Rugby World Cup: The beer world cup

What better way to celebrate the imminent start of the Rugby World Cup than with a beer tasting? Halves were sipped, aromas were sniffed and notes were compared as Publican Towers¹ finest gathered together to compare and contrast a selection of beers from around the globe.

This wasn¹t any old beer tasting, however. We decided to organise our own World Cup of beers, pairing a drink to each of the top teams in a reduced version of the tournament.

In a pattern mirroring the real thing, three nations¹ beers were grouped together in each of four pools in the first round.

With the beers poured into unmarked glasses and the bottles tucked out of sight, we sidestepped any prejudice like a winger rounding his opposite number. The beers were ranked by the tasting panel, according quite simply to which tasted better. The top two progressed through to the knockout stages, which eventually produced a World Cup winner.

As the room filled with bottles, the scene in the office began to resemble an unusually refined rugby team toasting a win post-match. The judging panel was made up of James Wilmore, The Publican¹s senior reporter; Eleanor Goodman, editorial graduate trainee; Ben Thrush, sub editor; Ed Rundle, advertising sales manager, and Andrew Douglas, senior sales executive.

From Pool A, English beer Ivanhoe performed strongly, with the Americans finishing as runners-up. Ivanhoe ­ in an eerily apt description, given the anonymous nature of the tasting ­ was judged to be ³a good solid beer, perfect for a session in a beer garden to toast an English victory².

In Pool B, the Canadian Moosehead beat Wales and Australia into second and third place respectively. New Zealand beer Tui¹s ³heavy malty flavour² pushed Deuchars IPA into second spot. And, in Pool D, judges were impressed by O¹Hara¹s Irish Stout, describing it as ³strong, like a Kiwi forward². It handed off France, the group¹s runner-up.

This left us with Canada v USA, New Zealand v France, England v Wales, and Ireland v Scotland as the four quarter-finals. Canada eased past USA in the first, and New Zealand beat France in the second. England fans will be pleased if their team can beat Wales in the same way the beer did in QF3. In QF4, Scotland thrashed Ireland. ³I could easily drink gallons of this,² said the judge of Deuchars.

Canada are unlikely to repeat this result in the real thing, but they held out to win against New Zealand in the first semi. Scotland continued to impress, beating the ³auld enemy², England, in the second semi-final.

The atmosphere was tense as Scotland lined up against Canada in the final of The Publican¹s beer World Cup.

And the winner wasŠ Scotland, with Deuchars IPA. ³Refreshing, not too fizzy, and has a subtle sweetness at the end,² was the judges¹ verdict on a beer that was named the Champion Beer of Britain by the Campaign for Real Ale in 2002.

So, the Scots had their day ­ in the beer Rugby World Cup at least. Whether or not their success can be repeated in September and October, the excitement generated by this tasting could well be achieved by a similar offer in your pub.

How the teams lined up

Pool A ​

England​

Ivanhoe (5.2 per cent ABV)​

Amber colour with a slightly copper tinge. Fruity smell, slightly hoppy. The dryness stands out, but with slight caramel sweetness on the finish. Earthy flavours are very present.

South Africa​

Castle (5 per cent ABV)​

A classic lager with a well-balanced, crisp, clean taste that gives a refreshing and satisfying drink. A mix of dryness and bitterness ensures a very drinkable, flavourful lager. Medium gold colour.

USA​

Dixie (4.5 per cent ABV)​

This characterful, full-bodied lager is brewed in cypress-wood vats and is a reminder of the New Orleans traditions of jazz and Mardi Gras. Dixie is a distinctive, crisp and light lager.

Pool B​

Australia​

James Boag¹s (5 per cent ABV)​

A European-style lager brewed from the finest quality pilsner malts.

Fermented at a lower temperature than most Australian lagers and matured for an extended period. These combine with a mixture of kettle and late hopping to yield a crisp, pale lager.

Wales​

Brains SA (4.2 per cent ABV)​

Copper-coloured with a full flavour. A nutty richness derived from a blend of fine pale ale and crystal malts, balanced with a dryness from the unique use of three hops: challenger, golding and fuggles. Aroma has a hint of spirit.

Canada​

Moosehead (5 per cent ABV)​

From Canada¹s oldest and only remaining major independent brewery. A pale lager with appealing grainy character, notes of lemon on the nose and a slightly sweet taste with a little hop bite in the finish.

Pool C​

Scotland​

Deuchars IPA (4.4 per cent ABV)​

A pale, golden-coloured beer with intense hop flavours and aromas balanced with Caledonian¹s traditional soft maltiness. The classic hoppy India Pale Ale has a slightly lemony, refreshing finish.  

Italy

Birra Morena (4.6 per cent ABV)

From the Tarricone brewery in Balvano, brewing under the Morena name, this is light golden pils-style beer with a moderate white head. There¹s a decent nettle and herb hoppiness on the nose. On the palate, a slightly watery texture and an oddly juxtaposed bitterness with bland sweetness.

Pool D​

France​

Jenlain Six (6 per cent ABV)​

An interpretation of a Blonde Pilsner style. The nose has lots of biscuit and caramel malt, and a nice undertow of nettly hops. On the palate this is a full-textured, strong-tasting beer, with quite vinous notes and plenty of oomph, marrying mouth-filling, sweetish, fruity flavours with a pillowing weight of malt.

Ireland​

O¹Hara¹s Irish Stout (4.3 per cent ABV)​

Irish stouts are noted for their coffee flavour and slightly sour aftertaste. Before modern advances in brewing, lactic acid was added to stouts to ward off contamination (Guinness still adds it). You won¹t find it in O¹Hara¹s, which leaves more room for the other flavours to come out, such as roast barley, chocolate, and coffee.

Argentina​

Quilmes (4.9 per cent ABV)​

Argentina¹s most popular beer. Brewed from local barley and hops and with the purest Patagonian water, Quilmes has a golden hue and an expansive character on the palate with fruity tones and rich texture.

Stage your own tournament

How about holding your own beer Rugby World Cup? Specialist drinks wholesaler Pierhead Purchasing can help. It supplied the majority of the beers for The Publican¹s event, and has scores more.

Its director of imported beers, Michael Cook, believes organising your beer offer around a fun idea in this way can set you apart from the competition.

³Licensees can use events such the Rugby World Cup to impress the new discerning beer drinker by offering an extensive global beer list,² he says.

³By offering authentic beers from competing countries, licensees can increase sales when certain teams are playing, as well as using the tournament as a test case to see which new brands make a positive impression.

³With British consumers continuing to be adventurous in their beer selections, the Rugby World Cup is a great opportunity for them to try something new. It was great to see such a wide range of premium, brewed-at-source beers compete against each other ­ all offering different styles, flavours and characteristics.²