Saturday, April 26, 2014

Mataro Beer - Extra Special - not-so-special?

Last night I had the chance to try the Mataro Beer Extra Special. I've been looking forward to this as we started our homebrewing experiments in Mataro, and the train on the front is a great tip to the fact that the first train in Spain ran from Barcelona to Mataro in 1848. Bottling aside, the beer was pretty good. It had a nice balance between hops and malt, although I will admit to being slightly underwhelmed. It was a good, solid beer but nothing I would recommend, given the level of competition that's arisen in recent years.

I'm going to have to try a few of their others, but one of the most remarkable things I've been privy to witness is the augmentation of the process: 5 years ago that beer would have been a great one for many, but the leaps and bounds in the world of Microbrews and craft ales in Catalunya (and now all of Spain) has upped the level and the expectations. And maybe that's what happenned to me, I went in with my expectations too high. It strikes me that maybe I should have another one today and see the contrast between having one in the evening and one in the splendid sunshine of a gorgeous spring day...

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