Spain Series – Beer Spot: Fabrica Maravillas

My latest beer adventure took me to Spain.  Spain is more known for paella and sangria than it is for beer, but that didn’t stop me for searching for good beer.   After doing some research on the beer scene in Spain, I got excited because there seemed to be no shortage of beer places.  Bottle shops, brew pubs, beer bars, Spain seemed to have it all.  One of my stops in Spain was Madrid and that is when I found Fabrica Maravillas.

Fabrica Maravillas seemed like a really cool brewpub in Madrid that is new to the beer scene.  According to the website, the brewpub opened in November 2012.   I didn’t have much time in Madrid, so I made it a point to pay a visit to FM.  The FM brewpub was cool.  It had modern decor and wasn’t your average dive beer place, which was a relief.  Behind the bar was one of the brewers, Thierry (I think that’s how you spell it) who was a cool guy.  He spoke to me about his background and all the beers he had on tap.  I decided my first Spanish beer would have to be an IPA.  I chose the (FL)IPA.

The (FL)IPA was a golden yellow color with plenty of fluffy, white head.  The ABV on this brew was 7%, so it had the right amount  of ABV in an IPA.  Aroma was fresh smelling hops, almost flowery.  The first sip had some nice bitterness upfront and little citrus sweetness in the finish.  A solid IPA that I wish I could find here at home.

The next brew came at the recommendation of Thierry.  He said I had to try the amber that was on tap.  Please note, he was a lot more enthusiastic and used a few more colorful words to describe how good it was.  It was great to see how enthusiastic he was about the beer.  Sometimes the person who serves you beer isn’t the person that actually brewed the beer, so they will just serve the beer.  I enjoy a brewer serving me beers because they’ll give you a heart felt reason as to why you should try the beer because they helped brew it.

The Amber had a nice brownish amber color with a significant amount of thick head.  The aroma was slightly malty accompanied by hoppyness.  I don’t recall what the ABV was on this brew, but it was not a high ABV.  First sip made me realize why Thierry raved about this beer.  It was really easy to drink.  The bitterness from the hops came through very subtly with a really smooth finish.  I could’ve definitely knocked back a few of these. 

If you are ever in Madrid, you should pay Fabrica Maravillas a visit.  The beers are really good and the place is really chill.  They have a solid beer lineup that includes a saison, triple, quad and an imperial stout.  I was a little annoyed because I was told the quad was coming the week after I left, so I just missed it.  I didn’t get to try any of the other beer because we were on a short timetable, but I really wish I had more time to sit and try them all.  Beer is easily accessible in Spain, but really good beer takes a little more effort to find.  It’s a shame I won’t be having any FM beers for a while because I am now a fan.  Support your local (international) brewers!

Monster Mash

Another beer from Brian Boak and BOAKS Beer.  If you have read earlier posts, you will know that I’ve had the opportunity to hang out with Brian and talk beer.  Subsequently, I’ve had the chance to run into Brian at a few different beer events and gotten to chat about beer.  One of the first beers we talked about was Monster Mash.

Monster Mash is a Russian Imperial stout, so it pours black.  There wasn’t a whole lot of head, but it had a fair amount of tan creamy head and dissipated almost completely.  At 10% ABV, this will definitely be a beer you sit and hang out with for a while.

The aroma had a good maltyness to it, accompanied with some dark chocolate aroma.  There was a little bit of alcohol in the nose, but surprisingly not as much as you would expect for double digit ABV.

The taste is strong chocolate upfront  along with a little coffee roastyness to it.  There was some dark chocolate dryness in the finish with  a good amount of bitterness.  It is a pretty easy drink with all the bold flavors going on and the alcohol is hidden well.

Verdict: Fill It!  My introduction to BOAKS was a few years ago at the Great International Beerfest in Secaucus, NJ and that first beer was Monster Mash.  It turns out, a lot of people are introduced to BOAKS by Monster Mash and that’s a good first impression.  Brian Boak recently unveiled some aged Monster Mash at an anniversary party, which must have been a real treat for the folks that got to try some.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it, so it looks like I’ll have to age some myself.  We’ll see if the bottles make it that long.

Support you local brewers!

 

Ireland Series: Knockmealdown Porter

I was recently reminiscing about my trip to Ireland and remembered I still had a few beers to review.  While getting my fill of Guinness, I was always on the look out of for something else.  I really wanted something to break the delicious monotony.  Oddly enough I stumbled upon some Irish craft beers in a wine bar.  This beer was created by 8 Degrees Brewing, a brewery in Cork Ireland.

No need to describe the color, it was a porter.  The beer didn’t have a whole lot of head, just a little bit of tan head that dissipated quickly.  The beer was pretty light on ABV at 5%.  The majority of the beers I had in Ireland were light on ABV.

The aroma upfront was almost entirely coffee.  There were some subtle chocolate notes, but not much else.  The aroma was not complex at all, which is not a bad thing.

The first sip was just like the aroma and hits with coffee.  The coffee and roasted notes were followed by the chocolate notes in the middle.   The finish was strong and bitter but not unpleasant.  Just like the aroma, the taste was not overly complex and that made it a really easy to drink.

Verdict: Fill It! This was a good porter.  To me, it was a great example of Irish craft beer.  It was really easy to drink, not complex and just meant to be enjoyed.  Sometimes a beer is just a beer and doesn’t have to be examined.  I was lucky enough to bring one of these back home, so I was able to re-live my Ireland trip through beer.  You better believe if I ever make it back to Ireland, I will definitely pick have one of these.  Hopefully, next time I’ll be able to take a trip to Cork and visit the brewery.  Cheers!