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Drinking the group stage, round two

June 29, 2010 in Beer, Features, Football, Sport | View Comments

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(Cool World Ceer posters here)

So here’s the rest of the round one beer match ups. Here’s the idea explanation and here’s the first batch

Italy v New Zealand

Speight’s
Allan Prosser: This is a good honest beer – and I’d expect nothing less from New Zealand. This is the sort of beer that I would drink at the Middlesex sevens over ice on a long afternoon. This is the taste of the south island, where most of the beer comes from, and it’s very good.
Rory Bevan: A light lager ale. It has its ancestry very much in Britain. You’re back into the session beer — a very good drinking beer — very balanced — it’s not too light, not too heavy, bitter or sweet. This shows its English heritage — it’s a good, colonial beer.
Adrian Russell: Like the Kiwis, it is probably more suited to rugby. I can imagine getting through a lot of this in a New Zealand winter tour, but I don’t know how suited it is to football terraces. It tastes good and I like the quaint branding.

Peroni
AP: I feel, much like the Italian team, this is an old, predictable beer. I’m going to go with the basic honesty of the New Zealand beer against something that I think is passed its sell-by date. It’s a designer label that doesn’t live up to it.
RB: The Peroni is stylish but is lacking in substance. Speight’s is good old colonial honesty — if that’s not a contradiction in terms.
AR: I had this in Bari last season when Ireland nicked a draw with the Azzuri. Like the Serie A, this is solid and expertly crafted though not very exciting, admittedly. I love Italian football and Italy itself so this is a draw for me, despite the Kiwi’s brave offering.

Verdict: New Zealand 2 Italy 1
It’s All White on the night as the new world charm of New Zealand’s Speight’s edges out Marcello Lippi’s boys.

Portugal v North Korea

Superbock
AP: This is a nice beer, I think. Too many of these and you might fall down which is appropriate for the country that’s given us Ronaldo. I can imagine drinking this while the fish is cooking in the background. I think the Koreans will have to pull out a big performance to beat this one.
AR: It’s 5.2% which seems unusual for a light, barbeque-type beer. It promises much and is light and flighty a bit like the Golden Generation. Though i can imagine sipping a few of these fairly easily on the patio of a Lisbon cafe. Could be a dark horse.
RB: It’s quite reasonable – dry with our being over dry – and has drinkability. The predominant feature is its graininess and there’s nothing wrong with it at all. It has notes of your traditional Irish lager with the graininess and certainly has plenty of character.

Hite
AP: This is an okay beer too – it’s not the first time we’ve seen them this tournament and for me it’s consistent but lacks flair on the second outing. It drinks fine flat though and would probably complement a nice spicy meal. But Portugal take it for me this time.
AR: Yeah, I think we know a little too much about this formerly mysterious crowd. The beer is tangy and fairly flavoursome but I don’t think this will last much longer in South Africa. That’s a Portuguese win for me – despite another structurally sound display from the Dear Leader’s outfit.
RB:It has a sour character which is a good attribute in beer. That would be its predominant flavour. It’s a decent beer -being fruity and mellow. On its second outing it might suffer, I’d agree but I’d call this a draw. It’s just a preference thing – they’re both good beers.

Verdict: 2-0 to Portugal
Former United No 2 Carlos Queiroz may be more used to supping on Fergie’s post-match bollinger rather than a Superbock, but his Portugal side put their best beer forward with this one. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea can hold their heads high despite this setback.

Argentina v Greece

Quillmes
AP: I’ve never seen this beer before – even in London. You can see that in the Hand of God, cant you? It’s probably the beer that drives Boca Juniors supporters mad. The greatest shame for Maradona is that he can’t stuff it up his nose. 1-0. I have this down as semi-finalists at the very least. It’s a fine beer; it moves around the palate like Messi on a good day.
AR: It’s a hot country beer and this is very good. Like El Diego today, it’s full bodied, enigmatic and lacking chemicals. The bottle is cool and i can imagine knocking back a couple of these during a Buenos Aires ticker tape parade.
RB: It’s understated – even the labelling is retro. I could see myself drinking this with a one kilo Argentine steak. It’s clean and lightly hopped; it’s certainly a contender. It’s again a light pilsner which is nicely balanced. It grows on you – which in anything – is a good quality.

Keo
AP: There’s nothing about it really though it’s fine. The Greek offering is decent if a little unmemorable and it’s not going to beat the Argies this time around. !-O to Maradona and the lads.
AR: This one — though brewed in Cyprus – qualifies under FIFA rules. It’s fairly airy, fairy and has nothing substantial to back it up really. Ideal for hot weather maybe but it will struggle today against the rough aristocrats from South America.
RB: Again, a warm country beer. Not much distinctive about it and no real redeeming features. The flavours don’t marry as well as the Argentina beer so i think this is a whitewash. Quillmes is certainly one to watch.

Verdict 3-0 Argentina
After a week and a half of beer tasting, things get Messi. Though the Greeks served a perfectly functional warm weather drink, they can have few complaints against a classy Argentine beer. Don’t be surprised if we see it later on in the tournament.

Australia v Serbia

Coopers Sparkling Ale
AP: it’s a loud beer a bit like those Aussie neighbours at a bbq – and the longer the day goes on the louder they get. But it tastes good and could go a long way.
AR:
It is quite brash and fun. A craft type ale designed for the educated beer drinker’s palate. But probably not for everyone. Their team could go walkabout early in South Africa but this beer may well go a bit further, I’d guess.
RB: It’s 5.8% so has quite a good kick to it and is bottle-conditioned which means there’s yeast left in the bottle which keeps it fresh and helps it retain its character and flavour – it’s a difficult process. It’s hoppy, bitter, and there’s caramel notes in there. A dry beer but it’s very nice. It’s probably a beer designed for the connoisseur beer drinker.

Jelen Pivo
AP: Given the choice between this and the aussie one at a BBQ, you might use Jeklen to douse the flames afterwards. The Australian beer is a much better presented bottle too – which is a factor.
AR: This is technically adept – I’d be quite happy ot be served that watching the last games of the group stafes. But against the more unusual, well crafted Coopers, it’s a bit of a is-match isn’t it. Plenty of eastern promise – but maybe this tournament came a few seasons too early for Jlen, if you’ll allow me to pour a cliché.
RB: it’s grainy, with plenty of body and fullness. It’s much hoppier and has a bitter aftertaste – which is an attribute of beer It’s s fine beer too but for me the Australian is better, though it’s a matter of tsaste.

Verdict: Australia win 3-0
This could be the first time an Australian could be described as tasteful, inoffensive and leaves you wanting more? We couldn’t possibly comment, but Coopers sparkles this time around anyway agasint the workmanlike, honest Serb offering.

Slovakia v Italy

Zlaty Bazant
AP: this is a professional beer. I’m rather put off by the emblem which reminds me of the Tottenham Hotspur crest – I’m tempted to mark it down for that reason. It strikes me as the kind of beer that it would a big mistake to switch to at 1am some night.
AR: It’s strong. As this is brewed in Slovakia – where Stephen Ireland killed off two grandmothers in one night – I’d call this a potential three-granny beer. But it’s full and flavoursome – you mightn’t get through too many.
RB: The Slovaks have a long tradition of brewing and this is certainly a good continental, fullsome lager. I find it a little bit heavy on the satiating – that is a heavy on drinkability. You wouldn’t want to be going to extra time on them. Nice branding too.

Birra Moretti

AP: This is lightweight in comparison. It’s the kind of beer that goes well with a good pair of sunglasses; it’s a fashioned beer. I’d be happy to drink this in the shadow of the Colliseam watching the girls go by on their mopeds.
AR: It is light, you could probably get the Vespa home after two of these. The golden peasant – which is what the Slovakian beer translates as – is probably for the more mature drinker to sip quietly, whereas the fashionable Italian lager would end up in the discotheque.
RB: This is typically Italian – clean and crisp; this beer has good tailoring. But they’re two different styles of beer – one is full and flavoursome, while the other is light, more like the frascati of beers. I think the Morreti – as a drinking beer – would slightly shade it for me. It’s about balance and for me the Italian has more drinkability.

Verdict: Italy 3-0
Despite a lovely, typically well-crafted Slovakian offering the Italians run out comprehensive winners. The world champions may be wobbling, but at least their fans are sipping a stylish, light, drinkable beer. Forza Azzurri.

Portugal v Brazil

Superbock
AP: This is a nice beer, I think. I’ve been to Portugal a few times on football trips and this is probably representative of the light, decent beer you’re served in Lisbon or Oporto. Depending on what they come up against, this could go a fair way in this tournament.
AR: We always expect so much from the stylish, technically gifted golden generation but this certainly delivers. The sports editor managed to sourced this one from the Portuguese tourist Board, and I could certainly see myself logging onto Ryanair in order to sip a few more beachside. Deceptively strong too at 5.2%.
RB: We’ve had this before of course and I think it went okay. I like it – it’s dry without being over dry – and has lots of drinkability. It’s nice and grainy which is a characteristic of beer. It has notes of your traditional Irish lager with the graininess and packs a punch, like Ronaldo I suppose.

Brahma
AP: This is not a good beer in my opinion. It’s insubstantial and insignificant. The Portuguese will likely conquer Brazil again. 1-0 to the Europeans.
AR: It’s another hot weather beer – suitable for a lazy barbecue rather than a night on the tiles I suppose. We spat it back in Dunga’s face the last time out but I think like the Selecao, it seems to be working its way into the tournament. Better on the second tasting – 1-1 for me.
RB:As I’ve always said – there are no bad beers, some are just better than others. This is light and flighty and would be fine served cold on a summer’s day. They’re not too dissimilar but the Superbock has a bit more body to it and is a bit more flavoursome on balance. And like football, brewing is all about balance.

Verdict: 2-1 to Portugal
We vote yes on Lisbon as the Portuguese lads edge out the Samba Boys with a full-bodied, powerful and tasty offering that might see them go a long way this year.

The group of death

June 24, 2010 in Beer, Football, Sport | View Comments

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So… hiccup… our beer-tasting tournament has been running for a couple of weeks now. I sat down with Heineken master brewer Rory Bevan along with Irish Examiner columnist and Chelsea Shed Ender Allan Prosser before the kick off in South Africa to work our way through a drink from each of the participating countries.

The last game of the group stages – Portugal v Brazil or Superbock against Brahma as we call it – will round off an expensive call. We’ll chill out for the duration of the second round and come back, empty glasses in hand, for the quarter-finals I think. Everything in moderation.

The first week of panels is below, I’ll stick up the rest over the weekend at some stage. Read the rest of this entry »

Hear the one about the fella who tried to collect a beer from every World Cup country?

June 11, 2010 in Beer, Columns, Football | View Comments

beerfestival01

An Irishman, an Englishman and a master brewer from a Dutch-owned beer company walk into a bar. And as Con Houlihan used to say: now read on.

After the lingering, wine-induced Parisian hangover, we now accept we will not be in South Africa tonight when the champagne bottles pop.

The party is about to kick off with all the cool kids already inside, while we wait at home – the now forever-famous 33rd team – constantly glancing at the phone, willing that text to pop in from Sepp.

Well that’s not going to happen. Unless Australia launches a thermo nuclear attack on New Zealand over the weekend and they’re both kicked out, we’re on the couch for the month with only the warmth of England’s unlucky exit to keep us warm.

So how are we to supplement the football?

Archimedes had his eureka moment in the bath; most of mine come in the pub. Quietly sitting at a bar counter, idly trailing my finger around the rim of a glistening tulip glass of imported, frothy wheat beer it occurred to me that we should use beer – responsibly – to wet our World Cup whistle.

There, reader began a global journey to collect a beer from each participating country and play them off against each other. It was a voyage so epic and circuitous that, at one stage, the BBC insisted I take Ewan McGregor on a Harley Davidson to the next off licence.

Some were, of course, pretty easy to source. I would’ve been happier, I’m almost ashamed to admit, if I flicked on Sky News last week and found that Angela Merkel and a few brickies had reconstructed the Berlin Wall, meaning both East and West Germany would be heading to South Africa. In short, there is hundreds of what Jamie Redknapp would call: top, top German beers on the market.

Australia too has exported almost as many lagers as it has bar workers to these islands. But not quite.

The USA also offers a wide variety of beer that reflects the enormous span of their country. Clear, crisp offerings from high in the Rockies or a sweeter, dryer tipple from its yawning southern gulf. Along with Italy, Spain and – spit – France, that was an easy early round.

But try getting your hands on an Algerian beer. Or a pint of Ghana’s best. Or even a Honduran.

Like Jimmy Breslin, the renowned New York columnist, used to say “do what all good reporters do; hang out”. So I hung out. I’ve spent more time in pubs than Bet Gilroy.

I left a message on a Serbian immigrants’ message board soliciting help; one gent named Aleksander has his mother bringing in a few bottles on a Ryanair flight – but it hasn’t got here yet. I bet she was glad she answered that phone call.

The South Korean embassy in London put me in contact with a little restaurant in Dublin, where I took receipt of two kinds of bottles this week after an extended period of phone calls where my charming Leeside lilt was evidently an obstacle. Nevertheless, we got the goods – and as North Korea refuses to export ANYTHING – I’m repatriating one South Korean brand to Kim Jong Il’s barmy army, for our purposes this month.

We had some of our correspondents in France and England and friends in New York, peek into ethnic shops and ask stupid questions. I’ve learned that Czechs and Slovakians barmen don’t like answering queries about Slovenian beer.

I bought a crate of Cypriot beer from a Greek restaurant in Malahide on Tuesday night, and they assured me it’s very popular ‘on the mainland’. I had it once the night before Cork City played in a Champions League game there and can confirm it’s from the Greek side of the island. Under FIFA rules, I’m counting it.

The excellent Bier House in Cork sourced lagers from as far away as Japan for us and hosted our sit down. Irish Examiner columnist Allan Prosser – our English representative – arrived with two bottles of Spitfire pulled from his own fridge. That’s the do-it-yourself spirit that built empires, ladies and gentlemen. But I’m not sure if his country’s ‘special relationship’ with America will survive his remarks on the Californian pale ale we sampled.

In the other corner, we had Rory Bevan, a man who spent 25 years at Beamish and Crawford’s before ‘moving with the furniture’ across the river to Heineken in recent years. His knowledge – on things like oxidation to bottle-readiness – flowed as much as the dozens of beers.

Watching sport – particularly the football over the coming month, maybe – we like to think we’ll earn a deeper look at a country’s psyche and personality.

The Argentine people’s idiosyncrasies are betrayed by the rough magic of their wonderful players; Germany’s functional and hard-working Mannschaft allows us to file them neatly under efficient; the Australians’ athletic and brash outfit reflect the competitive, up-front Aussie people, perhaps. Pop-psychology played out on a pitch.

Hopefully, now too we can add another prism to how we view the action: beer. Everyday we’ll take a look at one from each of two competing teams and play them off, before giving our score. It’s not scientific – apart from the chemistry that goes on behind the curtain to produce these drinks – but it, certainly, is fun. Cheers.

Contact: Adrian.russell@examiner.ie Twitter @adrianrussell

This column first appeared in today’s Irish Examiner newspaper

I think we’ve all been there…

October 1, 2009 in Aussie Rules, Beer | View Comments

But Brendan Fevola chose to make a holy show of himself at the Brownlow Medal ceremony. I love the part at the end with the three pundits trying to strike a balance between not condoning the car crash display and laughing on air.

UPDATE: The Carlton player has been fined $10,000 and told to “wake up to himself”. Fev says he has no recollection of the events which also led him to being axed from Thursday night’s Footy Show on Channel Nine.

Irish readers and in particular pub workers in Galway will, of course, remember Fevola from the incident in 2006, which led to him being sent home from Ireland after brawling with a barman during the International Rules tour.

The Beerbelly

September 16, 2009 in Beer, Columns, Sport | View Comments

BeerBellyphoto03

HELLO, sports fans! Do you feel unrefreshed while attending a big match? Want to party like it’s 1999, but not pay Celtic Tiger prices for a pint? Have a drink problem and don’t mind furtively guzzling warm beer through a hidden straw while in large crowds? Well, have I got a product for you!

The United States has brought the planet lots of world-changing inventions and innovations; from the mass-made automobile, the electric light bulb and the American Pie trilogy. Now, dropping into our lives like heat-seeking democracy from the US air force is the Beerbelly (around €35 at Beerbelly.com).

For readers planning to attend the Ireland footballers’ match with Australia (a nation rumoured to like a bevvie too, I understand) at Thomond Park in a few days time or Waterford’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final with the Cats at Croker this weekend, this is could be the purchase for you.

It’s a beer-storage device worn under your shirt that holds 80 ounces – or about three and a bit pints in old money; just hang The Beerbelly around your neck, fill her up and off you go.

The device is supposed to allow you to smuggle cool beer into a stadium, leaving you to sit comfortably in the stands supping down your favourite imported product like a contented sucky calf on a Connemara spring day.

The makers recommend “sneaking the dispensing spout out your fly.” Perfect; who in the Hogan Stand is going to ask you to share?

I road tested one, in the name of investigative journalism at a recent Ireland game game at Croke Park. This is what I learned: Read the rest of this entry »

Now is the summer of our discoteques

April 25, 2009 in Baseball, Beer, Football, Sport, Travel | View Comments

I’m just back from covering the Cork City v Galway United game at Turner’s Cross. Around the corner, Musgrave Park was packed out for the Munster v Scarlets game. While it was the usual die hards who shuffled into the soccer game.

Maybe it’s time to follow baseball’s lead and have themed nights. Bring-your-boss night? Cowboys and Indians week? Rotten fruit: a funny ol game?

Here’s a selection of real promos from the States:

1. Disco Demolition Night
Disco-hating White Sox fans wrecked the Comiskey Park field when the Detroit Tigers visited Chicago, causing thousands of dollars in damages, as a “harmless” 1979 promotion created a near-riot and forced the Sox to forfeit the game. Believed to be the night the (disco) music died and it proved a costly 10c beer night. As the BeeGees sang: tragedy.

2. Hawaiian Night
The Phillies fill the area round their new ground with hula dancers, fans get traditional leis, and players posed in Hawaiian shirts for their scoreboard photos.

3. Mullet Night
The do that’s business in the front and party in the back, brings those same inclusive qualities to the ballpark. On Mullet Night, White Sox fans – again – wearing mullet wigs can parade around the ground while mullets are imposed on players’ scoreboard images. Here’s a fun fact, fact fans: a mullet is called a Bundesliga in the Czech Republic and it’s true, this promotion may not work in German soccer stadia.

Party time: The Masters

April 9, 2009 in Beer, Features, Golf, Sport, TV | View Comments

partypic

The Masters, one of the great spectator events in the sporting calendar – begins today. It’s made for those armchair quarterbacks among us – with hours of trans-Atlantic showdowns unfolding over four days – and in prime time. I’ve a piece in today’s Examiner on how to host a party, see below. Read the rest of this entry »

I love it when a plan comes together…

April 2, 2009 in Beer, Columns, Features, Football, Merk, Travel | View Comments

What. A. Fucking. Night.

Piece from today’s Examiner below.

YESTERDAY’s alcohol ban in central Bari, only lifted after last night’s match in the San Nicola Stadium, was about as futile and comical an exercise as one high-profile but uncapped League of Ireland player’s announcement of his retirement from international football a couple of seasons ago.

The estimated 6,000 plus Irish fans who clogged the arteries of the city on Tuesday night awoke yesterday with an Adriatic-sized hangover, hoarse throats and the realisation that a cure was not on the menu from our Italian hosts. But, as Groucho Marx famously stated, I don’t want to be a member of any club that will let me in anyway. Or, similarly, as one flag hanging in the Piazza yesterday explained: F**k the Recession, We’re on a Session. Indeed.

Read the rest of this entry »