compartment

Everyone has problems these days, if it's utility prices, if it's rent, if it's gas...  Somehow all the milk has been cleared out of the supermarkets, although it doesn't seem like anything else has suffered quite so much.  Beer is perfectly available, for example.  And if not in the supermarket, in the beer stores.  La Cervecista does have the backing of Mahou, but sometimes you accept a more corporate source for some convenience.  It's not like the selection is blah and bland, there are a number of good breweries represented.  Jakobsland, for one.  I decide on The Fits, an American West Coast Imperial IPA.  It must be that specificity of identity that gives some people the fits.

It seems an oddly rusty color for such a transparent brew, even the fluffy head seems to have a little off-white to it.  It has a light and piney aroma, what you might expect from a West Coast IPA, although nothing overwhelming.  The flavor has more weight than the scent, bringing in a little maltiness and toast as well.  I'm surprised by the lack of pine and citrus.  It actually tastes more like a more traditional IPA, although with a very delicate kind of bitterness.  Despite the clarity of the beer, it has a sort of thick and substantial feel, like melted jello that is somehow still cold.

Supplier: La Cervecista

Price: €3.70

from the skies

It's still a strange week, cloudy and dusty outside.  The Mars dust is mostly gone, but you still work up a thirst just being on the street.  I'm not sure how much of the desert was deposited in Norway, if any was at all, but the can goes with the recent environmental decoration.  The name too: Apocalyptic Thunder Juice.  Granted, we haven't had thunderstorms, just rain and muddy rain, but it does feel like the gods of weather are trying to send us some kind of message.  Maybe Amundsen has some kind of divine connection.

It's one of the lighter colored NEIPAs, abundantly headed.  It also has a very delicate aroma, although citrus fruit is clearly present.  There's also a little peachiness, perhaps some pineapple sharpness too.  The flavor leans more towards the peach, not a lot of citrus tang, although it has some thickness and fresh-squeezed juice texture.  Like some other NEIPAs, the taste even reaches into melon territory, leaving a very clean and refreshing feeling behind.  It's actually more refreshing than some of the more citric types, which can end up squeezing your throat with their acidity, while this one soothes on the way down like a cool breeze.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €4.55

no snakes, but sand

For some reason I'm not very good at getting beer for specific holidays in advance.  It always comes down to the day before or so when I have to hurry down to some store to frantically search for something fitting.  So, for St. Patrick's Day I naturally had to make a trip, and I was pretty sure La Cervecista, with its industrial background, would have a selection of beers to choose from.  It actually wasn't hard to choose -  I found Around The Clock in the fridge, among the stouts, and with its production including Irish whiskey barrels, it looks like the perfect thing to enjoy on this holiday.  I'm certainly not going out with all the dust around.  It's another great reason to keep the mask on, but it's so much more comfortable to just stay home with a good drink.  It seems to me Porterhouse has made an appearance in my fridge before, or at least in some bar's fridge where I had a chance to pick it out.  A whiskey and bourbon accented beer is something new, though.

The tingly strong alcohol smell comes out immediately, with an enticing warmth.  There is also a little bit of sourness, like a fruit liquor.  It's a little less black than the expected stout, but still a good color.  Not a whole lot of head, but there is a nice covering of frosty looking foam.  The flavor is very smooth, no throat grabby kind of alcohol feel.  It's a little bit smoky, a little bit woody.  There's even a sort of milkiness.  The whiskey part is barely detectable, but it is present, adding a strong foundation for the stout to push off of.  Despite the smoothness, I start picking up a little bit of dustiness too, like there's a little finely blended fruit pulp in there.  I wouldn't expect it to be Sahara dust, with that wax cap, and being bottled before the big event.  It has a feeling of calm and steadiness that goes well with a weekday evening, or with a quiet kind of night out.  I don't think I'd enjoy sucking it down at a parade, or in crowded conditions, although it might be comfort when it gets stressful to deal with a bunch of other dipshits on the street.  Or whatever the Irish for dipshit is; I'm positive they have one, if not more.  Some languages are more creative with insult than others!

Supplier: La Cervecista

Price: €6.95

for the endtimes

France is known as a wine country, but has sort of a bad reputation when it comes to beer.  Very much like its neighbor Spain, in fact.  And yet, when craft beer comes to town, anybody can make something worht drinking.  I suppose it has to do with a certain amount of standardization and globalization of processes and potential for control of environment.  In any case, A Russian Imperial Stout is worth trying, wherever it comes from, and Prizm has chosen a very timely name: Doomsday Clock.  Gotta see how this one goes.

There's an interesting, malty, bready kind of aroma, with a hint of sweetness sliding through as well.  The dark beige head dies back quickly, but leaves a resistant, if thin, covering.  The flavor is rich and cake-y, definitely sweet but it doesn't start out sticky.  It's a heavy-feeling beer, but it doesn't leave a clingy aftertaste or afterfeel in the mouth, going down smoothly.  There's an exchange of flavors that takes you on a tour of succulent fruits, energizing coffee, joyful baked goods, and that little touch of licorice I can always do without.  It's only a touch though, so I can deal with it fine.  It maintains a good balance even as it gets warmer and stronger in flavor, developing an even heavier feel.  Eventually there's a little bit of a drag after the swallow, but it isn't a hard beer to drink at all.  It leaves you with a warm and pleasant feeling that takes away anxiety of waiting for the end to come.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €7.95

some truth telling

I felt the need to find something strong for the weekend, since the news is full of nothing but awfulness.  Also, it's gotten a little colder again and a strong beer is more of a comfort than a bright and happy IPA.  I'm still taking a risk, though, with a Belgian stout, since I'm not the biggest fan of Belgian beers and their penchant for weird aftertastes.  Also, it's a cuvée, although it is described as a Russian Imperial Stout in style.  Cuvée Delphine is also barrel-aged in bourbon barrels, so even more potential sweetness.  I seem to recall De Struise from other moments, without any bad impressions, so I will go in under the assumption that they know what they're doing.

Unless the truth is you did kill that guy and bury him under the floor

The aroma is fruity and juicy, not what you expect from a stout but very much a Belgian sensation.  It even veers into winey-ness, with hints of heavy alcohol along the lines of barrel-aged beers.  It looks like a rich, velvety drink, just what you want from those black beers.  While I was apprehensive about the flavor after taking a good whiff, remembering some previous disappointments with cuvées, it's a pleasing and complex flavor in reality.  There is a little bit of fruitiness, but it's well balanced with stouty earth and smoke, as well as a hint of dark chocolate.  There's a good amount of body, but it's not super smooth I would say.  It has a slight prickliness going down, like a cat that wants you to know it isn't your little pet the way the dog is - it might choose to hang out, but you don't have total control, dammit.  Not that you should expect any real roughness, it's more symbolic and just respectful to acknowledge it.  The fruit comes out more and more as the beer warms, developing a clear raisin quality.  However, there's also a feeling of freshness too it, and naturalness.  These are not raisins that have been at the back of the cupboard for ten years, nor is it just raisin flavored chemicals.  In all honesty I would have preferred a lean into the chocolate taste, but it's a warm and cuddly flavor in the end.  No regrets and that's the truth.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €7.85