Euro 2008: European beer tasting
WITH A beer paired with each of the 16 countries competing in the home nations-less tournament, the competitors have been tasted and ranked by a panel of licensees and Publican staff.
Some beers made their way by more tortuous routes than others. A few bottles of Ursus were handed over by a burly security guard at the gates of the Romanian embassy; the Greek, Portuguese, Austrian and Swedish contingents arrived late for the start of the tournament, held up on their 'team buses' in north London. More - such as Karlovacka, owned by Heineken in Croatia but not distributed in the UK - are not available through conventional supply routes.
Rest assured, however: a huge range of European beers are available through specialist suppliers such as Pierhead Purchasing and online drinks supplier thebeershop.com. While Euro 2008 without England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland might fail to whip up the excitement it would otherwise have done, schemes such as themed beer fests could work to pull in punters.
So, how did the competitors fare? It seems that there is more to the appeal of mass-market brands than marketing. Beck's, Heineken, Peroni, Kronenbourg and Budvar all proved popular. A typical comment on Beck's was: "Don't want to like it but can't help admiring it - like Manchester United."
Bubbling under, smaller brands such as Spain's Estrella Damm and the Swiss Hurlimann, brewed by Shepherd Neame on licence, also fared well.
Turkey's Efes divided opinion. "Red card for the aroma but tastes good" contrasted with "soapy, won't make it out of the group".
The big losers were the Austrian and Romanian representatives. Romania's Ursus was dismissed with the comment "lacking any aftertaste, not worth its place in the competition".
If the real-life tournament generates anything like this level of debate over a few beers, Euro 2008 might just boost business for licensees after all.
The panel
Shane Feeney, licensee of the Edgar Wallace, Temple, London; Mike Smith, licensee of the Three Compasses, Hornsey, north London; Toby Smith, manager of the Butcher's Hook, Fulham, London; Rick Robinson, the Willoughby Arms, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey; Daniel Pearce, managing editor, The Publican; Matt Eley, news editor, The Publican; Adam Withrington, head of features, The Publican; John Porter, food editor, The Publican; Claire Dodd, graduate trainee, The Publican
The cream of Europe
So which beers reached the headiest heights in the tournament?
With the panel giving each beer a mark out of 10, there were four whose consistency saw them outclass the opposition. When the points were totted up, Beck's, Heineken, Peroni and Budvar were the top four, reaching the semi-finals.
Some representative comments for the four beers were:
Beck's - "Typical German efficiency. Totally reliable and could win competition as others don't seem up to it"; "champion beer, very much on form".
Budvar - "Heading for the winning rostrum"; "caramel taste holds up well".Peroni - "Light but robust with citrussy aftertaste"; "quality malty taste with a bit of a kick. Like Paolo Maldini, keeps going on".
Heineken - "Tastes great, though a little outplayed in the midfield".
Finishing on 62 and 57.5 points respectively, the German Beck's and Dutch Heineken went out in the semis.
That left the Czechs and the Italians in the final - in a battle of these beer heavyweights, Peroni's 63 points meant it was edged out by Budvar's 64. As in Euro 1976, Czech power triumphs again!
Group A
Switzerland, Hürlimann: The deft hop scents of this elegant Swiss-style lager hint at the freshness of mountain air. In the mouth the beer is smooth, with a lingering finish in which the crispness and pungency of late-added hops meshes with notes of harvest grain.
Czech Republic, Budvar: This bitter beer has an enticing aroma of gently toasted malt, with a dash of vanilla and aromatic hops. It is rich and rounded in the mouth with an attack of juicy, biscuity malt and gentle hop bitterness.
Portugal, Tagus: Pouring with a fluffy head, Tagus has rich, caramel tones on the nose and a clean bitterness in the mouth as well as plenty of hoppy character.
Turkey, Efes: Exported to more than 40 countries, Efes has a nearly 80 per cent share of the domestic market. Brewed by the bottom-fermentation technique with pils-type golden barleys and Hallertau hops. A foamy, bright lager beer.
Group B
Austria, Gösser: Pours a pale gold with a persistent head and has a mild malty aroma on the nose. Gösser is refreshingly dry and has a fair balance between the malt and hops.
Croatia, Karlovacka: A lager beer, Karlovacka is characterised by golden-yellow colour and refreshingly bitter taste, with the aroma of malt and a full taste.
Germany, Beck's: Imported from Bremen, Beck's has a crisp, refreshing taste, full of character. Brewed in strict accordance with the Reinheitsgebot German purity law of 1516, which states that only four pure ingredients can ever be included in the brewing process.
Poland, Tyskie: The biggest beer brand in Poland, Tyskie has a pleasant aroma of hops, caramel and a hint of fruit. Delivers a balanced sweetness and bitterness based on its unchanged historic recipe.
Group C
Netherlands, Heineken: Delicate hop and malt aroma, underlying tropical fruit and apple flavours combine with a clean palate and a refreshing finish with some hop notes.
Italy, Peroni: An intensely crisp and refreshing lager brewed in Italy to the original recipe conceived in 1963. Crisp and lightly sparkling, its unique taste is refreshing and dry with a clear-cut clean character.
Romania, Ursus: A sharp, light-bodied, reasonably hopped pilsener. Pale in colour, it has a fairly neutral aftertaste.
France, Kronenbourg 1664: Golden-yellow in appearance with a tight creamy head, Kronenbourg has aromas of hops, grapefruit and malt, with a touch of banana, plum and pepper. It has a slightly bitter taste with a flowery hop aroma and a touch of malt.
Group D
Greece, Marathon: Marathon is a lager - with distinctive packaging - that is easy to drink due to its pleasant taste. It has been made by the Athenian Brewery since 1971.
Sweden, Crocodile: The name was reputed to have been inspired by the film Crocodile Dundee, but this is no gimmicky beer and has won several international awards. Light bodied, this lager has a fruity note on the nose, with a gentle hoppiness to accompany it.
Spain, Estrella Damm: Fruity aroma, mainly of grapes and oranges, but also notes of berries, peach and banana, completed with cereal and hop aromas. In taste, this beer has characters of caramel, vanilla and nut, as well as fresh, flowery and gently spicy hop notes.
Russia, Baltika: Pale in colour, Baltika is a balanced Continental-style beer with good body and a malty finish.
Exclusive discount - and chance to win!
Fancy arranging your own Beer Euro 2008? Claim 15 per cent off world beers or other products in a special reader offer from www.thedrinkshop.comVisit the site and enter the code UK-PUB-108273 for 15 per cent off retail price. Or call 0800 169 6760, or 01843 570571.
All readers who make purchases under this offer will be entered into a draw to receive six bottles of spirits, representing Euro 2008 team countries.
Offer terms: The offer is valid for a single transaction per customer/email address, received until July 1, 2008, with a minimum goods value of £50. Offer excludes delivery charge. Not for use combined with any other incentive. Customers must be aged 18 or over.
