#no hops

[corgli]

Ooo, that 2 inch vert! 👏👏👏 - Winzor

[pretentiousbeerreviews-blog]

Hey bro! Where’re da hops!?

Dogfish Head Festina Peche on Beer Advociate

[stulantzblog]

He's putting on a stand-still clinic.

Stu Lantz, Lakers vs. Nets, 11/20/12

[stulantzblog]

You couldn't get a piece of paper under his feet.

Stu Lantz, Lakers vs. Nets, 11/20/12

[gowsbraus-blog]

Domus: Regia Bitter (4.3% ABV)

Having already tried Domus' pale ale offering, Aurea, a beer of exceedingly high quality, I had high hopes for this, the flagship beer of the Domus factory in Toledo. Identifying precisely what style this beer aspires to has proven slightly difficult. As I hope to explain in a forthcoming post, the Spanish language seems to lack some of the basic vocabulary that we use to describe beers. While this particular beer is certainly an ale, it is another example of a 'cerveza tostada', something that we might translate as 'bitter' or, even more simply, as 'ale' itself!

As I opened the beer a gush of foam immediately shot out and soaked my arm in precious beer. This surprised me somewhat as the bottle had by no means been shaken before opening. Being covered in the beer seemed to be something of an anti-climax. As I licked the beer off my wrist nothing really spoke to me...

Upon sniffing the bottle, the aroma reminded me of dried apricots but with a slight alcoholic kick in the back ground. There was not even a hint of hop, which is something that I normally look for in a beer. The colour is amber and almost opaque with some sediment at the bottom of the bottle. As I poured, the head became quite voluminous and took several minutes to settle down. Part of this might have been due to the tall glass I was using though.

In terms of taste this beer disappoints. After being truly wowed by their IPA, which I shall be reviewing in the coming days, I found none of the same distinctive character in this beer. Clearly it is a different variety but the taste lacks something crucial to set it apart from the many mediocre beers on the market. The taste retains the note of dried fruit - to me it seems very similar to dried apricots, although this is quite unscientific - with an initial sweetness that moves towards bitterness as you swallow.

This is by no means a poor beer. The taste itself is perfectly fine but it has nothing to make it stand out. In that sense it's really rather unremarkable. Given its density, certainly when compared to lager, and its steep price tag - again €3 for 330ml - it hardly seems worth it. As I drink more, its insipid flavour almost makes it a chore to drink and I find myself thinking that a can of lager might have been the better option. I don't dislike the taste but it offers little that one can really savour.

2/5