always another surprise

Beery stuff just keeps coming up every day!  I open up my browser and there's a notification for another fair, this time just a small one.  Chinaski in Lavapiés (Calle de la Fe 19) organized a weekend of craft beer, with presentations and all.  The first night I was camera-less, but on Sunday I was able to capture a couple of drinks.

In front of the "sousages" on the menu

First, Bierol Mountain Pale Ale, a double pale ale from Austria.  It's a very standard looking beer, maybe a little darker than one expects from a pale ale.  There's a lightly citrusy smell, in line with craft ales, and a sweet flavor that's orangey and mild, completely lacking in bitterness.  It's over 7%, so the feeling is deceptive, not seeming very alcohol heavy at all.  Actually, maybe the sweetness supposed to be a warning, like some of those malty dunkles, or a barleywine.  (I had a barleywine on Friday, Lervig, no escaping that sugary headswimming.)  After sitting a few minutes, a hint of bitterness seems to develop, but the beer remains much more sweet than anything else.  Fortunately it doesn't get syrupy.  After 1/3 pint in twenty minutes, I start to feel some effects, so I guess it's over 7% after all!  One of the founders of the brewery was on hand for Friday presentations, and is quite the friendly fellow.  He actually has a bigger market in Italy and France, with an expanding one in Spain, than he does in Austria.  His explanation is that people are so used to what they've always had there, and with the historical reputation for quality, that they just aren't interested in anything new.  Thanks to globalization though, I guess, there's always a market somewhere.

I finished up with a little La Quince, their Hidden Valley doppelbock.  It has an appetizing color and a good head, although there's something ephemeral in the taste.  It's bittersweet and vanishing with a little high note of dunkles, but the beer is light and fizzy.  It's not as filling as other bocks I've had, but a pleasant end to a weekend of rain and wind.  Now on to the tasting, a tale for next Saturday!