almost missed it!

Even though it's fantastic to have a constant stream of new beer and stores and celebrations, it also means some of them can sneak up on you.  Or even past you.  I knew about Beermad already in September, but for some reason thought it was going to be the last weekend of October.  Fortunately, I thought to check the flyer - and realized it was the last day!  So, had to hustle down there.  Unlike the beer fairs of old, this one took place in sports facility, the Caja Mágica tennis arena.

Barely open gate, for some reason

First Monasterio caught my eye.  There was a bar nearby that had the beer, but I almost never saw it open, and finally it appears to be closed for good.  This looks like a chance to see what I've been missing.  I wanted to start light, so I got a Rubia to start with.  It isn't very aromatic, but the taste is quite strong, very bitter in fact.  It's also very "natural", harkening back to German helles.  There is an interesting sweet aftertaste.  There were some mostly dried hops at the stand for smell sampling - very pungent.  I was told these were a variety developed by the brewery itself.  As I hadn't had breakfast that day, I thought it would be wise to not drink on a completely empty stomach, and got myself a bratwurst.  As expected, the German style similarities made it a good pairing.

Obviously sipping while waiting on the brat

Next, touching on the Halloween theme, La Calatrava.  Again, backing off from the heavier beers for the time being, I picked up Rossa, an American Wheat.  In spite of the description, it's not a strongly wheaty beer, having a sweet smell, and with that touch of citrus so common in IPAs.  The taste is very standard lager, only mildly bitter, lacking the wheat tang.  It's a little sweet going down, and very easy to get down.  Very refreshing and clean flavor, possibly on the delicate side to go with more sausages.

Finally, I visited an old friend, Sagra.  Again, for the season, I chose their Calabaza y Canela, expecting a smooth and mildly sweet ale type.  It's a lovely orange color, with a bit of a cinnamon aroma.  I was surprised to find it more of a pumpkin pie in a glass than a mere pumpkin smoothed ale or märzen.  The cinnamon really has a kick to it.  While I enjoyed it, I heard another day that it's not at all a favorite for many.  But that day was another day.

A street band entertained us for a couple of hours

Then a DJ set up

I think there was a concert in the evening

green like spring

Various things conspired to occupy my time, and I had to resort to picking up a beer at the supermarket.  Fortunately, as I've mentioned before, there are a couple of places nearby with a reasonable beer stock.  Days are warm and sunny right now, so a light beer seems like the thing.  Sagra's Burro Sancho line has an eye catchingly green label, and the price is right.

Spring - da da!

It's bubbly, clear colored, distinctly lacking in head.  More like a cider in appearance than a beer.  The smell is pretty beery, though.  I was steeling myself for something lagery, but the aroma is more of a light craft ale.  The taste is lagery at first, however.  Not very strong, but mild more than weak.  There's a bit of sweetness, but that dissolves into a more bitter and typical beer flavor.  It's the kind of beer that goes with things, and probably anything you like.  It's a mild enough taste that sweet, salty or spicy foods wouldn't feel drowned out, while the beer itself would remain refreshing.  The label insists there's a floral quality, but I'm not tasting it.  Quite honestly, I don't miss perfume with my beer, though.  There's always Valverde for that.

Supplier: Carrefour
Price: €1.59

to dark days ahead

I was hoping to get to a beer store I haven't been to in a while, ending the cycle as it were, but it turns out the place is only open in the morning on Saturdays.  Well, shoot.  As a last resort, I can go to Carrefour, which has a small selection of national craft beers.  Most of them are from Sagra, although there are a couple of Brabantes on the shelf too.  I'm not sure what the significance of Burro de Sancho is for Sagra, I mean why they have this separate line going, but it's been around since just about the beginning.  As I often do, I let myself be called by the dark beer, simply called Negra.  It's supposed to be a porter style, not a stout, but a good porter is fantastic as well.

There's a light scent of chocolate, and the beer is slightly translucent, but a nice dark brown color.  The head is fluffy and gradually dissipates in a few minutes.  The taste is bitter-sour, like a blend of porter and stout, thanks to the coffee essence I imagine.  There's also a mild bitter chocolate flavor, maybe a little light for my taste, but certainly noticeable.  It's a good sipping beer, good for conversations, without any heaviness that distracts.  I've had more interesting porters, but also plenty of worse ones.

Supplier: Carrefour
Price: €2

Beermas Day 5

On the fifth day of Beermas I poured out for me
Five golden caps
Four calling birds
Three speckled hens
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree 



Well, this one is pretty close. Bottles caps are round, rings are round. Right? Anyway!

Yep, gold and round all right!

La Sagra is one of the standards these days, being found (in the bottle) in supermarkets and bars all over the place. It's well worth trying, whatever's available. My personal favorites were presented at fairs, and one was a special run, but the other is at my local Carrefour. It'll get here someday. Tonight, though, it has to be something gold, and the cap is good enough for me. Also, this is a wheat beer, which tends to be a little sunnier yellow than others.

It's a nice wheaty color, with an enticing sweet and citrus smell. The head is a bit thin, but what's there doesn't dissipate too quickly. The taste is pleasant, sweet but delicately so, very light and refreshing. It is, perhaps, not the beer for this time, being dark and chilly evenings and an atmosphere that calls for something darker and heavier, but there are tastes that will long for a rather uncomplicated flavor and satisfying beer at any time. On the other hand, there is a subtle candied aftertaste, so maybe fans of preserved or candied fruit would find this Sagra a fitting Christmas/New Year's beer.

Tee-hee, flip cap!

Supplier: Carrefour
Price: €2 

it's the great something somebody

It's my favoritest holiday of all!  And not just because it's the month of Oktoberfest, although that actually happens mostly in September.  There's nothing like a good Halloween movie, party, or beer.  The craft brewers have been diving into the season and its most useable representation, the pumpkin, with mixed results.  Slate recently ran an article on the snobbery that goes with craft brewing, and honestly craft anything, where flavor was the main complaint.  Some pumpkin beers were recommended, but sadly none of those were on the shelf when I was shopping.  Still, Sagra was there for me, with Calabaza y Canela.  I'll have to be satisfied with buying domestic, but with such domestics you can hardly go wrong.

Oh, him?  Jack's just hanging around the balcony

I guess there's a little bit of spicy scent when the bottle cap comes off, but it's practically unnoticeable.  It's a pretty beer, with a nice chestnut brown color, and very light head.  Held up to the light, it's dark orange, but opaque.  The cinnamon is a little more present when the beer is in the glass, and now for the big sip: There's kind of a cinnamon burning in the taste, like Cinnaburst gum, and some background sweetness.  In keeping with the article's criticism, I can't really identify any pumpkin in this beer, but it has avoided the trap of overly sweet seasonal brews.  It may suffer from some extra pinches of cinnamon, becoming slightly pumpkin pie-ish about halfway through the glass, but still a good companion for some on screen blood and tension.

Supplier: The Beer Garden
Price: €3.50

Well, at least you're safe from the bottle

seasonal

Sagra has plenty of good things going for it: innovative flavors; good distribution in town; being national, when you're looking to support local industries.  It's time for those brews that cater to higher temperatures and drier tongues.  The Summer Ale with lemon and cardamon promises to be a wake-up for the taste buds, probably after a long day of effort.  You can tell it's special because it has a pull-tab cover over the cap, and the bottle is filled almost to the top.  Careful when opening!

It has a standard appearance, as laid-back and normal as you can imagine.  The smell is delicate, just barely spicy, nothing too strenuous.  Taking a drink brings on a wave of bitterness at first, but then a little sweetness wells up, finishing with the citrus around the edges.  It's a happy beer, with a sunny color and lightness of flavor that works well with evenings that haven't quite cooled off from daytime highs.

Supplier: The Beer Garden
Price: €2.50

the universal beer

Another Toledo brewery, Sagra.  This is another special beer, but not for El Greco, apparently.  This is a collaboration between the brewery and a chef at the restaurant El Bohío de Illescas.  The idea was to make a beer that goes with any dish, but especially dessert.

The covered cap makes it classy

The result is this Belgian triple style ale.  It pours out with a rich, dark color and fluffy beige head.  It's sweet and smooth, with the chocolate notes coming through the strongest.  The promised coffee doesn't come out for me, but maybe it's really a mocha.  Or Starbucks.  No, really much more complex and interesting than any Starbucks I've had for some time.  Makes me want to head down to that restaurant, but maybe after I find some additional income.

That's really dessert in a glass