out and about

Well, I planned to have my beer blog yesterday as usual, but I went out for the evening and had a beer that knocked me out.  It was a very good beer, but at 17% you have to expect sleeping it off will be necessary.  I went down to Chinaski Lavapiés for a little variety and they had a collaboration on the menu - Yria Seven Island Nicta.  It's a Spanish-Greek Russian Imperial Stout, barrel aged.  Pretty unassuming in the glass, not a lot of head, but good color.  I got a glass of cherries to go with it, which was a surprise, but the waiter said the acidity would tame the sweetness of the beer.  At first I was afraid the cherries were served in vodka, but it was really just water.

The aroma has a touch of cherry to it, chocolate cherry liquor that is.  It's definitely sweet.  There's supposed to be some maple involved, but that doesn't come out in the scent, or even the taste.  It's sugary, with a strong presence or alcohol, not a beer to just suck down.  It's pretty heavy, even for a winter drink.  Most certainly a beer just for sipping!  The cherries actually do cut right down on the sugared edge, and I guess they're kept in the water to keep from drying out and getting more concentrated themselves.  Careful parsing out got me to the bottom of the glass with one last cherry to wash it down.  About two and a half hours after I started!  Whoo!