no foolin'

It was pushed a little on Instagram, a special arrival at Birra Y Paz.  From across the ocean, Sierra Nevada's Powder Day.  As temperatures were warming up when I was shopping, it looked like a good option with its frosty design.  It's also a double dry-hopped IPA, usually tense and flavorful brews.  Although it's a little colder, but sunnier, today than in the last few days, a 7.7% beer ought to keep the internal fires going.

It's probably too late for a snow day...probably

A piney musk practically explodes out of the car as the tab gives way.  It's a very clear, almost watered-down looking IPA, with impressive head, though.  It's bitter at first, it doesn't take long for a little bit of sweetness to kick in.  It isn't a light kind of sweet either, it's substantial and ready to roll around on your tongue.  Somehow, the beer maintains a very light feel, however.  I'm surprised there isn't more forest in the flavor, since the aroma certainly had its share, but this is really a showcase of a modern IPA.  Although there's a vague hint of fruit and wildness, the taste is based on hoppy bitter and real drinkability.  It's a wonderfully clean brew, it's only a shame that the weekend is going to be a winter throwback.  Sure, most people would be happy to drink an IPA anytime, and a double hopped one at that.  I understand, I'm like that with my stouts.  But I find Powder Day to be more refreshing and cooling than a beer that bundles you up from the inside, no matter what you might think the can is telling you.

Supplier: Birra Y Paz

Price: €4.65

spirits ethereal and liquid

The collabs are worldwide in the world of craft beer!  It makes sense, there are a lot of creative minds but not everybody has the right environment for actually producing their creation.  This is Old Timer Dastardly Oak, brewed and canned at Sahale for Timer's Beverage Center.  A photo of Timer's shows a Spanish flag among the national designations, but it might be for wine and cava rather than craft beer.  A shame for craft enthusiasts of Wisconsin, but we aren't getting much of their beers over here either.  Just means more incentive to travel, I guess.

The photo doesn't do the can justice; it's quite the deathly image

It has the sweetish appley aroma of many barleywines, and the stained kind of brown color.  There's also a touch of wood wafting out, like a fresh coffin perhaps.  It feels like a syrupy apple juice, although not quite as sweet at first, but a hit of pancake topping jumps out at the end.  Although it seems pretty light at first, the sweetness adds some weight and also a little friction to the drink.  The apple never quite goes away even if it fades in the flavor.  It's a strange contrast of the thin and zippy beer itself and the heavy layers of taste.  One of the easier barleywines I've had, I'd say, less grabby and more concerned with blended tastes than hammering with alcohol.  A good evening drink, to relax after a stressful day, or even a day of doing nothing to not disturb a vaccine taking hold.

the feels

I was gifted a small variety of Sahale beers, so we get another one today.  All you black beer lovers would be well advised to visit if you can, the stout varieties have always been impressive.  We actually had this one over Christmas, a kind of preview, and were impressed with its presence and grace.  The description is complicated - double bourbon maple syrup barrel-aged Imperial stout - but it is itself simply delightful.  I give you Maple Warm Fuzzies.

It has the rich woody bourbony smell that most barrel aged stouts possess, as well as the sleek near-black color.  Not a whole lot of head, but I'm not especially picky about that.  The maple really comes out in the flavor, giving the beer a heavy breakfast leaning, makes you suddenly crave pancakes.  Unlike some barrel aged or pastry stouts, it doesn't feel syrupy at all, despite the maple taste.  It's a rather clean drinking beer, smooth and low on aftertaste.  After the initial shock of the maple sweetness you start to notice the wood of the barrel coming out, but it's a complementary flavor more than a distraction.  In a previous tasting I thought it ended up tasting like an ice cream topping, and I don't think that's far off this time either.  

Yeah, if I had any more I'd keep them for myself

 

back to normal

Just finished Beermas, with practically no time to rest!  Fortunately, I was gifted some interesting brews to start the new year with, not exactly exclusive, but hard to come by where I am.  We start off with an amber ale, Sahale Ale Works' 1896.

Visually, there's some similarity to my normal evening Voll Damm, with an orangey light brown color, although perhaps with a slightly darker beige to the head.  It also has a similar aroma, deep and toasty, but not smoky or with the slightest hint of burning.  It feels like there's a little fruit, some fall apple, just trying to claw it's way out, but that might just be on my head.  Flavorwise, I also feel like it belongs with Voll Damm, having a little more sweet than bitter, and a little more fullness to it than a typical blond ale.  It's one of those that isn't actually heavy, but you definitely feel like you're consuming something.  It's no watery vapor that goes down your throat without you even noticing.  That said, it's not hard at all to drink.  It develops a certain complexity as time goes on, bringing out some sour notes as well.  It tickles the back of the tongue a little and gives you a champagne kind of rub, but doesn't overwhelm or overstay its welcome.

festive festiness

With October in full swing we can also enjoy Oktoberfest legitimately.  Last weekend, Mad Brewing was offering an Oktoberfest menu with several German style beers, including a nice märzen.  The menu was really for sharing, but there is also a bratwurst "sandwich" and big, puffy pretzels.  Not to mention fruit pies (don't remember which, wasn't strudel).  It seems fitting to have another seasonal beer, another märzen in fact, although it comes from the States rather than Germany.  Founders Oktoberfest, off we go!

It has a similar look to La Caníbal's märzen at Mad Brewing, both of them somewhat warmer and richer looking than märzen's like Voll Damm.  The scent is malty and caramelly, with a little tingly fall feeling.  There's more apple in it than a lot of this style, something like a beer/cider blend.  It's not really bitter at all, although not sweet either.  Like apple cider, it's tangy and twisty, with beer bubbles making it cocktail-like and festive.  Eventually a little breadiness makes an appearance, but the fruit profile remains supreme.

Supplier: La Cervecista

Price: €2.90

cross the ocean

Getting hot again, although cloudy.  That's just worse at night!  The heat of the day can't escape...so it's not time for dark heavy beers just yet.  It's still an American beer day, this time US American, and American IPA to boot.  I think I might have come across Shipyard before, although not in the comfort of my own home.  Interestingly, this particular bottle actually comes from the UK, despite the label proclaiming its maker's commitment to craft philosophy.

It's pretty strong in the ale aroma department, with a puff of oranginess.  It's a little more like cleanser orange than natural orange.  The color is appetizing, a darkish orange-gold, the head is off-white and fairly resistant.  It is a pretty standard modern IPA in taste, slightly fruity, balanced with bitter.  There's a strange powdery feel to it, although it's pretty clean drinking without a lot of aftertaste.  It's a little like an introductory craft beer, with just enough zing to make you feel like you've gotten something new but not so strong that you have to give it 100% attention.  There are some people who don't actually like to do that with their beers, I'm told.

not buffaloed

Insufferable summer has arrived, it seems.  It's often hard to find dark beers in this town, and for most people the temperatures have something to do with it.  But, I found one for last week and one for this week too, although the decision was not easy.  Too many possibilities in the store!  I ended up with Partners In Crema, a coffee stout, from Wild Leap.  There were cheaper options, but you have to splurge every once in a while.  Call it a celebration of seasonal change. 

A rich, dark brown, like good coffee or chocolate, and a dark beige, stubborn head are the first impression.  Its aroma is stouty, slightly toasty, not too sweet.  There's a little tingle of grain in the flavor too, although it's more of a fully cooked bread grain than the grassy grain of lagers.  It's oddly robust, mouthfilling.  I expected a bit more coffee, since that's in the name of the beer itself, but I wouldn't say I'm getting a lot of that.  It's not the sticky pastry stout you might expect either, although it's among the heavier beers you could have.  I had the vague notion that the coconut would make it almost tropical, but the coconut isn't especially evident in the flavor either.  It takes a while for some sweetness to develop, but in the end I do pick up some.  There's a touch of vanilla, a hint of banana, overall it's a beer to sit in the shade with, even though it's the real days of summer already.

Supplier: Birra Y Paz

Price: €7.55

the future is complicated

I was going to talk about the future of craft beer and I wanted something futuristic to drink with it.  The most convenient place when I was going shopping was Labirratorium, which has plenty of selection so no problem, although maybe it was a little too plenty.  I asked about the most innovative or strangest beer and they said, "Oh...my god, there's so many!"  And we took a little tour through the strange inventions of recent brewing times.  There was one with smoked cheese as a flavoring.  There were several sours with surprising fruits added.  There was an Italian beer with wine wort as well as regular beer wort.  And we didn't even look at the local beers!  In the end, I picked up County Fair Cobbler, a Milkshake Sour IPA.  I was tempted by a couple of porters, but they don't seem to be in fashion for the moment, or the future, and the sours and IPAs definitely are.  So that was that.

It looks a lot like a pink grapefruit soda, and even has a little grapefruity aroma.  There's definitely a bitter foundation, though.  The head is light and fizzy and doesn't stick around.   There's a fruit punch quality in there, dangling hints of pineapple and ... whatever they want us to think makes it red.  Cherry?  That's not very tropical.  Maybe it's a northern fruit punch.  I can't quite get a handle on the cranberry, but the orange is a very subtle kind of citrus winding it's way through the flavor.  I'm even getting something more like cinnamon than cranberry.  I guess there is a little cinnamon in there, along with vanilla and graham cracker.  It's certainly festive, like the first night or the last night of the fair.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €9.65

openly smuggled

The latest discussion was the Great Beer Wars of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.  Founders represents the situation pretty well, a craft brewery that got swept up in hopes of greater market access.  I mean, it's not 100% owned by Mahou, but it's more than 25%, which is enough for the Brewers Association to say it doesn't count as craft anymore.  There's plenty of interesting stuff coming out of there, though, like Barrel Runner, a "Mosaic hopped ale aged in rum barrels".  Oughta be something different, at least!

There is a strong, sweet smell of rum right away, and the beer has a honey gold color that is certainly appetizing.  The head isn't over-abundant, but thick and stays put.  A little further sniffing pulls a fruitiness out of the aroma, something like a fig newton.  The flavor captures the burny feeling of strong alcohols, with a touch of rum sweetness, but there's a clash of flavors with the bright citrus of the mosaic hops.  It almost tastes like two drinks at once, like you're taking sips from separate glasses and mixing them in your mouth.  It's an experience, although I think it's not as smooth as other rum barrel beers I've had.

Supplier: La Cervecista

Price: €8.20

no argument here

It's a little bit of a trip down memory lane to pick up a Sierra Nevada, a true craft success story.  Their brewery in North Carolina is a sight to behold.  And damn if they don't make fantastic beers there!  Like a lot of craft breweries big and small, though, you just can't get all the menu anyplace you want.  Pale Ale is pretty much always a good choice, a long standing standard. 

The just-opened bottle gives off a fresh, piney scent, and the beer is clear, although fairly dark for a pale ale.  Not too much head, but frothy and resistant.  The flavor is bitter, but with a thick, bready feeling, a slightly sweet aftertaste.  It feels a little heavy for a pale ale, impossible to ignore, but smooth.  After a few sips it takes on a peppery quality, getting a little less smooth and more spikey.  There's no build-up of heaviness with time and warming, it's a very balanced and regular drink.

Sounds like a family company, all right

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €2.95

no stones to throw

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

eight lactating dragons

On the eighth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Eight lizards leaking

Seven feathered friends a-fluttering

Six phoenixes rising

Five photographic plates

Four flying saucers

Three sunny toucans

Two dogs in costume

And a lone eagle flying free

 

It could have been a milk stout, but no, Dragon's Milk appeared like a vision in the refrigerated case.  I thought maybe I had had it before, but it's not in the Beermas list, so I think I'm safe.  While the days are dark and cold, it's nice to have something substantial to warm you up in the evening, and even though I really, really like my dark beers as dark beers, it's not a big deal to have something extra with them once in a while.

Looks pretty normal, very fine head over a rich brown brew.  The bourbon is very clearly present, although it's not as syrupy a sweetness as some others have given off.  It really tastes like a beer-bourbon cocktail - a solemn entry of bitter with a wave of candied liquor immediately after.  There's some licorice/coffee buried at the bottom, that kind of oddly rises in the aftertaste.  Although it's a light feeling beer, it does leave a bit of stickiness on the tongue.  Not too heavy for the alcohol content, though.  It's not immediately obvious that you're drinking an 11% beer, which may feel good at the time, but could be dangerous in combination with other drinks.  What I would expect any dragon extract to be really.

two cuddly doggies

On the second day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Two dogs in costume

And a lone eagle flying free 

And right away I have to make some twists to labels and lyrics: turtle doves are supposed to be snuggly love-birds, dogs like to snuggle with you, it's a flying dog on the bottle, there!  OK, so it's just one dog, but you can't have everything.  Flying Dog is good bet for a good beer at least.  I'll get something out of Doggy Style for sure.

For a pale ale it's awfully colorful.  Deep gold, off-white head, light and mandarinish aroma, it's a damn appetizing beer.  The flavor isn't as tropical as a lot of craft ales, although there is a little orange to it.  It's more like more traditional IPAs with just a touch of new hops.  There's also a dusty quality to the texture, which is a little strange.  It's pretty clear, not an unfiltered beer that I'm aware of.  It grows in sweetness although maintains a clean feeling, so I would call it a good all-rounder.  Not lacking in flavor on its own, and not so wild that food would ruin it, that's good for the beginning of a long line of beer.

Door #16

It's an odd kind of day, almost looks like it'll rain.  But then it doesn't.  All we get is overcast skies.  Not fog either, but it's still a good situation for Fog Breaker IPA from Anchor.  One would suppose that San Francisco would know how to deal with fog.

Now, that's a sinus clearing beer!  I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but there's a definite feeling of cleanser.  There's also the expected citrus and tropical fruit aromas, being an American IPA.  It's a very bright and glowing yellow-orange; perhaps enough to clear away the fog, although I might expect a white light to do better.  If the head was a little more penetrating it might do the job.  The taste is an odd blend of many things at once: orange, grain, lemon, something bitter, something sour.  It doesn't really evolve like some do, you get hit with everything in the first moments of your sip.

(Dammit, the piney cleaner cleaned out my picture taking memory again!)

Christmas and vacations are coming, although it seems like this whole year has been a vacation.

Door #10

Now, this one I know I've seen before.  Not so often in the bottle, although I think it's lurking around there too, but on tap every other Sunday.  I don't always get Founders Dirty Bastard, since it has a pretty heavy sweetness which is a little much for me most days, but sometimes it's nice.  It's especially nice on colder days, but still the porter is my go-to when I'm down there.

As always, it's heavy and sweet from the start, with good slather of licorice.  There's a little twitch of sour candy in there, and a slightly smokey finish.  The wood from the aging comes through after a while, adding another dimension to the flavor.  It has kind of an odd mouthfeel, being on the thicker side, but it's not quite syrupy.  It also isn't a super smooth kind of beer; maybe that should be obvious from the name.  You don't have to fight it down exactly, but it's certainly a proud and unswerving drink.

Although cloudy and chilly, it's not enough to be snowy.  No Christmas weather here, but where I come from we only have 30% chances of a white Christmas on any given year.  Stick with beer foam, that's a lot more reliable.

a useful name indeed

It's a weird summer already, and holidays will be weird for the foreseeable future.  Gotta be careful of gatherings and that sort of thing.  It seems like things are pretty subdued today, in spite of the insistence from a loud bit of society that the show must go on, virus or not.  To be appropriate I have an American beer on hand, Flying Dog's Snake Dog IPA.  Newer styles have appeared of course, but the IPA is the foundation of American craft beer, a truly American industry.

It's a rich, dark gold, fluffy and resistant head, tingly and mildly citrusy aroma.  There is a touch of something else in there too, something light and summery.  Cucumber maybe?  Could be a hint of pepper.  The flavor is surprisingly mild, just barely bitter.  Kind of a half-hearted hoppy tang.  It has a good, solid feel, and is not unpleasant by any means.  This is one of the better beers to have at a barbecue, with enough flavor to be worthwhile on its own, but not so strong you get distracted from the food.  It's a bright and clear drink, full of hope.  At just over 7% it's not one you want to gulp down from the cooler in the park, but in your own backyard it's a pretty good pick.

Supplier: Birra Y Paz
Price: €3.50

Beers To You!

Got an interest in beer?  In history?  It's a wonder, yes it is!  This is not a course about beer-making, there are plenty of better sources for that, this is about the culture that made our beer and how beer reflects our culture.  There are twelve parts:

1. What is Craft Beer? (July 7)
2. Colonial Drink  (July 8)
3. Industrial Revolution  (July 9)
4. Prohibition  (July 14)
5. 20th Century  (July 15)
6. Homebrewing Reborn  (July 16)
7. Buyouts and Sellouts  (July 21)
8. The Future?  (July 22)

9. Craft in Spain  (July 23)
10. Brit Bits - Real Ale  (July 28)
11. Brit Bits - The Alewife  (July 29)
12. Germany  (July 30)

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in July, from 8pm-9pm (Madrid time) through Google Meet.  €10 per session, or all twelve for €100!  You will be sent the link on the morning of the session.  For questions or more details ask:

ceit.hustedde@gmail.com OR WhatsApp +34 636 040 909

i've had weirder

I've said it many times, dark beers and dark nights go together like nothing else.  Of course, I also say dark beers go with bright afternoons.  And twinkling early mornings.  My tastes are no secret, or surprise by now.  I'm pretty sure I have actually had Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter before, but not at home.  Maybe not even from a bottle, since the label isn't that familiar.  It's a good bet for me, though, that it will quench my thirst and make my evening worthwhile.  Porters don't often disappoint, and Flying Dog has a good reputation.  I guess it says something about the local mistrust of black beers that it was one of the few left!

There's a slightly piercing aroma when opening the bottle, but nothing unusual among porters.  It pours very dark and smooth looking, with one of the darker shades of beige in the head.  The scent gains in sweetness in the glass.  While the head kind of folds in on itself, it maintains a certain solidness.  I am reminded of the kind of foam you get with floats, when everything is starting to blend together.  No beer floats around here recently though (sigh).  The flavor is sharp, kicking around a number of elements at once.  First is a good mouthful of coffee, which rounds itself out into licorice.  I could have stayed with coffee myself.  There's more fruitiness in the aftertaste, something plummy.  It's scratchier than I expected from the aroma, but it's a strong porter, good for cold winter evenings. 

Shoulda tried a raspberry peppermint sour maybe

Supplier: Cerevisia
Price: €3.70

giving a chance

I've been seeing Mahou's IPA, made in collaboration with Founders, on supermarket shelves for a while now.  Mahou has tried its hand at craft style beers before, and the results were not all that disappointing.  Now, with the help of Founders proudly noted, their more modern session IPA might have even more of a craft slant.  The things I do for information gathering...

"More intense", "More flavor"!  Almost anything is more than regular Mahou!

It's pretty clear-colored, but bubbly, foamy head, and bright, citrus-hoppy smell.  The first sip has a puff of bitterness but a little orange flavor peeps out in the aftertaste.  It definitely tastes like an IPA, similar to Cibeles, and in spite of the clarity it's quite a mouthful.  The beer itself has a slightly weighty feel and leaves a little stickiness behind too.  Like those supported crafts, it is very balanced and doesn't show a lot of change from start to finish, a good quality when the beer isn't the main focus.

rough waters

Well, I can pick up another American beer after such a short time, can't I?  In honor of the heat wave.  Everybody suffers together!  But Anchor's Baykeeper IPA looks like the kind of beer that would help you tolerate those high temperatures, with the cool blues of the label and notoriously chilly San Francisco Bay featured.  I hope it works, I'm stewing in my own juices over here.

Hoppy, piney aroma, very snappy and invigorating.  Kind of like some of those energizing spritzes.  Cool, cloudy golden color, crowned by fine, white fizz.  It's definitely summery; there's also that tropical note in the scent, more of a sweet mandarin than mango, though.  Much more bitter in flavor than in smell, but there's also a sweet bit flowing under the bitter.  That sweetness is not so citrusy as the aroma, but still has a fruitiness to it.  The bitter part is resistant, hanging around on the back of the tongue for a while.  I find it refreshing and quite a pick-me-up.  I was a little afraid of it being cloying or too heavy, but it's a very light and easy brew, goes right down without residue, just an echo of bitter.  I don't actually feel much cooler - that's what you'll get with a high alcohol IPA - but I do feel more energized.  I'd say the Baykeeper has done its job today.

Supplier: Heneket
Price: €4.15