Malt & Grain

According to the ingredient list, Estrella Galicia 1906 Reserva Especial contains water, barley malt, corn, and hops. Corn here isn't a shortcut—it's standard practice in many countries. It gives the beer a leaner, lighter flavor, since corn starch carries almost no flavor of its own. In Germany, this wouldn't be allowed for bottom-fermented beer, but Spain has no such rule.

Barley is the main grain. For malt, the grains are briefly germinated and then dried in a kiln, an oven with warm air. Germination makes the starch in the grain accessible to the yeast. The hotter and longer the kiln runs, the darker and bolder the malt's flavor becomes. During mashing, hot water then draws the sugars out of the crushed malt. This sweet liquid is called wort—it's boiled, hopped, and then fermented, and from it the beer is born.

According to the manufacturer, 1906 Reserva Especial uses roasted pilsner malts. These are pale malts that are heated more intensely. They give the beer notes of caramel and a touch of coffee without turning it black. That's why its color is amber rather than golden like the Especial.

So the difference between the brand's two flagship beers already begins with the malt. Especial relies on pale malt and corn for a clean, light body. The 1906 Reserva Especial has a higher original gravity—meaning more dissolved substances from the malt in the wort—resulting in more alcohol and more roasted character.