my better half

Time to visit some beer stores!  Artesana Week took up my time last week, and now I'm getting back to the roots, scuttling home to have a drink in front of my own window, with my own music in the background.  One of my newest discoveries is minutes from work, Ruta 33cl on c/ Hilarión Eslava.  Like a lot of the beer stores that first popped up, it's kind of a hole-in-the-wall, but with space in the back for tastings and other events.  The gentleman behind the counter is very helpful.  Hell, that's what you come to expect in these places by now, everybody wants to find the best beer for you.  Since I always lean towards the dark beers, those are the ones that got pointed out, some of them with delicious descriptions and uncomfortable prices.  Finally, Nickel Brook's Half Bastard Stout came with me, if anything because of the name.

It pours really nicely, somehow just sounding smooth.  It lets a little light through, but the color is mostly rich and dark.  The head is stouty beige, but quick to disappear.  There's a lightly smoky scent, very delicate, and promising of a relaxed drink.  Bitterness heads up the flavor, but it's a pleasant, coffee-like taste, leaving a hint of licorice behind.  It's rather light for a stout at 4.5%, but the feeling isn't thin or watered down by any means.  It's a calm and laid-back beer, with subtle notes of flavor instead of blaring taste trumpets.  The smoothness makes me think I would enjoy it year-round, no matter the temperature.  At the moment spring is springing, and summer is making waking noises.  But with a bastard by my side, I can get through until the fall.

Supplier: Ruta 33cl
Price: €5

thoughts of the north

There's a new beer store in town!  You never know where or when they're going to pop up.  This one is on the smaller side, but with a good selection packed into its shelves and a friendly, helpful shopkeep.  I had a look around and picked up Nickle Brook Maple Porter, in a 473ml can.  Somehow that makes it even more Canadian, although I'm not really sure why.  I got shown all the other black beers in stock, including a black IPA, but those will have to wait for another day.  Tonight, it's time for something sweet.

It's a nice dark brown with a slightly beige head, not completely opaque.  The maple comes out in the scent, which is sweet and light, not very complex.  The taste hits with a mild bitter first, and then lets the sweetness filter through, even with a little tanginess at the end.  I was expecting something heavier, with a bigger piling on of syrupy flavor, but it's really a clean and refreshing taste without hammering on your tongue at all.  I had a brown ale a couple days ago that was more like what I thought I might get from this Maple Porter, I wish I could remember the brewery.  That was definitely a fall and winter beer, while this porter is an all-year sort.  It's not too light and spicy to be insubstantial in the dark of winter, but it's also a lighter weight and controlled bitter that won't knock you out in blazing summer nights.  Not what I expected, but not a disappointment at all.

I especially like how the ingredients end with "No additives. No preservatives. Just science!"  Because of course science has nothing to do with additives and preservatives

Suppler: Ruta 33cl.
Price: €5.40