The launch of this Abbey-type Ale beer is the result of two years’ work and research on the yeast strains naturally present in the gardens of the Monastery of Sobrado dos Monxes and its qualities for brewing.
20,000 litres of Fabrica de Cervezas Estrella Galicia Abadía “Sobrado dos Monxes” will reach both the on and off trade market, and the e-commerce channel which will have this product for sale in the coming weeks.
Carlos Gutiérrez Cuartango, Prior of the Monastery of Santa María de Sobrado:“Our entire community has experienced the evolution of this project with enthusiasm and great curiosity. That a company like Estrella Galicia launches a beer with our name will give a lot of visibility to both the monastery and our lifestyle“
Estrella Galicia enters the world of Abbey Beers for the first time and does so through a limited edition of its Fábrica de Cervezas project that continues with its aim to surprise consumers with unique beer proposals, in this case addressing the element “Air” through yeast.
Fábrica de Cervezas Estrella Galicia de Abadía “Sobrado dos Monxes” is the result of two years of intense research of the University of Vigo Microbiology Laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences in Ourense in collaboration with our master brewers to locate and select the native yeast strains within the monastery enclosure with the aim of assessing their potential for the production of an ale beer based on a style of monastic inspiration and with a Galician stamp.
Luis Alvar, master brewer of Estrella Galicia points out that “the objective was not only to look for an ale yeast, but one that would be ideal to create a recipe based on the traditional Abbey styles, so it had to generate a fermentative profile where fruity and spicy aromas and flavours had a special prominence. And the challenge was important, since the end result had to live up to an imposing monastery such as Sobrado dos Monxes to which we wanted to pay tribute.”
In collaboration with the research team, painstaking research was initiated establishing more than a hundred sampling points in the Monastery park, where 58 yeast variants were taken which were finally whittled down to 5 optimal options for brewing musts. The Estrella Galicia master brewers finally opted for the M29EG yeast, currently deposited in a cryobank for preservation, which resulted in an unfiltered Belgian Dubbel-style recipe in which, with a blend of seven malts and the Admiral hop variety, they put their final touch to beer.
The result is a dark amber beer with fruity and spicy aromas that in the mouth combines sweetness with a dry aftertaste that balances it. It has a medium-high body with the traditional warmth of Abbey beers and an alcohol volume of 7.6º.
20,000 litres of Estrella Galicia Abadía Brewery will arrive on the market “Sobrado dos Monxes” for both hospitality and food and the ecommerce channel that will put this product up for sale in the coming weeks.
Sobrado dos Monxes, the recovery of their beer mark
Santa María de Sobrado, known as Sobrado dos Monxes, is a 12th-century Cistercian monastery whose income is raised by welcoming pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago and the sale of products made by the community. It is located in the north of the province of A Coruña and has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Inside its walls lives a community of 12 monks who has welcomed with great enthusiasm their participation in this brewing project. Carlos Gutiérrez Cuartango, prior to the monastery, points out that “the whole area in which we are, in the surroundings of Betanzos, has traditionally been a hops area so perhaps beer was brewed here centuries ago, as was the case in many of the Cistercian monasteries throughout Europe.”
“That’s why we found the idea of having an abbey beer associated with the monastery great and we’d love it to become something permanent. The whole community of monks has experienced with enthusiasm and curiosity the evolution of this project which I think will be very positive for us. That a company like Estrella Galicia is launching a beer with our name is going to give a lot of visibility to both the monastery and our lifestyle,” says the prior.
His assessment of the result cannot be better: “we have had the opportunity to try the beer and the result is fantastic, of great quality, reminding us of the traditional Abbey beers from the Netherlands and Belgium”.
