Sunday 6 June 2010

The Titans of Europe join the fray...

So, with six days to go – it was time to fill in the blanks. To buy the obvious, can-get-with-our-eyes-shut countries.

James and I went to Trafalgar Wines and managed to get the following:-

ENGLAND: We wanted Jaipur – a tremendous beer from Thornbridge, but they didn’t have this in stock. If anyone should have a bottle knocking about let us know asap. Instead, we have gone for Golden Glory.

So, a lot of hopes pinned on this ale, but James assures me its very nice indeed...

GERMANY: We were lacking in Weissbeers in COGH thus far, so plumbed for a tried and tested favourite - Erdinger. Should put in a shift in a tough group.

USA: Have listened to our trans-atlantic readers, and have replaced Budweiser with Sierra Nevada Glissade - which I thought sounded more like a lubricant than a beer.

FRANCE: La Choulette Ambre

According to their website and my pigeon french, its made by artisans of the north, as well as lots of detail my C Grade at GCSE prevents me from having an earthly clue about. However, its 7.2% and looks the part.

ITALY: I'm no expert on Italian beer, save for buying a few Peronis to make a themed dinner party go with a swing, so the choice of Forza Azzurri Beer could well have been a questionable one. Should we have stuck to Peroni or Birra Moretti? Probably... apologies to any Italian readers, although having said that COGH has had visitors from more than 30 countries but Italy is not one of them.

DENMARK: We searched for a decent Danish entrant, but in the short term have only got a humble bottle of Carlsberg to show for our efforts. Perhaps this reflects the understrength Denmark team which is a shadow of their 1992 equivalent. Will try our best to find better replacement, but they do say its the probably best lager in the world... we'll see eh?

And with the quest in the final stages, we decided to use a bit of creative thought in order to come up with contestants for a couple of countries we were struggling with...

URUGUAY: As a tribute to Brighton manager Gus Poyet, we decided that the Sussex-brewed Harvey's Blue Label would be a fitting replacement for Patricia, Pilsen and all the other South American brands that seem so unobtainable here, especially given its very appropriate colouring.

Ooh, just look at those martlets... good old Sussex by the sea

SLOVAKIA: We have also had massive trouble getting Golden Pheasant, so opted for the Czech concoction that looked like it had been brewed nearest to Bratislava. It's called Ostravar and am sure it will be lovely...

So, in essence after all our exhaustive beer hunting - we are missing one country now - and that's Cameroon. Here's a quick of what we've got...

GROUP A

France - La Choulette
Uruguay - Harvey's Blue Label
Mexico - Pacifico
South Africa - Durban Pale Ale

GROUP B

Argentina - Quilmes
Nigeria - Guinness Foreign Export
Greece - Mythos
South Korea - OB

GROUP C

England - Golden Glory
USA - Sierra Nevada Glissade
Algeria - Skol
Slovenia - Adnam's Broadside

GROUP D

Australia - Cooper's Sparkling Ale
Germany - Erdinger Weiss
Ghana - Star
Serbia - Jelen Pivo

GROUP E

Cameroon - YET TO FIND
Denmark - Carlsberg
Japan - Sapporo
Netherlands - Oranjeboom

GROUP F

Italy - Forza Azzurri
New Zealand - Mac's Gold
Paraguay - Palo Santo Marron
Slovakia - Ostravar

GROUP G

Brazil - Brahma
Portugal - Sagres
Ivory Coast - Tusker
North Korea - Mann's Brown Ale

GROUP H

Switzerland - Samichlaus
Chile - Chili Beer
Honduras - Banana Beer
Spain - Alhambra Mezquita

We will shortly release exclusive photos of the beers in their collective pomp and posing according to their groups in a pastoral setting. In the meantime, if anyone disagrees with any of the choices we have made - or have some French colonial beer to send us for Cameroon, please feel free.

Cheers for now, not long til the fun begins.

P ;)




3 comments:

  1. The French offering weighing in at 7.2% eh? I shall make sure I eat something before I come around for the tasting for fear of Choulette-ing my pants during the group of death.

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  2. hi Dan,

    James and I will make sure there is appropriate WC themed food for the judges - don't worry about that mate... Some of the entries are disconcertingly strong - through Mann's Brown Ale and Carlsberg kinda balance these out a little.

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  3. La Choulette's tasting notes:

    "'La Choulette Ambrée' is the result of a rigorous selection of special aromatic malts that confer on our beer a nice taste of caramel. Russet with copper tones, with a thick ivory head, this beer has a nose rich in notes of prune. On drinking, the beer reveals flavors of coffee and light caramel. Its warm bitterness gently extends into a silky texture."

    Let it be known that I've never translated tasting notes before, so while I translated it as closely as possible, that last bit makes little to no sense to me. :)

    Cheers!

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