World Cup - Final Four

The final four countries can be split between two top beer nations and two nations somewhat lower down the scale.  It has been quite a trawl around the internet beer companies to source beer from as many of the nations taking part but thanks to Beer Hawk, Beers of Europe and Beer Merchants I managed to come up with an interesting selection for most countries.  I'm not quite sure why some of these beers ever get imported however but there must be a market for them.  On the other hand I have been pleasantly surprised by quite a few of these beers too.  If you want to read my previous posts you can catch up here.  

Group Stage

Last 16

Quarter Finals           

The best of this little lot came from Holland as with the tournament as a whole.  The Germans have been consistent throughout and the French surprised me with some interesting and tasty beers too.  As an exercise in learning more about world beers it has certainly proved successful and there are plenty of beers I will go back to.  

Sunday July 13th Germany v Argentina

I was wanting a beer nation to win the World Cup so I was giving full support to Germany with a couple of beers - one for each half.  Sadly I ran out during extra-time but Germany managed to eventually get the winning goal with minutes remaining.  I began with this black beer from Koestritzer (4.6% ABV) and an excellent beer it is.  The brewery is located in the state of Thuringia in central Germany and is part of the Bitburger empire.  This beer is made with pale malt, Munich malt and roasted malt.  It is very nearly black and looks and tastes like a mild.  The roasted malt flavours are to the fore and there are some nice gentle spicy notes in there too from the Huller and Hallertau hops.  The finish is very smooth with a creamy feel to it and this is my favourite German beer of the tournament so far.  I loved it.       

For the second half I chose a classic wheat beer (5.4% ABV) from the Weihenstephan brewery based in Munich.  The 'Holy Stephen' brewery is reputedly the oldest brewery in the world dating back to 1040.  The brewhouse is now modern of course and this beer is made from a blend of barley and wheat malts and is lightly hopped with the traditional Hallertau variety.  The aroma is yeasty with hints of banana and nutmeg.  The appearance is golden and cloudy.  This is everything I expect from a wheat beer.  The flavour is very slightly sour, floral and aromatic with a fruity and spicy finish.  It is not my favourite beer style but when it is done well it is a refreshing change and I enjoyed it this evening as much as I enjoyed the winning goal.  A fitting finale to what has been an excellent tournament.                

Match score 1-0 (after extra time).  Beer scores 8/10 and 7/10.

Saturday July 12th Holland v Brazil

The third place playoff match must be the most meaningless game in football but I was happy to give this Belgian / Dutch beer a go.  This beer from brewster Hildegard van Ostaden is brewed at the La Trappe brewery in the Netherlands rather than the Urthel brewery in the Belgian town of Ruiselede.  Hop-It is a 9.5% ABV beer which mixes the traditional Belgian style ale with the American tradition of heavy hopping.  Light golden in colour it has a strong boozy aroma.  It has plenty of flavour from the hops with hints of pineapple, rich fruits, sherbet, spice and caramel.  Despite the strength it was oh so easy to drink and the refreshing dry cittrussy aftertaste was a delight.    

Match score 3-0.  Beer score 9/10.    

Wednesday July 9th - Argentina v Netherlands 

Sadly one of the worst nations for beer in this tournament has made it through to the final at the expense of one of the best.  For this match I chose my second Dutch beer of the tournament from the Koningshoeven brewery, the first trappist brewery from outside the Belgian borders.  In the group stage I chose their Tripel and this time I went for the Quadrupel that comes in at a headbanging strength of 10.0% ABV.  This beer is even better than the lower strength Tripel which was a mere 8.0% ABV.  This attractive amber coloured beer certainly has a boozy aroma.  The initial taste was fruity with a bit of a sharp spicy edge with notes of pineapple and sherbet mixed with lots of hints of various rich fleshy fruits.  Toffee notes are in there too and as a whole it is totally splendid.

Match score 0-0 (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties).  Beer score 9/10.     

Tuesday July 8th - Brazil v Germany

Thanks to the Hatters Inn, my local Wetherspoons pub, I was able to try this for my Brazilian beer for this match.  Sadly, this came after the day of the event so the Brazilian team must have thought they had to go into this match with a Brahma and were totally and utterly hammered.  Samuel Cavalcanti from the Bodebrown Brewery (based in Curitiba, Brazil) visited the coastal Suffolk town of Southwold to come up with this Pale Ale at the Adnams Brewery.     

Now as you can see below there is nothing much that is pale about this beer.  In fact it is a nice rich chestnut colour but it certainly smells hoppy.  This 5.0% ABV beer does have quite a traditional Adnams malty biscuity base to it and it does take a while for the tropical fruit flavours from the hops to shine through before everything gives way to a gentle bitter finish.  Overall it is a very nice smooth pint of beer that will give the Germans something to think about.     

I chose this Kellerbier (5.0% ABV) from the Kulmbacher brewery to represent Germany in this game.  Kellerbiers (cellar beers) are typically unfiltered lagers that are well hopped.  This is my first of this style so I have nothing to compare it too however.  I do love this kind of bottle and after pouring it had a nice frothy head.  The  beer itself had little aroma, a bit yeasty and slightly fruity but that was about it.  Pale brown in colour it had low carbonation and a bit of a short aftertaste.  Everything was understated but in a good way here.  Slightly cloudy to make it look inviting, slightly sweet with hints of caramel and orange.  Slightly spicy to give it a bit of a zing on the palate.  As with all my beers I do not cool them so this is served warmer than it is recommended but killing flavour is not what I like doing.  I found this beer beautifully refreshing without the need for cooling it.  This beer match was very close but I think the Germans just about edged it although they both scored the same.  Seven seems to be the recurring theme with this incredible match.    

Match score 1-7 (SEVEN !!).  Beer scores 7/10 and 7/10.                 

World Cup Beers - Quarter Finals

Saturday July 5th - Netherlands v Costa Rica

Having been corrected in my use of 'Holland' and the 'Netherlands' I am still in love with all things Dutch in this tournament.  For this game there was no opposition for them and I chose this 4.6% ABV saison from Brouwerij Emelisse.  This Dutch craft brewer began in 2005 and has grown steadily producing a range of beers based on traditional recipes.  This Saison is certainly a fine example of this style of beer.  It has a cloudy appearance with a vibrant golden colour to it with a nice frothy head.  The aroma is yeasty and fruity and the flavour is bursting with bitter citrussy notes combined with a zesty spicy zing with hints of tropical fruits coming through in the finish.  This is one more Dutch success and I am delighted they won this game so I can try another Dutch beer in the semi-finals.

Match score 0-0 (Holland win 4-3 on penalties).  Beer score 8/10.        

Saturday July 5th Argentina v Belgium

My sinlge bottle of Argentinian beer has long departed thankfully so I was desperately hoping Belgium could win this game.  The bottle I chose for them comes from the smallest of the currently approved Trappist breweries located in the Belgian municipality of Achel.  The monks of the Abdij de Achelse decided to restore brewing in 1998 and become the sixth Trappist brewery in Belgium.  There is actually a brewpub in the grounds of the abbey where visitors can drink the beers and view the brewhouse.  The brewery began with a blond 5% and a brune 5% and they added the 8% varieties in 2001.  It has a deep russet colour to it and there are some big flavours of fruit cake, caramel and some spiciness.  Everything you would expect from a rich, strong Belgian brune ale in fact.  A veritable intoxicating feast.

Match score 1-0.  Beer score 8/10.     

Friday July 4th Brazil v Colombia

With some lovely beers lined up for the quarter-finals I could not bring myself to ruin it by opening another bottle of Brahma so this was a dry match.  Brazil went through what was a very physical game and if there was a beer called 'lenient ref' then that would have been appropriate for this one.

Match score 2-1.  Beer score n/a.

Friday July 4th France v Germany

The quarter-finals kick off with what promises to be an excellent beer match.  For France I chose this effort from the Brasserie de Saint Sylvestre based in the NE region of France.  Gavroche is a character in Les Miserables apparently and this beer is a traditional Paris Red Ale (8.5% ABV) that is refermented in the bottle.  It is certainly a complex beer that I did not keep cool enough which is probably why it exploded out of the bottle when I opened it.  My wife thought it had the aroma of marmite.  I could really just smell alcohol.  The taste was quite harsh with hints of wood and tobacco and mustiness.  Not totally unpleasant as there was some subtle hints of rich fruits in there but these struggled to come through ahead of the woodiness and overall booziness of it.  An interesting beer for sure but one which I struggled to appreciate.        

For Germany I went for a traditional Doppelbock.  Paulaner Salvator (7.9% ABV) is described by Roger Protz in '300 Beers To Try Before You Die' as 'the classic Munich Bock, the benchmark for the style'.  It is brewed with lager malt, caramalt and Munich malt.  The hops are of the Hallertauer variety.  The colour is a deep russet colour.  It has the smell of a rich malt loaf and the first sip is quite intoxicating.  Rich and malty with hints of sherry and rich heavy fruits like raisin mixed with bonfire toffee.  My wife found it too rich and malty but I liked it a great deal.  This is a style I generally like and this is a beer I would willingly come back to.  Following the game it is goodbye to France and more beer from Germany to come.

Match score 0-1.  Beer scores 6/10 and 8/10.         

World Cup Beers - Last 16

The knockout stages are here and some of the best beer nations have already let me down by failing to qualify.  Well one in particular let me down actually and we all know who that is.  I could also have done with Japan, Russia and Australia going through at the expense of Colombia, Algeria and Chile but that was always going to be unlikely.

     

For the last 16 I have 10 countries for whom I have a beer.  One tie is dry and one tie, Belgium v USA, should be a very interesting contest.  To catch up on the beers I endured/enjoyed in the group stages then click here.

Tuesday July 1st USA v Belgium

This is the match I've been waiting for.  I have a multitude of beers I could choose for either country but for each I have chosen something that I am yet to try.  For America I have a Centennial IPA (7.2% ABV) from Michigan-based Founders Brewing Company.  I am assuming the Centennial hop is prevalent in this one and it certainly produces a strong citrussy aroma.  The initial taste is very robust and there is a strong malty base to this to keep the bitterness in check.  The bitterness is a mix of grapefruit and earthy notes which is extremely pleasant and is more of a traditional IPA than an American one.  The finish is delightfully bitter and long and the taste improves as you drink more.  By the end of this one I was wishing I had another bottle to open.         

For Belgium I have gone for a traditional Belgian Tripel.  Affligem is an abbey dating back to 1074 although the current one was built in the 1920s.  The nearby De Smedt brewery produced the beers on behalf of the monks and the success resulted in De Smedt rebranding as Affligem.  The company is now owned by global Dutch giant Heineken (boo!) but the abbey has retained control of the brand name.  Affligem Tripel (9.0% ABV) is light coloured and has a rich complex aroma of banana and ripe fruits.  The taste has lovely flavours coming in from all sides.  Banana, pear drops, pineapple, floral and a spicy citrussy flourish in the finish.  Overall it is a lovely beer with a smooth, dry bitter finish.  More than a match for most beers but will it be enough to win this one?  I scored them equal which means I guess I need to consume five beers from each country for a penalty shoot-out.  I'll leave that one for another day.   

Match score 0-0 (2-1 AET).  Beer scores 8/10 and 8/10.                     

Tuesday July 1st Argentina v Switzerland

After a failure to come up with anything from Switzerland for the group stages I came across this one from online retailer Beer Merchants for the last 16.  I placed the order thinking they may get through to to the next round but they lost so I consumed this one after the game.  This 1936 biere (4.7% ABV) is a standard pilsner and it is brewed at the foot of the Swiss Alps in a brewery that has been in the Locher family since 1886.  It has a nice lemony tang to it and is smooth and refreshing.  A little on the boring side for my taste but I preferred it to the Argentinian Quilmes I had in the group stages but my wife was not so keen so I guess it's a draw as it was on the pitch until the closing stages of extra-time when Argentina scored to progress.  

Match score 0-0 (1-0 AET). Beer score 5/10.   

 

Monday June 30th Germany v Algeria

This game is no contest at all really but it gave me an opportunity to try another German weisse beer.  I'm really trying to like this beer style after I started with a few duff ones.  The Maisel Brewery, based in Bavaria, began brewing in 1887 and have  become a renowned wheat beer brewery.  Maisel's Weisse Original (5.2% ABV) has a lovely copper colour and shows a nice frothy head.  It has a gentle fruity aroma and the initial taste is a lovely complex mix of fruit, malt and spices.  There is banana, apricot, nutmeg and even a bit of bubble gum in there.  The finish is very smooth and quite refreshing and this is probably the best German weisse beer I've tried.  On the pitch Germany won through to what should be a classic encounter with France in both terms of football and beer.  I'm looking forward to that one.          

Match score 2-0.  Beer score 8/10.

Monday June 30th France v Nigeria

This should have been an easy win for France but I made a mistake on this one.  I'll get to that later.  The Nigerian beer is the usual lager with a slight sweetness to it due to to compulsory addition of sorghum from the Heineken owned Nigerian Breweries.    

With a low score to beat I poured the French beer and I thought I had cut myself as this red mixture entered the glass.  I then read the bottle label and my limited French soon told me I had a beer flavoured with red berries.  Oh well it must still be better than the Nigerian lager despite it looking like ribena and my wife giving first opinion and uttering the cry 'that is disgusting'.  Wrong!  This is all wrong.  Sweet red berries clash with an underlying bitterness that results in a horrible medicinal taste I do not want to try again.  Nothing works at all for me here.  In the end I gave up and poured the remainder down the sink.  For those of you interested the beer comes from Brasserie Meteor and is called Wendelinus Rossa (6.0% ABV).  I will endeavour to find another beer from this brewery now to check out their beers which are untainted by red berries and other such crap.  So Nigeria win this one but on the pitch the French sneaked through which I must confess to being pleased about because I know I can find a decent French beer for the next round whereas that will probably not be possible for Nigeria.

Match score 2-0.  Beer scores 4/10 and 1/10.   

Sunday June 29th Costa Rica v Greece

With no opposition in the way of beer Greece should have strolled this game and indeed they did off the pitch with a surprisingly enjoyable beer.  The black lager (5.2% ABV) from the Olympic Brewery was full of roasted malt character and it was very smooth and creamy in texture.  With Greece now out of the tournament this is one beer I will remember as a pleasant surprise.

Match score 1-1 (Costa Rica win on penalties).  Beer score 7/10.    

Sunday June 29th Holland v Mexico

This game turned out to be a decent contest.  First up for Mexico I found an American style IPA brewed by Cerveceria Mexicana.  I know little about the brewery but their website states it is Mexican brewed and owned and they are located in Tecate very near to the US border and they have a 75,000 barrel capacity.  Not very 'micro' but they do describe themselves as a 'craft' brewer.  This DOA IPA (6.8% ABV) is very robust and full of sweetness.  It's quite thick and syrupy making it a bit too sweet for my usual taste but there is a strong bitterness there too trying to come through.  The hop mix is Centennial, Cascade, Fuggle, Saaz, Goldings and Willamette so quite a variety of flavours there.  It's certainly a decent beer and will mean Holland cannot afford to be complacent in this game.       

With England out of the tournament I decided to keep them in it with this collaboration between two Dutch brewers (Rooie Dop and Oersoep) and Yorkshire's Ilkley Brewery.  The Dutch beers I have experienced as a result of this World Cup have exceeded the Belgian beers that I know and love so to get a collaboration between two Dutch craft brewers and one of my favourite brewers in the UK is very exciting.  Rooie Dop are based in Utrecht although they are 'gypsy' brewers currently with their big batches being brewed at Brouwerij De Molen who represented Holland in the group stage.  Oersoep means 'primordial soup' in English and their small brewery is based in Nijmegen.  

The beer itself is sensational.  De Passie (7.8% ABV) is described as an Imperial Passion Fruit White IPA.  The passion fruit is to the fore in the delightful fruity aroma.  It has a nice gentle sweetness to it but it is not overly sweet as it is beautifully balanced by a tart bitter edge.  The finish is bittersweet and refreshing and I think it is possibly the best bottled beer of the year so far and my wife loved it too.  Thankfully Holland came back to win late in this game on the pitch so I can look for more Dutch beer talent for the next round.                         

Match score 2-1.  Beer scores 7/10 and 10/10.

Saturday June 28th Colombia v Uruguay

I don't care who wins this really as there are no beers I could find to make it a contest.  Perhaps I need to find a nice coffee porter for the next round that has been made with genuine Colombian coffee beans.  Is there one? 

Match score 2-0.  Beer score n/a.

Saturday June 28th Brazil v Chile  

This contest really annoyed me.  Brazil go through but not by fair means.  After sourcing this bottle of 4.1% Amazon Beer, which really is a disappointing beer as it is coming from the brewery supposedly voted best craft brewery in Brazil 2013.  Then I notice on the label 'Brewed in the EU under license'.  So I don't know who brews this tasteless crap but I would have been very happy to see Brazil eliminated on penalties because of it.  All I can say is it does taste better than their group stage beer Brahma.  In fact nothing has been that bad.        

Match score 1-1 (Brazil win on penalties).  Beer score 3/10.

     

World Cup Beers - Group Stage

This will be a somewhat light-hearted look at the World Cup in terms of beer.  Let's hope the nation with the best beer comes out on top in the tournament too as we all know which country will win don't we?  Where appropriate I will make references to the World Atlas of Beer, a brilliant book for the beer lover written by Tim Webb and Stephen Beaumont.  A great reference if you are looking to explore beers from all round the world.  The beers were sourced at Beer Hawk, Sainsburys and Beers of Europe.  If anybody can recommend a supplier for countries not yet sourced then please let me know.   

The second round of matches have come to a close and I already have my qualifiers for the knockout stages as far as the quality of beer is concerned so I will now be taking a break as I have a meet the brewer event this week and I also need a few days without alcohol.  I already have some interesting beers lined up for the knockout stages but I may need to try and source some more for the later stages.  Hopefully the best beer nations will progress at the expense of those countries that have not come up with anything so far.  What I want is for more days like yesterday which was the best beer day of the tournament so far.      

Sunday June 22nd USA v Portugal.

I think I have another Portuguese beer in case they qualify for the next stage but that is now looking unlikely.  They certainly could not compete with this fabulous IPA from the USA.  Flying Dog brewery from Maryland began life as a brewpub in Aspen, Colorado before relocating to Denver as a full-fledged brewery in 1994.  Their success has continued with the move to Maryland in 2008 and I am delighted to have discovered this brewery as part of the World Cup of  beers.  This 7.1% ABV American IPA is packed with hops (Warrior and Colombus) and has masses of tropical fruit notes along with grapefruit notes giving a lovely deep bitterness.  The finish is somewhat bittersweet although the bitterness wins out in the end.  I would not be unhappy if the USA go all the way in this tournament but I will be ordering more from Flying Dog whether they do or not.

Match score 2-2.  Beer score 9/10.         

Sunday June 22nd South Korea v Algeria

I confess to having cheated here.  I was really looking forward to the beers this evening and decided not to infect them with this one from South Korea so I opened this one last night along with two other lagers of dubious quality.  However, this one was by far the worst and I am sure they are missing an 'S' of the front of the name.  Supposedly styled upon American rice lagers so I guess they've achieved the same tasteless quality.  'Why would anyone bother importing this' asks the wife.  A good question indeed.  Having said that it is enough for South Korea to beat the beer-less Algeria.

Match score 2-4.  Beer score 2/10. 

Sunday June 22nd Belgium v Russia

Looks like we have a real match on our hands here.  My first ever Russian beer comes courtesy of Baltika which is actually part of the Carlsberg group.  This porter is superb.  It is sweet and  nutty with hints of raisin.  There is a subtle hint of roasted malts but the sweetness dominates into the finish giving notes of vanilla along with a pleasant creamy texture.  This beer will be a challenge even for Belgium.   

It's a good job Belgium have played another ace beer here.  Tripel Karmeliet (8.4% ABV) is a lovely light golden robust ale bursting with rich complexity in the great Belgian tradition.  It uses barley, wheat and oats along with Styrian Goldings hops.  These combine to give a biscuity, floral and slightly spicy notes along with banana and vanilla notes from the Belgian yeast.  In the finish there is a little sourness.  Overall it is a delightful Belgian tripel that needs to be enjoyed slowly.

Match score 1-0.  Beer scores 8/10 and 9/10.       

Saturday June 21st Nigeria v Bosnia-Herzegovina 

This is the first ever beer I have ever tried from Nigeria.  The only beer knowledge I have regarding this country is the fact that Guinness has a large brewery here which apparently makes better Guinness than the one brewed in England (not difficult).  By law Nigerian beers are made with a portion of sorghum (including the Guinness) and this beer certainly has a very distinctive taste to it.  It is darker in colour than your average lager and there are hints of banana and orange in the flavour.  My wife didn't like it at all but I thought it was better than many of the standard lagers we've been experiencing.  Nigerian Breweries are owned by Heineken and this beer is certainly better than that.

Match score 1-0.  Beer score 6/10.      

Saturday June 21st Germany v Ghana

Germany are pretty much through to the knockout stages so I saved my German beers for tougher battles ahead.  Ghana could not take advantage so it became a dry game.

Match score 2-2.  Beer score n/a.  

Saturday June 21st Argentina v Iran

Argentina are represented by 'Argentina's favourite beer'.  Sounds like just the sort of slogan you'd expect from a brewery part of the InBev conglomerate.  Actually though both me and my wife agreed that this was actually quite a smooth tasty lager and probably the best of the competition so far.  It is certainly enough to see them past Iran.

Match score 1-0.  Beer score 5/10.        

Friday June 20th Honduras v Ecuador

No beer to worry about in this game but Ecuador won to give themselves a chance of progressing.  I really need to find some South American beers for the knockout stages at this rate.

Match score 1-2.  Beer score n/a. 

Friday June 20th Switzerland v France

The French have no competition here but they continue to surprise me with the depth and quality of their beers.  This 6.5% ABV blonde beer comes from the French craft brewer Brasserie des Sources (Brewery of the Springs).  This beer has won a few awards including 'Best Ale Over 5.0% in the UK' at the International Beer Challenge of London 2011.  The beer is hoppy and distinctive with floral and lemony notes to the fore making it refreshing to drink.  There is also an aromatic quality to it throughout.  An interesting beer.

Match score 2-5.  Beer score 7/10.      

Friday June 20th Italy v Costa Rica

This should have been a formality for Italy so Peroni (5.1% ABV) stepped forward for this one.  It is another standard Euro lager which I have trouble distinguishing between but this one is smoother and tastier than most of the ones I've suffered so far.  Italy messed up on the pitch so they have to get a result against Uruguay to progress and if they manage that they will probably have to come up with something better.

Match score 0-1.  Beer score 5/10.

Thursday June 19th Japan v Greece

My first Greek beer of the tournament is a 5.0% ABV standard Euro lager from the Olympic Brewery that is dull and uninspiring.  Everything I expected from it really and a good match for the football that has been produced from the Greeks too.  

My first Japanese beer was much more interesting.  This Belgian style white beer (5.5% ABV) from the Kiuchi Brewery had the expected flavours of coriander, nutmeg and orange peel.  However, it was also well hopped with plenty of floral notes giving it a refreshing and complex finish.  I have had better white beers but this is not too far off the mark though making it a comfortable victory for Japan.

Match score 0-0.  Beer scores 4/10 and 7/10. 

Thursday June 19th England v Uruguay

England are represented this time by this relatively new London micro.  London Fields began brewing in 2011 and this is my first taste of their beer.  Shoreditch Triangle IPA (6.0% ABV) is a classic American IPA brewed with barley, oat and wheat and three American hops (Colombus, Centennial and Chinook).  It has a lovely rich golden colour and the tropical fruit flavours flood the aroma and tastebuds.  There is also a nice earthy bitterness keeping the sweet fruit flavours in check.  It is a really lovely beer.  Oh how I wish we could play football like we brew beer.

Match score 1-2.  Beer score 9/10.         

Thursday June 19th Colombia v Ivory Coast

No beer for this game so a honourable draw but on the pitch Colombia triumph to progress to the knockout stages so I will have to work hard to find something to represent them.

Match score 2-1.  Beer scores n/a. 

Wednesday June 18th Croatia v Cameroon

This late match was distinctly lacking in beer so I was pleased to see Cameroon disappear from the tournament.  For Croatia I may have to search harder for the knockout stages if they manage to overcome Mexico in their next game.

Match score 4-0.  Beer scores n/a.  

Wednesday June 18th Spain v Chile

I won't miss having to drink any more Spanish beer although I have one more which may have been a bit more interesting than this one perhaps.  This 4.7% 'premium lager' is very generic and in the words of my wife 'completely tasteless'.  So there you go.  Anybody know where I can find any beer from Chile?  This team could go all the way.

Match score 0-2.  Beer score 3/10. 

Wednesday June 18th Australia v Holland

The first Australian beer of the tournament comes out and I screwed up here by not reading the label so I poured some sediment into the glass making it decidedly murky.  Aussies producing beer that requires careful pouring - whatever next?  This Coopers Original Pale Ale (4.5% ABV) would have had a pleasant light golden appearance if it was minus the fog I inflicted upon it.  The aroma was certainly pleasant.  Quite floral and fruity with hints of banana and spices.  The beer itself is surprisingly quite complex but not necessarily in a good way.  There is too much carbonation and it has low bitterness levels.  It reminds me of some Belgian beers but without the depth of flavour.  Not a bad effort but one that Holland should be able to beat.   

For Holland I am bringing out a pale ale too.  This Pale Ale Citra (4.8% ABV) from De Molen is my first from this highly acclaimed Dutch micro.  The beer has a beautiful rich golden colour and as soon as you  open the bottle you get a massive whiff of that adorable citra hoppiness.  The beer is very one-dimensional as it is citra all the way which is why I love it I guess.  Grapefruit, bitter lemon and grassy notes combine to create a superb refreshing ale.  I need to get more from this brewery I think for the latter stages.  

Match score 2-3.  Beer scores 6/10 and 9/10.

Tuesday June 17th Russia v South Korea

I was intending to catch the end of this match after coming in from the CAMRA social tonight and enjoy either my South Korean or Russian beer but I did not get in until 10 minutes left to play so they will have to wait until the next group games and this will be a honourable draw both on and off the pitch.

Match score 1-1.  Beer score n/a.

Tuesday June 17th Brazil v Mexico

Tonight I went out to the pub so I had to leave my Sol and Brahma for another time.  So disappointed!  

Match score 0-0.  Beer score pretty much the same really.

Tuesday June 17th Belgium v Algeria

Too early to crack open a Belgian beer especially as it is my turn to drive tonight for the local CAMRA social.  Belgium are potential winners of both the beer world cup and the actual world cup but they nearly slipped up on this one.

Match score 2-1.  Beer score n/a. 

Monday June 16th Ghana v USA

This was the late game and I was tucked up in bed for this one so what should have been a certain victory for the USA became a draw.  If beer was to decide the outcome of every match then the USA are potential winners of the tournament and I am confident they will do enough to go through to the knockout stages both on and off the pitch.  Ghana on the other hand have no chance.

Match score 1-2.  Beer score n/a.

Monday June 16th Nigeria v Iran

I do have some Nigerian beer but I spent this game catching up on the beers of Portugal and Germany who played earlier so the Nigerian beers will wait for their next game.  Their performance on the pitch was shocking though.

Match score 0-0.  Beer score n/a.

Monday June 16th Portugal v Germany

Portugal is not known for beer production and judging by their opening effort I can see why.  It is a 5.0% ABV standard Euro lager and it is actually quite harsh and acidic and not a patch on others of that ilk.  My wife wondered how I could drink it but I suffered in silence.  I can sense Portugal heading for a big defeat here as they were on the pitch.    

I have not had a great deal of German beer in my time and one or two have been awful but 'dunkels' I generally find agreeable.  Mittenwalder brewhouse is the highest in Bavaria and is over 200 years old and still in private hands which is always a good sign.  I kept this 5.2% ABV beer from room temperature rather than cooling it and the flavours were delightfully intense.  The aroma was rich and malty with impressions of malt loaf.  The deep copper colour looked beautifully appealing and the taste was malty with a subtle sweetness coming from hints of blackberry, caramel and raisin.  The finish was quite sweet too with just a very slight hint of sourness.  I loved this beer and it has given me a taste for more.

Match score 0-4.  Beer scores 3/10 and 9/10.

Sunday June 15th Argentina v Bosnia-Herzogovina

This match is another non event in beer terms although I do have an Argentinian effort for later in the tournament.  Bosnia-Herzegovina though gets zero mention in the World Atlas of Beer so an early exit is looking likely for them.

Match score 2-1.  Beer score n/a  

Sunday June 15th France v Honduras

Honduras is another beer desert so are unlikely to trouble the mighty France.  France is more recognised as a wine producer of course and I know very little about French beer but I should search out more because I have uncovered a gem with this one.  Brasserie Thiriez begin commercial beer production nearly twenty years ago in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region close to the border with Belgium.  La Blonde d'Esquelbecq was their first beer to be produced and it has an interesting musky, slightly smoky aroma with hints of butterscotch.  The taste is somewhat bittersweet with the bitterness growing into the finish with hints of orange and a somewhat spicy bite to it.  There are also hints of toffee in here too.  I hope France have not peaked too early in the tournament with this one.  It is beautiful.

Match score 3-0.  Beer score 9/10.           

Sunday June 15th Switzerland v Ecuador

Ecuador gets no mention at all in the World Atlas of Beer so they have no chance on the tournament.  I found some Hurlimann's for Switzerland but Beers of Europe were sadly out of stock.  Switzerland does actually have over a hundred active breweries though but as yet I have found none over here.  Following this victory for the Swiss I will have to keep looking for the knockout stages.       

Match score 2-1.  Beer score n/a.

Sunday June 15th Ivory Coast v Japan

This game was played in the early hours so my Japanese beers will be kept for the last two group matches so this was an opportunity missed for an easy win because the Ivory Coast is another beer desert. 

Match score 2-1.  Beer score n/a.

Saturday June 14th England v Italy

Italy has quite a burgeoning craft beer movement now which is why it is sad to see Peroni and Moretti in abundance over here.  I have something better from Italy for later in the tournament but they play Moretti against England knowing the game is well and truly lost.  Owned by global Dutch giant Heineken the beer is a clean crisp lager that is unexciting and predictable.    

I thought I would be fair and let England be represented by a beer I have not tried before.  However, I have gone for experience.  Firebird Brewing is the new venture from Bill King, a veteran of the Sussex brewing scene.  He's having a lot of fun it seems by bringing out a quite variety of interesting beers and Pacific Gem is the name of the New Zealand hop that is the single variety in this lovely 4.2% ABV golden beer.  There are hints of rich fleshy fruits in the aroma and this carries through into the inital taste before you get a lovely spicy, oaky and earthy dry bitterness in the finish.  England have scored a clear winner with this one.  On the pitch England did show a little youthful exuberance but the Italians seemed to have things under control and did enough to triumph.  We cannot afford another slip.      

Match score 2-1.  Beer scores 5/10 and 8/10.

  

Saturday June 14th Uruguay v Costa Rica

Yet another beer stalemate due to unavailability.  In the case of Uruguay it gets no mention at all in the World Atlas of Beer but at least Costa Rica gets a mention with Costa Rica's Craft Brewing Company Segua Red Ale (5.0% ABV).  With more performances like the one tonight I will have to try really hard to source a bottle of this for the knockout stages.

Match score 1-3.  Beer score n/a.

Saturday June 14th Colombia v Greece

This game is another beer drought.  I have some Greek beer arriving on Monday for the final group matches but this game is a draw.  I could perhaps find a coffee porter to represent Colombia or a glass of Coke perhaps? 

Match score 3-0.  Beer scores n/a.

Friday June 13th Chile v Australia

This was one game I did not stay up for so the Australian beers are retained for the next group matches.  Even a Fosters would have been enough to win this one though as I could find nothing from Chile except for a glass or two of wine.  The Aussies therefore settle for a beer draw and need to bring out some good beers to compete in their next two games.

Match score 3-1.  Beer scores n/a.      

Friday June 13th Spain v Holland

On the pitch this could be one of the best games of the tournament.  In the world of beer though Spain could struggle.  Spain rely on this beer from Barcelona for this opening game.  The brewery was established in 1876 making it the oldest brand in Spain.  This 4.6% ABV beer is a bit of a standard European lager really though and not particularly exciting.  It is not as bad as I thought it would be but I think they will be hoping that Holland turn up with a Heineken so they can compete.   

It isn't to be.  Holland turn up with an absolute classic and the game turns into a rout.  Dutch beer does not get any better than this.  The Koningshoeven brewery is the only trappist brewery from outside the Belgian borders but they incurred the wrath of the Trappist brewers association in 1999 when the monks handed over control to the Bavaria group.  The dispute was settled and the beer is still brewed in the abbey and the monks have become involved once again.  This tripel beer (8.0% ABV) is superb.  There is a lovely intoxicating aroma.  The flavours are of orange and raisin with a subtle spiciness and there are sweet bubble gum notes that turn up in the aftertaste.  It is a classic tripel as good as anything from the Belgian trappists.  

Match score 1-5.  Beer scores.  Spain 5/10.  Holland 9/10.

Friday June 13th - Mexico v Cameroon

As with the Brazil game yesterday there is no competition here for Mexico so they can win this game with a beer that is not particularly good.  The coutry of Cameroon does not even get a mention in the World Atlas of Beer.  Sol is an improvement on the Brahma from last night as it does actually have some taste to it.  I have hopefully got something better from Mexico for later in the tournament though when it will be harder to win if they get further.  The game will be remembered for two more dreadful refereeing decisions but this time the result was unaffected.  

Match score 1-0.  Beer score 4/10.  

Thursday June 12th - Brazil v Croatia

OK I couldn't get any beer from Croatia so Brazil win this first game although surely any beer brewed in Croatia could not be worse than this effort from Brazil.  In fact the beer is probably on a par with the performance from the referee in this game.  Shocking!  Brahma is part of the Anheuser-Busch Inbev conglomerate so it tastes as good as you would expect it to.  Described as a 4.3% ABV 'premium' beer surely Brazil can come up with something better than this to fill those vast container ships that have to come such a long way.  A total waste of space.  

Match score 3-1.  Beer score 2/10 (just in case I come across something even worse).          

Three Sheets To The Wind

Six weeks without beer.  That must be a record for me.  I have not actually needed any alcohol to feel like I've had a few drinks too many though thanks to this illness.  Losing your balance is quite unsettling when you have done nothing to induce it yourself.  Staggering around after ten pints is fair enough but feeling like that constantly is not much fun.  The feeling has not disappeared but it has worn off a little so I can walk around now without too much trouble as long as I am careful and last week I attended my first CAMRA social for nearly two months and I survived.  The Long Man American Pale Ale at the Wilkes Head, CAMRA pub of the year for Sussex for the third successive year, tasted simply divine.  

The only good thing about being ill is it gives me time to catch up on my reading.  I have read plenty of Stephen King as is my preference when it comes to having time of my hands but I have caught up on my beery literature too.  I am not the kind of person who needs to avoid all mention of beer when I am unable to partake and so the one book I really wanted to catch up on was Pete Brown's 'Three Sheets To The Wind'.  I only caught up with his writing in the past couple of years after picking up a copy of 'Hops And Glory' in my local Waterstones.  This is a brilliant book which I reviewed at the time (click here in case you missed it) and it made me go out and purchase his first two books - 'A Man Walks Into A Pub' and 'Three Sheets To The Wind'.

I read 'A Man Walks Into A Pub' last year and it is a highly entertaining account of the history of beer and is probably the best book to start with if you want to begin the Pete Brown experience.  You need to read it simply for the massively long list of all the terms that have been used over time to describe the state of inebriation as some of these are carried over into this second book.

'Three Sheets To The Wind' best describes how I have been feeling for a few weeks now so I thought it was time I caught up with this particular book.  The book is a crawl around 300 bars in 13 countries in a quest  to discover the various drinking cultures and how beer fits into each.  You get the feeling the whole project was like a runaway train.  It started fairly sedately with short trips to Barcelona and Prague but as each new country is visited the intensity of drinking seems to gather pace.  As with all travel books there are bits that grab my attention more than others and the trip to Dublin on St Patrick's Day was particularly nostalgic for me as I remembered the time when I was working over there and enjoyed the booziest day off work I have ever experienced.  The sections on Belgium and Germany probably told me nothing I wasn't aware of and remain countries I wish to explore but I now have to add Spain to that list.  Spain has never appealed to me but it comes across in this book as a 'must visit' destination.  Drinking late into the night in a relaxed friendly environment sounds perfect to me.  

The pace picks up with trips to places I simply must visit such as Portland in Oregon and places I still have no yearning for even after reading this book such as Japan and Australia.  The Sweden and Denmark sections brought back more happy memories and it all ends with a trip home to Barnsley for the author to reflect on the whole venture.  Here he experiences and tries to understand the modern British drinking culture as well as comparing it to what he has witnessed on his travels.  Buy this book.  You won't be disappointed.  Pete Brown has a gift for recounting stories and experiences in a way that makes you easily picture yourself there alongside him and most of the time wishing that you actually were.  

   

It has been a challenge writing a blog post after such a long layoff but the monkey is off my back now.  In the past two months I have missed my local beer festival as well as my planned trip to Manchester to enjoy the delights of that city with fellow blogger Beers Manchester.  There will be more beer festivals though and Manchester will be rescheduled so nothing has really been 'missed', just postponed.  Now I must prepare myself for the World Cup.  That is one thing I can enjoy sitting down and not having to venture out for.  

  

Cheers.

  

Yapton Beerex

We moved to the village of Yapton, West Sussex, in July 1997 and it was the following year when I realised what a really great village it is.  The village hall is only a couple of hundred yards from where we lived and it was in the Spring when I noticed the CAMRA Beerex posters going up.  A beer festival at the end of our road in the middle of May.  Sounds like heaven.  

Yapton Beerex is run by my local CAMRA branch and now that I have become an active member this should be the first festival I volunteer for except that I have been struck down with this bloody vertigo and the very slow healing process is threatening to cause my exclusion from the event this year.  However, that is no reason for you lot not to go.  The festival normally coincides with the FA Cup final and in the late 90s and early 00s I would enjoy a pleasant lunchtime at the festival before falling asleep in front of the big match.  As the years went by we would suddenly have friends wanting to come and stay with us in the middle of May for some strange reason and the festival became more sociable.  Even my mum still vividly remembers her first Yapton Beerex.  

The Saturday lunchtime is the time to go if the weather is good.  You simply have to catch a train to Barnham station and then hop on the vintage open top bus which will transport you to the festival just over a mile away and when you have spent a pleasant few hours drinking whilst soaking up the sunshine on the village playing field you can get the bus back and go home to sleep it off.  Until I moved away from Yapton in 2006 I could obviously just stagger home and then be ready to go again in the evening.  Perhaps this is the reason why I was so enthusiastic when we decided we needed to move back to the area.  This moment in time coincided with the new owner of our old cottage phoning us up and asking us if we wanted to buy back the house from her.  The move has not gone through in time for the festival this year but next year I am looking forward to the event very much indeed.

   

This year marks the 25th anniversary of this splendid festival and a few of the local brewers have brewed special anniversary beers for the event.  Arundel brewery have brewed a 4.6% beer appropriately called Silver Jubilee.  Ballards have come up with the 4.3% ABV Jubilee and Langhams have produced the 3.9% ABV Hopburst Jubilee.  So there we have three very good reasons for going this year.  As well as many local beers though you will also come across beers from Magic Rock, Tiny Rebel, Mallinsons, Revolutions, Great Heck, Fyne, By The Horns, Purple Moose, Bristol Beer Factory and many many more.
 
One unusual aspect is that the beer glasses are just half pints so you are forced to enjoy more of the 60+ beers that will be available.  Yapton Beerex has the slogan 'Every May Be There'.  So if you are thinking you would maybe like to go then it is the place for you.  Make yourself a definite and head off to Yapton next weekend (16th-18th).  I could list here all the details about how to get tickets etc etc but I'm having to limit my time on the computer with my illness so just click on this link instead as this tells you all you need to know.

Cheers.