The Beer World Cup last 8 now gets under way. Click on pictures and links to get a general review and info on the beers we will be a drinking during the Football World Cup.
Russia V Nigeria
As Uruguay didn’t qualify for my Beer World Cup last 16 (I couldn’t source any beer from Uru), I made Russia winner (Knightberg) of Beer Group A, they went on to beat Spain (Estrella) in the last 16.
Nigeria (Guinness Special Export), who came second in my Beer Group D, knocked out Carlsberg of Denmark in their last 16 match up.
Knightberg Guinness Special Export
The Guinness looked magnificent and smelt great, exactly how you would expect a Guinness to be. But the taste was a little too heavy today, especially as it was so hot and close. So the Clockwork Cherry beer I had from Knightberg was the perfect beer at the right time. I needed a nice easy drinking fruit beer, nice and smooth, and went down real well while enjoying the football. Russia edge it to go into the last 4 of my Beer World Cup!
Portugal V Croatia
Portugal (Super Bock and Gallas Cerveja) eased to the top of my Beer World Cup Group B, then went on to knock out Saudi Arabia in the last 16. An easy win since there are no beers from the Arab kingdom, a bye in essence. Croatia (Ožujskoand Bura Brew), on the other hand, came top in Beer Group D, up against heavy hitters from Iceland, Argentina and Nigeria. Then in the last 16, the Croatians when on to beat Australia (Fosters)
Super Bock up against Ožujsko to decide who makes it into the last four of my Beer World Cup. Tough battle. Superbock is 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.
For Ožujsko, it is a typical full bodied lager, malty, light and clean, quaffable and not bad. Nice big mouthfuls to enjoy at the start. Slightly hoppy and a little bitter but overall easy to drink and perfect to quench the thirst.
You can see I enjoyed both lagers. So this had to go down to the wire, i.e: more than one beer of each! After a few I decided that Croatia should edge it, in that its the more quaffable of the two.
Switzerland V Belgium
Switzerland (Dr. Brauwolf, Celestial Brewery, Soo. Soors Beer) easily powered home in my Beer Group E, no problem at all, and in the last 16 they beat popular Mexican beer, Corona. While Belgium (Jessenhofke and Kamil) had a tough close encounter with England (London Pride) to come top of Beer Group G, but just got there in the end as group winners. They had a some what easier time dispatching of Colombia (Club Colombia) in the last 16.
Celestial Brewery Soo. Soors Beer Dr. Brauwolf
Was a big hard fought match up between Belgium and Switzerland in my beer world cup last eight encounter.
Started off drinking some water to mentally prepare for it! Eh?
Yeah that’s right, Dr. Brauwolf’s hopfenwasser, it is lovely fresh water with some hops and citrus notes. Kind of weird, but also kind of cool. Against Jessenhofke’s PMPRNI Tripel bier, which was loaded with lovely fruits and citrus, well there was only going to be one winner and that was the Belgian blonde.
So second match up was between Jessenhofke’s Maya, a 6% Belgian blonde, against Soo. Soors Session IPA. Although both were great beers, and I enjoyed the two, I will give this first goal to the Swiss beer, as it did exactly what it said on the tin! It was very sessionable and very easy to drink. Maya certainly had more bang for its buck, more kick, and looked fantastic, but the “magic” beer won out in this opener.
Last match up and the decider was betwee n Kamil’s Moktamee, a big 75cl bottle of pure rocket fuel, against Celestial Brewery’s L’elektron Libre, an American style amber beer. I really loved both beers. Moktamee had a lovely dark purple appearance with a nice head, a hoppy tasty effort but strong enough to give it a good kick, while L’elektron Libre had a very strong caramelized malt aroma and taste that I found very interesting. Id give it as a draw to be honest. So that means the tie end 2-2 a piece and with no penalty decider I have decided to put Switzerland through to the last 4 as the range of styles are that tad bit more unique than the usual Belgians that are quite common these days. But it was damn close and a pity that two big beer nations in my world cup met so early on in the draw.
Germany V England
Germany (Zombräu,Brauer & Co., and Döllnitzer Ritterguts Gose) might be out of the football World Cup, but they are still very much alive in my Beer World Cup, powering to victory in Beer group F, no problems there, while in the last 16 they beat Serbia (Kabinet). England (London Pride), on the other hand, just lost out in their epic tussle with Belgium, both in the football and in my Beer World Cup. But they are still very much alive in this competition, coming second in Beer Group G. and beating Poland (Tyskie) in the last 16.
Zombräu Brauer & Co., Funky trout n Pretty sperm whale!
Döllnitzer Ritterguts Gose London Pride
Bit of a tussle between Germany and England here in my beer world cup, two old foes, in pretty much everything you can think about….football, beer, war…..
First match up was between Zombräu’s Motor Oil, a nice “stout” German style, with the cocoa felling really nice on the tongue, up against England’s old reliable London Pride, the solid pale ale from old London town. Heh both cracking beers, both different styles and I thoroughly enjoyed both and for this reason I give it as a draw early doors.
Next up was Döllnitzer Ritterguts Gose, that strange German beer brewed with spices and coriander, again against LP. I have to say I am really liking these Gose’s beers, really liking them. Its all a strange style for me, but they are so easy to drink and have the “wow” factor that I have to give this one to Germany.
Last pair up was between LP and Zombräu’s Richfest Bier, a pretty strong tasting Heller Bock that looked amazing and tastes so strong, but you know the London Pride was coming into it. With its lovely amber reddish colour, biscuity aroma and flavour and better drinkabilty factor, England get a goal here! So that gave us a draw in the pair off, and taking everything into consideration I have to give it to the Germans, for more originality and more braver styles. Germany go to the last four of my Beer World Cup. Sorry England!
Called “Kabinet”, to reflect a cabinet of curiosities or wonders of life, “a collection of distinctive, unique items, all that is rare, strange and precious, finest handicrafts, natural wonders, usually received and gathered from the exotic travel as an examples of the natural, geological, religious, ethnological and artistic value”. Founded by a Serbia couple, whose “wish is that the Kabinet Brewery, as a cabinet of curiosities, gathers in one place all the amazing tastes and smells of the beer world that has long inspired us”. It certainly sounds all great. 
The smell is very nice, a typical IPA style smell, very fruity, very hoppy and very strong on the nose.
Again a strange looking logo, a modern art kind of thing, is interesting enough but I am not sure its the best looking logo for a simple beer. Apparently, according to the artist who designed it, it is meant to represent the evoking of our sensations after drinking a Mozaik.
Typical IPA taste, hoppy and bitter, fruity, citrusy, get it all at the start, lingers too especially the caramel on the tongue.