I'm working hard these days... But I decided to make an exception today (and "exception" is the word, believe me, because I'm coding some Java snippets). So, in order to improve the coding atmosphere, I decided to open a beer and take some pickles:
It's easier when you are coding if you have something to eat and drink near you. But coke, chocolat and cookies are not so healthy...
The Sagres Bohemia Reserva 1835 is a limited edition of the Bohemia beer. It's made for conmemorating the 170th year of the Cervejaria da Trindade and I like it. It would be even better if its colour was completely natural, but it isn't. They added caramel colouring :(
I have no much to say about lupins. They are like beans, they have a thick coat all around them and they are highly salted (not by themselves, but because of the salted water they are in). You must wash them before eating, otherwise you'll get you blood pressure touching the clouds. And damn, they are supposed to be healthier than cookies!
That's all, I'm going to keep myself focused on coding. See you!
You may know there are two main beer brands in Portugal: Super Bock and Sagres. And as I'm an Erasmus student... this is gonna be my mission: Taste as many as I can. And write about that, of course... :D
I wrote about the Super Bock Stoutbefore, but I'd like to add some information now... As I'm not an expert, I'll just copy some information from Super Bock website:
In 2003, Super Bock Stout, the other side of Super Bock, was launched. Super Bock Stout is Super Bock's special black beer, produced from special malts (pale malt, caramel malt and chocolate malt), which give it a distinct flavour and aroma, and a long-lasting creamy head.
Super Bock Stout differs from the other black beers on the market because it is richer in extract, more full-bodied and with a more complex (almost fruity), not-so-roasted taste and aroma.
The care taken and the type of ingredients used in the production of Super Bock Stout result in a balance between sweet and bitter, giving it its unique taste - an Authentic Taste. For these reasons, Super Bock Stout is much more than a black beer - it is the other side of Super Bock.
Really cool bottle, it's sweating...
I've also tasted one of the three kind of Super Bock Abadia beer... This is what they say about it:
Super Bock Abadia is characterized by a rich aroma, stronger and embodied, fruited and alive, with a smooth and comforting taste and the most intense colour due to the use of special varieties of Malte
The creative concept of Super Bock Abadia’s packaging takes us to an ancestral environment, keeping the identity of the lettering – in red – over the rosette of Leça do Balio’ Monastery, now with a stylised, simplified, more modern and dynamic image.
The one I drank was the Abadia Gold, as you can see below. I still have to taste the normal one and the Abadia Rubi...
Bad photo taken with phone...
And this is its... let's say "technical sheet":
Name: Super Bock Abadia Gold. Launched: March 2008. Market: Beers/Gourmet Beers. Birth-place: Leça do Balio, Portugal. Other information: A special beer, fruited and dry, goes perfectly with the soft flavors of fish and shellfish. Surprisingly light and not bitter. Golden and exuberant, it’s a dry beer, with 6.8 alcoholic percentage. Balanced and light. Target: For those who like beer.
And last, but not least, something I've also talked about: The standard Sagres beer in "mini" bottles. I'm not gonna talk a lot about this one... I've just found a video and it seems you'll enjoy it more than any description I could make by using words... ;)
Just a few words to describe what I've been tasting until now:
"Bacalhau com natas":
One of the more than 500 different recipes that portuguese people have for cooking codfish. This one is like a pasty mixture of cod, mashed potatoes, white sauce (bechamel) and pepper, with melted cheese all over it and some decorative black olives. They also add some vegetables in some restaurants...
Bacalhau com natas
"Pasteis de nata":
I had the pleasure of tasting some of these when they'd been just cooked. They were still warm and, yes, I could be eating thousands of them, because they were really delicious. A little bit too sugared, but you know, I'm a greedy guy (golosón, golosón...)
Its taste can be compared to a croissant dough after a few seconds into the microwave oven and then filled with yummy pastry cream.
Pasteis de nata / Pasteis de Belém
There is a place in Lisbon which is famous for doing the best "pasteis de nata" all over Portugal. By the way, these "pasteis de nata" are also know as "pasteis de Belém", and you can read about their history here.
"Super Bock Preta":
As I had said before, this is a kind of stout (dark beer, like Guinness, but without so dense foam). It's ok, it's nice. I'm not an expert but I liked it. I still have a couple of them in the fridge besides some other different ones for tasting...
