beergrimage

Such a long time, and for what?  For a story of breweries and beers that deserve our attention?  Always worth a wait!

The truth is a lot of things have gone down in the past year.  Labirratorium closed, La Virgen was closed, La Buena Pinta closed for a moment and then changed ownership (I guess) and pricing, Roll closed "for renovations" but hasn't reopened after a couple of months and doesn't appear to be undergoing much work inside.

But, Península and Oso have managed to struggle on, maybe even without a lot of struggle.  Oso Brew opened a taproom with their new suburban brewery sometime last year, and Península have been in the outskirts since the beginning pretty much, I've just never made the time to go out there.  But now I have!  It was a beergrimage worth waiting for!

I planned on hitting up Oso Brew first, since their beers, while delicious, tend to be subtler and a little more delicate than what I've experienced from Península.  The place is unassuming and a little bit of a surprise when you walk in.  The general atmosphere is slightly industrial, befitting the surroundings, but it is still clearly a craft beer bar.  There's cornhole out front and everything.  This weekend happened to be a Meet The Brewer with Basqueland, which meant a small dilemma for me.  Basqueland is a well-known and well-loved brewery, but goddammit, I was in the house of Oso!  I started with Oso's Liquid Jazz, a fruit sour, of appropriate color.

On a quiet industrial alley...

It turns out The Hype was offering free burgers with pints this very day, so I got a burger with my pint without even having to look at a menu!  It was not a bad burger at all, excellent relish, although less warm than I would like.  Anyway...

It's cherry red, typical sour aroma, maybe a little powdery.  Not exceptionally strong flavor, only mild sour, but tart.  It's good enough to be refreshing on a spring afternoon.  It actually has a mildly prickly feel, which I appreciate, it's a beer that lets you know you're drinking it.  The sourness does build a bit in the mouth over time, but the flavor stays somewhat muted.  I got a free burger with my pint, and I think I made a pretty good choice; the sour didn't overwhelm or fight with the burger, but complemented the (sour!) relish and sticky bun well.

I went back for one more before moving on, and picked up Infinity NEIPA.  I had my eye on Basqueland's stout, but as I said, I was in Oso's house and was a little reticent to grab somebody else's brew, even if they were being hosted.  If I didn't have anywhere else to go this afternoon I would have ended up with a Santeria.  As it was, I got a recent offering from Oso, and very pleasing it was.

Very cloudy and juicy looking, the bartender gave it a strong recommendation.  It has a slightly bitter caraway aroma, not so strange for a modern NEIPA.  It's very subtly fruity, melony with a touch of grapefruit, sprinkled with grapefruit.  It's creamy in feel, quite smooth and not bitter really, although certainly not as tropical as other modern IPAs.  A good balance with the cracker tapa to be honest, since they're buttery little Ritz things, and the beer is crisp enough to wash them down easily.

Model one vice on another?  Why sure!

Then I trekked over to Península, where nobody was sitting at the outside tables when I arrived.  I was a little surprising, since at the time was quite sunny.  They had a stout to satisfy my cravings, Dark Truth.  It's beautiful stout in the glass, perfect coloring, not a lot of head, cold enough to frost up the glass.  It's grainy and true stout smelling, with a whiff of oatmeal, and  - dear lord! - that's a heavy stout!  Chocolate and caramel right away, maybe a touch of vanilla.  It's an impressive mix of flavors, although I will admit that the sweeter, nuttier bits were the ones I recognized.  Cacao and pistachio where obvious although the advertised pepper not so much.  The sparrows were full of song, to the point of competing with the sound system.  If they were right above me, I would have gone back inside.  But, I was lucky enough that they just flittered around and didn't leave any bits behind.  It's a satisfying if weighty stout, slightly sticky, never veering from my initial impressions.  A delicious finish to an afternoon out and the kind of beer I would pounce on in Taproom or Toast.

In fact, I'm pretty sure I had one at Taproom not too long ago

a real dessert

So the month of stouts finishes, and I have a very nice brewery with something that might be very nice.  Frau Gruber sounds like it should be kept until Women's History Month, but it was actually the work of two brewdudes (the Frau comes from the surname of one of them, so it's not actually any kind of appropriation).  This is a 5th Season Imperial Stout (without Schischi), which sounds like it ought to be something revelatory and the result of years of testing.

Weirdly no head whatsoever - kept it too cold maybe?  It still looks appetizing, very black and a little bit slick, with a slight perfume of banana bread.  The flavor is sort of a rum banana cake, a little bit sweet and filled with alcohol.  It has a very rounded feel, like a candy ball in the mouth almost.  There's some reminder of a Sahale rum barrel aged stout, which left very positive impressions, so there's the familiarity and nostalgia factor working for it too.  It's not a beer to simply swig down; although smooth, there's a weight behind it that makes itself known.  They call black beers petroleum in Spain, and this one definitely has that kind of essence to it.  It feels like fuel, giving off potency and power, the kind of drink that you imagine revving in the glass as you pour it.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €9.50

the wolves

February is still a dark month, although little by little the days get longer.  It's especially noticeable in Madrid, it seems to me, more than in places I've  lived before.  The change is obvious even over a couple of days.  So, I guess I need some shade before it gets to bright for all my waking hours.  Laugar is one of the best breweries in Spain for black beers in my opinion, and it seems to me that I might have even come across Basatia in the wild.  No reason not to have a quiet evening at home with it anyway.

The head is very dark and foamy, but unstable, disappearing in a few seconds.  It leaves behind a good looking liquid behind, though, and a thick stout-appropriate aroma.  I get licorice, a little dirt, some heavy fruit.  It didn't look very thick pouring out, but the scent promises almost syrup.  It's pretty smooth in feel, but there is indeed some good heft to it, and less licorice than I feared.  There isn't much stone fruit or sweetness at all, but it's not quite bitter.  It's a smoky, earthy beer, leaving a little toastiness in its wake, treading softly.  Despite having some respectable mouthfeel, overall the impression is of a laid-back beer, one that you can easily have a conversation with, and it won't push you out of your chair.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.90

for the pros

Continuing the route of darkness, another nationally made stout.  I get raves about Sanfrutos from various sources, although I have not been blown away by their stuff.  Don't get me wrong, I haven't been disappointed either, but their beers have been limited to proper, well-made, satisfiers, not miracles.  Actually, there was a stout on tap at Gaztambirra that did me good, now that I think of it.  I should really give Pro Negro a fair shot.

Very promising appearance, black, deep space black in color.  It's slightly plummy in the nose, a little bit scratchy.  The drinking part is smooth as silk, though, with a touch of fruit on top of a well-cooked dark chocolate cake.  It has a nice feel to it, very balanced and not overly heavy, but also no watery nothing in the mouth.  With such a carefully crafted start, it's no surprise that there isn't much change from the first sip to the bottom of the bottle; the feel, flavors and overall sensation of the beer remains the same from beginning to end.  And maybe this wasn't a miracle, but it was a damn fine drink.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.95

black bear

Oso Brewing is one of the many little breweries doing Spain's craft beer sector proud, with creative and surprising recipes popping out all the time.  I have been especially impressed with their pastry stouts in the past.  La Penúltima is no pastry stout, although it certainly looks like something you wouldn't have as an appetizer.  13% beers don't often leave a lot of room for the main course.

Extra thick and extra smooth, it looks like a melted milkshake but smells like an extra strong cocktail.  It's kind of a licorice-y aroma, a heavy perfume, with something recalling petroleum floating around.  There's a touch of licorice on the tongue, but the smooth soft-serve mouthfeel is much more noticeable.  It starts out mild with just a touch of sweet but develops some rough edges with a little time, and starts to get sticky, no surprise given how thick it is from the beginning.  It's a very satisfying beer, although not one that you can really have a marathon drinking session with.  Hell, it even slows me down a little, but that wouldn't stop me from having another the next day.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €6.10

T(welve)-8

On the eighth day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Eight maids not for cleaning

Seven avian vampire teasers

Six plans a-hatching

Five collaborations

Four miles of nowhere

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

I complain about all those birds, but the other gifts aren't all that easy to match up either.  This year the maids a-milking was one of the harder ones, for some reason nothing stood out that was maidenly or milky.  Finally, there's a good stout that has a good picture on it.  It's a little more like a sexy maid than a milkmaid, although I don't think she's quite that either.  More like somebody who's going to be doing some milking of a slightly different kind.  Hopefully, in a nice warm room.  It's from Estonia, a brewery called Pühaste, so I think this Dekadents ought to be formulated for warm indoor spaces, no matter what's going on outside.

Pouring out, it's lighter than expected, although the dark brown color is pretty strong once the glass is full.  The aroma is a lot fuller than the coloring, sticky, syrupy, heavy chocolate and toast.  The first impression of the taste is similar, but quickly followed by a blast of licorice, wrapped up in a return of toasty, burny sensation.  It's a heavy, melted milkshake of a beer, extra thick.  It doesn't have excessive sweetness, with just that pop of mediciny licorice.  It's not hard to get down at all, although the full texture does not encourage chugging.

T(welve)-3

On the third day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Three tropical tree eggs

Two staring wings

And an icy raven looking needy

Getting creative again!  Is it because I ran out of time and had to make do with what I grabbed off the shelves?  Is it a true challenge propelled from within?  Is it just the cussedness of refusing to not have a stout?  All three?  Let's say all three.  It's true, I really really wanted to fit Gran Cacao in somehow, just by virtue of it being an imperial stout with cacao nibs.  So instead of French hens imagine French Polynesia or the French Caribbean.  It's not quite the temperature up here right now, but there's an almost tropical humidity the past couple of days.  Weird, but could be worse.  I guess the people at centrally Spanish Península and Caleya also wanted to enjoy a warm weather fantasy.

It pours smooth and creamy, with almost a nitro like consistency in building the head, although with much bigger bubbles.  It looks delicious and doesn't smell like sunblock at all.  There is just a tantalizing whiff of cacao, but it's mostly a sturdy, earthy stout.  The cacao is present in the taste, but very...natural.  Meaning, it's not overly sweet or sticky, there's kind of an earthy sensation to it, like dusty nibs grabbed off the ground for the brew.  Also, it's impressive how smooth and slick the beer is for it's mouthfeel; it's a weighty one, and at almost 10% to boot.  It's a really pleasant stout, with a delightfully easy balance.  It might even be acceptable for the squeamish in the summer, with it's tropical hints, especially going along with a cold dessert.  And for me and those of my tastes, it's a beer for every day of the year.

just one more

Just what I was hoping for, another stout!  And it is an imperial, and a pretty good alcohol content too.  Oso Brewing has put on an almost sinister label, warning the weak off it I guess.  Called La Penúltima, it plays on Spanish drinking culture, where every drink the next to last.  At 15% I wonder if this one wouldn't send you home right after, though. 

It pours out like chocolate syrup, and even has a little bit of that smell around it.  It isn't an overly sugary kind of chocolate, a little bit sharp, something you wouldn't actually drink on its own, but use as a flavoring.  The beige head deflates a little but stays firm looking if a little thinner.  The chocolate carries over into the taste, giving the beer a rich chocolate shake feeling.  It's dark chocolate of course, so not cloyingly sweet, but there's hardly any bitter to be noticed.  It doesn't leave much aftertaste behind, but there is a kind of feeling of weight that does stay.  Oddly, the beer itself feels very smooth and light.  It is a lot like a gourmet milkshake, with the high quality dark chocolate and natural, fatty milk.  It's a treat for sure, maybe so much that it has to be...the ultimate.

around the block

Finally!  I've been hoping to have a black beer pop up, you just can't have a selection of wintery beers without stouts and porters!  Now, most people like to bring out their ales and pilsners and sours for a little brightness, but good Bacchus, alcohol should be fitting with the season.  I have had this particular beer before, La Pirata's Vanilla Black Block, and I know I won't be disappointed.

Very fluffy dark beige head, and the color, while dark, doesn't quite seem perfectly black.  A little more like dark roasted vanilla.  The aroma also hits on the toasty side, with hints of leafy vegetation.  The vanilla does come out in the flavor, along with warm smoke and fresh bread, giving a feeling of a powerful stout.  It starts out a bit light, but develops more heft over time, adding both sweet and bitter notes.  There's even a kind of fiery smoke trail in the aftertaste, and some kind of sour fruit preserve that bites as it goes down.  It's a fine and fitting part of an Advent calendar, not excessively spiced and pastried, but in tune with the atmosphere of ever darker days and with just enough of a surprise to be gift-worthy.

noisy uncouth

Another cheeky possibility looking out from somewhat disorderly shelves, Muted Sophisticated got snapped up as soon as I saw it.  It turns out its Garage, so good call by my gut.  Finback Brewery also participated, although they are less of a draw for me than Garage, simply because I'm less familiar with their products.  I can only assume they impress, given the company they keep.

Another sheer beauty in the glass, with a frosty chocolatey kind of whiff to it.  A pretty little head sits on top, although it dissolves pretty quickly.  The flavor is light and only a little sweet at first, but it develops a punch of both bitter and sweet, while filling out over the tongue, making itself impossible to let just slip by.  Although it has a fairly solid mouthfeel, I don't feel it as very sticky, at least at first.  It isn't excessively sweet, like some pastry stouts can be, or overly reliant on a coffee or chocolate taste to give the drinker a little kick.  It's flavor is almost medicinal, a root beerish sort of taste, with a bitter base and a sweetened coating to make it go down easy.  In this case, mission accomplished for sure.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €6.90

ear to ear

Lambeer, I thought you had escaped me!  I only just discovered its existence east of me when they closed up shop.  But then...they announced a reopening!  Now they are in Mecado de Prosperidad, not in an independent store, but that's no reason to complain.  It works for La Mundial and La Buena Pinta.  Stock had just come in when I arrived, so there were some bare spots on shelves and things out of place, but if you know what you want it isn't that hard to find.  And what I want is stouts!  There were several peeking at me, but finally Dichosa De Tranquis was the chosen one.  I wasn't sure, seeing as it proclaims its licorice flavor right on the label, but I was assured it was a tasty and easy drink, in spite of its relatively strong 10%.

It has a sticky raisiny aroma right away, and a pleasing black brown color.  Not a lot of head; I might have overchilled again.  The first sip is a blend of smoke, dried fruit and breadiness.  Despite the complexity of the flavor, the feeling is of a lighter, softer beer, very easy going down.  There's little aftertaste, just a slight feeling of baked goods.  I have no regrets, not being overwhelmed with licorice, or coffee candy, as can also happen.  Good advice and a good beer!

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.95

shades and shadows

A spooky beer for a spooky time, dark as night and full of surprises!  Of course, it has to come from a reputable place and Basqueland is one of the most reputable around.  This pastry stout has some extras in it, delicious raspberries, "berried alive" in fact.  What a way to Live Forever.

A beautiful black beer, with a thick looking cocoa powder head, surprisingly not as heavily scented as I thought.  There's some raspberry in there alright, and a touch of stout punch.  It is not a heavy hitter in flavor either, sliding in very gradually with upfront fruity raspberry and only revealing a little bitterness almost in the aftertaste.  Some chocolate starts coming up as well, leaving a feeling of a dark chocolate, raspberry jelly treat.  Quality too, Lindt or some other fancy Belgian chocolatier.  The feeling is a little scratchy after swallowing, like the tartness of a red fruit filling.  Close attention also brings out a touch of campfire smoke, tinged with roasted marshmallows and fresh-made s'mores.  It's much more pastry than stout, but a good flavor for the holiday.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurrah

Price: €7.80

Beermad once more

Beermad is back in force, doing its biannual meets, and once again it was in Casa de Campo.  The space has been alright, although not quite as well equipped with toilets as Caja Mágica was; still, a bit better than the port-a-potties outside the Railroad Museum.  I had been thinking about heading up to the Barcelona Beer Festival sometime soon, but it turns out it was the very same weekend this year.  Oh well, another time it shall be...

Being the antisocial introvert that I am, I got my ticket for Sunday morning, since I figured there would be fewer people desperate to get in.  I was right, it was pretty calm in the beginning, although I have to say it was a little sadly calm.  People did fill in over the next couple of hours, but the space felt empty somehow, like there weren't as many stands as other times and less movement in general.  It could have just been my impression.  I will say that they did not have such loud music as last time, which I appreciated.

Another thing I am is a sucker for black beers and I did go looking for one to start with.  It was a slow start, relatively, with Leoncia's Irish Stout.  Only 4.5%, but good color and appropriately stouty aroma.  Nice head at first, but it dies off quickly.  Vaguely bitter-toasty, with a light and fizzy feel, pretty much what I expect from the more moneyed stouts.  It's not a pastry stout or infused with any special flavors or barrel aging, it's a very plain and straightforward kind of drink.  A perfectly fine beer example, and one I would recommend over any number of macros.

Ever since I first saw their logo, I've had kind of a soft spot for 28030 Brewing.  The tree of knowledge, the play on the symbol of Madrid, it just fit too perfectly.  And hey!  The beer ain't bad either.  To go to an extreme, I chose Mango Vice Fruit IPA.  There were actually a good number of fruity IPAs and the like to choose from, more than dark beers disappointingly, but I am happy to alternate.  The appearance is very pleasing, cloudy and juicy, with a slightly herbal scent, and a thickish head that dies back to a thin mat after a few minutes.  It has a very juicy taste, natural, like a fresh-crushed mango, and some slight orange juice in the background for some more liquid.  It's rather like a NEIPA at its best, although not using the name.  There's a touch of sweet, a thick but smooth feel, and some grassy/herbal aftertaste.  It's not cilantro exactly, but I feel like it's in the family.

I go back to black and it's GO! Gata Negra stout now.  It was touted as very smooth, and indeed it is - light hints of chocolate, not as much coffee as you might fear.  Some touch of sour lurks, like milk just about to go off, but it's more yogurty than dangerous.  It's a little more delightful than the Irish stout, more in tune with my picky sensibilities.

I got roped in by La Candaja, ready to provide me with something to my taste.  They were pretty sure their Pasión NEIPA would do the trick and by god it did.  Super smooth, silky, leaves a feeling of peace down your throat.  It's not exceptionally aromatic, but tastewise it's perfect - a little juice, a good amount of beer, everything softly blended for an exquisitely refreshing drink.

Still plenty to choose from, and I let my linguistic curiosity point the finger.  Ossegg was back and I had to ask about their use of let for their flights, and I was told that it was chosen specifically to reflect the English usage.  How about that!  Also, apparently, vuelo gets thrown around in Spain, although I have not come across it that I recall.  Another Irish style was on the menu, and I was told it was quite a treat, so I end with an Irish Red Ale.  It is a nice rounded beer, only mildly bitter, with a whisper of grain and a pleasantly full mouthfeel.  It's a middle-of-the-road kind of red, without extremes of flavor, soothing, not hit over the head with bitter or punched in the gut with sweet.  It's very enjoyable on its own, although it has the feeling of a beer made with the intention of accompanying a meal.  Maybe it's time to look into an end of year dinner.

building up

Found out there was a beer store I hadn't visited yet, and after the disappearance of the nearby Cervecista - Hop Hop Hurrah!  Yeah, that's the name, I'm not exclaiming my joy.  Not just, anyway.  Like La Mundial and Prost Chamberí before, it's a smallish place in a municipal market.  Actually, Barceló has ceased to be a mere market and is now a "polyvalent center" containing a market among other things.  I think there's a gym and at least one other thing that isn't about food.  Although compact, the selection on the shelves was more than adequate; I had to leave a couple of black beers behind, not wanting to lug too many home.  First I have a national to try, Yria's Bauhaus Imperial Stout, whiskey barrel aged.  Committed to supporting craft wherever they can obviously, Yria has used Sackman whiskey barrels, another national product.

Didn't get a very good head on it, but a momentary mat of dark beige bubbles did make it for a photo-op.  The beer is highly aromatic, heavy on the chocolate and malt, promising to swamp the mouth in flavor.  And indeed, it is exceptionally tasty, more bitter than I was expecting, but well within the lines of a nice stout.  There a good head of smoke, a base of earth and the chocolate core whistling its way through everything.  It starts out very smooth also, but develops an edge after just a few sips.  The fire starts to make its way more to the top, leaving an alcohol burning behind it, more or less extinguishing the earthiness.  The chocolate still maintains itself, though.  It never gets exactly syrupy, but over time it does build up in weight.  Of course, that could also be an effect of the whiskey sneaking in...

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurrah

Price: €6.20

harvest time

Labirratorium just rearranged their stock from country-based to style-based, which means all the stouts are right there!  Of course, sometimes you want some national representative, but then you ask about it, the same as you used to when you wanted a particular style.  Some people worry about their searching habits, but jeez, you can get used to anything and this isn't even a weird change.  I was very happy to find Laugar's Soul Reaper Imperial Breakfast Stout right away.  Yes, the name and label had something to do with its choosing.  It isn't that long til Halloween after all.

There's just a whiff of chocolate stout, but definitely something there.  It's not especially heady, although the head that's present it tight and resistant.  Promising dark and opaque brown, very nearly black.  Taking a closer sniff, there's a more toasty background than obvious at first, but with a dusting of dark chocolate still on top.  The chocolate comes out big on the flavor, giving you a good shove right up front.  Then there's a more licorice finish, typical for many stouts, which always makes me question my devotion.  It feels slick and smooth, although it has a lot of body.  It goes down pretty easy despite having plenty of weight, even with a tiny little kick at the back of the palate coming in on the swallow.  A little spiciness builds up on several sips, something cinnamony and even a little minty, very Christmas-y I'd say.  It feels like a good partner with gingerbread, for example.  Even over time it stays smooth and satisfying, with little change in texture.  It's s solid beer, one that would tempt me every time.  Even the licorice dies down after a while, nearing it to perfection.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €6.10

summer buds

I double checked some timetables and Cervecissimus is going on vacation for the month, but I managed to sneak in before they closed their doors for a couple of weeks.  I could not resist grabbing a stout, especially one connected to the home zone: Peninsula is one part of the producing and Rio Azul is the other, giving us the result of Entre Amigos, an Oat Imperial Stout.

Along with a pleasant, cakey aroma, the beer sports a dark tan and heavy looking head.  Even liquid, it looks like it wants to be solid.  Along with the cake comes a tinge of fruit scent, raisins or plums, and a crispy undertone of smoke and toast.  Despite its powerful entrance, the head dies back quickly, leaving the demon's-heart-black brew behind.  There is a strong note of dried fruit in the flavor, not terribly sweet, but with a presence on the tongue.  It doesn't have much of an aftertaste, although there is a sensation of stickiness after the beer leaves the mouth.  It has the smoothness of an oat stout, but it's pretty weighty.  Eventually there's even a touch of wood sneaking in.  Finally, just the barest hint of chocolate also makes it's appearance.  It's a beer that has surprises if you're willing to look for them.  Like a lot of potential friends, I guess.

Supplier: Cervecissimus

Price: €4.30

no negative

Under cover of darkness, a stout to feed my cravings!  Marzipan is another thing I enjoy, at least when it's good marzipan, so even though it's not a pastry or dessert stout in name, I think Black Marzipan will give me an evening of pleasant drinking.  It's a Baltic beer, from the Latvian Hopalaa, so I have high expectations.  The only thing I wonder about is the thickness and syrupiness of it, being such a heavily malted beer AND with the addition of marzipan somehow.  Worth a shot, I say!

The aroma of plum fudge races out, although it doesn't stick around for long.  Not exceptionally bubbly, the beer has a thick and almost oily look to it.  There's an immediate chocolate taste, nice dark chocolate, not too sweet.  This is followed by notes of vanilla and fruit, prune or raisin perhaps.  To finish off, the drink goes down the throat in a puff of smoke.  It's a fairly desserty beer, although it's not too heavy on the sweetness.  It does have a pretty heavy feel to it, even if it goes down smoothly.  A fun stout, maybe one that most would find too much in a whole pint, but definitely enjoyable.

Suppler: Más Que Cervezas

Price: €6.35

my country

Yes, another beer fair snuck up on me, one that changed location before beginning.  I guess they realized the Metro would be of use after all, since the nearby line reopened their repaired section the very day the fair started!  And of course I went out to IFEMA on the Metro, and everything seemed perfectly normal in the tunnels and stations.  It's been a while since I've been out that way, though, so maybe it was rougher before the repair.  País de Cervezas has gone the Founders Fest route of tokens for beer instead of paying directly, but every beer costs the same token, with a value of €2.50.  You just get more beer from some pours than others.  Actually, a reasonable system, although the tokens themselves are a little bit of an unnecessary step.  Make you think twice before shelling out another €5?  Anyway.

The idea was to showcase the cooperation between industrial and craft beers, and many were side by side or sharing stands.  There were a couple of names that I do not recall seeing before, such as Almogáver of Barcelona.  They also had a stout, so that caught my attention right off the bat.  An interesting looking stout too, with several fruits being added in.  The name, Black Pear, makes it almost sound dangerous, like some illegal gardening project.  It looks good, smells like choco-vanilla, maybe there's a little pear in there too.  I might be fooling myself, though, searching too hard for it.  It has a fruit-in-chocolate kind of flavor, not quite sweet at first, but then it comes out with a soft touch of delicate fructose.  The beer is very light for the amount of flavors packed in, although it also leaves an interesting, burny aftertaste.  It's one of those somewhat rare stouts you (not me) could probably stand as a summertime drink.

I couldn't resist upon seeing something was "experimental", but then I saw it was Moritz, oldest of Barcelona's beers still being produced.  They are part of a larger group now, but they do play up their historical association with the city, I'm told.  This is Alkimia, the experimental lager, which is not actually being sold on its on, but used in restaurants for tastings and the like.  The recipe is still being tweaked a little.  It has a very clear color, and good white head, an appetizing appearance overall.  However, I get a whiff of sulfur and maybe seawater, which makes me wonder if I really want to drink it.  I better at least give it a try...and am impressed.  The flavor is quite subtle, blended and refreshing, just a tad bitter at first, then citrus leaps out, very low and grapefruity.  Floral notes also rush by, dragging some other spices behind them.  The aftertaste brings back the sea with a touch of salt, and some cucumber notes also make their appearance.  The aroma doesn't really improve, but in the right conditions it would be a damn fine sitting-back-and-relaxing beer, although it might not go so well with the beach.

I swing back to black beers, unsurprisingly, and picked up a Black Block Imperial Stout from La Pirata.  I wonder if I have tried it before, it seems to have a familiar name.  (Oh, there it is)  I have not had a professional serving of it before at least.  Kind of loose bubbles in a somewhat scanty head, but color's alright and there's a nice stout aroma, toasty and earthy.  There's a much bigger punch than with Black Pear, thicker, rounder feel, even a little oily.  There is a chocolate aspect too, but a hot chocolate powder kind, not rich bar chocolate.  It's a strong beer at over 11%, although it doesn't feel quite that heavy, but it maintains a good balance of flavors and while thick doesn't detour into syrupville.

The pendulum swings back and also a memorable name doesn't hurt.  Antiga of Valencia is offering a hazy IPA called Do You Marry Me?, which...well, do you have to ask?  It's definitely hazy, going so far as to look puddingish, nice white head on it too.  It has the predictable citrus aroma, very orangey.  The flavor is restrained, subtle, not a lot of punch but a gentle caress.  Along with the expected citrus contents is a distinct lack of bitter, making the beer feel soft and friendly-like, although it doesn't quite get to sweet.  It is a fresh, very clean and healthy flavor, something reminiscent of authentic horchata.

I got one beer with my entrance, and I got four tokens because it's an even number and easy to buy, so one more!  I notice that people are really not gathering around the big beer stalls, although a few do go up, which makes me laugh on one and and feel sorry for the people behind the bar on the other.  I don't go to give solace, however, I'm on a craft journey.  For the most part.

So, the last one was Basqueland.  A safe choice in terms of name, I don't think I've been disappointed by anything I've had from them.  No black beers, sadly, but there is What A Life, DDH East Coast Hazy IPA.  A complicated name for an actually not too complicated beer.  I don't mean it has no complexity - first there's the color, which is hazy but not as opaque as Antiga's, and a very bright shade.  In comparison, it's a little heavier in aroma, a little hoppier, the flavor is more upfront, stronger on the citrus hops, sharper in the throat.  It does that little catch thing that some hazys and NEIPAs do.  Overall, a bright and uplifting hazy, not as juicy as some, but it certainly has the basics covered.  It's more snappy and provocative than Antiga, with more prominent hops, a lot of mouthfeel and a demanding aftereverything, to be honest.  It leaves a little bit of sticky and a little bit of bitter/sour so you don't forget what you're drinking.

Surprise encore beer!  I was pestering the speaker at the beer history talk and he took me over to get a freebee from Moritz.  Since I had already had Moritz, I got Ambar's non-Pasteurized IPA, just to have something new.  It's slightly darker than the normal IPAs, with a good strong aroma.  Very standard, light citrus.  The flavor is heavy on the hops, not very bitter, but not your typical midday brew.  Not a bad way to go out, really.  Although it doesn't have many markers of differentiation, it's a perfectly fine beer and one I would not be unhappy to drink in a bar with a little conversational distraction.  It does seem like there's a little hair-care product that starts to come out in the aroma after a while though.  Maybe being a Spanish beer it's not made to be savored.

one love

One of the nice things about the move to cans is the increase in space for decoration.  Northern Monk's The Lovers Soft Centre Imperial Stout certainly looks busy, for example.  There are the lovers receiving the blessings of the heavens, a snake coiled up in the middle, a good amount of tattoos (I suppose) for good measure.  Even better, it's a stout, love of all my loves!  This one does have a few interesting additives, like cherry and strawberry, as well as the more common cacao and vanilla.  This has been quite a month for beer street promotion, although there haven't been too many innovations that I've come across, so this is one of the more exciting beers of recent times.  Ok, The One's Celta was also pretty special.  Wasn't a stout, though!

It smells rich and exotic just pulling back the tab, and pours out luxuriously.  It's not especially heady, practically no foam ends up on top.  A lingering sniff brings up vanilla, cocoa, a tantalizing hint of hard liquor.  Was this one barrel aged?  Doesn't look like it.  It has a taste that thunders out like chocolate cherry coke.  If only that existed - well, it wouldn't be here anyway.  Too sweet for peninsular tastes.  And since this is an English beer and not a Spanish one, that's believable for the beer too.  It feels rich and creamy, although it's a clean feeling too.  Nothing sticky in this one to start with.  Maltman's cherry stout has a similar flavor, but it thinner and slipperier, The Lovers is smooth and silky, but with a definite body to appreciate.

Supplier: La Buena Pinta

Price: €7