This week the brewery recipe Fábrica de Cervezas Estrella Galicia Porto Barrel Aged arrives on the market, the result of the close collaboration between the brewmasters of Estrella Galicia and their counterparts of the Nortada brewery in Porto.
The new edition of Fábrica de Cervezas Estrella Galicia uses three types of malt and Nugget hops of Galician origin, to result in a recipe matured for 6 months in pipes of Port wine wood.
Fábrica de Cervezas Estrella Galicia surprises its followers again with a new beer proposal resulting from the collaboration between the house brewmasters and their Portuguese counterparts at the Nortada brewery. The combination of knowledge, ingredients and processes has given rise to a beer that is fully integrated into the wine tradition of Porto.
The new edition of Fábrica de Cervezas Estrella Galicia uses three types of malt and Nugget hops of Galician origin, resulting in a recipe matured for 6 months in pipes of Port wine wood. Wines of the Tawny variety belonging to the Portuense winery Rozès have rested for years in these pipes, leaving their mark on the wood and giving a very special character to this new beer.
This is the first time that Estrella Galicia presents a “barrel” beer, thus paying tribute to a way of elaboration that has always united the world of wine and beer, to which this formula gives unique nuances.
Diana Cañas, Nortada’s brewmaster, points out that “the creation of this beer was a difficult but very interesting process. Although we really wanted to make a barrel aged in Nortada, the elaboration in wine barrels that are over 50 years old was a great challenge, from hydration to storage. Our ambition to take on the challenge and the best hops sent to us by our friends from Estrella Galicia gave rise to an unbeatable result: a Porto Barrel Aged. From the barrels that sailed in the Douro River to the bottles, we have a “Muy Nobre” (very noble) beer.
Luis Alvar, brewmaster of Estrella Galicia, points out that “collaborating with Nortada in the creation of this recipe has been a very interesting process for our brewing teams and I think we have achieved a very balanced result that reflects the identity of both and characteristics of each region, as is the case of Galician hops and Porto pipes”.
Fábrica de Cervezas Estrella Galicia Porto Barrel Aged is the 18th edition of this Estrella Galicia beer project. It is a beer of 5 degrees of alcohol per volume, unfiltered, characterized by its amber color, its creamy foam, and olfactory notes of leather or caramel, as well as red fruits, which come from the national Touriga grape variety typical of the Porto area. In the mouth, it shows great complexity when assembling the flavours of beer with those that come from wood. It is silky and sweet in texture, but with a slight acidity that gives it a refreshing sensation.
This beer is perfect to pair with typical fish of Galician-Portuguese cuisine such as cod, as well as molluscs, pork, or sheep and goat cheeses.
