So I grabbed some beers from Portugal the other day. Just wanted to try something different instead of my usual stuff. Saw them sitting on a supermarket shelf, those bottles with labels showing castles and ships, looked kinda cool.
First Impressions
Got home, threw a bottle in the fridge to chill. An hour later popped it open. Smelled totally different than what I expected. More like toasted bread than regular beer smell. Took a sip and whoa – it was lighter but way more bitter than my cheap regular beers. Almost like chewing on flower stems but in a good way.
The Actual Drinking Part
Drank it straight from the bottle first like an idiot. Couldn’t really taste much that way. Poured the next bottle into a glass and watched the bubbles. They lasted forever! Stuck my nose in there like a weirdo and got hit with:
- Some sort of grassy smell
- Hint of lemon peel maybe?
- Something like ocean salt?
Second sip tasted completely different from the first. Less bitter now, more like dry crackers with a sour kick at the end. Kinda grew on me after a while.
What Went Wrong
Thought I’d get fancy and paired the last bottle with cheese. Terrible idea! Made both taste like garbage. Should’ve tried it with grilled fish like that guy at the store suggested. Now I got two bottles left sitting in my kitchen, probably gonna drink them alone without food.
Final Thoughts
Turns out I accidentally bought the strongest ones they had. Probably why I felt dizzy after two bottles. Cool to try once but I’m sticking with my normal cheap stuff. At least now I know if someone serves me Portuguese beer, I should:
- Pour it properly
- Smell it like coffee
- Never mix with cheese
