pinkish

The heat of August is suffocating, and sometimes even a cold beer doesn't quite seem like the thing.  Even though you might actually lose heat as the alcohol dilates your blood vessels towards the surface of your skin, it's not a very comfortable way to cool off.  Still want that buzz, though, so maybe something a little bit lighter.  A cider?  That sounds nice about now!  There are national ciders in the British style, not just the dry Asturian ones, but I only saw Kopparberg at La Buena Pinta.  It's a trustworthy drink, I'll take it.  They had the mixed fruit one, which is more my style than plain apple, so home it went.

Lightly tinted, thin but white head, and a dazzling fruity aroma.  It's a bit like lip gloss or perfumed things for children, so sweet is it, but I have hopes that the cider won't be cloying.  At first sip anyway, it's only a mild sweetness, with a little kick of bitter at the very end.  It's a fun tickly drink with the carbonation, feeling kind of like a "natural" soda more than an alcoholic beverage.  It's not perfectly clean, there's a bit that remains at the back of the tongue, although there are certainly stickier beers out there.

Supplier: La Buena Pinta
Price: €2.70

an eye to summer

It's not beer, but it's good to have a little something different every once in a while.  Kopparberg was sitting among the lambics in the shop and the strawberry lime blend called to me more than the usual cherry (I'd had a Belgian cherry beer just a couple of days before anyway).

The smell is very sweet, like strawberry candy.  There's hardly any citrus at all in it.  The taste is also sweet, but there's a good amount of sour underneath, and once swallowed there's a tiny snap of bitter at the back of the tongue.  It hangs around in the throat for a while, a little sticky and syrupy.  Although pleasant tasting, it's not as clean as I prefer for refreshment after work or on a warm evening.

The light doesn't do it justice.  It looks almost like Cherry 7-Up