a real dessert

So the month of stouts finishes, and I have a very nice brewery with something that might be very nice.  Frau Gruber sounds like it should be kept until Women's History Month, but it was actually the work of two brewdudes (the Frau comes from the surname of one of them, so it's not actually any kind of appropriation).  This is a 5th Season Imperial Stout (without Schischi), which sounds like it ought to be something revelatory and the result of years of testing.

Weirdly no head whatsoever - kept it too cold maybe?  It still looks appetizing, very black and a little bit slick, with a slight perfume of banana bread.  The flavor is sort of a rum banana cake, a little bit sweet and filled with alcohol.  It has a very rounded feel, like a candy ball in the mouth almost.  There's some reminder of a Sahale rum barrel aged stout, which left very positive impressions, so there's the familiarity and nostalgia factor working for it too.  It's not a beer to simply swig down; although smooth, there's a weight behind it that makes itself known.  They call black beers petroleum in Spain, and this one definitely has that kind of essence to it.  It feels like fuel, giving off potency and power, the kind of drink that you imagine revving in the glass as you pour it.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €9.50

the wolves

February is still a dark month, although little by little the days get longer.  It's especially noticeable in Madrid, it seems to me, more than in places I've  lived before.  The change is obvious even over a couple of days.  So, I guess I need some shade before it gets to bright for all my waking hours.  Laugar is one of the best breweries in Spain for black beers in my opinion, and it seems to me that I might have even come across Basatia in the wild.  No reason not to have a quiet evening at home with it anyway.

The head is very dark and foamy, but unstable, disappearing in a few seconds.  It leaves behind a good looking liquid behind, though, and a thick stout-appropriate aroma.  I get licorice, a little dirt, some heavy fruit.  It didn't look very thick pouring out, but the scent promises almost syrup.  It's pretty smooth in feel, but there is indeed some good heft to it, and less licorice than I feared.  There isn't much stone fruit or sweetness at all, but it's not quite bitter.  It's a smoky, earthy beer, leaving a little toastiness in its wake, treading softly.  Despite having some respectable mouthfeel, overall the impression is of a laid-back beer, one that you can easily have a conversation with, and it won't push you out of your chair.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.90

not in a box

The only thing Valentine's day is good for is the discount chocolate the day after.  And actually, I have my doubts that there are going to be huge discounts, the way prices have been going.  Maybe people will have loaded up on chocolate beforehand, being the comfort food that it is.  Wary as I am of Belgian beers, when it comes to sweet ones that aren't pastry stouts, that's the first place you should look.  And Kasteel's Barista Chocolate Quad is right there to be seen.

Somewhat startlingly, the first impression is the smell of tootsie pop.  Then, the beer pouring out like tootsie pop infused water, but once in the glass it does have a comforting brown color and reasonable head.  A good close-up sniff brings out more depth of chocolate, which I hope is a good sign.  Chocolate is front and center in the flavor, better and butterier than tootsie pops thankfully, but with that little Belgian tang at the end.  It's not actually that strong and it balances the sweeter chocolate flavors well.  There's even a little puff of smoke that seems to waft up after the swallow, so it's no one dimensional beer.  At a fairly strong 11%, it's the kind of beer that makes you want to cuddle up next to somebody and fall asleep, if you don't have a whole queue of Youtube to watch for the week.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.25

for the pros

Continuing the route of darkness, another nationally made stout.  I get raves about Sanfrutos from various sources, although I have not been blown away by their stuff.  Don't get me wrong, I haven't been disappointed either, but their beers have been limited to proper, well-made, satisfiers, not miracles.  Actually, there was a stout on tap at Gaztambirra that did me good, now that I think of it.  I should really give Pro Negro a fair shot.

Very promising appearance, black, deep space black in color.  It's slightly plummy in the nose, a little bit scratchy.  The drinking part is smooth as silk, though, with a touch of fruit on top of a well-cooked dark chocolate cake.  It has a nice feel to it, very balanced and not overly heavy, but also no watery nothing in the mouth.  With such a carefully crafted start, it's no surprise that there isn't much change from the first sip to the bottom of the bottle; the feel, flavors and overall sensation of the beer remains the same from beginning to end.  And maybe this wasn't a miracle, but it was a damn fine drink.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.95

black bear

Oso Brewing is one of the many little breweries doing Spain's craft beer sector proud, with creative and surprising recipes popping out all the time.  I have been especially impressed with their pastry stouts in the past.  La Penúltima is no pastry stout, although it certainly looks like something you wouldn't have as an appetizer.  13% beers don't often leave a lot of room for the main course.

Extra thick and extra smooth, it looks like a melted milkshake but smells like an extra strong cocktail.  It's kind of a licorice-y aroma, a heavy perfume, with something recalling petroleum floating around.  There's a touch of licorice on the tongue, but the smooth soft-serve mouthfeel is much more noticeable.  It starts out mild with just a touch of sweet but develops some rough edges with a little time, and starts to get sticky, no surprise given how thick it is from the beginning.  It's a very satisfying beer, although not one that you can really have a marathon drinking session with.  Hell, it even slows me down a little, but that wouldn't stop me from having another the next day.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €6.10