Keltius Miño

IPA, abv 5.6%,  60 IBU

Appearance: Very large head on the pour. Nice red tinge, mostly a light brown though. Head settles down with lots of lacing.

Smell: Very beautiful hops bouquet. Nugget hops give it a large pungent smell. It has a very full body of aromas, alcohol is non-present. It reminds me of a much much lighter Hop Head Red from Greenflash, just similar bouquet. 

Taste: Hops are very well balanced. It is very light on the hops all around though. Enough bitterness bite in the middle to let you know they are there. The bitterness does linger a nice while. Most of its taste is in the middle and end. Very little in the front. In fact, very little upfront. 

Mouthfeel: Its a medium body. A little watery.

Overall: My first IPA from Spain and its very impressive. Given my growing knowledge of microbrews in Spain, I am very impressed. It will not push you back with bitterness as an IPA from the States will, but it will hold its own. Its very drinkable and given its abv, you can throw back a couple and enjoy them. The smell is nice and its has a taste that is missing something in the front of its profile but the middle and finish are very nice. It can be a little less watery but it is a great solid beer. Very drinkable, specially given the Spanish palate. Its a great beer, but as an IPA it leaves a bit to be desired. 

3.7/5

Keltius Mosteiro

Abbey Style Belgium Beer, abv 7.8%

Appearance: Dark semi-opaque beer, with a shade of red. Big two finger head the settles to half a finger. Very little lacing.

Smell: Complex. A wide variety of malts. Light fruit aromas with a background note of alcohol. Very sweet notes. 

Taste: Roasted malts, tastes much darker than it smells. Opens up in the middle with the alcohol taste that is nicely balanced with the bready taste. Finishes with stronger alcohol and very nice notes of fruits and flowers. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body, does have a little bigger feel than normal belgium beers. Not effervescent, it feels a lot lighter towards the end. It does not linger long.

Overall: It's a really good beer. It poured much darker than I would expect for a abbey style belgium, its complex smell of malts was amazing. The alcohol is masked nicely in the nose but not as well in the mouth, but it also does not standout like a sore thumb. Given its price, I will not be having this one day to day but I will definitely keep a couple on hand for when the mood strikes me.  

3.8/5

Keltius Trasno

Belgium Golden Strong Ale, abv 8.5%

Appearance: Dense golden pour. Looks almost unfiltered. Big billowy one finger head the settles down slowly to a decent layer on top of the beer. Very little lacing.

Smell: Light floral aromas, sweet with some alcohol. Mild herb smell, probably the cilantro they brewed with.

Taste: Very little up front then a rush of hops, cilantro, and alcohol. Hops linger the longest along with the alcohol. It becomes sweet after all that. 

Mouthfeel: Oils coat your mouth from the first sip. They fill your palette and stay there for awhile. Its an alcohol forward beer but the oils seems to balance it. 

Overall: Its a good beer. Could definitely back off the alcohol taste a little, but its good tasting. The hops and herbs seems to balance themselves out. It does fill your mouth and coat your palette in a great way. At its higher alcohol content, it would be a slower beer to drink.

3.5/5

Keltius

A little background on my next reviews. Keltius is a microbrewery located in Ouerense, Galicia, Spain. Craft beer is still in its infancy in Spain. This microbrew has just started bottling around two weeks ago., as you can tell from the hand written lot number and best by date. There were one of the first mircobrewery I knew about in Spain and excited to find them relatively easy to where I live. I hope to make a visit to them soon.

Estrella Galicia 1906 Reserva Especial

Appearance: The beer a amber yellow color and has a good amount of carbonation. It poured with about half a finger high with an off white head that settled to a short head that covered the surface. There was a good amount of lacing down the side.

Smell: light malt aromas, a little more bready than it looks. sweet.

Taste: Sweet up front; mildly bitter finish and aftertaste. Slight caramel and pale malts.

Mouthfeel: It's medium-bodied on the palate. Very clean and smooth. Does not match up with the smell.

Overall: Its a drinkable beer. Solid specially considering their base, Estralla Galicia. By no means is it a great beer or one to seek out, but when that is the best option where you are living then enjoy.

1.8/5