Blogs, Beer and Rulers of the Known World

Hands up if you thought Spanish beer was all just like sweet-toothed girlie fave San Miguel. Fortunately, there are alternatives for non-southern shandy drinking softies, as my tales of Alhambra drinking demonstrate, and I discovered yet another one yesterday.

It's Yuste Belgian style beer, produced by monks in the monastery of the same name and weighing in with a beefy 6.5% alcohol content. Recommended by its brewers as a fine drink to accompany game dishes, I personally recommend Papas Vicente crisps, whose only ingredients are potatoes and oil, as a fine snack to accompany this beer.

So, what's it got to do with rulers of the known world? Well, our old blog friend, Chinful Charles V, used to live at this monastery after he took early retirement and a lump sum from being Holy Roman Emperor, and he sorted the monks out with brewing rights. And why is it Belgian style beer? Well, the Netherlands at that time were part of the Hapsburg Empire and ruled by Spain.