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

thoughts of the north

There's a new beer store in town!  You never know where or when they're going to pop up.  This one is on the smaller side, but with a good selection packed into its shelves and a friendly, helpful shopkeep.  I had a look around and picked up Nickle Brook Maple Porter, in a 473ml can.  Somehow that makes it even more Canadian, although I'm not really sure why.  I got shown all the other black beers in stock, including a black IPA, but those will have to wait for another day.  Tonight, it's time for something sweet.

It's a nice dark brown with a slightly beige head, not completely opaque.  The maple comes out in the scent, which is sweet and light, not very complex.  The taste hits with a mild bitter first, and then lets the sweetness filter through, even with a little tanginess at the end.  I was expecting something heavier, with a bigger piling on of syrupy flavor, but it's really a clean and refreshing taste without hammering on your tongue at all.  I had a brown ale a couple days ago that was more like what I thought I might get from this Maple Porter, I wish I could remember the brewery.  That was definitely a fall and winter beer, while this porter is an all-year sort.  It's not too light and spicy to be insubstantial in the dark of winter, but it's also a lighter weight and controlled bitter that won't knock you out in blazing summer nights.  Not what I expected, but not a disappointment at all.

I especially like how the ingredients end with "No additives. No preservatives. Just science!"  Because of course science has nothing to do with additives and preservatives

Suppler: Ruta 33cl.
Price: €5.40

dark horizons

So August is behind us, as is summer vacation, and the temperatures have changed overnight.  Almost literally, one day it was almost 100º and the next day is was 75º.  I'm not complaining.  Now stouts are even easier to enjoy!  A Russian stout might be just the ticket, Zatmenie Cocoa Milk Imperial Stout from Bakunin, for example.  I don't know if it will live up to La Quince or St. Peter's, but it sounds like a good bet.

There's a nice chocolate smell, and a little something else, something almost woody.  My bottle is extra bubbly; maybe I should have let it sit a little more in the fridge.  It feels very creamy pouring out, although again it's a little too foamy at first.  It's perfectly black, no transparency (should I make a joke?).  First there's a strong bitter, very stouty, and then a little sweetness floats up and nibbles at your tongue.  It's sweet enough to be sour, and the aftertaste is more sour than anything else.  There's also a little bit of smoke wrapped around the overall flavor, giving it a tough and outdoorsy feel as well.  It's quite strong, although it doesn't pack the obvious punch of barrel aged stouts, still it doesn't take long for cheeks to get rosy.  It remains a smooth drink, gaining in chocolate perhaps.  It almost brings me back to nights of temperatures uncomfortably high, what with all the excitation of blood, but it's a damn fine stout.  A little delicate alone, something salty could bring out even more flavor, or a nice chocolate cake or something similar could complement it very nicely.

Supplier: Heneket
Price: €5.35