The Black Gull
What would you do when you feel too lazy to go to the beer shop to get the awesome Norwegian Imperial Stout that you've been dreaming about throughout the week?
a) Overcome your laziness and proceed to make your weekly dream a reality.
b) Visit your local supermarket and spend 3 minutes staring at the beers before deciding on what to buy.
c) Postpone your dream for a day week and brew yourself a tea.
I decided to go the supermarket with the intention of spending no more than a couple of euros on a couple of beers. Plus, I have been thinking for a while about reviewing the cheapest beer that I can find there. So, I ended up buying a bottle of Almus (brewed with water from the Danube River according to one of my colleagues) for about 0.58€, and Glarus Porter (supposedly a craft brew) for 1.43€. I decided to drink the porter and leave the Almus for another day.
So, without further due, I am presenting you the glorious 5%ABV Glarus (Gull in English) Porter from Glarus Craft Brewing located in the village of Slanchevo (literal translation: Sunny) in Bulgaria.
What does the next photo remind you of?
The beer pours dark brown, which is great for the B&W session, as it makes for a nice contrast with the head (pale brown in color and rather smallish) and the wall. The aroma is dominated by cocoa and coffee, with some notes of caramel and malt.
The taste of the Glarus starts off soury-sweet, and then quickly rolls into a slightly bitter blend of coffee and cocoa. The finish is lingering and has a bit of everything; I would describe it as a bittersweet sourness with hints of coffee and malt. The body is medium, and carbonation is medium, too.
All in all, I am quite impressed with the complexity of this porter. It's mellow and easy to drink. It would have been nice if the head was creamer and body fuller, but given the low price, I have no right to complain. I am awarding the Glarus a solid 4 out of 5.
Cheers and thank you for reading!
Dan
With this beer post, I am participating in the weekly #beersaturday challenge, which is run by @detlev. You can see the main post and all entries here. If you'd like to help me win the contest, please visit the main post and upvote my comment. Thank you!
Behind the scenes
Maybe the best beer of the Glarus family at all... To be honest, I’m nit a big fan of their beers. I would say slightly better then above average. Even their special collection is not so special. But it’s great to see a Bulgarian “craft” brewery to be so well distributed in all the country, even in the bigger stores.
I admit the way you write your reviews. Will be happy to meet you one day!
Cheers with a homemade slightly smoked porter!
Thank you, Miro! Apart from the porter, I've only tried their English Ale a couple of years ago. I didn't like it at all!
I would be also happy to meet you and try one of your home-brewed beers :)
Планираш ли скоро да идваш към София?
Ами очертава се доста често да идвам към София вече (почти всеки уикенд)... Та трябва да се разберем нещо.
Добре, следващият уикенд ще съм най-вероятно в Пловдив, но може по-следващият :) Може и снимки да направим като пием бира, ако нямаш против.
С най-голямо удоволствие! Ако искаш ме намери във фейсбук, ако имаш разбира се... за по-лесна комуникация.
These are great photos! I always love stout on the first few sips, it has a coffee flavor, but i can never finish a bottle... I really like the shot of your hand holding the glass - if the drink has a bitter quality, then the masculinity of photo definitely portrays that.
Thank you, @ankapolo! This one wasn't that bitter actually :)) Are you more of a wine drinker?
Definitely a wine drinker! I also enjoy Belgian white. Have you tried Arrogant Bastard Ale?
Nope, should I try it? :)
I tried it out of curiosity, it was too bold and bitter for me, but if you fancy strong beers, i'd give it a try... short answer, always yes.
Haha, I will look for it! :-)
I want to say that I have a hard time understanding dreaming about a beer all through the week. But I am currently dreaming about a peanut butter milkshake. So who am I to judge?
Really fun and compelling! And I want to vote for you but it appears your link isn’t n the main post yet... so let me know when it is and I’ll use my mighty power 😄
mmmmm peanut butter milkshake....now that's a story worth posting. :)
You may be on to something there! 😄
Yes, you have no right to judge! 😁That was a fun photo shoot, during which I took more than 200 photos :) I am very happy that you liked it!
The link is there, @szuri already voted :)
Hahahahaha! Yes, I found the link, Beer lover. 🍺
Thanks for upvoting it :)
My pleasure. You should soooo win.
Love the special effects Dan. Did you do that shaky thing for the first photo? And the arms....is that a splice? or did you reach around your camera ?? I also like the photo of your photo shoot.
I like your selfie....but where is the plaid?
I knew someone would notice that I am not wearing a plaid shirt, haha!
There's little to no Photoshop work in the photos - all effects were done in-camera :) For the first shot, I set the shutter speed to 1/4 seconds, and then quickly moved the camera to the right after pressing the shutter button. The image with the arms is an in-camera double exposure - I first shot my hand holding the beer, then moved to the other side and captured a photo of my other hand. After 20 attempts or so, I had the image that I wanted :)
Here's another one for you:
Thanks for stopping by, Deb! 🙇
Oh this may be the photo you’re rembered by for all eternity.
This made me chuckle. 😆
I also agree with your statement.
😂😂
haha well done!
You convinced me! Actually, you had me at spending no more than a couple of euros on a couple of beers. Since I'm still in Bulgaria I'm going to give your suggestion a try. Even though it's a porter so it will make me tipsy after half a glass ;)
PS Stop bullshitting that you would even consider the "c" option ;)
Yes, cheap doesn't necessarily mean bad when it comes to beers and wines :) And this one, by the way, is not going to make you tipsy as it only has 5% Alc/Vol
Option "c" was there just for fun ;)
That's true. There's nothing worse than expensive, French wine. Bleh. 5%? That's just right!
The Creation of Adam's Beer ^^
The aesthetic of your posts keeps getting better and better. :)
❤
I agree. Very provocative and appealing stories.
Thank you for the compliment, Ema! By the way, it was @agniese who suggested today that the photo looks like "The Creation of Adam" Haha
Yeah... I suggested something but then I forgot to check out your post! Such a bad friend I am... PS May I please ask for some notifications on steemit? ;)
Haha! Guess like me and @agniese think alike! ^_^
Yeah! It’s like... Damn... I like the way you think. Oh wait... It’s because...It’s my way of thinking ;)
Cheap and good? That sounds like a great combination! In Spain, red wine was like that. €3 could get a really nice bottle of local... or terrible, depending.
I like that first image. The motion blur came out nicely!
Thank you @fotosdenada! €3 for a bottle of good wine is a steal! Here, you'll have to pay at least €6 for a moderately good bottle of Bulgarian Cabernet Sauvignon. From the Spanish grape varieties, I think I have only tried Garnacha.
Occasionally, I'd buy Aguilares or Pincapo for €8. They were worth the extra cost! Usually, the €2-€3 bottles were very good, though.
The red wine in Spain was always organized by region. Rioja is probably the most exported, and usually very good. Marqués de Cáceres is a more expensive one that I can even get in the USA.
The first year in Spain, I lived in Jerez, the origin of sherry. It's an acquired taste, but Gonzalez-Byass produces an incredible Croft.
Of course, the beer selection is... lacking.
Next time I am buying a wine, it will be a Spanish one :) I hope I can find the ones that you mentioned.
Your beer photography is beyond awesome. I love that first photo, you can just make out the name on the label.
Impressive stuff mate, and you even include a solid review of the beer itself. Great entry into #beersaturday.
Thank you for the kind words @mazzle! So glad that you liked my beer art :)
It’s very cool. I showed the wife and she loved your photos too.
In that first shot it almost looks like the gull is actually flying, art and beer all together in one shot.
Haha, you are right! :) Thanks for stopping by, man! I always appreciate your comments :)
Great artistic beer review in Black and white!!
Thank you @rynow!