At this point, for a beer to attract attention is not easy, but Shuangxi Blau arrives with an unusual script that promises to make people talk. And it is a Chinese-Catalan craft beer brewed in the Poble Sec neighborhood of Barcelona and, above all, surprising for its blue color. It is one of the most unique novelties presented these days at the Barcelona Gastronomic Forum, but we have already been able to try it and talk to its creators.
Although this color has never gone very well with things to drink and eat and there are even scientific studies that claim that it is the only color that inhibits appetite, it is not the first blue beer on the market. At least in other countries and with industrial beers, so this is possibly the first blue beer in the country and one of the first craft beers of this color in the world. With the record and the headline established, what is really interesting here is the result and the story behind it.
Why a blue beer? Yibo Wen Zun, creator of the Shuangxi brand and ideologist of this version, contextualizes a little the Western strangeness towards foods and drinks of this color. And, as she explains, in China it is not at all strange, there are more or less common ingredients that provide this dye and that are used in infusions and desserts.
In his area (Heilongjian, in the northwest of the country, near the Russian border) there is even a soft drink similar to Coca-Cola in this color, he tells us. Precisely that drink was one of the ones they used to experiment when this idea was taking its first steps. This is how Daniel Fermun, brewmaster, head of the El Abirradero brew pub and the other leg of this project, remembers it.
And the thing about color is not that easy. At least if, as in this case, the idea is not to use colorants but rather natural ingredients. In fact, those who think of a blue beer with an intense color as if it were a candy or a Smurfs beer may still be a little disappointed by the turquoise blue and somewhat matte color of Shuangxi Blau.
Fermun fills what is possibly the first bottle of this new beer to be labeled directly from the fermentation tank, while reviewing the ingredients. Butterfly flower, black goji, coriander, lavender...
Although the list is long, the first two, very common in China, are key because they add color to the beer. Defining the flavor is somewhat more complicated: soft, slightly hoppy and with a spicy aroma. We even seem to subtly distinguish the spicy and sharp mouthfeel left by the so-called electric flower (Sichuan flower).
The base, explains the technical manager of the project, is a Belgian-type beer, between blanche and blonde, perfect for this type of experiments with ingredients that go far beyond the base recipe of cereal, water and hops. Unlike what happens with wine - a blue wine had to remove that term from its label a few years ago - there is no color regulation here, so a beer can perfectly be blue.
Although, obviously, color is a great hook to attract the public's attention, Yibo Wen goes further and explains his determination to create a blue beer. The aforementioned relationship with some foods from his region of origin with this color, or, seeking the more poetic side, the memories of the color of the sky in his town or the sea in his new home, here in Barcelona, make up this beautiful story.
In fact, they tell us that some blue gyozas, their mother's recipe, will be one of the dishes in the pairing that will be proposed at El Abirradero to present this beer. Those who claim that blue is the only color that suppresses appetite, it is clear that this is not always the case.
Without filtering or pasteurizing, the two creators of this beer want to emphasize the antioxidant properties of the plants used. A very delicate topic when talking about alcoholic beverages, but, in any case, Shuangxi Blau will arrive with a QR on its label that refers to the list of ingredients, and the use of many of them within traditional Chinese medicine. “We want to talk about a nutritious beer, which is a term used in Germany,” says Wen.
For now, 500 liters have been produced in this first edition, which will be presented at the Gastronomic Forum in Barcelona and will soon begin to be marketed as a signature craft beer.
Appealing to the gastronomic spirit of the beer, it will only be in a 75 centilitre bottle with a price between 14 and 19 euros and it will be possible to find it especially on restaurant menus and in some gourmet stores.
