I almost don’t even want to explore where things are at in the quarantine here in BA anymore. Suffice it to say, we’re still in it. Some loosening of restrictions, but not very much, and there’s disagreement over where the numbers are headed, so one day the talking heads are saying we’re proceeding cautiously with reopening and the next they’re opining that we’re going back into full lockdown. There’s only so long they can maintain things in near total lockdown before it becomes completely untenable, let alone whether people will comply – we’re past the four month mark and while we may have slowed the virus spread down here, and kept the hospital system from imploding, we certainly haven’t gotten to the point of where some countries that put in early and full quarantines did. I put a lot of that, anecdotally, on the minimal testing that’s being done here unless you show up with symptoms, which precludes isolating people early on if they’re infected but asymptomatic, since no one has any way of knowing. Herd immunity is somewhere distant in our future, but we’ll have to get there somehow, and that means either vaccines or people getting infected and recovering.
On to something different. Beer! Our local supermarket had a display from a relatively new brewery, Rabieta (which, more or less, means a temper-tantrum), produced up in Pilar, in Buenos Aires province. They started last year, a group of former colleagues from Quilmes, the big, more or less national, brewery, and have (or, perhaps had) opened a trio of brewpubs, starting with one at the Hipodromo, the big racetrack here, and expanding to a small outpost in the huge DOT Shopping center and one in the northern suburb of San Isidro. They make around a dozen different beers, and on offer at our market were a quintet of those. Supposedly they had plans to start exporting early this year, but whether that ever happened, given the pandemic, I have doubts. Half liter (well, 473 ml) cans were being sold for 140-150 pesos – currently about $2, also available in bottle (710 ml) for around 175-190 pesos – about $2.50.
The Red IPA, Estilo Libre (freestyle) – This was my favorite of all five that we tried. It had a full-on flavor, a decent amount of hoppy bitterness, and some nice coffee, caramel, and nutty notes to it. It stood up nicely to a dinner of a beef stew.
The Irish Red Ale, Molly O’Toole – I’m assuming this one is either simply named with an Irish name for form’s sake, or after the Irish love song, rather than the immigration and political reporter for the Los Angeles Times. I’m normally a big fan of red ales, and this one was good, but didn’t wow me. I found it a little sweet, and maybe just a touch too smooth for its own good. Perhaps if I’d have followed their recommendation of drinking it with sweet and spicy bbq pork ribs….
The APA, Mistica Kilzi – I have no idea. I assume Kilzi is a reference to something or other – all I can find is that it’s a somewhat uncommon last name that may have origins in the middle east, particularly around Lebanon. I don’t get this one at all, it was easily my least favorite – I couldn’t even finish it. It was very light, citrusy, and tasted a bit like watered down Retsina, the pine-resin infused Greek white wine. The fact that they recommend it with fast food chicken fingers dipped in honey mustard should be enough to eliminate it from any line up.
The American IPA, Latitudes Especiadas (spiced latitudes) – This one was an interesting mix of having the bitterness of the Red IPA that I really liked, along with a strong sort of fruitiness and a hint of floral. I’m not sure why the “spiced”, as I didn’t really get any spice notes, but, so be it. I’d say it was my second favorite, though I’d pair it with something a little heartier than the recommended cheese and olives. Then again, I had it with a bowl of homemade warm sesame noodles, so who am I to talk?
The Red Honey, Primer Amor (first love) – While a bit too sweet for my personal tastes, the honey being really noticeable, it was pretty good. Had it with some spicy Chinese food and it made for a good balance, and I’d definitely recommend it paired up against something spicy versus their recommendation of an arugula salad. Who recommends beverages to pair with green salads?
