Brewtal Box #028 / JUNE 2020 - CARAVELLE BREWERY

Spring brings us a lot of sun, colors and good vibes to savor good beers, so this month Brewtal brings you refreshing beers with fun labels. A whole concept of "relaxation" and also sent directly from the Caravelle Brewery factory in Barcelona to ensure its freshness. Enjoy them and tell us your thoughts on Instagram @bebrewtal

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CARAVELLE BREWERY

The Caravelle Brewery project began in 2014 when its founders Zim and Poppy, who at that time only had the famous Caravelle restaurant in the El Raval neighborhood of Barcelona, ​​collaborated with the guys from Art Cervesers (Lliçà D'Amunt, Catalonia) in making a beer that would become the first 'Galactic Pale Ale', one of Caravelle's flagship beers today. A short time later it was followed by the no less famous 'Mixtape Lager', a hybrid hoppy lager beer with Kiwi. Two years later, they opened a small production space right next to the restaurant and began making 200-liter batches. “We were the micro-penis of the Barcelona beer scene, but we were happy to learn the trade in relative anonymity right there in our little steam box.” That period for them was, above all, a period in which they only dedicated themselves to learning how to make tasty and drinkable beers. They put a lot of emphasis on Pale Ales and IPAs, easy-drinking beers with the restaurant's delicious tacos and spare ribs. They recently opened a larger brewery space in St. Adriá (Barcelona), and its goal is to focus on its core range of beers and continue brewing easy-to-drink beers. They want these to be a living reflection of the lifestyle in Barcelona: sun and beach, a 'freak party' at a perfect stranger's house in one of those old warehouses in Poble Nou, outdoor festivals, drinking in the park, grab that last table on the terrace with some friends and sit there all night, rooftop barbecues that end at dawn. “The good stuff”. That's why they also wanted their labels to reflect this relaxed style and commissioned the team at Hey Studio (Barcelona) to design them, and the result is truly fantastic!

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Beer: GALACTIC DDH

Style: Double-dry Hopped IPA

Galactic was the first beer produced by Caravelle in 2014, in its restaurant in Raval. Since then, it has gone through a few incarnations, eventually establishing itself as their go-to IPA at their new St. adria The Galactic is made with Galaxy, Mosaic and Motueka hops, the latter a New Zealand hop that has been widely used lately by some 'breweries; of Vanguard. It is considered by themselves their easy-to-drink IPA, medium-bodied, slightly hazy and with a somewhat spicy aroma. For this batch Caravelle double-dry hoped in two separate batches (adding double the amount of hops) for a juicier finish.

ABV: 5.7%

IBU: 30

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Beer: ELECTRIC RELAXATION

Style: XPA (Extra Pale Ale)

“La Electric” is the gateway to Caravelle beers. Anyone who has ever visited the Caravelle bar in the Raval and ordered a Lager, well, they end up drinking this one. Based on a style really only found in Australia, this is an extra light pale ale with a good load of Mosaic, Simcoe and Amarillo hops. It's your summer BBQ beer! His brewmaster Polly hates to cook it because she feels it's too light a pale ale, but it's fucking popular and people can drink a lot of it without thinking.

ABV: 4.9%

IBU: 22

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Beer: ROYAL MILKSHAKE

Style: IPA

This beer was originally conceived and brewed with that classic combo of hops Citra / Mosaic that is so extraordinary. But with the move to the new factory in St. Adriá, the Caravelle brewers decided that their most popular IPA had a more unique flavor profile. They started brewing it with a solid base of lactose and wheat heavily hopped with Citra, then dry-hopped it with Sabro and El Dorado hops. Interestingly, the last two hops totally outshine the Citra, and the beer smells aromas of ripe apricot, lime shake and even tangerine peel on the nose, in this last batch that they recently brewed.

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: 40

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Beer: GRAND PACIFIC

Style: KÖLSCH

At the beginning of the lockdown due to COVID-19, when we were facing a long road of uncertainties, we thought it was the perfect time to prepare a Kölsch. Our idea was to create a beer whose greatest strength was its subtlety, and we have tried to weave a thread between traditional German beer and Nelson's new global fruitiness. In a world full of IPA-style beers, this is one of the beers the guys at Caravelle are most proud of.

ABV: 5.0%

IBU: 25

Photography: Caravelle Brewery / Photo-post-production and editing: Italo Morales