seventhly

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me
A bird dropping beads on the street
Two turtledoves
Three Belgian roosters
Four birds calling for blood
Five rolling blings
Six geese parading
Seven mermaids bird flipping

Not only is this beer have a connection to water, but there's a roundabout bird in there as well!  Hah!  The mermaid might not be so impressed, though.  There's probably a reason they call her Sour Suzy.  While you might not necessarily take a Berliner weisse as a first choice at this time of year, we can make arguments for the associations: Berlin is a Christmas city, for one; snow (that might fall) is white, for another.  And Lervig is in Norway, which must have a point close to where Santa's workshop is.

It looks a little like a very clear lemon soda, although with more head than those usually have.  There's a definite beer aroma though, something of a lager to it.  Although it is a touch sour, it's not as strong as some weisses, with a little more of a bittersweet blend.  Like some "natural" lemon sodas after all.  A more lagery taste comes through towards the end, something rounder and mellower, like a raw squash might be if we ate raw squash normally.  That goes away after about half the can, leaving the sharp and stingy lemon, which would really be quite refreshing on a more summery evening.  It's not so bad even now, with a champagne sort of essence that makes it appropriate.

Supplier: La Buena Pinta
Price: €2.50

sixthly

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me
A bird dropping beads on the street
Two turtledoves
Three Belgian roosters
Four birds calling for blood
Five rolling blings
Six geese parading

You might have noticed that the beer birds are not always the ones in the song, but geese are a popular mascot for beer for some reason.  La Granja de Goose gives us Gloria IPA, complete with a little history of the style on the label.  I'm amused that the introduction of the beer to the British Isles was due to a shipwreck.  Much like today, there's a greater identification with the black beers, but the ales turn out to be the more popular in the end.

It's a nice orangey color, promising a strong IPA flavor, although a little bit candy-ish in scent.  There's a touch of apple to the flavor, not much citrus, only a mild bitter aftertaste.  The beer is pretty light, not very sticky like some IPAs, kind of summery.  There's even a little perfume on the top, something like Valverde.  It's a fine IPA, perhaps a little subdued for my taste if I was going to focus on the beer alone.  But, with company, it's a good choice.

Supplier: La Cervecista
Price: €3

fifthly

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me
A bird dropping beads on the street
Two turtledoves
Three Belgian roosters
Four birds calling for blood
Five rolling blings

Yeah, it's a pearl not gold.  I'm cheating a little to make the song connection obvious.  Marston's Pearl Jet stout isn't quite the golden color the song might call for either, but a shiny pearl might be more attractive to some than a plain old ring.  The delivery crow also goes with the featheriness of the lyrics.

Dark brown, light beige head, mildly sweet but stouty aroma.  The flavor isn't very strong, but it has that bitter touch that makes a stout special.  The aftertaste has a little bit of licorice, perhaps, but also very mild.  It starts out on the thin side, but somehow it gains some stickiness and weight over time.  For the most part, though, it's a light and easy beer, only 4.5%.  One could easily take in several pints of this on a chilly English December night, waiting for crows to shower us with riches.

Supplier: Cervecissimus
Price: €3.70

fourthly

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me
A bird dropping beads on the street
Two turtledoves
Three Belgian roosters
Four birds calling for blood

It says Bird of Prey on it, even though it looks like a superhero, so there must be blood involved.  It's from our old friends Uiltje, who have created some wild things in the past.  I am looking forward to this IPA.   Ah, there's another reference to superheroes on the can - if not stored properly it will turn to kryptonite.  Not to mention it starts out supernatural!

Says right there

The way the bubbles come up, it looks like a very weighty kind of beer.  It's one of those golden IPAs, and transparent to boot.  Good head, nice and white, sticks around for a while too.  There's an almost spicy aroma over the standard citrus, promising a good blend of bitter and sweet.  Indeed, it's a blend of mandarin tanginess and grapefruit bitter, very fruity and citrusy, but in noticeably different ways.  It is, perhaps, just a little thinner than I expected, but it's still substantial and no wispy, watery thing.  I have the feeling that this is a beer that could stand up for itself, outweighing snacks and dominating a conversation.  Saving you from a boring one is something a superhero ought to do!

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €3.27

thirdly

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me
A bird dropping beads on the street
Two turtledoves
Three Belgian roosters

Yes, not French and not hens, but something along those lines.  Next door, as it were.  There might be only one bird on the branch, but at 8% we might imagine the other two on the ground.  This is Arabier, a Belgian Strong Pale Ale, elsewhere called a Golden Ale.  And, not just a Belgian style, but a genuine product of Belgium, De Dolle Brouwers to be precise.

It's a very unassuming beer, with no oddness or eye catching anything about the color or aroma.  It's a little bit sour, as one might expect from Belgian beers.  I let the head go down a bit, since it's like whipped cream on there, and I take a first sip.  WOW.  It's a sour beer.  It's not abrasive, though, which is something some NEIPAs have had trouble with.  It's also not clingy or covered in graininess, which I have experienced with other sour beers.  Although not my favorite style, it's a sharp, clean flavor and something that would really pick you up on a summer evening.  Even in the winter, some overheated pubs might serve a good number of Arabiers, especially if they rely on saltier snacks.  It has the kind of flavor that would cut right through anything else, and with that tiny hint of sweetness be a welcome interruption.  Although, it does develop a bitter side the more it rests, so if that's more your preference you can probably just let it sit for a couple of minutes.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €3.50

secondly

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me
A bird dropping beads on the street
Two turtledoves

That's a nickname for lovers, right?  And one of them is an owl, so a real bird.  They certainly do look cozy, La Quince's owl and Guineu's fox.  It is also a blend of the black velvet stout and milk stout, so a little duality there too, even though the beers are quite similar to begin with.  Black Velvet Vanilla blew me away the first time I had it, the Chocolate was also pretty good, Hazelnut not so much...I don't remember now if I have actually tried the Milk Stout from the bottle.  From the tap it's quite alright.  (Oh, dammit.)

It has a slight hint of licorice in the aroma, and the head has a good cocoa appearance.  The taste is surprisingly tangy and tart, but with a lactose sweetness.  While not excessively sweet, the beer has a solid body and a commanding presence.  After the initial sweetness I start to pick out some toast and smoke among the flavors, giving it more stouty weight.  It seems to get bubblier, more soda-like if I let it sit for a while, although it doesn't change much in flavor.  It is a nice flavor, I'll give it that.  And appropriately tingly and snappy for the season.

Supplier: Heneket
Price: €4.95

firstly

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me
A bird dropping beads on the street

You know, you would think those Belgian lambics would include a pear version, but if they do it doesn't make it to Spain.  That leaves me with pear cider (which I've already done and haven't found more examples of that either) and playing with the birds.  La Pirata's Viakrucis features a crow on the label, not a partridge, and not in a tree, but it is a bird dammit!  Also, you can imagine the prayer beads are tiny pears.  And prayer rhymes with pear!  So there!

It's a tempting ale looking thing in the glass, with a slightly orangish golden color and a fluffy resistant head.  If you stick your nose right in, the craft ale aroma bubbles up to you, but it's not one of those that really spreads its scent around when opened.  It attacks with bitter at first, then falling back to a more rough and rustic graininess.  The citrus of the aroma is really nowhere in the flavor, it's much more of an old style ale than a modern craft with the US influence.  It's demanding and undismissable.  This is no beer to just suck down in the middle of a night out, this is something to really chew on.  It might be nice to chew on something else as well, say a mild cheese, a little toast with a thin spread of braunchschweiger maybe.  I don't think I'd want anything very salty enhancing the taste a lot, or something sweet that would clash.

Supplier: Birra y Paz
Price: €3.40

not quite pushing boundaries

I have a small soft spot for Alhambra in a bottle, better than draft in my opinion.  Although, like so many, the brewery has been absorbed into a much bigger one, there are some interesting things to be found.  A barrel aged lager, for one, kept in rum barrels for a sweet, sweet finish: Barrica de Ron Granadino.

Well, it is a nice ruddy color, almost extra bubbly, keeps only a thin head.  There's a definite whiff of alcoholic barrel.  It also smells a little fruity, but more of a banana or melon than an ale-y citrus.  The rum sweetness comes through, although I find it subdued.  There's a touch of banana in the flavor as well.  It may be the lightness of the lager versus a heavier stout, but the taste is more rum candy flavoring than actual rum.  The beer is not especially heavy by itself - again, lager.  It's a smooth taste, though, no rough edges on it at all.  Nice drinking beer, something a little daring, but not a big surprise.  While pleasant, it's a beer that plays it safe.

Supplier: La Cervecista
Price: €1.90

a present

As much as I love dark beers, I also love raspberry flavored things.  True, there are raspberry beers, but so many of them are...weird.  Too syrupy, too sour, that sort of thing.  Sagra did make a nice one a few years ago.  But, those who are really known for fruit beers are the Belgians, and I could not resist snapping up Bacchus Raspberry Beer from Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck.  It was the last one on the shelf too, so there's the added attraction of something about to disappear.  It comes nicely wrapped in paper and the naked bottle has a wine-ish look to it, or at least something a little less common than a simple beer.

All wrapped up

It's a weirdly dark reddish brown, with a sort of cream head.  There is raspberry in the scent, light and tickly, nothing too strong.  While the fruit is the first thing you notice when sipping, there's a kind of bitter-sour floor to it, giving balance to a beer that sometimes is a little too strong on the fruity syrup.  The flavor remains constant, not gaining in sourness or sweetness, and it's quite a light feeling beer to boot.  While it might be cozy for some wintry valentine, it has the fluttery easy feel that thirst quenching summer beers benefit from.

Strangely naked

Supplier: Heneket
Price: €4.20

no open fire

It's a time for fires and smoke and dark things, like a nice porter!  Since some porters have that fruity bite to them anyway, a cherry wood variety sounds like a solid bet.  Blazin Sandals, made at Brew York Brewery with the help of Anspach & Hobday, does not have a name that I would associate with porter of any kind, even a smoked one, but it's always good to challenge your assumptions I guess.

The color isn't very dark, like it's been watered down a little bit.  It has sort of a puckery tangy aroma, like many porters with that touch of fructose in them.  The head packs a good amount of bitterness, but the beer is quite smooth with only a hint of smokiness.  It's not very sweet, actually, the fruitiness being mainly in the scent.  It even has a background of chocolatey-ness, a kind of dark chocolate blend.  It's on the thin side, again like a somewhat watered down drink, although the flavor remains at a pleasing level.  It is far from sticky and the balance of tastes remains stable, not veering into syrupy sweet or crinkly bitter.  It's not a beer that needs any help from snacks, and strongly flavored ones would take away from it.

Supplier: La Buena Pinta
Price: €5.80

black beer flowin' sweet thing

It's still fall, so it's time for rain.  Not right now, but the clouds certainly seem to promise some moisture later.  It's a good time for a good dark beer.  I went overboard a little, perhaps, with Kees' Caramel Fudge Stout and its heavy dessert of a beer.  On the other hand, it might not be as heavy as I expect.

Darlin'

Maple syrup colored, burnt caramel maybe, strongly sweet aroma.  It has more of a brown ale appearance than stout.  I get something of a barrel aged sensation from a close-up whiff.  At first the taste is like that too, kind of woody, but that's quickly overwhelmed by a caramel sweetness.  Then, a toasty sort of flavor comes out and smooths over everything.  The stout part only comes out at the end, and anchor to the wild candy of the first sip.  Does it go with marzipan?  It's the good German stuff, so if it's going to it'll be with this.  At first the marzipan (chocolate covered at that) brings out more bitter in the beer, which I find quite pleasant, but then the beer's own caramel fudginess reasserts itself, but in a tangier way.  I don't think I'll try that again.  Maybe with a more bitter chocolate we would have a fine pairing.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €5.20

a reawakened tale

Sitting at the fire, staring through the flames, nobody knows what you can be thinking.  Everybody has their own thoughts and there are none can read them, even if some claim to.  This is the best thing in life.  To have secrets.  Our own possessions, with no danger of ever having them stolen.  Lost, perhaps, many things in our heads disappear over time.  But a thought well-kept is yours forever.

Certainly, there are those who will ask to know your thoughts, and they will be convincing and kind and carressing.  They will tell you that the best way to show your support, your love, is to show your darkest side.  There is some reason behind this.  Those who know your weaknesses and do not judge you badly are true friends.  They can be relied upon in bad times.  But, you do not really know if there will be no judgement, if intentions are pure and righteous.  You have to take a risk and show your cards, shine a light on the shadows of your soul.  And many will use that for their own ends.  Some will even mean to hurt you, even from the beginning.  What can you do, but do your best to reveal only the weakest secrets, those that have the least power over you?  At least until you have a secret that leaves the other in a weak position.  It is the most prudent idea.

This is what I learned one summer.  This is the guide that was offered to me by a powerful spirit.  He lurks in the shadows himself and he knows many secrets, although he does not read minds nor does he claim to.  He is an honest devil.  His rough coat left many hairs on my floor and his teeth many marks on my walls.  I do not know why he would bite them.  It is his secret.

I was still young then, and wanted to be loved.  I thought I could show my trust and have it given in return.  He came one night when I was deep in fantasy and surprised me at my fire.

“Good sundown, young one,” he rasped, “I think I find you lost in your own mind.”

“How come you here?  No door has been opened!”

“I come and go as I please because that is my choice to make.  All the shadows are my country.  And once the sun falls, my country is the largest in all existence.”

I did not like him.  He was arrogant and pushy.  He was like those who demand your secrets for themselves.

“Since you are here, I must offer you some refreshment.”

“You are kind and dutifull, young one, but I require nothing - at this time.”

“I will put water to boil, should you like a tea later.”

“No, it will not be a simple tea when I ask a favor of you.  Do not trouble yourself with water.”  And the smile curled and the eyes glowed and I felt cold in my heart.  I knew who he was, but I did not run, as we had been told to do.  Run and find the seer, who could tell us his plans and how to escape them.

“What do you want here, then?  I am poor and young, I have nothing to give you.”

The jaws opened in a cave and a sigh rustled, “But you may have much to wish.  You must have recognized me by now, and you must know that I always offer aid, and only rarely demand payment.”

I was skeptical.  I thought so, at least.  I thought I was clever and had knowledge from my elders that I could use.  “I know that you can turn minds to your will without us being aware.  You have strong magic and we should be cautious around you.”

Grinning lips and shining teeth and rolling eyes before the answer, “Really, young one, I have no magic, I am only one more piece of this grand universe, doing as I must.  It tickles me that you lot believe I have powers beyond your own.”

“You do move through the shadows like fish in the sea, and you have more ears than the spybird eyes.”

Mouth and eyes close, but deep chuckles in the throat slip out.  “Well, you got me with the shadows.  Still, every kind has its own talents, and you have many beyond my ability.”

“What talents might those be?”

“I don’t think I need to tell you all my secrets in one night, young one.  Perhaps later, when we are better friends.”

“I only asked for one,” I thought I was clever and even more clever than he was.  I thought I could outwit him in my house.

“Yes, just one, it always starts like that.  But one leads to the next and the next and the next.  You can easily lost control over your tongue if you are not careful from the beginning.”

I thought this was just an acknowledgement of my caution and my cleverness.  I was young and wanted to be smart.  I did not know for sure if he meant to compliment me, or if it was a thoughtless comment, but I felt more sure and more confident.

“I did not invite you, Vulk, and I do not think I was wishing for a spirit to come and solve my problems for me.  You want something and you think you can get it from me.  Tell me what it is and be done with the vagueries.  I do not think I will help you, but one never knows.”  I was very proud of my little speech.  I had said everything without a wavering word.

Vulk stood up and said, “I see nobody has told you that I much prefer ‘Uncle’ from my friends.  Ah, but maybe you do not think we are friends yet?  Soon we will be, young one, do not fret.  As for what I want, I want only to be of service.  I love to see smiles on human faces and yours was lacking.  And it really is no chore, the simplest things can make you happy, and require so little to repay.  I am happy to do a little service.” He bowed.  Then his burning eyes looked up into mine, “Or a big one, but of course you already know I would ask a favor in return.  My offer is but small, to put your mind at ease.”

“But what can you offer me now, that I do not know how to find for myself?  I wonder that you slipped into my house when so many others ask for things great and small daily at the market.”

Vulk seemed to go into thought, “Yes, they do, that they do,” he mused, “But somehow I do not think they are sincere.  They make wishes like morning mist; a pretty thing to see but in a blink it’s gone.”

I did not know what to do.  He was treating me like an equal, being honest, being clear with his words.  He did not dismiss me as a silly thing, not old enough to have thoughts worth listening to.  It was all I wanted at the time.  That and to be loved.  I sat down and asked, “Do you know what others say in their homes?  Do they think of me?”

His smile was long and straight and terrible as it sliced through his steely face, “You do not mean others, I suppose, you mean one.  And I cannot tell you, as you know I read no minds.  I can only make my guesses, just like you.”  But he winked his raging eye and flashed his shining tooth and I thought he was treating me as a child again.  Pride and anger made me bold.

“If you think I mean just one, then tell me if I am in those thoughts!  This small favor you can do me with no trouble, I think!”

He rolled and laughed and shook himself, “Oh dear, I have upset you!  Not my intention at all, my dear!  You must remember that I simply do not see what it in others’ minds, and if your name is not spoken I cannot know if you are in the thoughts of anyone at all!  I have heard your name in the shadows, that is true, but I do not think the speakers are the ones you would care to know.”

I meant to shroud my heart, but of course it was too late.  He had seen my sadness and he knew he had me in his gripping claws.  He could only be sneakier as a spider.  “Oh dear one, let me offer you council.  As I said, I do not read minds, but I hear voices and I see faces.  Even when they think themselves hidden.  I will tell you how to reach the heart you crave.”  And his face was lightning and his eyes were fire.  I could not say no.  My heart was lightning and fire too.  I would give up all my secrets to know those of my beloved, and I would let them travel through this spirit, even though it was what they had warned me against all my life.  I was going to take the risk.

no 8 ball?

So I guess the whole weekend is going to be chilly and rainy, with some blustery winds blowing about.  Hell, that's fine with me!  All the better for sitting down with a nice stout.  Billiard Imperial Coffee Oatmeal Stout was noticeable in a sea of color for its somewhat stark label.  The two dimensional black and white is probably what a lot of people are feeling these days, but I'm just looking forward to my stout.

Like she doesn't even realize what she's pouring the coffee into...

It has a somewhat penetrating smell, on the heavy sweet side of the stouts.  It's pretty close to pure black, just a tiny bit of light around the bottom.  Nice, mousse-y looking head too.  If I get my nose right over it, I am pretty sure I smell more of a raisin aroma than the more common honey or sugary sweetness.  The taste is an interesting blend of flavors coming and going, starting out mildly sweet but escalating into a coffee-like bitter.  Then some fruitiness comes out to finish off the swallow.  The aftertaste is sort of...grapey.  It's a smooth beer, but the bitterness adds some bristle to it, so it's not one that would slide down before you knew it.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €4.26

black jack cherry

Well, it's back to black beer and creepy images.  I just couldn't resist a pastry stout with death's head cherries peering out of the can.  It's also Naparbier, which has never disappointed that I can remember.  I don't think it's too alarming that it's called Overdose.

It's a thick black, almost red-black.  It reminds me of the Scandinavian stout I had about a year ago that was like a runny black chocolate shake.  The aroma isn't very strong, although there is a pastry kind of touch to it.  Wow, there is a cherry pie kind of flavor, but wrapped up in a sort of creamy chocolate mousse.  The cherry part is tart, but it calms right down with the chocolate, not sweet but not veering into bitter.  Maybe it's a little bit of cherry soda in a stout?  It doesn't get heavy with time, staying very drinkable, maybe the cherry comes out a wee bit more.  While 7% is a respectable amount of alcohol, it's not as much as plenty of other special stouts.  But really, when you come for flavor you don't have to get 'faced to enjoy it.

Supplier: Birra y Paz
Price: €5.75

giving a chance

I've been seeing Mahou's IPA, made in collaboration with Founders, on supermarket shelves for a while now.  Mahou has tried its hand at craft style beers before, and the results were not all that disappointing.  Now, with the help of Founders proudly noted, their more modern session IPA might have even more of a craft slant.  The things I do for information gathering...

"More intense", "More flavor"!  Almost anything is more than regular Mahou!

It's pretty clear-colored, but bubbly, foamy head, and bright, citrus-hoppy smell.  The first sip has a puff of bitterness but a little orange flavor peeps out in the aftertaste.  It definitely tastes like an IPA, similar to Cibeles, and in spite of the clarity it's quite a mouthful.  The beer itself has a slightly weighty feel and leaves a little stickiness behind too.  Like those supported crafts, it is very balanced and doesn't show a lot of change from start to finish, a good quality when the beer isn't the main focus.

not a dead issue

Another gift!  It's a premium lager, from Ukraine of all places, produced by Carlsburg.  Actually, I shouldn't be too surprised at its origins, given that country's famed wheat fields.  Still, this isn't a wheat beer.  The label calls it "pasteurized light beer Lvivske 1715" and also has a good bit of Chinese at the bottom.  Another import lager after that calendar last year?

Well, it's got the typical industrial lager aroma, bitter and sharp.  Also, very pale, translucent, light head hangs around though.  Oh yes, it's a regular lager, with that bitter introduction that barely covers the grainy sweetness.  Despite the color, it isn't a thin and watery feeling beer, and in fact has quite a nice texture.  Bubbly, but not prickly.  There is a hint of aftertaste, somewhat bitter, but everything goes down smoothly and without much fuss.  This is definitely what I would expect to get in a pub somewhere, but my snobby palate ever longs for the craft beer bar.

pick yer brain

I went looking for Halloween themed beers, or at least pumpkin ales, and would you believe that they hadn't arrived yet?  A week before the big day!  Well, pumpkin ales work for Thanksgiving too.  At least there was a creepy can on the shelves, even if it isn't a nice stout: Laugar Hopzale, a douple IPA.

Beer for your braaaaaaaaain...

It has quite a strong hoppy-citrus aroma, perfuming the air as soon as the tab opens.  Not cloudy, but a rather dark shade of gold.  Clean, white head, although it does dissolve pretty quickly.  The flavor is heavy on the tropical fruit, very tangy, more mandarin than orange.  There is a nice base of bitterness, but it isn't greatly noticeable.  It's a little sticky, thicker than many IPAs, but it's not unheard of with those fruitier ones.  It's nice for sipping, taking it down too quickly does cause a little bitter to build up at the back of the tongue.  Not quite a Halloween treat but tasty enough!

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €6.78

the gloaming?

Something creepy?  Something dark?  Something tasty?  A porter from La Pirata could hit all three of those!  The label for Deep Inside porter has a pretty stern looking wolf in a dusky looking woods, so certainly appropriate for the season.  Actually, now that I look at it, the pink sky is a little more sunrise-y than sunset-y, but maybe there was a volcanic eruption somewhere that affected the colors.

Can't get much head out of it, but it has a nice color.  The nutty, smoky aroma is also just what I'm looking for.  The flavor bounces back and forth between bitter and nutty, finally leaving a hint of licorice.  The beer itself isn't very heavy, but the wealth of flavors make it seem thicker than it is.  I get a little bit building up and hanging around on the back of the tongue.  It's not too distracting, although it develops an odd sourness.  In the end it calms down to a mild bitter, still easy to suck down, not sticky even with that little aftertaste.  It's better than a lot of Halloween candy, I'll say that much.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €3.50

cloaked in darkness

It's a dark, dark month and I will have my dark dark beers, dammit!  Well, maybe something with a scary label would be acceptable.  And some people might be scared off by Moor Beer Company's Batallas Double Stout.  It is barrel-aged and almost 10%, after all.  There was a whiskey version and a rum one, and I went with the rum since it's been a while for that.  La Quince has a pretty noticeable image on the side of the can, but they're not mentioned in the information.

Oh, hello there

More beer you say?  Ah, no, I get it

Heavy honeyed scent right away, not dissimilar to other barrel-aged beers.  I think it's a little sweeter than whiskey aged ones.  Close to bourbon, though.  Thick-looking and well-headed, although just barely allows a little light through.  It's one of the dark, dark browns rather than real black.  The first flavor to register is somewhat bitter, a real show of stoutiness, but the sugary rum comes in right behind.  The sweetness holds sway while the beer is in the mouth, but the aftertaste comes up on the sour side.  There's something about it that gives you the sense that it is, indeed, a strong beer; it's not an alcohol burn or excessive stickiness, however.  It has a solid body, but also an admirable smoothness, going down very easily.  While it stays sweet for the most part, I think I'm getting a little more bitter mixed in after a while.  Not sure if it's the beer warming up a little or just tastebuds adjusting.

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €7.45

darkness to come

It's the month of chocolate and let's start out strong!  An English chocolate stout seems to be the thing to open with, Young's (award winning) Double Chocolate Stout.  It promises rich chocolate flavor, as the original dark beer brewed with real chocolate.  A nice dark beer for a nice barely getting dark evening.

Not especially strong in aroma, but nice and smooth looking, fills the glass nicely and maintains a thin but bubbly head.  Quite identifiable chocolate, but surprisingly light in the mouth.  There is also a touch of bitter trying to balance out the sweet, but it doesn't quite do its job.  I get more of a milk chocolate sensation than dark chocolate, or stout for that matter.  It starts to build up a bitter taste at the back of the tongue, with a kind of stickiness that isn't exactly welcome.  The flavor is fairly clean, though, needing about half the bottle to go down before it starts to hang around with noticeable aftertaste.  It gives the beer a tad more weight and pumps it up from the milk chocolate lightness at the beginning.  Still, I have to say I expected more.  I guess I'll have to do some hunting around for a chocolatier option.

Supplier: La Cervecista
Price: €3.20

new corners

A new beer store has snuck in without my notice!  I guess I'm not on a notification list or anything.  La Cervecista is right in Malasaña, along with several craft serving bars and numerous students, tourists and assorted snobs at any given time.  My impression is that, although the craft beer is present, there's a pretty strong connection to the bigger beers too, in particular Mahou.  There is also a large representation of German and Belgian beers that are not, quite exactly, craft...although there is certainly demand for them from the same quarters.  I did manage to pick out a Dougall's from the pack, their DDH IPA 9.

There is a familiar explosion of hoppy citrus as soon as the cap comes off, and the beer has a cloudy straw color that screams refreshment.  It has a surprising lack of bitterness, being very light and tangy, one of those mandarin IPAs.  While not terribly sweet, it's definitely fruity.  I was expecting a double anything to have a heavier feel, but it's vanishingly light.  Practically no aftertaste, although after some time there is a little sticky build-up with a tad bitter lurking under it.

Supplier: La Cervecista
Price: €2.90

a gift!

While out and about experiencing the craft bar scene you meet some nice people.  Some of them like to share stuff with you.  Stuff like more beer!  This particular beverage is a ginger beer, promising a light and complex flavor.  It almost sounds like a tropical drink or cocktail on the bottle.

"Crabbie's"?  It's scary how people know me

The sharp, sweet smell of ginger is evident immediately.  The head is very normal for a beer, although the color is unusual - tannish and transparent rather than the typical yellow.  I think it's darker than other ginger beers I've had, although they all had the vaguely crystalline color.  At first it's on the sweet side, like a ginger ale, but a more natural spiciness comes out soon after.  It's an interesting mix of sugary lightness and limey tang with a somewhat heavier ginger spice and just a hint of bitter at the bottom of it all.  It's more like a cider than a beer, in fact, with more fruit in the taste, very summer and uplifting.  But, the fullness of the ginger warms the soul, even on chilly days.  There could be a place in the seasonal line for such a beer.

possible pirate

So, there's nothing like an Irish stout, is there?  Galway Bay Buried At Sea might be a good example.  It is a milk stout, so a little softer than others might be, but it's still summer.  Even I can weighed down a little with those heavy beers.  There's supposed to be some chocolate in there somewhere, which has been fantastic in Black Velvet and The Mayan, but I know there are some that disappointed me.  I was so disappointed I don't even remember the names right off.  I guess they weren't too bad, if I don't have the urge to warn others off.

Quite strong in aroma, very sweet and sugary.  Makes me think of a maple stout or something like that.  Abundant beige head, not quite black color to the beer itself.  It's a good chocolate brown, though, practically opaque.  Not nearly as sweet as I expected it to be; at first it teases you with some hints of lactose, but a whale's back of beery bitter rises up, with a tail of licorice.  Notes of coffee start to develop, giving some nuance to the bitterness, but a strong sweetness never makes an appearance.  While there's lactose lurking around in there, I would not say there's any milk chocolate.  Perhaps dark chocolate, something more bitter and closer to the coffee that my tongue says is there.  It's not very heavy for a stout, probably not a summer drink for most though.  But fine for me!

Supplier: Cerevisia
Price: €3.30

what do you expect anymore

Oh, beautiful chaos!  If there's something noticeable about the world today, it's probably that.  Of course not everybody thinks it's beautiful, although this double IPA from Jakobsland would be hard to say no to.  It's a Galician beer, so they might know something about chaotic weather, which is one thing that is certainly happening (even in Madrid!).

There's a strong hoppy aroma immediately after popping the tab, a little musky and enticing.  It's a nice sunny color, pale white head, goes down pretty fast but maintains a nice little ring just on top.  Sweet citrus comes out right away in scent, although the flavor is more balanced with bitter and even a little savory.  There's a kind of roughness in the aftertaste, giving the beer a hardy and wild feel.  It's a bit strong in fruitiness, a little bit of a tropical fruit salad in fact, but that's a good summer drink right there.  It might seem a little heavy for a quiet drink around the pool or on the beach, unless you're used to some heavy lifting with your glass.  In spite of the heaviness it really is a bright and happy beer, ready to light up your afternoon or evening.  I wouldn't even miss snacks with this one, it's a good flavor all on its own.

Supplier: Cerevisia
Price: €4.10