DOMUS AUREA
Origin: Spain
Type: IPA
Color: Amber
Alcohol content: 6%
Recommended serving temperature: 10ºC/50ºF
Brewery: Domus
Webpage: http://www.cervezadomus.com/gama_aurea.html
This is another one of those beers for which Andrés, the barman/connaisseur/owner of El Estribo, is responsible for getting me to try. And another reason I am eternally grateful to him.
This beer is a very curious one, as you will see from its description.
It is brewed in Toledo, Spain, a city traditionally known for its mix of cultures, and just like it, it is a nice little mix. It is an India Pale Ale, a style of beer born in England for export to India, but brewed in Spain with hops from the USA.
This little mix gives rise to an eclectic creation with specific attributes in taste and appearance, which is where its originality really lies.
When you pour this beer it has a pale gold color and a certain haziness to it. However, this haziness dies down with time, making it easier to see through after a few minutes. It is kind of like a snow globe, but better. You know, because this beer is actually pretty and serves a purpose.
It boasts a very nice and persistent amount of foam, which the brewery calls spongey, but I would dub soapey. I feel the characteristic feature of it is not its suppleness, but more so its softness. It barely tingles your throat as it goes down, and lets itself be led by the liquid beneath it, like soap bubbles do in water. To put it another way, it is not really a bubbly beer, but genuinely foamy.
The smell is mainly herby and citrusy and, while the latter stays in the flavor, the first is largely lost. However, it is joined in the taste by other very interesting flavors, which I have associated with pines and resin and (shock, awe) figs. Indeed, you taste something soft but dense and distinctive, sweet and fruity, but different from the citrus taste, a feeling I can only remember in figs, so as bizarre as it may sound, that's how I will describe it.
It is therefore a mix of foresty tastes, together with more sweet and fruity tastes, making this beer fresh and easy to drink.
This easiness is doubled by the fact that, although it is no doubt bitter like any IPA, it is also much less dry and crisp.
All the above makes this a very special IPA, that is difficult to pin down as a classic IPA in taste and appearance, let alone classify into a subcategory. If one were to try, I guess it would go something like this: An American-style IPA, more western than eastern, but softened, sweetened and balanced and with a soft soapy foam.
What is nonetheless evident is that it is a safe bet to have on offer in your bar, as it will surprise usual IPA drinkers and please those who are not. As always, well done Andrés.
This is another one of those beers for which Andrés, the barman/connaisseur/owner of El Estribo, is responsible for getting me to try. And another reason I am eternally grateful to him.
This beer is a very curious one, as you will see from its description.
It is brewed in Toledo, Spain, a city traditionally known for its mix of cultures, and just like it, it is a nice little mix. It is an India Pale Ale, a style of beer born in England for export to India, but brewed in Spain with hops from the USA.
This little mix gives rise to an eclectic creation with specific attributes in taste and appearance, which is where its originality really lies.
When you pour this beer it has a pale gold color and a certain haziness to it. However, this haziness dies down with time, making it easier to see through after a few minutes. It is kind of like a snow globe, but better. You know, because this beer is actually pretty and serves a purpose.
It boasts a very nice and persistent amount of foam, which the brewery calls spongey, but I would dub soapey. I feel the characteristic feature of it is not its suppleness, but more so its softness. It barely tingles your throat as it goes down, and lets itself be led by the liquid beneath it, like soap bubbles do in water. To put it another way, it is not really a bubbly beer, but genuinely foamy.
The smell is mainly herby and citrusy and, while the latter stays in the flavor, the first is largely lost. However, it is joined in the taste by other very interesting flavors, which I have associated with pines and resin and (shock, awe) figs. Indeed, you taste something soft but dense and distinctive, sweet and fruity, but different from the citrus taste, a feeling I can only remember in figs, so as bizarre as it may sound, that's how I will describe it.
It is therefore a mix of foresty tastes, together with more sweet and fruity tastes, making this beer fresh and easy to drink.
This easiness is doubled by the fact that, although it is no doubt bitter like any IPA, it is also much less dry and crisp.
All the above makes this a very special IPA, that is difficult to pin down as a classic IPA in taste and appearance, let alone classify into a subcategory. If one were to try, I guess it would go something like this: An American-style IPA, more western than eastern, but softened, sweetened and balanced and with a soft soapy foam.
What is nonetheless evident is that it is a safe bet to have on offer in your bar, as it will surprise usual IPA drinkers and please those who are not. As always, well done Andrés.
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