roads long untraveled

As we wake up again to life outside, both thanks to spring and to the idea that we don't have to worry about certain viruses anymore, celebrations that we remember fondly also reappear.  Beermad did shake off its sleep last fall (and will be up again shortly), but Artesana Week was nowhere to be found for a couple of years.  Happily, it has been awakened.  A few places I remember from other years aren't on the list, but some familiar names are, and there's no reason to shun new opportunities anyway.  As a grumpy introvert, I went down in the afternoon, hoping there would be relatively few people.  There might have been, but there were still more than enough for me.

Good to know we are well watched over

We begin at Casa Zoilo, one of the old standards.  They had four Península brews on tap, and I considered the sour at first, just for something different, but ended up with Sendero Hazy IPA.  For whatever reason I felt like starting off slow and the sour was a fairly strong 7%.  Sendero has a cloudy look, thick head, what I tend to like in a NEIPA.  It's bitter-juicy, a natural, fresh squeezed kind of tasting beer, not super citrusy, like a mild grapefruit.  The chorizo tapa is ok, a little grease to balance the bitter, almost tart, of the beer.  Despite appearances it's not a super thick hazy, feeling very light and easily drinkable.  Also not exceptionally strong, at just over 5%.  It's a good starter, just a little push-off for a beer march.  Crawl is not the word I want, especially early Saturday afternoon.

 

Now on to a new name, Beer Joint.  They offer Oso's Dignity IPA for the Week.  It's similar to Sendero, down to the cloudy color, but much lighter head.  It has a somewhat flatter taste, a little bit planty, less overt hops, tingles a bit more.  In fact it's weirdly tickly for such a mild flavor.  Again, nice afternoon starter drink, good to talk with since it doesn't demand the limelight.

I think Taberna Filomena used to operate under a different name; I might have to dig through some old posts to see if I can track it down.  Their sponsorship goes to Groovie, with a session IPA and an amber ale.  I've already had two IPAs, so Gabba Gabba Hey it is.  Nice caramel color, low aroma, kind of salty sweet to the taste at first.  Maybe like a candy you forgot in your pocket.  Still, it has a certain charisma, an allure with a touch of bitter that maybe, just maybe, hints at something more.  Eventually it mellows out into a malty sort of refresher, a little bit heavier after the IPAs, feels like a good step on the path.

 

Chinaski has shown some good times in the past, and they've done a little redecorating.  Gone is the board on the wall with the scribbled names of brews, up is the shiny new screen behind the bar with names, prices, percentages etc.  The menu is long and varied, but I'm dedicated to Artesana Week, and what they have for that is La Quince Roots Red Ale.  La Quince is good and red ale is normally good.  I dive in.  Also good color, much like Groovie's, but there's something in the aroma a little like when you first open a freezer.  The flavor is a ball of surprises - grainy, sour, bitter - all strangely pleasant.  There's a slight cucumber/melon with a touch of salt in the aftertaste.  I'd say this is a more grown up beer than the previous ones, a beer that isn't afraid to stand alone.  That little bit of saltiness even makes it seem like its own snack.

Wandering down Argumosa, I remember how much I didn't like going out before the pandemic.  It's good to see people patronizing their local watering holes, but the crowd is a little too much.  I sit down in La Buga del Lobo anyway, after asking for Speranto's Blanka Trigo at the bar.  I wait quite a while before a waitress takes pity on me and brings out my beer within a minute.  We're back to a cloudy beer, with that sweet, light wheat aroma.  It's just a little sour in flavor, but mostly sweet and summery.  It's a nice wheat beer in that it doesn't have that weird aftertaste a lot of the German ones have.  It's a step back from Roots, into lighter territory, but it's a solid step in a series of afternoon beers.

Old El Pedal was taken over by the more traditional cafe next door, I guess.  Maybe to have a space to appeal to hipsters, and take advantage of all kinds of promotions.  Of course, the offer isn't what it once was; La Virgen is on tap.  I risk a Jamonera for old time's sake.  It's what it has been for years - vaguely beer tasting with a nice color.  The more bitter note is nice after the sweet wheat beer, and is in fact more impressive than Jamonera has been in the last 5 years or so.  It's an ok mid-romp beer, a little thick and sticky, something that doesn't flow past you perfectly unnoticed.  I still might keep badmouthing the beer, at least in comparison to what else La Virgen puts out these days.

I've been traipsing around for a few hours now.  One more to call it a day, and another new place: La Caníbal.  I'm hoping for something dark and substantial, but it's just a pilsner.  With a little raspberry though, so that's something.  Dessert?  The brewery is San Frutos, so I can trust that it's at least pleasant.  It looks very normal, nice little head, really no aroma at all.  The taste is certainly different from what I've been having today, a lot of woodiness, a very bitter and stimulating kind of pilsner.  The aftertaste does have some fruit in it, but unprompted I don't think I would identify it as raspberry.  It's sharp and driving, the kind of beer you don't fall asleep to, not the most obviously pleasing however.  After a bit of time a sweeter, softer, more desserty flavor comes out, but also only in the aftertaste and it vanishes quickly.  It's an interesting beer, I'll give it that, stout and built up in sensation, delicate and easily crumbled in flavor.

Artesana Week comes to an end in Lavapiés, but Beermad is just around the corner!

laid back markets

Ah, another month comes to a close.  While a few interesting possibilities have popped up, I decided to play it safe and head on down to Mercado Vallehermoso, where there would be sure to be a couple of places to choose from, should something go wrong.  I've never actually gotten anything from La Virgen at Vallehermoso before, so maybe it's time I bite that bullet.

Could get some to go next time?

In the past, they had hot dogs to go with the beers, but I guess they've done away with that.  It's just beer and snacks in a bowl now.  The beers on tap were familiar, but the temperatures made the IPA look like the best bet.  It came out as the beeriest looking beer you could want, maybe slightly darker than an industrial ale or lager, and barely any aroma at all.  The flavor is bitter, no surprise citrus, and nothing to knock you down.  It's a bit energizing, not too heavy or sticky, not excessive with the bitter to make it unpleasant or a chore to drink.  Despite the lack of summery tropical flavors, I'd say it isn't a bad choice for a warmer day, not having the heavier notes of my more beloved black beers.  It's also not limited to summer with its lack of exotic fruitiness.  It does get a little scratchy at the end, a reminder of craftier days perhaps?  Nowhere near as throat-grabbing as some NEIPAs have been, though.

While the tap beers were fairly standard, there were some interesting things in the fridge, like a saison with blackberries and raspberries.  I do love me some berries, sometimes even with a beer.  The lettering on the can almost led me to believe it was Fábrica Maravillas, but I guess it just refers to the fruits with their Spanish names.  It's slightly reddish in color, awaking curiosity, with a mildly fruity smell.  The aroma carries some acidity, but the taste starts out as a very light touch, very fruity without a lot of weight behind it.  Soon, however, the saison sour makes an appearance.  Then it retreats back into a sweet aftertaste, deeper than the initial fruitiness.

I may have some misgivings about the selling out of certain breweries, but I don't think I'll refuse a beer just out of principle.  At least, not that principle.  A literal nazi beer, I might have to pass on.

self service

On the venerable street of Malasaña is a bar I have not yet visited.  As if that's special in a city this big.  Anyway, I had seen Los Grifos a couple of times as I hurried to some other place, and a little bit of checking told me they had taps that you can serve yourself with.  Wha?  How does that kind of thing work?  Seems dangerous!  It's something that brings you in to check out, in any case.  As I got there early, it wasn't hard to get a nice window seat.  I think it wouldn't be as nice in the evening, though, when the street is full of smoking drunks.

There are in fact taps to serve yourself with, as well as three at the bar, and a fridge full of bottles.  Being what I am, I started with a bottle because that's what the stout was.  Espiga's Blackcelona barrel aged stout is slightly odiferous on the pour with just a touch of that whiskey sweet.  It's an opaque dark brown, typical stout appearance.  The aroma is much fuller from the glass, slightly smokey but strongly alcoholic.  It's a little salty at first, then powerful liquor bitter, with a hint of licorice and subtle sweetness in the last few seconds.  There is a noticeable aftertaste, not unpleasant, although it alternates oddly between bitter and sweet.  The tastes are harder to separate towards the end.  It's not too sticky in spite of being barrel aged, but has definite weight.

As long as I'm here, I can have a draft beer too.  I remember La Virgen's Jamonera, but let's see if it lives up to my memories.  Cloudy amber color, light head, dusty honey scent - but disappointing taste.  The flavor is on the weak side, but a little bitter bubbles up at the end, not at all what the aroma would suggest.  A couple of sips bring out the honey, although just on the tip of the tongue, the rest gets a very mild bitter.  There's a kind of cheesy smell that starts to come off the beer as it warms up, which is odd, but doesn't get strong enough to really be distracting.  Like most of La Virgen's stuff these days, the beer seems thin and soulless, not the wild unpredictable thing it once was.  It has been tamed.

You need to get a card to work the taps, and the novelty is just irresistible.  There's a nice IPA from Península to end with, too.  A bit cloudy but good golden color, and that high citrus scent.  Nor surprise in the taste, a strong citrus bitter, very craft IPA, although none of the tropical nuances of American IPAs.  This is really more spicy.  A tad bit of cardamon or something similar.  Even pepperiness comes across in the flavor.  I am not quite sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if I've come across this beer at some beer fair in the past, since I'm finding that spiciness familiar.  It's not as light as some IPAs or pale ales, mildly sticky, but the spice makes it a refreshing and interesting beer.

closer and closer

La Virgen is not Cibeles in terms of variety.  They've been more limited in scope, but definitely focused on quality.  That's why it's kind of exciting when they put out something new, especially something seasonal, like chestnut beer or märzen.  I don't know if they've been making märzen for the fall for a while or if this is the first year, but it is the first time I've seen it.

Yeehah!

Rather light on the head, but a nice rusty color.  It has a whiff of German beer grassiness, which it probably should, given its style.  It's a little bit sour, something that I've experienced in the past with Madrid beers that aren't ales, but there's a good layer of malt on top of it.  As I supposed on seeing the head, it is really a light beer, soothing in taste, but quite easy to swallow.  Märzen doesn't have to be as heavy as a black beer, of course, but I do seem to remember them being a little fuller-bodied.  Still, can't complain too much.  It does have something of a holiday taste, with that mix of sweet and beery, heralding the coming of the best holidays of the year.  Better start thinking about my pumpkin.

Supplier: Cervezorama
Price: €2.45

it begins

This city used to have beer fairs.  A couple of days with a dozen or so breweries in a bar, and that was that for half a year.  Now, we have Craft Beer Week, with almost a hundred stores hosting tastings and special treats.  And that week begins today.  It's Beer Week!  Beeeeeeeeer Weeeeeeeeeeeeek!!

You don't want to know what's in the beer, do you?

Or maybe you already know

Although there are many international features, I like to keep things local.  I had planned on stopping by a neighborhood establishment tonight, but man, the week is long.  And I have a local beer in my fridge, so I don't feel bad about staying home.  It's a good one too, from La Virgen, one of the area originals.  And it's a stout...how can I resist?  It's an interesting one, Carajillo Stout, with brandy.  Not brandy barrel aged or anything apparently, but brandy included.

It looks fairly typical of stouts, with the color and the beige head, and the smell isn't all that different either.  There's just the slightest hint of something sweeter than usual.  The flavor isn't strong at first, kind of like a light coffee candy.  It's not too hard on stouty earthy taste, but it does lay down a nice bitterness.  Like may stouts, there's some dark chocolate lurking back there, but a splash of brandy lightens the whole mood.  The balance of tastes remains constant, delicious, and refreshing to the bottom of the glass.  Some liquored up beers end up on the strong side, but Carajillo Stout feels like something for anytime and anywhere.

Supplier: La Buena Pinta
Price: ~€2.70

our lady of brewing

There is a brewery near Madrid called La Virgen.  I've encountered their products before, mostly in the form of ales, but now I found a black beer on the shelf.

It is definitely black; it's one of those beers that some liken to oil.  The smell is interesting, with just a little portery earthiness mixed with a sweetness I associate with Belgian dark beer.

It doesn't keep much head, although the beer itself is bubbly.  The flavor is not so sweet at first, although that does come out once the beer has been sitting for a few minutes.  It has a mellow taste, which at first I thought would go well with mild food, no chips or pretzels.  As the sweetness came out, though, it seemed more like a beer to enjoy by itself.  If you're low on snacks that might work for you.  The liquid itself is completely opaque, not just dark colored like some beers, and seems to have a thicker consistency at the bottom of the glass.  I'm not sure if it's unfiltered or not, but there wasn't a change in flavor and the texture was not at all unpleasant.  A good beer to keep around with those ales.

Mmm, taste the love...umm...

in the neighborhood, again

I picked up another example of the local brews, from a brewery I had sampled from before, although a different drink.  I'd had La Virgen's Jamonera, which is a nice red ale, but not their lager.

It comes out very bubbly, with typical beer color.  There's the cloud-white head, and barely any smell at all.  It seems to be the simplest beer you could ever want to find.  It's slightly sweet at first, later a little bitter-sour.  It's a beer that goes down very easily, you could knock back four or five bottles before you know it, probably.  Personally, I prefer a little more character to my brew, but there's nothing to really complain about at all.  Anyone who feels like drinking with connection to the city could find Madrid Lager enjoyable.

Notice the Madrid bear with the beer!