Hello, and welcome back to the Eternal Hoptimists!
Just when you thought it was over and Peter had tried all of the beer in La Palma, he pulls one more out of the bag, that’s our Peter always ready to go the extra beer!
Isla Verde – La Garaja Piripi Triple Dark Ale (8.0% ABV)
This beer I picked up when passing through the duty-free on the way home from my holiday, so it has had chance to settle properly back in the UK. The label gives little away, but the website is more informative. This beer is unfiltered, unpasteurised, additive free and is laid down to mature in the bottle for six months.
Described on their website as a beer that represents the graja flying over the heights of La Palma. The graja, on this occasion, is shown with its wings open and talking, like those who meet on a Friday night, after a hard day’s work, to have a good beer, talk, joke and enjoy the moment.
Rather poetic, but what does it taste like.
- Name : La Graja Piripi
- Brewery: Cerveceria Isla Verde SL, La Palma, Canary Islands
- Hops : Not specified
- Grain : Four types of malt (website)
- Aroma : Faint hoppy, grassy with a little sweet malt
- Appearance : Chestnut brown, clear with a cream coloured head
- Body : Full bodied with a light to medium carbonation and a little head retention
- Taste : Initially a caramel sweetness, some fruitiness like grilled banana and a malty hit but all subtle rather that overpowering. The hops take a back seat in this beer, but there is a dryness to the finish
- Dietary restrictions : No claims noted
Excellent, well worth the effort to bring home. The flavour profile is complex but well balanced. The mouthfeel is smooth and rich with no elements overpowering. A very moreish beer. At 8% some purists may say it’s a little light for a true triple, but its potency came through and fell about right. I can imagine getting rather drunk one evening on this beer.
Next time on the Island I will endeavour to get to this brewery!
Peters Score: 4.0/ 5.0
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