MADmusings #4: Beer Saturday meets… Mahou musings?!

Faces of Mahou!

Not much in the way of beer drinking this week, so here's a little peak at a staple diet of the 'madrileño' (person from Madrid)… the trusty Mahou cerveza! I managed to sneak in a couple of these last night… just for you of course, and thought I'd have a mini selection to spice this article up a bit… the things I do for my 'art' ;).

'Research for an article' or a handy excuse, it matters not… but before that, let's rejoice, as I managed to be in amongst the winners last week! Coming in a tasty third. I'm not quite sure how it's all worked out but happy for the reward… who says drinking doesn't pay! We can all thank the Lucky Buddha for tipping the scales in my favour.

[Link to main #BeerSaturday post for this week - click here]

So what of this Mahou? It's one of the most common beers in Spain and certainly in Madrid as this will be one of the main options in any bar or shop here. Part of the Mahou-San Miguel Group, the HQ is also in Madrid and has been going for over 125 years. 

But this isn't a history lesson, let's jump in to the juice!

The warm up!

First up, a little pre-tipple tipple. The more astute may spot the unmistakable 'M' at the back of the 'glass'. Yeah yeah, it was MaccyDs! Don't judge, and if you must know, I had a tuna baguette on granary… and a beer of course as the picture would suggest.

Not much to say here other than whetting the appetite…

The classic!

Your quintessential all-rounder. Not too strong, but strong enough at 4.8%, you know you're having a beer but you can gently drink several without too much woe. It's a much smoother taste and preferred by many people. I drink it when I know I'm having other drinks through the night. If I'm just having a couple, or if I'm more in mission mode, then the next is my go to…

The 5 star! 

This bad boy has a bit more clout… but does it deserve its 5 star self-award? Sure, why not. It's a bit stronger at 5.5% and a slightly harsher taste. Generally my preference but it depends on what I'm up to, ie. if I'm just having a couple then I like a bit more oomph but if I'm having several then probably not. I'm sensible like that. I do like to taste my drinks (and food for that matter), and I don't just mean with alcohol, this applies across the board with tea, coffee etc. The question for me is - are we doing this or not?!

The master!

Maestra, double hops. 

Wowsers. Not had this one before. I had to add one more for the 3 and this is what they had in the supermarket. It's one of these 'toasted' beers and is far stronger again, weighing in at 7.5%! Not a 'session beer'. I don't tend to drink this kind of thing but makes an interesting change.

In terms of taste, it's got far more to it than the others. Dark, rich, thick, strong are some of the words that came to mind. Very tasty but not something you'd 'neck' a pint of. I liked it, but it's not a SteemFest beer ;)

Drink up!

Ok, so a very common experience with the first 2, and a new tasty fusion with the last. I believe they have a couple of others as well, including the sin alcohol (sin = without) which is an option if you're abstaining but still want a beer. I have no idea how it tastes though… if I'm not drinking, I'll just have a soft drink… it's a bit like decaffeinated coffee for me - fairly pointless but can fit some people's needs. 

In terms of my actual favourite beer in Spain, I would go for something like Alhambra - another article perhaps ;). Cruzcampo is another common one around these parts but a bit boring for my tastes. 

Btw, for those unaware, Mahou rhymes with "how", it's not pronounced "ma-who" as some poor girl was saying one time… and it was too funny to correct her. And don't you worry, I've said plenty of silly things here…

Chin-chin! :)

~ Adam
@adambarratt

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