Remember Stone Imperial Russian Stout? We do, and with quite a bit of affection at that.

Now Stone has released the Belgo Anise edition, giving us something that already was sublime with the addition of an even better flavor. Impossible, you say? You have every reason to, but I'm going out on a limb here: This Belgo Anise IRS might just be the ale to knock Deschutes's the Abyss down from its throne.

Here you have everything that is great about an excellent beer—and feel free to read my tasting notes on the standard edition if you need a reminder—amplified. The flavor is just a bit deeper, with the malts coming out to play in fuller force than last time. Heavy as the 10.5% ABV is, it's still not insanely pronounced here; think of it as a foot soldier, assisting general Anise.

Ah yes, the anise. I can go either way on that flavor, but here, here it is balanced perfectly into the mix. It hits at the end, gently at first, until it takes over the flavor profile almost gingerly. Just sit back and let the anise seduce you. It is an amazing feeling.

Go out and pick up as many bottles you can of this beer. It's cheaper than the Abyss and possibly better.

Located in the hills and orange groves north of Pilar, Spain is Rebate, a restaurant worth the trip to the border of the Valencia/Murcia regions should you visit the country. I mean, really. We could toss out superlatives here, but the dishes we sampled should speak for themselves:

Iberico pork confit in a port reduction. Ravioli filled with foie gras in a mushroom and duck sauce. Cheese stuffed chicken breast rolled in iberico ham with mushroom sauce. You are clinically dead if those dishes don't excite you.

Of course, good menu ideas hardly matter if they are poorly executed, but here we're talking amazing quality. The pork confit, for example—the sauce wasn't overly sweet, just a perfect compliment to the wonderfully tender pork confit that was allowed to speak for itself. It came accompanied with a selection of glazed vegetables and mashed potatoes. As far as a taste of Spain goes, good pork tends to have it covered. This iberico pork wasn't just good, it was great, or even something beyond that.

Foie gras stuffed ravioli? Excellent. Creamy texture, with small slices of duck in the sauce. And, again, iberico ham with the chicken—it's a great combination. Pick from a large selection of local wines at standard affordable Spanish prices, and you can have yourself a good evening here.

There are few places we 100% recommend, but Rebate is on that short list. Here you can taste the best of Spain, and it's affordable, cheaper than meals at many local restaurants. What's not to like about that?

In fact, stop reading this, and run out and book some tickets to either Alicante or San Javier! Sure, that might add to the price of the meal, but we think that's worthwhile.