Tag Archives: World beers

VB Beer, for the Working Man

 

VB Beer

https://www.victoriabitter.com.au

Brewed by Carlton & United Breweries (CUB)
Style: Pale Lager
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Victoria Bitter (VB) has long been Australia’s favourite beer, accounting for almost 25% of domestic beer consumption. VB, as it is commonly known, was launched in the early 1900’s and since then has developed a reputation as a great beer with a tradition of rewarding Australians who work and play hard, a working man’s beer. It’s advertising slogan was “A hard-earned thirst needs a big, cold beer”

22c 011VB started its life as a beer for Victorians, first brewed by Melbourne brewers Thomas C. Moore and Henry F. Baxter. However, VB has grown to be one of the very few Australian beers which has been able to break through traditional regional barriers and today it is one of the highest selling beers in Australia.

Victoria Bitter is a lager produced by Carlton & United Breweries, a subsidiary of Foster’s Group in Melbourne, Victoria.

Despite its name, Victoria Bitter is not a bitter at all in the traditional British sense of what a bitter should be. Victoria Bitter is a lager, and at full strength is 4.9% ABV

Review: Bottle of VB beer, 4.9%ABV

Australia’s famous VB with its iconic brown stubby, and the famous aftertaste, great while watching the footie and cricket!

Pours a dark golden color, clear, topped with a thin white head with medium retention, and a little lacing left in the glass.

The aroma is mostly of faint grains, sweet malts and low hops.

Sweet malty taste, there is a strong taste of creamy bitterness at the end which I guess is where the “bitter” comes into the equation.  Have to say the sour aftertaste did grow on me, wasn’t sure at the start but got to like it in the end.

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San Miguel, On Your Holidays.

 San Miguel

http://www.sanmiguelbeer.com.ph/

Brewed by San Miguel
Style: Pale Lager
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Not technically a Spanish beer, but if you go to Spain on your holidays then more than likely you will be drinking San Miguel. Spain; sun, sea, sand, sex and San Miguel (or perhaps Sangria!) its part of your holiday package. It was, in fact, first made in 1890 by a Spaniard in the district of San Miguel, Manila – the capital city of the Philippines.  It also has a strong partnership with the Spanish-made San Miguel Beer, and both San Miguel’s have signed an agreement to jointly promote San Miguel Beer and expand its global footprint.

The original San Miguel Brewery, Inc. was founded as La Fabrica de Cerveza de San Miguel in 1890 and incorporated as the first San Miguel Brewery, Inc. in 1913. It was renamed San Miguel Corporation (SMC) in 1963, having grown into one of the Philippines’ largest business conglomerates with core interests in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, food and packaging.

Review: Bottle of San Miguel pale lager, 4.8%ABV

A tasty beer that’s easy to drink and a refreshing choice on a hot summers day.

The appearance is that of a typical lager,  golden and clear. It has a very thin head that disappears quickly, with a small amount of lacing.

Not a strong aroma which smelled fresh and clean. Slight grainy aroma.

Taste was light and smooth with traces of grain and a soft aftertaste .

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Friedenfelser, Naturally Great Beer

 

Friedenfelser

http://www.friedenfelser.de/

 Brewed by Schlossbrauerei Friedenfels

See selection: http://www.friedenfelser.de/index.php?article_id=52&clang=0

Friedenfelser Pils Leicht Style: Low Alcohol

Friedenfelser Pils Style: Pilsener

Friedenfelser Urtyp Hell Style: Dortmunder/Helles

Friedenfelser Radler Style: Fruit Beer

Friedenfelser Hefe-Weizen (Hell) Style: German Hefeweizen

Friedenfelser Urtyp Alkoholfrei Style: Low Alcohol

Friedenfelser has a brewing tradition for more than 125 years and works in strict adherence to the Bavarian Purity Law of April 23, 1516 where our beers are produced and distributed according to ancient tradition and craft of brewing.

The ingredients of water, hops and malt are sourced locally and are constantly subjected to strict controls.

Friedenfelser produces quality – in many variations. From fruity style Radler beers to the perfect Pils. All beers produced to the highest quality and taste in no small part to the location of the brewery, beside a Natural Park Stone Forest, an area of Germany blessed with the ideal natural resources; beer and stone – wood and cereals – flowers and vegetables – the essentials for top quality beers.

 

Review: Bottle of Friedenfelser Pils Leicht 2.8%ABV.

day 5 008With Germany bound to do well in my drinking World Cup I decided to try a light Pils to save on the stronger stuff for later on. The last time I drank beer as low as this was from one of the Tesco branded cheap lagers, bought it out of curiosity, needless to say it was rotten. So wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this light Pils. Boy was I wrong, it was delicious and had a great aroma, a very pleasant surprise from a beer with only 2.8% ABV. A lot of taste and smells and little alcohol. Which shows that Friedenfelser made the effort for the light drinker.

day 5 009The appearance is a perfect clear pale yellow body with a smallish white head on top with fair lacing.

For me the smell was pretty good. As soon as the bottle was opened you get hit with a rustic sweet smell of malts and grains. Very enticing.

The taste is sour and sweet with pale malts and some hay, and with a fine bitterness in the end. A quite dry and refreshing beer and, as it a low alcohol Pils, it does a good job. Lots of flavor, easy to drink, with a nice hoppy finish.

 

Review: Bottle of Friedenfelser Urtyp Hell 4.8%ABV.

day 18 and 19 013Now to try some of Friedenfelser’s “Light Prototype”, as translated by Goggle Translate.

The appearance is of a lovely golden yellow colour, with a good frothy head,  that doesn’t quite last.

Good moderate smells emanate from this beer. The aroma is of malts and grains with notes of grassy hops.

But the best part of this beer is without doubt the taste. The flavours are of a light sweetness, a grainy malt taste and a light hop note. It tasted very nice and smooth with no real strong overpowering flavours, that makes this drink an excellent session beer, and one of the best I have had in along time. I could drink these all day! Recommended.

 

Review: Bottle of Friedenfelser Hefe-Weizen (Hell) 5.2%ABV.

“Hefe” means yeast, “Weizen” means wheat. If I am to be honest I am not a big fan of German style wheat beers. They are not what I am used to, so I wasn’t looking forward to drinking this bottle.  But the experience was one of surprise, as I very much enjoyed the beer, so much so that I quickly cracked open another one! Wheat beers always have a bitter aftertaste that doesn’t generally appeal, but this beer was very smooth, and I had no worries about drinking it. So I guess if this beer appealed to a wheat beer novice like myself then surely it must be doing something right! The beer is naturally brewed according to traditional Bavarian methods, so there is no issue with quality and pureness, and at least 50% of malted wheat is used in the production.

day 20 004On opening the bottle the beer fizzed out, which was a surprise as it wasn’t shaken or touched for a while. This happened with the second bottle, so there must be a huge amount of carbonation going on! When that all settled the colour was of a very clear orange beer with a nice frothy head, that looked very appealing.

The aroma was quite strong with notes of sweet banana, yeast and wheat.

I thought the taste was fantastic, very nice, very easy to drink. It tasted very sweet, and contained flavours of yeast and wheat, with a strong fruity banana aroma, and the aftertaste, was very manageable. Overall it was a good, pure and clear well balanced drink with a nice strong feel to it. I liked it and might start getting used to these German Style Wheat beers if they all taste as good as this one! Recommended.

 

Review: Bottle of Friedenfelser Pils 5.0%ABV.

Made with soft water from the nearby natural stone forest park this bottle of Pils is made under the best of Bavarian brewing methods.

The appearance is solid and, truth be known, not much to look at, with a golden yellow colour on pour with a thin white head.

23 030The aroma, on the other hand, is lovely and it smells like a true German style Pils that you can’t wait to start on. The aroma has notes of bread, grain, malt and grass with some citric hop notes. A good smell.

The taste was nice and balanced, a very easy and pleasant drink to quench the thirst. The flavours have a light sweetness and notes of malt, bread, straw, with a hint of citric hops and the bitter finish is moderate.  It’s a very good Pilsener, with a light body and one that I could drink all night. Another top beer from the Friedenfelser collection. Keep them coming boys!

 

Bottle of Friedenfelser Urtyp Alkoholfrei Style, Non Alcohol:

24 n 25 017I don’t normally drink non alcoholic beer, in fact I never drink non alcoholic beer, I don’t see the point of them, but hell there is always a first time so here goes.

Had the appearance of a pale golden colour with a smallish white head.

The aroma was very strong, smelling of grain, straw and sweet malts, not a bad smell. I found it very appealing on the nose.

The flavour is also very sweet with notes of straw and toasted malt, with heavy carbonation. If non alcoholic drinks are your thing then I guess this beer wouldn’t be a bad drink to have, as it looks and smells like the real deal, and the taste is manageable.

 

Bottle of Friedenfelser Radler, ABV 2.7%

24 n 25 020Tried Friedenfelser’s Radler, a light fruit drink that is a bit fizzy but lovely on taste.

The appearance is of a light clear yellow colour with a small white head. If honest, it didn’t look very appealing.

The aroma has strong notes of citric lemon, and malts. Again it wasn’t very appealing, kind of smelt like deodorant!

But all that is overridden by the very good sweet flavours within the beer itself. The taste was of strong citrus flavours but also contained some artificial sweetener. Fruity, sweet, smooth, and a good taste. Not a beer taste but a light soft drink taste, but enjoyable all the same.  Recommended if looking for a light beer to quickly quench the thirst. Not bad.

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karlskrone Lager, Aldi Special

karlskrone Lager, Aldi Special

 

karlskrone Lager

https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thursday-13th-march/products-detail-page/ps/p/karlskrone-premium-quality-lager-1/

karlskrone Lager, Aldi SpecialKarlskrone is the registered trademark of discounters Group Aldi Süd and belonging to the Group discount chains Hofer and ALDI Switzerland , whose varieties are produced and bottled by different breweries. It is brewed in Belgium, but as its an Aldi product I decided to class it as a German beer.

Aldi’s Karlskrone, at a whole .49 CHF. (about 0.45 Cents in Euros) per bottle is top notch value and since it is brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, means they can’t have any cheap filler, just water, malt, and hops. The price to quality ratio might be worth a try for this discount beer.

Review: Bottle of Karlskrone Lager 4.90%ABV

Brewed for the German supermarket chain, Aldi but only for their Swiss chains, Karlskrone is an affordable lager that comes in a 500 ml plastic green bottle, with a screw cap. Having a volume of ABV of 4,9% the beer is a good thirst quenching bargain at roughly .49 Swiss cents, a cent for each volume!

Pours a nice clear golden coloured beer, and a decent sized head formed with quite good retention, some small lacing afterwards.

karlskrone Lager, Aldi SpecialThere was a clear strong aroma of grainy malt and stale hops that smelled of straw/rice. The smell was very sweet.

The taste was also very sweet and left a sickly bitter aftertaste that took a while to get used to. The flavour was of sweet grain and malt. After the initial shock the drink settles on your taste buds and eventually becomes a rather refreshing drink. It is a nice slow burner, that grows on you, and for the price it sells at, its excellent value.

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Löwenbräu, an Oktoberfest Regular

Löwenbräu, an Oktoberfest Regular

 

Löwenbräu Original

http://www.loewenbraeu.de/

Brewed by Löwenbräu Munich (InBev)
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Munich, Germany

Löwenbräu, an Oktoberfest RegularLöwenbräu is a brewery in Munich owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Löwenbräu translates to ‘lions brew’ and is brewed according to the the Bavarian beer purity regulation of 1516.

A dry but crisp, complex and refreshing taste, the Löwenbräu is a classic natural beer (5.2% alc/vol) with a heritage dating back to 1383. Now that is some old beer history!

By 1863, Löwenbräu had become the largest brewery in Munich, producing a quarter of the city’s beer output.
Even an Allied air raid in 1945, which destroyed the brewery, couldn’t stop the brewers of Löwenbräu and, today, Löwenbräu has one of the oldest beer gardens in Munich.

Löwenbräu beer has been served at every Oktoberfest in Munich since 1810. Because only beers that are brewed in Munich are permitted to be sold at Oktoberfest, Löwenbräu is one of six breweries represented.
Two of the large tents at Oktoberfest, the Löwenbräu-Festhalle and the Schützenfestzelt, are sponsored by Löwenbräu.

Review: Can of Lowenbrau beer 5.20%ABV

Löwenbräu is brewed under the famous Bavarian Purity Laws. This should mean that this beer is full of natural flavours, crisp and clear and fully balanced with its taste, a quality assured product from Germany. A place where a well crafted beer is expected and anything less is simply not tolerated by the locals.

The appearance was of a gorgeous golden yellow colour that had a very good head and great lacing. Looked so good I couldn’t wait to begin drinking the beauty!

Löwenbräu, an Oktoberfest RegularFound a faint aroma, smelt mostly of what a normal smelling lager should be like, malty and refreshing.

Was a lovely tasting drink that had no strong flavours or bitter aftertaste to it, just an awfully good session drink.  A clean, crisp, smooth and well balanced beer, Löwenbräu was really easy to enjoy. A good pure Deutsche lager. Refreshing.

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Super Bock, High Quality Portuguese Lager

Super Bock, High Quality Portuguese Lager

 

Super Bock

http://www.superbock.pt/
Brewed by Unicer Bebidas
Style: Pale Lager
Balio, Portugal

Super Bock is a Portuguese brand of strong pale lager (“bock”) from the Unicer brewery. Established in 1927, Unicer is based in Leça do Balio, just outside the city of Porto, Portugal. Super Bock is the most popular beer in Portugal with 42% share of the national market.

It is produced from selected high-quality ingredients, which give it its characteristic golden colour, authentic flavour, consistent froth and body, with an alcohol content of 5.6%,

SUPER BOCK Original is recognized internationally for its high quality and is the only brand to have won 28 gold medals at the prestigious “Monde Selection de la Qualite”.

The beer achieved cult status among football supporters during the UEFA Euro 2004 championship in Portugal, as it was a popular beer to accompany the football.

Review: Can of SuperBock Pale Lager 5.2%ABV

Super Bock, High Quality Portuguese LagerSuperBock, the football special. I can see why it is popular on the terraces, as it looks damn good, is relatively strong and goes down well. Its also quite cheap, which always appeals. Its a player alright.

This beer pours a crystal clear golden colour with a huge white head on top, which was very frothy. It is quick to settle, with little lacing.

The aroma is faint and gentle, some grains, malts and some light hints of grassy hops.

Not a bad taste, a mildly sweet refreshing lager that hits the throat lovely and there is a nice bitter and sour aftertaste that lingers for a short while. It’s a very easy beer to drink.

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Quilmes Export Beer, Argentina’s Light Blue and White.

 

Quilmes Export Beer

http://www.quilmes.com.ar/

Brewed by Cerveceria Malteria Quilmes SAICAY (InBev)
Style: Pale Lager
Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina

day 9 and 10 a 028South America’s most popular beer Quilmes Export Beer is brewed in Buenos Aires and is the sponsor of Argentina’s National Football team!

Cervecería y maltería Quilmes is an Argentine Brewery founded in 1888 in Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province, by German immigrant Otto Bemberg.
The company quickly started growing and in the 1920s it was already the most popular beer in Buenos Aires. Since then, it has become something of an Argentine cultural symbol, accounting for around 75% of all beer sales in Argentina. It sponsors the Argentina national football team, and the colours of its labels are Argentina’s light blue and white.

Quilmes is a 4.9% classic lager style beer with a very distinguishable taste: golden colour, rich texture, refreshing light hoppy taste with a crisp, dry thirst quenching finish.

Quilmes has a 46% share of its home market and this Argentinian icon is enjoying an international reputation with export growth in the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe.

Review: Bottle of Quilmes Pale Lager, 4.9%ABV

Quilmes, which comes in a lovely bottle, is another first timer for me, beer from Argentina. Would have noticed this beer name from football as it has sponsored both the great Boca Juniors and the Argentine National Football Team. Now that’s serious branding in football!

Quilmes has a nice crystal clear yellow colour with a thin head and little lacing.

day 4 029Aroma was of a sweet malty smell with some grain in the background. Very sweet.

Taste for me was interesting as I found it hard to figure it out at the start. There’s a little corn and grain sweetness to open it up, a kind of sickly sweet. It does eventually settle down into a nice decent drink and does the job in quenching the thirst. There is a bitter aftertaste which grows on you. It certainly is a very drinkable beer, light and good for a session.

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France 2 Nigeria 0 Fifa World Cup 2014

Kronenbourg 1664. The most popular French beer in the world

 

Kronenbourg 1664

http://kronenbourg1664.com/

Brewed by Kronenbourg (Carlsberg)
Style: Pale Lager
Obernai, France

Kronenbourg 1664 is the most popular French beer in the world. It was named after the year the founders of Brasseries Kronenbourg, first started commercial brewing. Kronenbourg is the fifth oldest beer brand in the world that still exists today.

Kronenbourg Brewery (Brasseries Kronenbourg) is a brewery founded in 1664 by Geronimus Hatt in Strasbourg (at the time a City of the Holy Roman Empire; now France). The name comes from the area where the brewery relocated in 1850.

Kronenbourg 1664, the company’s main brand, is a 5.5% pale lager first brewed in 1952.

Review: Can of Kronenbourg Pale Lager, 5.5%ABV

Kronenbourg 1664 is France’s No.1 selling beer, and a nice refreshing beer with a lot of interesting flavours.

The appearance is a lovely clear amber colour, with a nice frothy white head. The appearance has the wow factor, it looks really like a beer you definitely want to drink.

Kronenbourg 1664 The smell is not strong but you can get both a nice faint sweetness and a fruity aroma off the beer.

Taste has a mixture of different flavours from fruit, sweet caramel malts, honey, to a sweet malt taste at the start followed up with a mild hop bitterness. All in all a nice crafted beer and quite an enjoyable drinking experience mainly due, in my opinion, to the complexity of the flavours. Truly a well balanced beer.

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Feldschlösschen, Swiss Brewing Expertise

Feldschlösschen, Swiss Brewing Expertise

Feldschlösschen

http://www.feldschloesschen.com

 

Feldschlösschen, Swiss Brewing Expertise Feldschlösschen Stark

Brewed by Feldschlösschen (Carlsberg)
Style: Strong Pale Lager/Imperial Pils
Rheinfelden, Switzerland

 

 

 

Feldschlösschen OriginalFeldschlösschen, Swiss Brewing Expertise

Brewed by Feldschlösschen (Carlsberg)
Style: Pale Lager
Rheinfelden, Switzerland

Feldschlösschen is the best known beer brand in Switzerland.

It has been brewed at the Feldschlösschen brewery in Rheinfelden, the biggest brewery in Switzerland, since its foundation in 1876 and has been the leading Swiss beer brand for more than 100 years. Today its by far the leading brand in the country with 45 per cent of the beer market.

The brewery logo is in the shape of a castle and Feldschlösschen means ‘small castle in the fields’ in German.

Review: Bottle of Feldschlösschen Original Pale Lager, 4.80%ABV

One doesn’t generally associate beer with the Swiss, chocolate and cooking clocks yes, but good beer? Feldschlösschen is a beer that can take on the big guns of Germany, Britain and the rest in Europe and hold its head up high. It’s a bloody good beer, with a nice taste and easy to drink.

Feldschlösschen, Swiss Brewing Expertise Loved the appearance of a pure clear yellow colour, bright and clean with a good big frothy head on top that stays with some lacing. Looks refreshing and tantalisingly good, saying “drink me, please!”. Yeah that’s a cheesy line, Swiss style! A decent beer though.

The aroma is light and malty, on the grainy side but with a little sweetness.

Taste: What a light lager should be like; a nice crisp and smooth refreshing drink. Grain dominates the taste with very little bitterness. Not complex, well balanced, and very easy to drink. Could drink these all day long, perfect for a light session with friends.

Feldschlösschen, Swiss Brewing Expertise Review: Can of Feldschlösschen Stark Strong Pale Lager 7%ABV

Can comes in a very shiny greyish colour that also highlights that this lager is 7% ABV. in case you were in any doubt.

Pours a clear dark golden colour with a fair white head that settles quick, no real lacing shown.

Feldschlösschen, Swiss Brewing Expertise A faint aroma of malt, bread, and mild sweetness.

The taste is the strong point of this beer. Very sweet, very smooth, very drinkable at 7% it is a strong lager and tastes like it too. The flavour is malt, bread and a mild hoppy bitterness which lingers well. This is a beer that is good for a session. Strong, goes down well and does the job.

 

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London Pride, Taste Some History

 

London Pride

http://www.fullers.co.uk

Brewed by Fuller’s
Style: Premium Bitter
London, England

Fuller’s flagship brand in the U.K. London Pride is Britain’s leading premium ale.

London Pride, Taste Some HistoryAn intrinsic part of London, London Pride has been brewed by the banks of the Thames since the mid 19th century. 

Fuller’s Brewery (Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.) is an independent, family, regional brewery which was founded in 1845 and based in Chiswick, West London. Beer has been brewed on Fuller’s Chiswick site for over 350 years.

London Pride is a smooth, medium-strength pale ale with a red brownish colour. The beer is best known in England in its 4.1% cask conditioned form, but is also sold in the UK and worldwide in 4.7% bottles. Lucky I got the bottles so!

Over the years Fuller’s has built up a reputation for its pubs and beers, with the likes of London Pride, ESB and 1845 all winning numerous awards. In fact, London Pride, with other Fuller beers ESB and Chiswick Bitter, have been named Champion Beer of Britain, a record unmatched by any other brewery in the UK.

Review: Bottle of London Pride British Pale Ale, 4.70%ABV

Comes in a nice looking  and distinctive 330ml bottle. London Pride is a decent ale from England’s Capital city.

Pours a lovely amber reddish colour with some white head that faded quickly. Some light lacing is seen.

The aroma is of some biscuit malts and earthy hops with hints of caramel sweetness. Nice.

London Pride, Taste Some HistoryA lovely refreshing flavour which hits the taste buds immediately. It tastes of light caramel, some earthy hops with a mild bitter aftertaste. It has a different, subtle, complex taste to it than what you can expect from a lot of beers, which has to be appreciated. I also found it a bit strong in the taste which I enjoyed, more of a kick to it than other ales.

Overall, London Pride is a solid pale ale, with lots of flavour, and was fairly easy to drink, a good session beer. Definitely worth a try and a good introduction to English, cough, London beers.

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