Althaia's Cap Negret is no ordinary beer. From the moment you pour the can into the glass and it reveals its unctuous body and exuberant cascade, you know you are not dealing with a beer like any other, and today we want to explain why.
The main characteristic of Cap Negret is that it is an Oatmeal Stout packaged with nitrogen in a can, something that had never been done before in Spain. But let's start with its style, what does Oatmeal Stout mean? A variant of British Stouts, dark, full-bodied, and nutritious beers that in the late 1800s used oats in the grist to make them more nutritious. It was popular in England between the world wars. At Althaia, we have reinvented and adapted the recipe's profile, with an alcohol content of 4.8% and regulating the bitterness level to give it a silky and more drinkable texture.
The other aspect that makes it so special is its packaging, in a 33 cl can and with nitrogen instead of carbon gas. This method is what gives Cap Negret its hypnotic cascade when served and its creamy foam, which remains in the glass. To enhance these aspects, we always recommend shaking generously three times and pouring abruptly into a glass. The effect when served from a barrel is equally surprising.
Once served, we will find a malty, dark, and full-bodied Ale, with the complementary creaminess provided by the oats and the fineness of the nitrogen. Smooth, unctuous, and velvety on the palate, balanced, and very easy to drink. With the aroma of toasted grains and a subtle coffee and cream character.
We only have to explain the origin of its name. Cap Negret is a unique place, a great lighthouse in the midst of time that watches over and guides us, anchored in history. This small cape in the bay of Altea (Alicante) was formed by the eruption of a volcano 225 million years ago and served for centuries as a quarry to exploit its extremely hard petrified lava. The great black rock over the sea was in ancient times a sanctuary of the goddess Tanit, worshipped by Phoenician sailors, and a jetty was established at its foot. In the 16th century, the watchtower that observed the multitude of ships that anchored to stock up on water from the Algar River was built on it. That great tower was replaced in 1937 by a defense battery. A landmark and refuge for navigators on their journey through the Mediterranean, Cap Negret continues to guide us on our journey today.