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Taking off your shoes when you get home, getting into bed with clean-smelling sheets, that first sip of a cool beer… Life is full of little moments that bring us happiness, without having to leave the routine, and beer manufacturers have seen in them the perfect opportunity to toast. That’s why brands have not hesitated to adapt to smaller formats so that you can take away the urge to take a sip and stop for a second to appreciate those moments of pleasure. Here are five of them.
LA SAGRA
Born in 2011 in the Toledo region that gives it its name, LA SAGRA is a premium beer brewed 100% with barley malt, without mixtures of other cereals and without additives to achieve a purer taste, color and smell. They offer a range of different types of beer, with 5 gourmet, 5 specialty beers and their 5 essentials. Now, in search of a way to celebrate the small moments of everyday happiness, they have created a MINI format of three of them to be able to toast in small quantities.
One of these adaptations to the 20cl format is their lager, chosen as the best beer in Spain and the best in the world in its category by the World Beer Awards 22. Light body, gradual bitterness and malty finish, with an intense golden color and an aroma especially reminiscent of hops. They have also adapted their Radler, with a smoother, lighter taste and a creamy, cloudy body, to which the lemon adds a citrus touch and a fruity smell that makes it the favorite choice of many for this time of year. Finally, they have also adapted their gluten-free beer, another lager with a floral aroma and fruity taste with a slightly bitter finish. These last two MINI beers are the only ones on the market in this style and format.
CERVEZAS ALHAMBRA
The well-known Andalusian beer has a clear star format: its Reserva 1925. Brewed with Saaz, an exclusive hop variety, it is an intense, deep-flavored and full-bodied beer that also has an intense aroma with hints of ripe fruit and notes of cereal and floral hops, but balanced in the mouth. Its fermentation process gives it body, moderate bitterness and a slight sweetness in taste.
Well, this lager is also available in a reduced format, exactly like the original (both inside and out, with its recognizable bottle), but in a 22.5cl version. A proposal with which Alhambra invites you to savor every moment, no matter how small.
MAHOU
Another classic, from the same house as the previous one, is Mahou 5 Estrellas. A Pale Ale well known by many, with a strong and consistent flavor, but with a moderate bitterness and acidity that balances the drink. Its aroma, as they themselves explain, is “fruity, smooth and fresh, banana and apple, with a certain dry fragrance, a touch of yeast and certain floral notes of hops”.
The 5 Estrellas is definitely one of its stars, and is available in all kinds of formats, from packs or cans of all sizes to bottles and, of course, 20cl bottles. Their first special beer, “with a very big flavor” and a very small size to enjoy in a couple of gulps before it gets warm.
ESTRELLA GALICIA
From Toledo, Andalusia and Madrid, we move north to reach another star, one of the most popular in Spain. Estrella Galicia also has a favorite beer for many, Estrella Galicia Especial. It is a lager brewed with water from La Coruña and HdR selection yeast. Its malts (pilsen and toasted) and hops (Nugget and Perle Hallertau) are particularly bitter, and its boiling, fermentation and maturation process, as the brewery explains, takes more than 20 days. “The Master Brewers use approximately one month of work in its production, 50% of which is dedicated to its cold storage”, they continue.
All this also applies to its ‘MINI’ format, 20cl, which concentrates the same light flavor but with a touch of marked hops and the same aroma, in a bottle that fits in a pocket and has an easy-opener so that you can enjoy a brief moment of beer at any time.
ZURITO
In this case it is not an adaptation, because Zurito was conceived from the beginning in a reduced format. Its name is the way of ordering a short beer in the Basque Country: the “penalti” from Aragon or the “corto” from other northern areas. They explain that, “since its origin, the ‘zuritos’ have become a sign of identity, since beer lovers who want a short drink have managed to secure the name and the measure, to the point that it is one of the most demanded forms”.
That is why they turned the name into a registered trademark, brewing an American craft beer, “well balanced and clean” and “without aggressive flavors” thanks to the moderate touch of hops and the initial malty sweetness. As it could not be otherwise, it is marketed only in 20cl bottles, but they also have a low alcohol version, the Zlow, with 2.9%.