Craft beer Monteverde : Nubosa, a Stout from the Cloudforest

Nubosa StoutI must admit, I am a huge fan of stout beers. This admiration of dark ales started with Guiness, but oh that was only the beggining, because then came my discovery of many more delicious creations by talented micro and home brewers. Rainbow Stout from Trout River Brewing in Vermont, Obsidian Stout by Deschutes brewery in Washington and Shakespear Stout by Rogue brewery in Oregon are my top favorites but the list is long and growing.

June 17, 2015

Craft beer Monteverde: Nubosa, a Stout from the Cloudforest, is our featured beer at tonight’s Craft Beer Night, every Wednesday at Hotel Belmar

‍

nubosa-costarica- craft beer-hotel-belmar

Nubosa Stout

I must admit, I am a huge fan of stout beers. This admiration of dark ales started with Guiness, but oh that was only the beggining, because then came my discovery of many more delicious creations by talented micro and home brewers. Rainbow Stout from Trout River Brewing in Vermont, Obsidian Stout by Deschutes brewery in Washington and Shakespear Stout by Rogue brewery in Oregon are my top favorites but the list is long and growing.

It is still not completely agreed upon in the brewing world what the definition of stout actually is. There is not a clear line to distinguish between a porter and a stout. Historically porters that were stronger in alcohol, and sometimes hoppier have been called stouts. This term has also been used for porters featuring black patent malts which impart a toasty flavor and black color. But in many cases the names porter and stout can be used interchangeably. Here at cervezas artesanales, our stout has a very strong roasted character imparted by black pearl malt, coffee malt and roasted barley. It also has a higher alcohol content then our porter recipe. So for practical purposes we define stout as a black ale with large amount of toasted malts, and high alcohol content.

When I began brewing my own beer 10 years ago, I realized the only limit to the flavors and characteristics of this style was my own imagination. Since then many delicious traditional and unique stouts have been brewed and drank in my kitchen. And now with Costa Rica growing in its appreciation of craft beer, this brewer was very happy when asked to create a stout for our craft brewery in Monteverde. And here it is, the Nubosa Stout, our very own version of this style, inspired by the cloudforest, brewed with fresh spring water collected just below the continental divide, filtered by this incredibly biodiverse forest.

What a pleasure to spend the day hiking through the cloud forest, birdwatching, admiring and learning from one of the most beautiful and biodiverse ecosystems in the world, to finish up on the balcony of the Belmar hotel enjoying a pint of this chocolaty, toasty, coffee flavored beverage. Lightly hopped with Cascade hops, foamy brown head and oh the malts. With six different types of barley malts, we spared no expense when it comes to flavor. A brew to enjoy in sips, that will warm you up even after a cold wet hike through the forest. How I love to live and brew in this magical place.