking, with kind of a wheaty smell.  It has a dusty feel but also a mildly sweet flavor, not being heavy on the hops.  Very normal in terms of beer, definitely bitter, but not as citrusy as many IPAs.

A friend was joining me and I had my second from Drakkar, Mad Brewing Trigo Hoppy White IPA.  It has a lemon juice sort of appearance, and the typical citrus ale scent.  It has a snappy citrus taste too, but very smooth and refreshing.  It's a little more like the typical IPA than Súria.

Before the burger came, but rest assured it was glorious

We took advantage of the food offerings, not a bad idea with a number of pints, and ventured into Prost Chamberí.  With my delicious burger, I had another La Quince, this time the familiar Llipa IPA.  It's the most like the standard for craft IPAs in color and aroma, although the taste is slightly floral.  It's a light and non-filling IPA, and in spite of its identifiable flavor, it doesn't distract at all from food.

The next day I went to finish up my challenge, and started at La Birratorium again.  They had tapped a new keg for the second day, but what really caught my eye was La Pirata Barcelona Tropical IPA.  Several people had commented on its quality the day before, so I went after it.  It's a nice dark orange color and there is a tropical essence to it.  Maybe mango in particular, although it might be the color that makes me think so.  It's a little sour and tangy, not the fruity that the smell seems to predict.  There's a lingering bitterness, but nothing too heavy.  It's not as sweet as I expected given the smell and the name, but it is a very refreshing beer.

Back at Craft 19, I picked up their other NEIPA, Mad Brewing True England.  It has a similar look to Green Mind, but is even juicier.  I had a taste the day before and found it harsher and greener than Green Mind, but today it was settled down somewhat.  Another freshly kegged beer it seems, this one with only a couple of days behind it.  The smell is very light, almost imperceptible, but the flavor is strong - hoppy, tongue twisting, with a mellowness that recalls fresh-squeezed juice.  There is an undercurrent of citrus but with a clearly beery cover.  It's like a beer cocktail, really.

And that's about how you feel after eight pints

My discount pint was taken at Prost Chamberí, without the burger this time.  La Pirata Viakrucis IPA was the one.  Perfect light beer appearance, very mild scent, but with a bitter and attention grabbing flavor.  As an IPA it is rather standard, but as a clean and easy-drinking beer it should be welcome anywhere.  It keeps its flavor balance well, not going sweet at the end, and leaves plenty of room for conversation.

Who knows what the saints will bless us with next?

almost missed it!

Even though it's fantastic to have a constant stream of new beer and stores and celebrations, it also means some of them can sneak up on you.  Or even past you.  I knew about Beermad already in September, but for some reason thought it was going to be the last weekend of October.  Fortunately, I thought to check the flyer - and realized it was the last day!  So, had to hustle down there.  Unlike the beer fairs of old, this one took place in sports facility, the Caja Mágica tennis arena.

Barely open gate, for some reason

First Monasterio caught my eye.  There was a bar nearby that had the beer, but I almost never saw it open, and finally it appears to be closed for good.  This looks like a chance to see what I've been missing.  I wanted to start light, so I got a Rubia to start with.  It isn't very aromatic, but the taste is quite strong, very bitter in fact.  It's also very "natural", harkening back to German helles.  There is an interesting sweet aftertaste.  There were some mostly dried hops at the stand for smell sampling - very pungent.  I was told these were a variety developed by the brewery itself.  As I hadn't had breakfast that day, I thought it would be wise to not drink on a completely empty stomach, and got myself a bratwurst.  As expected, the German style similarities made it a good pairing.

Obviously sipping while waiting on the brat

Next, touching on the Halloween theme, La Calatrava.  Again, backing off from the heavier beers for the time being, I picked up Rossa, an American Wheat.  In spite of the description, it's not a strongly wheaty beer, having a sweet smell, and with that touch of citrus so common in IPAs.  The taste is very standard lager, only mildly bitter, lacking the wheat tang.  It's a little sweet going down, and very easy to get down.  Very refreshing and clean flavor, possibly on the delicate side to go with more sausages.

Finally, I visited an old friend, Sagra.  Again, for the season, I chose their Calabaza y Canela, expecting a smooth and mildly sweet ale type.  It's a lovely orange color, with a bit of a cinnamon aroma.  I was surprised to find it more of a pumpkin pie in a glass than a mere pumpkin smoothed ale or märzen.  The cinnamon really has a kick to it.  While I enjoyed it, I heard another day that it's not at all a favorite for many.  But that day was another day.

A street band entertained us for a couple of hours

Then a DJ set up

I think there was a concert in the evening

no snake in the grass

I was pretty sure I saw a notice that La Birratorium was changing locations a couple of months ago, but when I went to sift through my email to find it, I couldn't.  Maybe I just dreamed it, I have vivid dreams sometimes.  But no, it was real, and they've moved.  A little closer to my house in fact.  Their stock is still sitting proudly on its wooden shelves, gathered by origin, so if you're looking for that perfect Norwegian beer, this is where to find it easily.  After a little wandering around I finally decided on Lord Cobra, an IPA by Freaks Brewing.  They seem to imply that the snake is the result of some experiment done by a shadowy government: "Son of ambition and colonialism, through his cold blood runs the scent of liberty and the poison of empire.  The aristocracy taught him to attack without losing control, fierce but always elegant."

Opening the bottle releases a sharp but sweet scent, reminding me a little bit of ginger ale.  It's rather a darker color than that, though, more of a rosy orange.  Also, once in the glass the aroma is much stronger in the citrus range.  Although a bit bitter, the sweetness of a fresh mandarin overrides it.  It's a simple, fruity taste, very light and refreshing.  I was expecting something with more...bite, I guess.  It's not a disappointment, but not as weighty for my personal taste for a cold weather beer.  It's a good thing we haven't had any cold weather for quite some time.

Supplier: La Birratorium
Price: €3.30

black cats for luck

I couldn't resist grabbing something to go from Oktoberfest Artesanal, going with a brew from Tyris.  Black Pussy Palace is a black IPA, so the right color to start the month, and as an IPA it should be a little snappy to get me out of my warm evening blues.  It's October already, it shouldn't be 80ºF!

I didn't get a lot of head on it, but it's a black and secretive looking beer.  It has kind of a plummy smell, more like a porter than a black IPA.  It definitely doesn't have a porter taste though - at first.  First there's a strong and heavy bitterness, much like a stout mixed with an IPA, so there's bitter without the citrus.  But, after a couple of seconds, an undertaste of sweetness starts to bleed through, rising up to cover the rest with the swallow.  There's a slight aftertaste that's a lot like what you expect from a porter. While delicious, it's a surprising beer, one that will grab your attention.  For those looking for a light and non-distracting bit of refreshment, my advice is to look elsewhere.  Those of us who cherish the drink will take care of this one.

For some reason I feel like he's singing a pirate song.  Privateering?

wanted things

So it's back to the bottle at home after Oktoberfest, which is OK.  I'm not an especially social person.  I am a black beer person, however, and Desiderata might be just the thing I'm looking for.  It calls itself a "robust porter", an attempt to blend that typical sharp flavor with the creaminess of a stout.  It's also coffee and chocolate, so what can go wrong?

A locked room of chocolate?

The smell of chocolate stout rushes out of the bottle, maybe a little too fast for the head.  It dissipates rather quickly.  Rich brown in color, but slightly translucent, the beer holds a little tighter to the porter in taste.  It's not exactly sweet, but there's no stout smokiness, and I can't even rightly say it's bitter at all.  I find it a little fizzier than necessary, with the bubbles being a bit distracting in the mouth, although the beer is light and easy overall.  I don't think it's as heavy on the coffee as those that lean more towards pure stout, it's more like coffee cream or coffee candy than a hearty kick-in-the-teeth bitter espresso.  Although I would like a heavier beer, and a smoother one, the fizz does keep the light beer interesting.

Drink placidly and find happiness

Supplier: Birra y Paz
Price: €2.75

a wiley tale

So once there was a little wood and in the wood was a little house and in the house lived a little family.  They were a special family, blessed and cursed, to guard the gold of the great wizard.  While they did their duty, they would be young and healthy and want for nothing.  But, if they forsook this task or failed in it, their lives and all they knew would be lost.

It all began when the two children were in the deep woods, gathering leaves for supper tea.  They came across an old man sleeping under a tree with his sack beside him, unguarded.  They were only children and they couldn't help themselves, they had to look inside.  This they did, and it was gold, gold, gold beyond their wildest dreams.  Especially because children in the woods dream of soft beds more than gold.  They were enchanted and raced home with the sack, forgetting all about the old man.  They told their parents that they found the gold in the woods, not really a lie, and the sack was stuffed into the rafters while the parents figured out what to do with such a windfall.

The first night one raven landed on the roof and started to call, "Gold, gold!"  The second night, two ravens came to call.  The third night there came three.  After several weeks, the roof was covered in ravens, all calling for gold.  The family was beside itself.

"Who can rid us of these blasted birds?" shouted the father.

"They are clear about what they want, family," came the dark voice from the trees.  And then the bright little eyes were there, and the icy teeth.  And then the bladed paws came out.  "You have a thing that is not yours," said the wolf calmly, "And the birds always know."  The ravens looked down, tense and angry.  They were no longer calling.

"It was a mistake," began the father.

"I mind that not," cut in the wolf, "I will help you out of generosity.  That is something I am known for.  Ask the birds."  He grinned at them and feathers ruffled.  "The gold you have was held by a wizard.  It is now full of his power and you cannot control it.  The birds know all this and have brought me to help you."  He nodded.  Ravens hopped.  "Now, I will give you power over the gold, and the wizard will take no vengeance upon you."  Wink and smile.  The family looked at each other in confusion and doubt.  Darkness returned as the wolf rumbled, "He is a powerful wizard, jealous of his possessions, he punishes thieves ferociously.  Let me offer you protection!"

The ravens started screaming all together with no words.  The family clapped their hands over their ears in terror.  "Yes, yes, help us!" shouted the father, and the ravens stopped immediately.  Then they flew off in all directions.

The wolf sat before them and smiled.  "You are safe from the wizard now, my dears, as long as you keep this gold.  Stay with it and you will want for nothing.  I will see to that.  Think of me as your uncle."  And he smiled and stood and smiled and turned and smiled and walked away.

And the family was calm at first, when no bad things happened for many days.  But after many days and many years, they realized that they were stuck.  The children grew no older, and neither did their parents.  Finally, the mother had enough and she took the gold to the river, thinking that the wizard must be dead by now, and if he wasn't, who would hold a grudge for so long?  But she found no place to hide the sack, so she returned home.  Instead of her family, she found three ravens waiting.  She looked at them and they looked at her.  She put the sack of gold back where it was, intending to deal with the intruders directly after, but when she turned around the ravens were gone and her family was standing there.  They all were filled with sadness, remembering the other ravens.

And that is the story of the gold of the wizard, the cursed gold, the gold that gives its holder all the time, until there can be no more.

oktobeer!

So Madrid is now more Munich than Munich in terms of beer festivals, with two in the city sponsored by big beer.  I think there are even more little Oktoberfests around that individual restaurants and bars put on.  But, there's another fest, a craft fest in a nearby town, with local, national, and even some international beers.  It's not exactly Oktoberfest, since there are many styles of beer, 16 I'm told, not only the traditional Bavarian ones.  And those among 96 different beers.

We drove up, hoping the clouds wouldn't turn out to be rain clouds just today, and got a little turned around downtown.  Put right be a local, we managed to get to the fair in less than an hour in a nice, touristic walk, with a stop at the 18th century church.  We made it to the fair, although constant checking of phone maps slowed us down a little.

Like other fairs, we got our official glasses before going off for the tasting, and met a friend of a friend who is part of the organization.  He recommended we start right at the beginning, with Enigma.  I had the red ale, Enigma Complutum, which makes reference to the past of its home.  It's a mildly sweet, fruity beer, taste and texture expected in a red ale.  There's also the beery bitter hiding in the taste, but the smooth sweetness is what's most noticeable.  Our friend got the more German-y wheat beer Cervantes 400, a bit tart, typically sweet aftertaste for wheat beers, but smoother than many I've had.

There's also food, German food.  Sausages!  White and red sausages were available, but I felt like the red ones looked better in the bun.  Tasty!

Next, a brown ale from Tyris of Valencia.  Paquita Brown is smooth and sweet, with a touch of honey, not as dark as many browns.  I enjoyed it, but wished I had more food to go with it.  It's a beer I would prefer to have in company, either food or friends.

I was recommended Octavo Arte's Mañanas de Domingo, an IPA.  I felt like something a little stronger at this time.  It's a nice golden color, fizzy head, and tropical fruit scent.  It was served very cold, but the taste was clearly evident, laden with berry and mango.  It's a very refreshing beer, with the smallest bit of IPA citrus and a lot of other fruitiness hanging on.  Despite that, it's a very clean flavor, and smooth drinking.  It's one of those dangerous ones, too easy to let go down while the 7.5% alcohol might sneak up on you.  Really recommendable for summer drinking.

It's yellower in real life...

Finally, I had to find myself a stout.  El Cantero of Murcia was there with one waiting.  They've been in this fair before, and I suppose will be again.  That stout was damn fine, with a chocolate-y scent but a surprisingly bitter taste.  There's also some tartness, making it a little porter-y.  It's not actually a terribly heavy stout, going down easily and smoothly.  My friend wondered if it was like Guinness before we tried it, and was convinced after a couple of swallows that it was better than Guinness.  Success for the beer snob!

When we were leaving, we noticed a doll laid out weirdly on one of those sidewalk protection posts.  Creepy?

Who knows where else beer fairs might pop up?  Better keep an eye out!

birds of a feather

I wandered around Cerevisia a little bit, trying to make up my mind.  So many choices - stouts, ales, lambics - from so many places.  Finally, I settled on Beech Smoked Bock, mostly because of the label.

I've never smoked beech myself, but hey, Dutch...

It's a collaboration between two proven breweries: La Quince and Uiltje Brewing Company.  According to the label, the beer was actually made in the Dutch facilities, probably just with input from La Quince.  It seems they were tickled to find they had the same mascot.

It's kind of a watery brown, which makes me pause, but the head is abundant and fluffy, and the smell hints at something memorable.  The taste of smoked meat, bacon or some similar, greasy cut, is evident from the first sip.  There's a mild bitterness too, but mostly smooth smokiness.  As a bock, I expected a little more sweetness, but that beech smoking outweighs any of that.  Some smoked beers rely a little too much on the meatiness, but this one stays smooth and easily drinkable.  Probably not the best choice solo, but accompanied by some salty snack, or with a grilled meal, it could be an excellent choice.

Supplier: Cerevisia
Price: €3.70