Great British Beer Festival

Next week sees the start of the Great British Beer Festival at Kensington Olympia in London.  If my calculations are correct then this will be the 37th GBBF since the first one was held in 1977 at London's Ally Pally.  After travelling out to Leeds and Birmingham the festival went south to the Metropole in Brighton in 1985.  This was the first I attended and the pictures below were taken at this event.      

I'm the one wearing the incredibly trendy Gales sweatshirt.

A lively crowd 

My only real memories of these festivals in Brighton were how incredibly crowded they were and finding a seat was impossible.  Brighton was a great place for cheap accommodation so there were usually a few of us who went down from London where I was living at the time to spend a few days there.  The beer choice would probably not seem too impressive nowadays but at the time it was far better than you could find in pubs.  Genuine free houses were hard to find and so CAMRA beer festivals were always popular.  I don't remember any non CAMRA beer festivals at this time either and CAMRA ones were also far fewer in number than they are today.  CAMRA may come in for a lot of stick today but without them and events like the GBBF I wonder what the beer scene would actually look like today.         

After three years at Brighton the GBBF returned to Leeds before coming back to Brighton for a year.  Then, in 1991, there was one awful year at the London Docklands Arena before it settled at Kensington Olympia from 1992 until 2005.  In 2006 it switched to the nearby Earl's Court but when the death knell for this venue was sounded it returned to Olympia in 2012 and here it remains.  I think I have only missed three GBBFs since the switch to London in 1991 and it has always generally managed to get bigger and better.  Olympia remains my favourite venue and it is spacious enough for plenty of seating nowadays.  

There is plenty of things to do apart from the drinking.  The music is usually worth listening to but I wish they would get Mad Jocks & Englishmen back again.  They were virtually ever present in the early days of the GBBF.  The festival games continue to provide me with brewery memorabilia (or old tat as my wife succinctly puts it when I unveil my winnings the following day).  My expertise at table skittles and 'ring the hand pump' has won me numerous brewery mirrors, T-Shirts, books, etc over the years.  If you don't have my levels of skill you can always try your luck on the Brewery Name Game of course which is a sort of tombola but with a theme of closed and current breweries and you win if you pick out a current one.

If you go on the Saturday there is the pub quiz which has become a competition to see which group of people can google the answers the quickest.  If you don't have a smart phone you have no chance!  It is about ten years since me and my two mates won this gaining for ourselves a trip round the Hall & Woodhouse brewery which I was boycotting at the time because they had just closed down my beloved King & Barnes.  There have been some near misses too since then which has resulted in me winning some more lovely brewery memorabilia (or old tat).

This year I will be there on the Friday so the quiz can be won by somebody else.  I hope I am getting over the point that this is an event worth going to for every beer lover.  This will be the first year I will not be with my very best mate Wurzel (the bearded one in the picture above).  In the past few months he has suffered a stroke and although he is recovering well he will not be attending this year.  On the plus side my nephew is now old enough to attend so he will be coming along with my brother for his first GBBF.  You start to feel old when your mates fall by the wayside and the little ones grow up and start coming along too.  That is the sort of event the GBBF is though.  Once you start trotting along and spread the word it becomes an annual meeting point for you and your friends.  There are some friends who I only see once a year and that will be at the GBBF so long may it continue.

Cheers.

                 

    

Downlands Brewery

On Saturday it was my very great pleasure to visit Downlands Brewery.  They are tucked away on an industrial estate in the village of Small Dole just outside the area of the South Downs National Park.  I was part of the Western Sussex CAMRA branch that had invited themselves to make a presentation to the brewery and the three man team at Downlands were there to welcome us.  Pictured below from left to right we have Widdi, Ian and David and they are living proof that brewers are the nicest people you could wish to meet.     

Upon entering the brewery you make the walk of pumpclips.  The narrow passage that leads to the room below where all the action takes place is lined with the clips of all their beers that they have produced since their inception a couple of years ago.  The 10 bbl brewery is compact with a single mash tun and three fermenting tanks.  After a brief chat about the brewery and what every vessel was used for it was time to sample some of their products.    

I began with their new product, a 4.5% black pale ale with the name 'a darker shade of Pale'.  This is generously hopped with an assortment of the best American hops and the aroma from these was very powerful.  They were very well balanced though by a lovely smooth biscuity malt character.  I still find black hoppy beers hard to adjust to as the aroma comes from the hops but the malt character comes through with the taste and so my brain gets confused as these two senses are telling it different things.  This is a fine example of this style of beer though.      

My second beer offered up more confusion to my poor brain.  This time it was the 4.7% ABV APA (Anglo Pale Ale) described as an American style pale ale with British ingredients.  This beer was well hopped too but with traditional British hops so there was none of the tropical fruit sweetness you get with a typical APA but rather a more earthy fruity bitterness with a long dry finish to it.  It is another fine beer           

The general purpose of this visit was to present the guys at Downlands with their certificate for winning the beer of the festival at the Yapton Beerex which my local CAMRA branch holds each May.  Their 5.0% Devils Dyke Honey Porter took first place against some very stiff competition from breweries all over the country including Tiny Rebel and Magic Rock.  It was therefore time to try this beer as the presentation was about to be made.

Head Brewer Widdi was on hand to receive the award from our branch chairman Phil Wildsmith.  Widdi was honest enough to admit it isn't his favourite beer but as our chairman pointed out, it goes against the perceived notion that strong dark beers will only sell in the winter months when such a beer will not only sell but is also widely enjoyed at a beer festival held over a particularly hot weekend in May.  The beer itself is a version of their lovely Devils Dyke Porter but with a dash of honey added to it.  This adds a sweetness to balance the chocolatey roasted malt character of the former and I confess to being quite a fan of it as the balance is pretty much spot on with not too much sweetness coming through to overpower it.        

The beer is obviously proving popular as this is the second award it has won recently but I'm sure Widdi and the guys would love an award for one of their favourites next but for now it seems they are going to have to continue brewing it.  

After the award had been given and gratefully received there was time to sample a couple of beers that are similar except for the hops used.  Pele (4.1% ABV) is a version of their Pale that was brewed for the World Cup last month and the hops in this one were the big 'C' hops from the US - Comet, Chinook, Cascade and Colombus.  This is a fantastic beer and it was my favourite of the day.  Once I saw the list of hops I knew I would be a happy man.  Lots of tropical fruit character in both the aroma and the flavour that I have come to love over recent years.           

I finished off with the current version of the Pale (4.1% ABV).  I say current because the hops in this beer are often changed from brew to brew and this particular one had a couple of New Zealand hops I believe if my memory is correct after all this beer.  It is a beautifully balanced straw coloured ale that I have previously enjoyed in local pubs.  It has a lovely crisp bitterness with a dry bitter finish.     

It was time to say goodbye to our hosts and catch the bus back into Shoreham where I had time for a pint at the excellent Duke of Wellington.  The pub was hosting a Brodie's tap takeover later that evening and some of my CAMRA colleagues were remaining for that event.  I had time for a pint of Beach Head Original Ale (4.5% ABV) which was a pleasant best bitter but after the hopfest I had been enjoying earlier it was a bit average.     

Downlands brewery are living proof that the beer world is full of friendly brewers enjoying their craft.  Their reward comes when their labours are honoured by the general public appreciating their endeavours and that is what Saturday was all about.  The beer of the festival at Yapton Beerex is not decided by the local CAMRA branch but is voted for by all those that attend.  It is therefore always a pleasure to attend these award presentations and to sample the beer in the brewery where it is made.  My sincere thanks go to Widdi, David and Ian and I will continue to look for their beers when I am out drinking.

Cheers.

Yorkshire Ales Part 4 - Hop Studio

It's been a while since I began my Yorkshire Ales competition.  My illness brought it to a halt and it has taken me a while to get back into it but now it's time to go once more.  For those of you in need of a reminder the three breweries I have sampled so far (and their respective scores) are as follows.  To see the reviews of each just click on the brewery name.

1.  Geeves Brewery 31 points

2.  Axholme Brewing Company 28 points

3.  Revolutions Brewing Company 28 points

For round four I am heading to North Yorkshire and the village of Elvington.  Hop Studio began brewing a couple of years ago and this is one brewery I have come across before thanks to my local pub in Pagham selling the excellent Vindhya (6.0% ABV) as a guest one time.  On the back of this I was looking forward to this selection of bottles.     

Porter (4.3% ABV)

This porter looks fabulous and after pouring the aroma gave off distinct notes of vanilla.  It is brewed with American hop varieties Galena and Willamette.  With the first sip it is clearly a very smooth beer.  There are sweet vanilla notes immediately evident but these are joined by a subtle coffee bitterness along with fruity notes of blackcurrant and blackberry.  The finish is bitter and overall there is a lovely blend of flavours here with aniseed popping up too.  This is a winner with my wife too.  A fabulous start and a score of 9/10.       

Blonde (3.5% ABV)

For the next beer we head way down the ABV scale with this lovely looking very pale ale.  Brewed with Chinook, Cascade and Nelson Sauvin hops there are lots of grapefruit, grassy, lemon and pine notes here and it is a beer that is bursting with flavour.  There is a sharp, crisp and refreshing bitterness throughout and I absolutely loved it.  If session beers were always like this I would forget the high ABV stuff (well perhaps not).  My wife is not such a fan of this kind of beer but she still thought it was ok which is high praise indeed believe me.  This  beer scores a 9/10.   

XS (5.5% ABV)

I rounded things off with this 'extra special' beer.  My wife thought it was a bit tasteless surprisingly but once I gave it a try there was no way she was getting it back for a second opinion.  There is an interesting mix of hops in this one with UK varieties Challenger, Northdown and Target alongside the New Zealand variety Wakatu.  It is a complex beer with a rich, syrupy texture.  There are sweet cherry and toffee notes and some bitter orange notes here too.  The bitterness is both earthy and citrussy which lingers into the finish.  It is a highly enjoyable beer and I award it an 8/10.   

My final score is for their branding.  Everything seems to be based on the 'keep it simple' principle.  The beer names state the beer type and the bottle labels are distinctive and have a certain elegance about them and there is a lovely simplicity to the logo design that I like.  The one thing they are lacking is a website as it appears to be 'under construction'.  This marks them down a little and so overall I will give them a score of 6/10.  This gives them an overall score of 32 points which projects them into top place.  I have two more breweries left to go now and next week I will enjoy the delights from North Riding Brewpub.

Cheers.

Harveys of Sussex

This post is going to be dedicated to the family brewer Harveys.  It is always a joy to visit a town that is dominated by a brewery and a couple of weeks ago a visit to Lewes was in order so my wife could browse the antique shops.  We parked on the banks of the River Ouse which gave us fine views of the brewery on the opposite bank.  The smell of a working brewery filled the air and just a single sniff is enough to have my brain in gear for beer.  The brewery was not our reason for visiting of course but there was time for a peek inside the brewery shop and purchase some of their bottled ales for sampling back at home.

Twenty years ago brewing in Sussex was dominated by King & Barnes in the western part and Harveys in the east.  My preference was always for K&B but living in Horsham at the time may have had something to do with that.  K&B has long since gone and Harveys remains as the oldest independent family brewer of Sussex.  The Victorian gothic tower of the brewery remains a much loved Lewes landmark and brewing on the site goes back nearly 200 years.  I'm becoming used to visiting modern micros located in bland industrial units so seeing a traditional brewery steeped in history is something special.                 

Living in West Sussex I do not come across Harveys beer a great deal although they do have a few very nice pubs in our area.  Last night I was able to go through much of their cask range at the Western Sussex CAMRA social visit to the excellent White Horse at Rogate.  This pub on the A272 midway between Midhurst and Petersfield is listed in the current GBG and is a lovely village local steeped in history as it dates back to the 16th century.  Plenty of oak beams, a flagstone floor and a huge log fire make it a welcoming pub in winter and the garden at the rear is popular in the summer as it backs on to the village sports field and childrens playground.     

Having previously tried the 3.5% IPA which I find to be a little bland I went through the other three beers last night.  I began with the Sussex Best Bitter (4.0% ABV) which is a classic best bitter with quite a nice traditional English hoppy bitterness well balanced by a good malt character.  From here I progressed to the Armada Ale (4.5% ABV) which had plenty of dry bitterness but lacking the floral fruity notes I remembered about it.  The finish was very dry and long.  Finally I tried their summer ale Olympia (4.3% ABV).  This refreshing golden ale was much sweeter than the previous two bitters and this did have a fruity character.  Overall the Sussex Best was probably my favourite but none of them compare to the amazing Old Ale (4.3% ABV) that comes out in the winter months.  It is at this time that I will actively seek out a Harveys pub as this beer is quite magnificent and I suggest you do the same.    

Their bottled beer range is extensive and I picked up four to try from my visit.  The first of these was the Tom Paine Ale (5.5% ABV).  Thomas Paine is famous as the author of 'The Rights of Man' but the strength of this beer, 1055, is the standard excise gravity to honour the fact that this political radical was an excise officer in Lewes between 1768 and 1774.  It has a lovely malty aroma.  The hop flavours are quite floral initially and they lead into a superb dry bitter finish.  This is indeed a nicely balanced robust pale ale.    

The second beer I chose was the limited edition Priory Ale (6.0% ABV).  This beer is certainly different.  It has been brewed with ingredients that were supposedly available to the Cluniac Order at the Priory of St Pancras in Lewes in 1264.  It is brewed with wheat, oats and barley with hops and yarrow providing the bitterness.  That all sounds good but then it is conditioned with ale cost (tansy), rosemary and thyme and the resultant ale smells exceptionally 'herby'.  It is very sweet, aromatic and the strength of the rosemary I find to be too overpowering.  It is an interesting beer for sure.             

Next up is the Star of Eastbourne (6.5% ABV) and this seasonal bottled beer is produced annually each October.  I'm not sure what the significance of the beer name is but Eastbourne is a traditional seaside town about 20 miles to the east of Lewes and the start point for the South Downs Way that runs close to Lewes.  The beer is described as an old style IPA that was traditionally exported around the globe in the 19th century.  The golden ale has a fruity hoppy aroma and there is a distinctive fruity floral hop character to the taste.  It is highly refreshing with a very smooth dry bitter finish which makes it so easily drinkable which at 6.5% ABV can be quite dangerous! 

Finally we come to the 7.5% ABV Elizabethan Ale.  This beer is listed in the Roger Protz book '300 More Beers To Try Before You Die' and I confess to being a tad confused here.  Here it is described as almost being black in colour with all the flavours that colour implies.  Well I can only tell you about my version.  It pours a little thinly and is a rich golden colour.  There is a sweet alcoholic aroma to it and my wife thought it was a honey beer after tasting it.  It does have a certain resemblance to the liquid centre of honey and lemon lockets but this sweetness disperses in the finish where there is a slight spicy bitterness.  Even the Harveys website suggest there is black malt in the recipe and it has been modelled on the dark barley wines prevalent at the time of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.  It is a nice beer but not what I was expecting or what I expect from a barley wine.              

A trip to Lewes should be on the agenda of every beer lover.  Not only is it a town that is dominated by a historical working brewery but it is also full of many fine independent shops, has a marvellous castle and has a large number of excellent pubs.  The tiny free house, the Gardeners Arms, is my pick of the bunch and it is a short walk from the Harveys brewery shop.

Cheers.

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.