my country

Yes, another beer fair snuck up on me, one that changed location before beginning.  I guess they realized the Metro would be of use after all, since the nearby line reopened their repaired section the very day the fair started!  And of course I went out to IFEMA on the Metro, and everything seemed perfectly normal in the tunnels and stations.  It's been a while since I've been out that way, though, so maybe it was rougher before the repair.  País de Cervezas has gone the Founders Fest route of tokens for beer instead of paying directly, but every beer costs the same token, with a value of €2.50.  You just get more beer from some pours than others.  Actually, a reasonable system, although the tokens themselves are a little bit of an unnecessary step.  Make you think twice before shelling out another €5?  Anyway.

The idea was to showcase the cooperation between industrial and craft beers, and many were side by side or sharing stands.  There were a couple of names that I do not recall seeing before, such as Almogáver of Barcelona.  They also had a stout, so that caught my attention right off the bat.  An interesting looking stout too, with several fruits being added in.  The name, Black Pear, makes it almost sound dangerous, like some illegal gardening project.  It looks good, smells like choco-vanilla, maybe there's a little pear in there too.  I might be fooling myself, though, searching too hard for it.  It has a fruit-in-chocolate kind of flavor, not quite sweet at first, but then it comes out with a soft touch of delicate fructose.  The beer is very light for the amount of flavors packed in, although it also leaves an interesting, burny aftertaste.  It's one of those somewhat rare stouts you (not me) could probably stand as a summertime drink.

I couldn't resist upon seeing something was "experimental", but then I saw it was Moritz, oldest of Barcelona's beers still being produced.  They are part of a larger group now, but they do play up their historical association with the city, I'm told.  This is Alkimia, the experimental lager, which is not actually being sold on its on, but used in restaurants for tastings and the like.  The recipe is still being tweaked a little.  It has a very clear color, and good white head, an appetizing appearance overall.  However, I get a whiff of sulfur and maybe seawater, which makes me wonder if I really want to drink it.  I better at least give it a try...and am impressed.  The flavor is quite subtle, blended and refreshing, just a tad bitter at first, then citrus leaps out, very low and grapefruity.  Floral notes also rush by, dragging some other spices behind them.  The aftertaste brings back the sea with a touch of salt, and some cucumber notes also make their appearance.  The aroma doesn't really improve, but in the right conditions it would be a damn fine sitting-back-and-relaxing beer, although it might not go so well with the beach.

I swing back to black beers, unsurprisingly, and picked up a Black Block Imperial Stout from La Pirata.  I wonder if I have tried it before, it seems to have a familiar name.  (Oh, there it is)  I have not had a professional serving of it before at least.  Kind of loose bubbles in a somewhat scanty head, but color's alright and there's a nice stout aroma, toasty and earthy.  There's a much bigger punch than with Black Pear, thicker, rounder feel, even a little oily.  There is a chocolate aspect too, but a hot chocolate powder kind, not rich bar chocolate.  It's a strong beer at over 11%, although it doesn't feel quite that heavy, but it maintains a good balance of flavors and while thick doesn't detour into syrupville.

The pendulum swings back and also a memorable name doesn't hurt.  Antiga of Valencia is offering a hazy IPA called Do You Marry Me?, which...well, do you have to ask?  It's definitely hazy, going so far as to look puddingish, nice white head on it too.  It has the predictable citrus aroma, very orangey.  The flavor is restrained, subtle, not a lot of punch but a gentle caress.  Along with the expected citrus contents is a distinct lack of bitter, making the beer feel soft and friendly-like, although it doesn't quite get to sweet.  It is a fresh, very clean and healthy flavor, something reminiscent of authentic horchata.

I got one beer with my entrance, and I got four tokens because it's an even number and easy to buy, so one more!  I notice that people are really not gathering around the big beer stalls, although a few do go up, which makes me laugh on one and and feel sorry for the people behind the bar on the other.  I don't go to give solace, however, I'm on a craft journey.  For the most part.

So, the last one was Basqueland.  A safe choice in terms of name, I don't think I've been disappointed by anything I've had from them.  No black beers, sadly, but there is What A Life, DDH East Coast Hazy IPA.  A complicated name for an actually not too complicated beer.  I don't mean it has no complexity - first there's the color, which is hazy but not as opaque as Antiga's, and a very bright shade.  In comparison, it's a little heavier in aroma, a little hoppier, the flavor is more upfront, stronger on the citrus hops, sharper in the throat.  It does that little catch thing that some hazys and NEIPAs do.  Overall, a bright and uplifting hazy, not as juicy as some, but it certainly has the basics covered.  It's more snappy and provocative than Antiga, with more prominent hops, a lot of mouthfeel and a demanding aftereverything, to be honest.  It leaves a little bit of sticky and a little bit of bitter/sour so you don't forget what you're drinking.

Surprise encore beer!  I was pestering the speaker at the beer history talk and he took me over to get a freebee from Moritz.  Since I had already had Moritz, I got Ambar's non-Pasteurized IPA, just to have something new.  It's slightly darker than the normal IPAs, with a good strong aroma.  Very standard, light citrus.  The flavor is heavy on the hops, not very bitter, but not your typical midday brew.  Not a bad way to go out, really.  Although it doesn't have many markers of differentiation, it's a perfectly fine beer and one I would not be unhappy to drink in a bar with a little conversational distraction.  It does seem like there's a little hair-care product that starts to come out in the aroma after a while though.  Maybe being a Spanish beer it's not made to be savored.