unstoppable

Edge Brewing may be based in Barcelona, but their labels proudly state American Craft Beer.  Given the importance of the water used in brewing, I'd suppose that American breweries would have a hard time emulating the final product.  It's certainly better than Barcelona tap water.  Edge has a number of interesting and delicious brews, but today I felt like a good strong ale.  Juggernaut Double IPA was on the shelf to meet the need.

It's a rich orange tinged yellow color with a bright, foamy head.  There's an immediate whiff of citrus when opening the bottle, but it's delicate and fruity, not overbearing.  The flavor is an interesting blend of sweet and bitter, in the best sense; they seem to work as a swirling yin-yang rather than angry racers trying to pass each other on the road, so while the taste seems to change by the moment, it's in complimentary ways.  There is a tendency for the flavor to hang around, so it's not as clean as other ales might be, but the taste itself remains light.  For a double IPA it's not very harsh, although some might find the hops a little much.  But they should know it's a double before they start drinking.

Supplier: La Birratorium
Price: €3.65

not mistletoe then

I have to think about Christmas now, what with time flying by as it is.  Gotta browse for some brews.  I haven't been down to Palma Brew very much; I was disappointed the first time because I expected to see cakes.  On their website they say they have cakes!  And there aren't any immediately visible cakes!  They have the bar, a big table in the middle, the shelves of unchilled beer and the refrigerators of chilled beer, but no display case of cakes.  Well, I'll get over it.  They do have some really nice beer.  At first I thought Triple Virgin Cherries could be pushed into a theme, but later thought better of it.  So, it gets drunk tonight.  It's a celebratory kind of beer, though, and although it's not actually my birthday, it's pretty close.  So, near-birthday cherry beer it is.

Some nerve, lounging around like that with Christmas beer to look for

It's opaque and an odd blend of color.  Pink lemonadeish brown for the beer and with a pale pink tinged head.  It smells tangy and sharp, as these red fruit beers tend to do.  The taste, though, is dry, like a champagne or Spanish cider, with just a little sourness coming up as an aftertaste.  A teasing sweetness does appear once the beer has warmed up a little.  Maybe I just had it too cold to begin with.  It loses a little bit of the edge (hah!) but still has a pretty clean and light taste.  While I could see it as a summer pick-me-up, it would also be an alternative to holiday punch, a light counterpoint to the heavier meals of the season.

Supplier: Palma Brew
Price: €2.90

the label says it all

It wasn't so long ago that good beer was hard to come by in Spain, with just the Irish pubs or some specialized bars offering some variety and quality.  The selection has grown immensely in the last few years, to the delight of many.  Not only are foreign beers becoming more popular, but domestically interest is such that new craft brews are popping up all the time.  Sometimes, the brewers aren't locals, but have identified a new environment to prosper in.  Edge Brewing explains on the label that the founders are Americans who were enticed into the Spanish beer revolution in Barcelona, but use American equipment and ingredients.  Still, this particular stout, called Pure Decadence, was developed with the collaboration of a Norwegian brewery: Lervig Brewing.  I'm labeling it as a Spanish beer because the label says "Product of Barcelona", but other touches will probably be there for those who care to look.

There's something apply in the smell, not what I expect from the stout, but not off-putting.  It certainly looks filling, heavy and opaque, with a thick tan head that coats the top of the beer in the glass.  The taste is subtle and understated, probably leaning more towards bitter, although there's some alternation with a more chocolatey flavor.  Sharper notes are left on the tip of the tongue than in the middle, and the bitterness comes up slowly in the back. Without a quick downing, it does get a little syrupy towards the end.  The flavor remains balanced, however, with a great blend of bitter and sweet that lives up to its name.

Supplier: Cervezorama
Price: €4.05

As a valued customer, I was given a gift beer when I was paying for my most recent tests.  Slightly disappointingly, it was not a beer I had not tried before, and I even wrote it up some time ago.  Still, free beer!