#124: Back in Business

I haven't posted in a while, thanks to a rather dry spell brought on by a finally successful job hunt. This is also the reason why I sadly didn't get to attend the Franciscan Well's Winter and Cask Ales Festival over the weekend, but at least this way I can save more ducats for the Easter festival (and possibly a trip to Dublin for some well-needed beer exploration). Either way, the gap left in this blog by missing that festival needs to be filled, and I may just about manage to do so by scraping together some notes from the recent past. 

Excuse their disjointed-ness.

I got in the mood for summer with Sierra Nevada's Summerfest, their seasonal pilsener lager. It looks and smells pretty much like a conventional, perhaps even tame European pilsener. The taste however, is really something. It's light with lemon notes interspersed with the potent hop character that leans towards the usual Sierra Nevada peel and pine sort of thing. Underneath all of that there's a good biscuit and grainy quality that really comes into play in the finish, with floral hops lingering. As a lager, it's very interesting, and offers an experience more appropriately, well, summery than a Sam Adams or Brooklyn. 

A good beer to have two or three in the sun I'd reckon.

In the same warm-weather category is Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier, this time appearing from the can, a novelty I just couldn't pass up. It really is very similar to the bottled version. That is, a reliable hefeweizen that won't inspire or delight the palate, but will satisfy a thirst admirably, much in the same vein as Franziskaner, although that particular beer is much more affordable and therefore more appropriate for the purpose.

Staying with Paulaner, I opted to re-evaluate their Salvator, which came off as far too harsh with it's ice-cold serving in the Porterhouse a while back. This time around, it's altogether more controlled, while still releasing some seriously deep toffee malt notes on the aroma, with curious hints of green apple and a touch of booze. Strange, and not at all unpleasant. The taste opens a bit like a Dubbel, with red berries and dark fruit appearing in muted form before being smothered by the powerful and sticky malt that characterises the beer. It's a veritable malt bomb, with a touch of booze at the end reminding you of the 7.9% ABV. 

#48: Euro 2012 Beer Semi Finals

It took me a while to work out the tasting of these four beers, so while I was at it, I decided on the overall winner...

But that'll come later on.

First of all, we have the semi finals to get through, so let's see who'll be making up the final later on tonight.

SF 1 - Ireland v England: This was always gonna be a tough one. On the one hand, Ireland's Carraig Dubh is a thoroughly enjoyable, complex, flavoursome and rich porter. It succeeded in an area where very few have done the job for me. That, and the fact that I genuinely just love the flavour and aroma I get from the beer, is the reason Ireland have come so far in the competition. On the other hand, however, is England's London Pride. While the complexity and intensity does not quite match that of the porter (at least not anymore), my enjoyment of it's layered malt, fruit and hop flavours has not diminished a bit. It's incredibly satisfying and refreshing, with a drinkability that I find hard to match. 

Clearly, both beers have winning points, but I suppose the best test is as follows; if I was to go shopping for beer, which of these two would I pick up? Around 7 or 8 times out of 10, I'd go for London Pride. It's consistent, reliable, and I never question buying a bottle. As such, England go through.

SF 2 - Germany v France: I'm only realising now that these two matchups are rather similar. There's the new, exciting beer that I tried and that really impressed me in the form of the French 3 Monts, and there's an old favourite, a beer that I buy almost automatically when I shop for beer. The thing is, there's a significant difference between my opinions of Paulaner and London Pride. Both are my favourite beers in their respective styles, both managed to really impress me and stand head an shoulders above their peers. But in the past 6-8 months, my tastes have changed considerably. I no linger look for Hefes and Wits the way I used to. Instead, I look to explore Belgian, English or American ales, even including porters and stouts. Often, this leads to me finding a style that I had not known existed before, like a Bière de Garde, represented wonderfully by the great 3 Monts. This beer is satisfying to no end. I've said it before but I'll say it again - it just feels so nourishing. This beer tastes like it's made on a farm, for farmers to drink. And it's surprisingly drinkable and refreshing for it's alcohol content, yet the body never feels too light. Brilliant beer...

And there we have it. England will play France to find out which nation in Euro 2012 has my favourite beer. Oh the excitement!

#46: Euro 2012 Quarter Final Draw and Matches!

Yes, it's late, but who cares? There's a wee break before the semis and I did need time to try the beers, so what harm! Once again though, I promise that if I do this again I'll have prepared much better. 

On to the draw then! As I've said, I literally drew the names from a hat to ensure an entirely random fixture list. It went as follows;

France v Netherlands

Ireland v Czech Republic

Poland v Germany

England v Spain

DOES NOT COMPUTE

QF 1 - France v Netherlands:  This is a good one. The La Trappe Tripel is a great beer, and as the only Trappist beer in the competition I had thought it could be a finalist at least. However, I had not considered the possibility that I could be blown away by 3 Monts. Despite not knowing what the fuck to do with the cork, I was really very impressed with the beer. Far from the boozy, malty Belgian style ale I had assumed I'd be getting from Flanders, I got a very nourishing, refreshing, strong lager-tasting ale. First on the nose is champagne yeast and grassy hops, followed by fresh straw and zesty citrus fruits. Herbal, almost. The taste brings malty bread and caramel into the mix, with a grainy wheat and barley follow, finished off by a slight hit of syrupy alcohol and moderate dryness. Really, I didn't know what to make of the style, and that's something that always thrills me when tasting beer. As such, well done France.

QF 2 - Ireland v Czech Republic: Another quality match, with two quality beers, and probably the toughest choice I've had to make this round. On the one hand, you've got Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne's Carraig Dubh porter, one of about three beers of the stout/porter style that have really impressed me in flavour and aroma. Harviestoun's Old Engine Oil was the first, followed by this and Wrassler's XXXX from Porterhouse, and I have to say that on trying Wrassler's again recently, I don't think it's quite as good as the former two. Chocolate, toffee, coffee, liquorice and dark fruit all combine on the aroma, with the taste more or less matching it. I loved the complexity of it and the way it's all carried on a nice creamy full body. I hope I'm not letting my love for Dingle (and my bruised national pride) cloud the decision, but I'm honestly more drawn to a bottle or two of this than a Budvar. After all, no matter how well the Budvar caters to my lager needs, I don't even think it's my favourite of the style, broadly speaking. Sam Adams or Spaten may have a thing or two to say about that. Now, there's an idea - quest for my favourite lager, or indeed lager style. For now though, Carraig Dubh puts Ireland through.

QF 3 - Poland v Germany: Being cheap is not always a good thing. Sometimes a low price tag is the mark of a low quality beer, so it can be hard to decide whether it's good value or pisswater in a bottle, but it sure is exciting to find out. Zywiec, along with fellow Polish recession-friendly Tyskie, is somewhere in between. It's not particularly bad - I thoroughly enjoyed the cold pint of it, and I suspect I'd enjoy it even more with food - but it has to be said that it's not particularly good either. In this case, the price point is a good thing. Yes it's not great, but you won't exactly be throwing all your ducats away. Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier on the other hand, is about €1 more expensive, but offers a vastly improved drinking experience. The malty backbone balances the strong banana, citrus, spice and hoppiness that you get at first, before mellowing out into a nice bready yeast finish. It's ridiculously refreshing, and dangerously quaffable. I will concede, however, that I may  be biased to this brand - my first love of a style that welcomed me into beer geekdom. Regardless, I believe it's a fantastic Bavarian Hefe-Weizen that gets bonus points for being more accessible and affordable than others. Perfectly balanced between true, traditional craft beer and international brand. Germany go through hands down.

QF 4 - England v Spain: British ale really puts to shame the variety of craft beers we have to choose from in Ireland. Fair enough, they had to deal with Heinekenisation (there's a brand new word for you) just as we did, but it seems to have seriously stuck with us. Nonetheless, our craft beer scene is growing and that's something to be proud of. Fuller's is an English brewing institution, and it is too something to be proud of. And you know what? They are proud of it. In London. Hence, London Pride (note: this is almost definitely not where the name comes from). It's their flagship beer, and with good reason too - it's bloody delicious. Perfectly balanced with a strong toffee malt character, fruity follow-up and a nice bitter finish. Drinkability is great - it's quaffable, thirst quenching and you'll probably want another. England are in the semis, and in this competition, there are no penalty shootouts.

#45: Euro 2012 - Beer Quarter Finals

Ok then, with the actual Quarter Finals starting tonight I thought I'd better get my act together and announce the second group of beers in the last eight of my own tournament. I do have a confession to make though - I've let Italy down by failing to hunt down any of their craft beers. I was convinced that I wouldn't be able to find such in my area, but The Beer Nut pointed out to me that I should be able to get some Brewfist beers at least, which would surely represent the Italians better than Peroni... As such, I'm going to have to go with Spain instead, to be represented by Estrella Daura, simply for being a light and refreshing drinkable lager that is Coeliac friendly. As someone with Crohn's disease, I appreciate beers like this cropping up on the shelves, whether or not I need the option at this point in time. However, it seems unfair to me that Spain (or Italy) should suffer a poor beer representation and as such, I will allow for a 'substitution' if I get the chance to try a better beer before the competition ends. Otherwise, I promise I'll prepare better for the World Cup in 2014! On with the qualifications then...

In Group A, Poland escape the drop with Zywiec. It's a fairly standard Euro Pilsener-style lager that is cheap as chips and goes down well with strong curries or anything chilli. Fair enough, it may not be an obvious Best In Show, but when Greece and Russia are the two to beat, it was easy for me to make the call.

In Group B, Mikkeller's Texas Ranger chilli stout was a very interesting proposition - Beer Geek Breakfast was also a contender - but like football, my own Euro 2012 isn't always fair, and I've opted to send in La Trappe Tripel for almost purely sentimental reasons. I picked up a bottle of this in a supermarket in Amsterdam, and for someone whose love of beer extended to the various bottled macro lagers we have clogging up Irish shelfspace, you can understand that my tastebuds went into orgasmic shutdown under the caress of my first Trappist Tripel. I soon got the Dubbel on tap, and I was sold to real beer. Good job, Netherlands.

In Group C, it's as I've said - Spain with Estrella Daura. During my first flare-up, I was struggling to find the cause of the terrible stomach pains and was advised to opt for Coeliac friendly food where available. Result.

Lastly, in Group D, with England already through on London Pride, it's got to be France with 3 Monts. This was my first Biere de Garde and I really have to scope out some more of this stuff. It's very, well, farmy, with grainy malty tastes that actually put me in mind of a good lager, as opposed to the Belgian-style Pale I was expecting. Surprisingly (and dangerously) for an 8.5% beer, it drinks extremely well, with only a light dry heat at the end warning you of your imminent intoxication. Very refreshing, good warm weather beer, yet still fulfilling and nourishing. Great stuff.

So there we have it. 

The eight Quarter Finalists are as follows;

Budějovický Budvar - Czech Republic

Paulaner Hefe-weizen - Germany

Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne Carraig Dubh - Rep. of Ireland

Fuller's London Pride - England

Zywiec - Poland

La Trappe Tripel - Netherlands

Estrella Daura - Spain

3 Monts - France

Unlike the real Euro 2012, the Semi Final draw will be done completely randomly from an actual hat, to liven things up a bit.

In the meantime there are some interesting prospects in the cupboard, with Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel awaiting appraisal, Piraat awaiting reappraisal, and Paulaner just might finally be written about properly on this blog. 

#39: Euro 2012 Group Stages and Loosely Linked Beer Talk

Euro 2012 started on Friday, with Poland, Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic fighting it out. Needless to say, the tournament didn't start for me until Spain played Italy yesterday. It was a promising day, with Cork winning the Munster Semi-final and Italy and Spain ending in a draw, an Ireland win would have been perfect. Flags and scarves up, Sam Adams in the fridge, cheap Ireland charity t-shirt on the back... Anyway, we know what happened. In an effort to redeem my national pride and to desperately induce some sense of superiority over the Croatians, I reflected on the fact that we have better beer. Well, probably. I did some research a few weeks before the tournament - as I planned to stage my own Euro 2012 of Beer - and I realised I was going to have trouble buying and trying the beers from some of the participating countries, especially at short notice. For example, I don't know where in Cork I can get my hands on some Croatian, Ukrainian or even Russian beer, and some countries (Spain, Poland, France, Portugal) are only represented in my locale by absolute toss.

So instead, I will do one beer per matchday, with the first four obviously in hindsight (I told you I'd be distracted). 

For matchday one, it was really no contest. I've never had a Greek or Russian beer, and I have to make this clear, I'm not about finding the best beer, just my favourite, and in this case Budějovický Budvar takes it for the Czech Republic. A full-flavoured pilsener that I found ridiculously enjoyable with my curry a while back.

For matchday two, we had more interesting prospects. Netherlands, Denmark and Germany all produce fine beers, with La Trappe, Mikkeller, Wieckse Witte, Paulaner and Weihenstephaner all vying for the considerable honour of being called my favourite. Portugal and beer is a venn diagram that in my mind only has one tiny and insignificant interception - Sagres. Nothing there, then. I would even consider Heineken for the Netherlands, because I have to say having a 250ml glass of the stuff on tap in a sunny Amsterdam really is a much different experience to being served a pint of the fizzy water we get here. That's all redundant, though, because I don't think I was ever not going to choose Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier for Germany.

Matchday three was once again more straightforward. Italy and Spain don't offer much that I've experienced and enjoyed - Peroni was my most recent, with it being unremarkable and, to be honest, not even very refreshing, which I consider the very least a beer like that should be. Croatia was a no-go for me so Ireland have it in the bag. It's a close battle between Porterhouse Brainblásta and Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne's Carraig Dubh, with the latter edging it for it's massive success in making me really enjoy it, despite it's obvious handicap of being a porter.

Finally, matchday four had England and France fighting for the points on the pitch, and they were really the only two contenders in this group. I do know that Sweden have some goods to offer, but I can't say I've tried any, so I can't vouch for that. I also have to admit that I've been slacking on my research - I haven't tried Trois Monts yet. It appears on paper to be the best French beer I can get a hold of, with the only others I can get a hold of being Kronenbourg 1664 and Desperados. It would have been unfair to the good people of France if I put either of these forward only to get destroyed by any number of classy English ales. Don't worry, though, I plan on selecting 4 runners-up beers to make up a quarter finals scenario. How these will be selected is shut up, that's how. Seriously though, rules and regulations for this competition are corrupt on a Turkish football scale. Anyway, my winner for Group D has got to be Fuller's London Pride. It might not be groundbreaking or game-changing, but it's damned delicious drink. Quaff away, but with Trois Monts on the horizon, a beer of a style I am very much attracted to, England may not exactly be running away with it. Money permitting, Sweden may also launch a late challenge for the remaining spot...

So, a recap of the top placed finishers in each group:

Budějovický Budvar - Czech Republic
Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier - Germany
Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne Carraig Dubh - Ireland
Fuller's London Pride - England

Once again, I can't stress enough how the competition is about me finding my favourite and most enjoyable drink, as opposed to judging what is technically the best beer. I simply haven't got the beer knowledge for that sort of thing, to be honest. Also, in an effort to make this as fair as possible, I'm only going to allow one entry per country. This is mainly to prevent me from giving Ireland two beers in the quarter finals, though it doesn't account for me being forced to choose relatively shit beers for countries that I just can't get good beery access to.

Spain, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Italy... I apologize in advance.