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Barlovento

Cervezas Althaia
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🌍 Spain · Imperial Stout · One of 127 Imperial Stouts in hopIQ

Barlovento takes its name from the merchant frigate Windward, which in a tale set in 1811 slipped Imperial Stout through Napoleon's blockade to St Petersburg; the captain is a fictional nod to founder Jorge Sánchez. Althaia calls it a smoke imperial stout and says it was the first Spanish beer brewed with tonka bean. It pours opaque black under a dense tan head. Roasted coffee and dark chocolate meet vanilla, bitter almond, cinnamon and a hint of clove. Velvety and very full, it ends long, warming and gently smoky.

ABV
10.4%
Bitterness
Very bitter65 IBU
Roasted bitterness
SRM
dark40
See all Imperial Stout alternatives →

AWARDS

Silver · 2017
Barcelona Beer Challenge
Silver · 2018
Barcelona Beer Challenge
Bronze · 2017
Campeonato Nacional de Cervezas
★Silver — Barcelona Beer Challenge
★Silver — Barcelona Beer Challenge
★Bronze — Campeonato Nacional de Cervezas
How it drinks· Its pace, balance and relationship to the style.
Pace
sessionsipper
Balance
malt-ledhop-led
Style expression
textbookdistinctive
Where this beer sits· Four axes, the same for every beer in hopIQ.
Body
Full body.
lightfull-bodied
Sweetness
Gently sweet notes.
drysweet
Bitterness
Firm bitter edge.
mildbitter
Texture
Somewhat creamy mouthfeel.
crispcreamy

The weight carries the beer on its own, leaving the aromatics free to lead.

Character· What makes this beer itself — not just another Imperial Stout.
Malt character
coffee
roasted
chocolate
Distinctive notes
smoky
vanilla
spicy
Fermentation & yeast
clove

Tasting Notes

AI-generated sensory profile for Barlovento

◎ Appearance

Barlovento pours deep opaque black, absorbing light with minimal transmission. A dense tan head forms and persists, laying down fine Schaumkleiden as the beer settles. The carbonation is restrained, befitting the weight and alcohol content of this Imperial Stout.

opaque blackdense tan headfull-bodied pour

◌ Aroma

The nose leads with roasted coffee and dark chocolate, grounded in deeply kilned malt character. Vanilla emerges distinctly, joined by bitter almond and warming spice notes—cinnamon and a whisper of clove—that suggest both the tonka bean adjunct and careful malt selection. The aromatic profile is complex without becoming muddled.

roasted coffeedark chocolatevanilla, spicetonka bean

◐ Taste

Entry is velvety and full on the palate, with the malt-driven sweetness of roasted grain providing structure. Mid-palate brings forward the chocolate and coffee elements with balanced bitterness (65 IBU) that frames rather than dominates. The tonka bean lends subtle vanilla and almond complexity, while gentle smoke surfaces as a textural component throughout.

velvety mouthfeelroasted malt sweetnessbalanced bitternesssmoke notes

◑ Finish

The finish is long and warming, with lingering chocolate and smoke that evolves over several minutes. Alcohol heat builds gently, characteristic of the 10.4% ABV, without becoming harsh or cloying.

long finishwarming alcoholsmoky fade
82
hopIQ score
Aroma
84
Taste
83
Appearance
80
Finish
81
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Serve & Enjoy

How to get the most out of Barlovento

Serve at 13–16°C
Refrigerate, then rest 2 min

Slightly warmer than you might expect. 10–13°C lets the roasted malt, chocolate and coffee notes open up fully.

Pint glass
Recommended for this style

The classic — versatile, comfortable to hold and keeps the beer cool. No frills, no distractions: just the beer.

Can be cellared 2–5 years. Develops dark fruit, leather and port-like complexity with age.

Food Pairing

What to eat with Barlovento

About Imperial Stout

Style guide · what to expect · how to find alternatives

What is a Imperial Stout?

Stouts are dark ales with roasted barley character, 4–8% ABV and IBU 25–45. Expect coffee, dark chocolate and toast flavors with a creamy body and dry finish.

Finding a similar Imperial Stout

hopIQ matches by flavor profile — not just style label. A beer with the same roasted, coffee, chocolate character as Barlovento will score highly even if brewed in a different country or under a different sub-style name.

Other Imperial Stouts in hopIQ

Compare with another beer →Explore all Imperial Stout beers in hopIQ →Browse Spain beers →