De Salas

Where Asturian Brewing Company began

Though I have been calling it Estrella de Salas for a couple of years now, it turns out I am wrong. A visit to the brewery set me right. Not only did I get the low-down on the name and the origin of the beer, I got to see the brew tree the whole enterprise began with.

Choosing a Belgian style blonde ale for your first beer is the euro-brewing equivalent of jumping into the deep end of the pool head first. Europe is awash in excellent examples of the style. From Brouwerij Westvleteren’s Trappist Blond to the omnipresent Affligem Blond from Brouwerij De Smedt there is some stiff competition in the style. So I applaud them for coming out swinging.

Pairing De Salas

I prefer my salads on the bitter and pungent side of things. I am not one for fruity vinaigrette or dried fruit sprinkled into my salad. It goes without saying that I don’t like honey anything with my greens. I would eat my own weight in escarole, frisee, or radichio before I would eat a forkful of butterhead lettuce. Which is why I happen to think that a nice beer like this goes so well with my salad. The fruity esters and vaguely sweet yeasty notes blend well with my salads more pungent notes, without becoming too overpowering.

That salad pairing got me thinking about cheese – since salty feta is my favorite salad cheese. Some experimentation ensued. The result of which is this – De Salas pairs really nicely with salty cheeses, whether they be fresh ones like feta or aged crumbly ones like Manchego.

Style Guidelines

Color: Yellow (05 SRM)
- Standard: Straw to light amber (2-7(4-14 EBC) SRM)
Clarity: Light chill haze
- Standard: Chill haze is acceptable at low temperatures
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Low malt flavors, some sweet malt aroma
- Standard: Very low to low
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: Very low hop aromas and flavors
- Standard: Very low to medium. Noble-type hops are commonly used.
Perceived Bitterness: Very low (15 IBUs)
- Standard: Very low to medium-low (15-40 IBUs)
Fermentation Characteristics: Fruity esters and slightly spicy phenols backed up by some yeasty undertones
- Standard: Low to medium fruity esters are balanced with low level malt attributes. Low level yeast-derived phenolic spiciness may be present. Diacetyl and acidic character should not be present.
Body: Medium-low
- Standard: Low to medium

Tasting Notes

Sweet, malty, and a little bit yeasty. This is a nice solid blonde ale