Mahou Barrica Original
Mahou S.A.

 

The fact that I had 2 bottles of this in the beautiful city of Cartagena may have added to the pleasure of drinking an amber colored pale ale. The nose is of toffee and malt. The taste is of an amber ale, a little smoky and sweet. Nice mouthfeel, not overly carbonated.

 

Mahou S.A. “Mahou Barrica Orignal”
33 cl brown glass bottle coded “Consumir preferentamente antes del: 23-11-24 L4631521414”. Sampled on 18 November 2023
€2,05 @ Carrefour, C. Tudescos 1, Madrid, ES

Notes via stream of consciousness: What a treat this is; a barrel-aged beer at low cost! It’s poured a mostly clear amber colored body beneath a short head of white foam. Given that it’s barrel-aged the lack of head retention is acceptable as that’s usually the case. The oak is clear in the aroma along with some grainy malt and a smear of hops - that I was not expecting! I thought the barrel character would be quite mild but it’s not. On to the taste, the maltiness reminds me of their “Maestro”, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what it is but I’m certainly not sure. It’s grainy, cereal like, a little toasty, and lightly caramelish. I can’t make out the hops through the oak and other barrel characteristics but there’s definitely some grassiness and floral notes going on. I’m tempted to say that there’s too much barrel character given the amount of malt that’s there but it still works. I’m getting a pleasant vanilla and coconut note. I sense some alcohol which is odd as this is just 6.1% so it must be residual from the barrels although I have no clue as to what they may have once held. It finishes oaky dry, a little spicy, a touch fruity, and usually with some vanilla & coconut coming through. It’s medium bodied on the fuller side, and smooth with a fine-bubbled, moderate carbonation.

 

330 ml bottle, from a Supersol grocery store in Spain. ABV is 6.1%. Matured in vats that previously contained Madeira wine. Clear golden colour, small white head. Aroma of sweetish malts with some caramel, hints of Madeira oak vats. Citric mouthfeel. Medium sweet flavour with caramel and hints of Madeira and oak, moderate bittering hops.

I am trying a bottle of this beer at Jacinta restaurant in the old square in Madrid. It poured a slightly hazy amber with very thin white ring head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had caramel malt notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with bold sweet malt base and subtle hop finish. The mouthfeel was medium in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a good beer.

De un color dorado intenso, con medio dedo de espuma de retención media. De cuerpo ligero y carbonatación media. Aroma a cereales, caramelo y vainilla. En boca predomina el dulzor.

Bought at the supermarket. 33 cl bottle poured into a tulip glass.
Very dark amber almost red colour. No signs of carbonation. Small head of foam (1-2 mm). Maybe because I hadn't the required glassware, mine actually with bigger radius; head faded away.
Obvious smell of wood/oak. I personally like it. It gives a roasty feeling.
The first taste is according to its smell, but it fades away after a while.
The feel after tasting leaves a "dry" mouth but doesn't hint the previous first taste.
Maybe it is quite common such "cask"-style beer in the US, but in Spain it is a rarity. Therefore I would recommend it to local drinkers searching for something different, not something to get wasted.

If you want to know what it means a pub's floor taste, it is your chance. Awful.

 

 

 

M55

 

This is a useless brew- way to destroy the original Mahou (which is a decent mass-produced fizzy yellow Euro lager) with a barrel treatment that adds nothing of value.

Who wants oak and vanilla notes on their Budweiser? No thank you.

In Spain, when you look for a commercial beer that can be seen without putting in your mouth a beer-flavored by-product costs a lot. This one still stays. That yes, the barrel is only in the name

Bright golden colour, medium head with long retention (it keeps there until the end), good lace.
Aroma: Well, there's good oak notes but there's too much corn. Yo fool no one with this. Malty and bread too.
Medium to full body, creamy texture, alive carbonation.
Taste has oak notes too, some vanilla, grains.
Another mass beer that has seen the rising of tradicional and artisannal and tries do something to gain that kind of public. Correct, nothing really special.

 

From El Corte Ingles. In its glass. After dinner. Oak toach soft enough to not overwhelm but providing interest. Very different to usual mahou: Not a refreshment, enjoyable in short sips. Avg 3.5

14 Jul 2018. From Corte Ingles. In Teku glass. At lunch. The wood touch was a bit more strong than I remembered and that I'd desire