Little by little, we're on the road to the good old days, at least that's what we want to believe. The truth, probably, is that things have always changed and never really gone back to anything they were. Our problem today is really more that lots of change has happened quickly. One thing that hasn't changed is the desire to wander around the streets on a warm afternoon and hunker down with a cold beer. Now, it's not so easy to find my lovely black beers in this town, at least at bars, but the beer stores are still there to help. La Buena Cerveza was rather well populated for a Saturday afternoon, but I got around the shelves enough to find Stone Xocoveza. It's an imperial stout with a few spices added in, "inspired by Mexican hot chocolate" it says. When I went up to pay the guy told me, "Ooh! That one tastes like Christmas!" As it gets warmer I'll think fondly of Christmas temperatures, even the ones we had last year. And yes, even the snow that came later.
A heady, medium-thick looking beer, with a pleasant gingerbread scent. There are also hints of chocolate or vanilla, but nothing spicy yet. The flavor is surprisingly bitter, much like some chillis, but it does have some dark chocolate depth. There is a bitter aftertaste that builds up little by little, but the beer is not one of those syrupy pastry-style ones. I keep expecting there to be a sharper pepper kick, but it's very subtle and more tiny embers than bright sparks. The sweetness comes and goes too, sometimes popping up in the middle of the sip as a bright, almost milk chocolate ting. In spite of the ginger, I don't think it's quite a Christmas beer necessarily. It's a fine drink though, with a good balance of dark and light flavors that give you a sensation of completeness and satisfaction.
Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €5.20
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