Tag Archives: world cup 2018

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Costa Rica

Costa Rica, again?

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Costa Rica

Little Costa Rica were my favourite team in the last World Cup, playing some great counter attacking football, with passion and no fear for the big names, going on an amazing run that was just about halted by the Dutch in a penalty shootout in the last eight of the World Cup. Brilliant. I’d settle for even half of that excitement again! 

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Costa RicaKeylor Navas and Joel Campbell made names for themselves in the last World Cup and are back again for another adventure. Otherwise they dont really have any other stand out players in the squad. But is that any different to last time round? I certainly didn’t expect them to get up to much in 2014 and they ended up causing shock after shock, so who knows what gems lie in their squad this time round. 

Apart from Brazil, I fully expect Costa Rica to give both Serbia and Switzerland a hard time, and wouldn’t be surprised at all if they came out of those two encounters with six points. Playing Serbia first they really need to start with a win, as they have Brazil up after and I fear for them in that game. Switzerland could be a game where both teams need a draw to progress and it could be tight, but Id fancy Costa Rica to have that little bit more skill to shine through.  If they come out of the group they more than likely then will play Germany, so that’s the end of that! 

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ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Croatia

Croatia, can go far.

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Croatia

Croatia always had decent teams with top quality players. Davor Šuker, Robert Prosinečki and  Zvonimir Boban to name a few of the stars from the 98 team that came third in the World. Even today you know you wont get an easy game from playing them. They play beautiful football that is easy on the eye, and all in a good fun free spirit that is endearing. 

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: CroatiaThese days Real Madrid star, Luka Modrić is the player every one looks out for, but if you scan through their squad you can see they have many players who ply their trade in the top leagues of Europe. Their midfield is particularly strong, with Modrić as mentioned, but also Ivan Rakitić of Barca, and Marcelo Brozović from Inter and with Mario Mandžukić still banging the goals in for club and country, they can beat anybody on their day. 

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: CroatiaIn a tough group, it is perhaps good luck that they play Nigeria first. Nigeria can be slow to come out of the blocks, not scoring in their last three World Cup starts. Hit Nigeria at the start, can leave Croatia looking for three points against Iceland to qualify, something they are well capable of achieving. I think they might not get top of the group, so it is looking that they probably will play France in the second round. A game I also wouldn’t fancy them coming through. But if they do manage to beat Argentina and come top, their route is a little easier, they might get Denmark in the last 16, which is manageable which would set up a mouth watering tie with Germany in the last eight. That’s a game I’d love to see. Two efficient and complete teams head to head, one mistake and you are out. Croatia have a chance to go far in this World Cup, but they need to top the group. Touch and go at the moment, I cant call it for now!

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ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Peru

Peru, with their star player back!

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Peru

Beating New Zealand 2-0 on aggregate brought Peru back to the top tier of World football after a thirty six year hiatus. Back then the legendary Cubillas was coming to the end of a third World Cup appearance, from 1970 to 1982, scoring seven world cup goals and making a name for himself, most notable for his long range strikes and mazy runs.

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: PeruSo here they are back again, too long out of the picture, but have they any new stars to set the world alight? Their captain and talisman, Paolo Guerrero, the Flamengo striker, is finally allowed to play after his cocaine on off drug ban, and they badly need him. 87 caps with 34 goals stands out in an otherwise threadbare squad. 

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: PeruCan they make it out of the group? Will be tough. Against France I dont give them much hope, but if they can get a result against the Danish then Id fancy them to beat the Australians. They dont lose many games under Argentinian manager, Ricardo Gareca, and the team have an unbelievable spirit. Most South American teams are skillful on the ball and very technical, so they wont be an easy touch. They definitely have an outside chance, especially now with their captain finally back. With a small bit of magic and a health dose of luck they could get into the last 16! 

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ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Morocco

Morocco, a tough ask.

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Morocco

Morocco did very well to get into this year’s World Cup. Qualifying unbeaten in a tough group that included African king pins, Ivory Coast and nearly men Mali, French man Hervé Renard must be congratulated in getting the “Lions of the Atlas” back at the top table of the world game, the first time in twenty years. 

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: MoroccoUnlike some of the African teams, the majority of Morocco’s squad play in the top leagues of Europe. Medhi Benatia is at the centre of the backline, and from his time playing with Juventus you can be sure he has the art of defending down to a tee. Karim El Ahmadi, from Feynoord, another bulwark against opposition attackers as a strong defensive midfielder. Hakim Ziyech, the play maker, has had an excellent season with Ajax, prompting the notice of some of the EPL’s big teams, while Striker Khalid Boutaïb, who plays in the Turkish Superliga with Yeni Malatyaspor has had a relatively good season there with 12 goals this year, and is on hot on form. So they have some quality in their team no doubt about it. 

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: MoroccoIt also has to be mentioned that the team didn’t concede one goal in the qualifying, an amazing statistic, which must take the pressure of the forwards no end. Added to this fact is that they have played well in the pre World Cup friendlies and one would think that Morocco have a decent chance of making the last 16. But they dont, and the reason is simple. They are in a group with Spain and Portugal, with a defensive minded Iran making up the numbers. They really need to hit the ground running in their first game against Iran, a win and they have an outside chance, a loss and its an early exit I am afraid. I really cant see how they can beat Spain, but they might be able to contain Portugal and snatch a draw. It will be a tough ask for Morocco, they have a slim chance, but it would be a big surprise if they made it out of the group. Unlucky for them to get such a tough group. 

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ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Egypt

Egypt, they need Mo!

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Egypt

The nation’s chances in this years World Cup rest on the shoulders of one man, Mohammed Salou. But the question that not just Egyptians but the whole world is asking, will he be fit in time before Egypt take the field against Uruguay on the 15th of June? 

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: EgyptIt is vitally important that Egypt have their star man playing. He has had such a good season and what a great way to top it all off with a chance to shine in the World Cup for his country. I do hope he is fit enough to play as its not likely he will get a good a chance for a long time and he really is a great player to watch, full of heart, great technical ability and an all round nice guy to boot. 

God knows Egypt need him. They aren’t exactly blessed with a lot of household names and against Uruguay it will be tough without the “Egyptian Messi”. They could do a number on Saudi Arabia and Russia without him, but it just makes it all tougher for them. 

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: EgyptHéctor Cúper is in charge of the team and I am sure his vast knowledge of the game will help, and what a job he has done so far, bringing Egypt to their first World Cup since 1990 (not withstanding a good dose of help from Salah!)

All eyes will be on Salah, can he be fit in time? If he is, then Egypt have an outside chance, if not, then no chance. They are too top heavy on home grown players and without the Liverpool starlet I am sorry to say they wont be in Russia for too long. 

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Bura Brew

Bura Brew

Bura Brew Optimist Golding Ale

Brewed by BURA BREW D.O.O
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale 
Ul. Mate Vlašića 26/19, 52440, Poreč, Croatia

https://www.burabrew.hr/

Bura Brew

Founded in 2015 by a trio of friends, Alessandro Zecchinato, Veronika Becker and Claudio Rossi, Bura Brew is an independent craft brewery hailing from the small Istrian town of Poreč, a popular summer resort on the coast of the Istrian Peninsula in western Croatia.

It was when Italian born Alessandro Zecchinato lived and worked in Dublin, Ireland that he got a love of the craft beer movement and seeing the potential of the market decided to try and bring some craft beer innovation to Croatia. But why Croatia? Well, he also met Veronika Becker in Ireland, fell in love and married her! Veronika was born in the former Yugoslavia, can speak Croatian, and so had experience of the region. With Claudio, a close friend, they all studied the industry inside and out and received a lot of useful information from Irish and Italian breweries, both big and small, and so in March 2015 they founded Bura Brew d.o.o. 

The location of Poreč was chosen, a beautiful town that attracts a lot of tourists and business, and so great potential for a new beer on the scene.  The brewery relies on manual labour and hand made products and has an open relationship with the locality, offering free tours and free tasting sessions. 

They produce three types of beers: An Optimist Golding Ale, A Redsand Amber Ale, and a Tornado IPA. The three beers are unfiltered and unpasteurized nor processed in any way using only the best of natural ingredients. To preserve a natural carbonation, the beers are bottle fermented.

Although its still a very new brewery the beer is popular all across Croatia and must be so in parts of Europe as I got my bottles here in Basel, Switzerland! Not bad for a young beer. 

Review: 33l Bottle of Bura Brew Golding Ale: 5.0% ABV

A golden ale that is unfiltered and bottle-conditioned. With a nice looking logo on the bottle, looks like an Inca design not sure of its relevance to Croatia. 

On pour I get a beautiful golden colour with a decent sized creamy white head. it looks great, a good looking beer, beautiful.

Head maintains and all is well with the appearance.

For the aroma I get a lot of fruits on the nose, very nice, some malts as well. A really nice smell. 

On the taste, it hits you from the start, the hops. Manageable hops, a light bitterness, not too strong making the beer not bad to sip on and slowly enjoy.

Not a whole lot of hops in the back end of the beer, more in the front.

Had good tasty mouthfuls that were very enjoyable

A light tasting golden ale, easy to drink and about as much as can be expected from this kind of beer. Nice and smooth, and a very clean ale..

Did the job, went down well and I only wish I had more to finish off. That really is the best compliment a beer can have, too few to drink!!!

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Gallas Cerveja, an artisan from Lisboa

Gallas Cerveja, an artisan from Lisboa

Gallas Cerveja

Brewed by Gallas Microbrewery
Rua do garrido 54A, Lisbon, Portugal 

http://gallas.beer/

Gallas Cerveja, an artisan from Lisboa A new and exciting artisan brewery in the historical heart of Lisbon, Portugal producing beers that are both innovative and different to the mainstream. Try the Gallas Beer!

Gallas Cerveja, an artisan from LisboaInaugurated in 2018 by brewer Gustavo Gallas, the beer that bears his name is the result of his love for brewing high quality beer for many years. Here beer is made according to the old traditions, with dedication, passion and totally handcrafted processes all with the best locally sourced ingredients from the beautiful and sun land that is Portugal. 

The Gallas brewery make a Belgian Wheat Ale and an IPA, and sell not just within Portugal but also to selected distributors across Europe and further afield. 

Review: 33cl Bottle of Gallas, Wit Cinco De Abril: ABV: 5% vol

Coming in a brown bottle that has a very interesting cartoon picture of two army guys hanging out of a tank with roses in its gun. Also there is a happy go lucky woman with flowers in her hair. While at the background there are big juicy looking oranges to signify that this is a fruity number. Perhaps after you down this beer, a feeling of immense joy and peace with the world comes upon you. That’s a tall ask as I can be a grumpy bastard at times, but let’s see……..

Gallas Cerveja, an artisan from LisboaChrist on a bike, this beer is just full of carbonation, a lot of it! This all results in a huge frothy white head that takes a little  while to settle. After all that we get a pale yellow looking beer that looks ok. Later the colour goes a bit hazy and cloudy. 

On the nose I get the fruits. The orange is quite striking on the nose. Also get the malts and coriander, all making a pretty nice smell. 

The initial taste was a bit of a surprise, it was quite strong and not what I was expecting. Very fruity, and a bit sour. I guess that was the instant hit from the oranges. Definitely a knock out blast to the taste buds early on. But interesting all the same and very tasty. 

Has a lot of interesting flavours, and is a beer to enjoy slowly and sip.

Got the hops and the coriander taste and also found the yeast which gave it a bit of a kick. 

So overall a nice enough beer, full of nice flavours, I really love the orange taste in the beer, and it had a slight kick to it with the alcohol which I felt after, which I always like. 

Review: 33cl Bottle of Cerveja Capar India Pale Ale: ABV: 5.6% vol

Gallas Cerveja, an artisan from LisboaOnce again a nice logo and bottle, certainly catches the eye for sure, as this time we are treated to a bikini clad lady on a beach, images of relaxing on a beach with a nice cold cool beer at hand.

For the appearance I get a cloudy looking orange beer, with a minimal white head. Beer becomes cloudier and darker over time. 

Gallas Cerveja, an artisan from LisboaThe aroma was intense, a really lovely smell, very fruity and really strong on the nose. Got citrus hops. It had the “wow factor”, was really nice and exotic. It smelled like a grapefruit.
The aroma makes this drink, is very inviting and one can’t wait to start drinking. 

Taste is very bitter and hoppy, a usual IPA style beer, getting all the hops and fruits. 
Overall its not a bad beer and certainly does the business watching the football on a hot Saturday afternoon. 

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Icelandic Arctic Pale Ale

Einstök, beer from Iceland.

Icelandic Arctic Pale Ale

Brewed by Einstök Ölgerð (Einstök Beer Company)
Style: Arctic Pale Ale
Akureyri, Iceland

http://einstokbeer.com/

Icelandic Arctic Pale AleIt wasn’t that long ago that beer, all beer, was banned in the tiny North Atlantic island. Due to religious reasons, alcohol was not allowed, for fear of its corrupting influence. This was changed in 1933 in a nationwide referendum where 57.7% of the voters approved of lifting the ban. But before we congratulate common sense, beer was only to be allowed if it had an alcohol content not more than 2.25%.  Of course this just led to a thriving black market in stronger strength beers smuggled into the country and also beers sold by home brewers that were laced with strong spirits. Finally in May 1988, the government passed legislation legalizing beer above 2.25% ABV. The lifting of restrictions on beer is celebrated as Beer Day on March the 1’st, a day that all beer lovers on the island hold dear. Since then beer, wine and spirits are sold widely and consumed as in any other country. 

Located just 60 miles south of the Arctic circle in the fishing port of Akureyri is the brewery Einstök Ölgerð (Einstök Beer Company). Tapping into pure fresh water that comes directly from prehistoric glaciers flowing down from the majestic Hlíðarfjall Mountain and ancient lava fields, Einstök are able to produce top quality craft brews.

At present, Einstök brews Icelandic White Ale, Icelandic Arctic Pale Ale, Icelandic Toasted Porter, and two seasonal brews: Icelandic Arctic Berry Ale and Icelandic Doppelbock, selling all over Iceland and further afield to the USA, Scandinavia, most countries in Western Europe, and some in the east, such as Poland and the Baltic States, making it the largest exporter of alcoholic beverages from Iceland. Not bad for a brewery that has only been on the go since 2011. 

Review: 330 ml Bottle of Einstok Icelandic Arctic Pale ale: ABV: 5.6%

Rather cool pic of a stern looking Viking on the bottle.

On pour I get a deep dark orange coloured beer with a decent sized white frothy head. Looks good, very appetizing. Head maintains well and lasts. Not a bad looking beer..

Smell is not bad, nice n fruity, malty, and a bit sour but with nice fruity notes. Citrus is fine on the nose. 

On taste, fuck me, found the initial taste very hard hitting and very hoppy. It this really a regular pale ale? Tastes more like an IPA, fuck me. I think they called it an Arctic Pale Ale to differentiate between the two. Its their own creation, a Viking version of a pale ale!
Too hoppy for me, a bit bitter, very difficult to enjoy, at least initially. 

But it managed to settle down after a while, or perhaps I did, and I gradually started to enjoy it after a few more sips. It is really a slow burner that takes its time on your taste buds.

It certainly is a tasty beer, with a lot of interesting flavours. Got malts, the cascade hops which are very present, caramels and grains.

By the end of it I liked the beer, it certainly grew on me over the course of the session. I also got to see why they called it an Arctic Ale rather than an IPA, as it does lighten up near the end, thaws out! 

An interesting beer that I would like to try again for sure.  Liked it, it grew on me!

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Knightberg Microbrewery

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionary

Knightberg

Brewed by Knightberg Microbrewery
St. Petersburg, Russia 

http://knightberg.ru

Knightberg MicrobreweryComing all the way from the lovely city of St. Petersburg, Knightberg is a family owned brewery that is taking Russia’s second city by storm. The brewery has been one of the main influencers in the burgeoning craft beer scene in the former imperial capital.

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryWith the fall of communism, many western beer influences flooded the city, from Irish and Belgian type bars, from shops selling generic popular brands such as Carlsberg and Heineken to eventually the “craft beer” scene today that is similar to what we have in the rest of the continent, with beer bloggers, huge and well attended beer festivals and small breweries popping up all over the place. Yes the craft beer scene is truly alive and well in Russia. 

Knightberg, along with Vasileostrovskaya Pivovarnya, were quick to capture this new innovative trend all feeding into a city eager to embrace and celebrate the craft beer revolution. This has resulted in a city that has many edgy clubs, specialized shops and bars selling a wide range of local and international craft beers, a city that knows its beer and is surprisingly showing that St Petersburg is a must for any beer connoisseur who is looking for something different and unexpected, and fun!

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryKnightberg – knight and Berg – a knightly hill, is a place of competitions, holidays and feasts. Symbolizing festivities, fun, joy and delight all the result of having some great tasting beer in the company of good friends. Starting out in 2007, Premium Pivovarny Peterburga (Knightberg), brewed beer according to their own recipes at a brewery in Kondopoga, on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. The first IPA Krasnaya Mashina (Red Machine) was brewed in 2012 in collaboration with the home brewer Zhenya Tolstov also by Knightberg. Today the brewery brews all the main varieties one would expect from a major supplier, from your usual and standard IPA’s the edgy Stouts, Knightberg has something for everyone and caters for all taste buds.

Review: 5l. long brown bottle of Knightberg Baltic Porter: 8.5% ABV

Just to note that this was 8.5% but I note in some reviews online they have it as low as 6.8%!

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryComing in a very cool looking logo, as are all the Knightberg beers it has to be said. It features a snazzy looking bird, I guess a seagull, perched on top of a lighthouse, battling against the cold sea breeze of the Baltic airs.

On pour I get a chocolaty brown tanned head, I think they call it a mocha head! It really is lovely to look at, brown on top, pitch black on the bottom. The head maintains throughout and there is some slight lacing. What a porter should look like. 

The aroma is one of a typical porter smell. Nice on the nose, I get chocolate, sugar, caramel, and roasted malts. Not an overbearing smell but soft enough to enjoy.  

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionarySo onto the taste. Got a nice mouthful, of tasty dark chocolate, a very deep and creamy tasting chocolate. Also tasted the roasted malts and the caramel.

The beer was strong, and bitter, but that is to be expected for a Baltic porter, strong exactly the way I like these beers to taste.

I am a fan of stouts, dark beers and porters so this was all good to me. Had a bit of a kick as my senses were numbed for a while, and I only had the one. Overall a hit and I wish I had more than just the one bottle, but on second thoughts perhaps not, lol!!

 

Review: 5l. long brown bottle of Knightberg American Pale Ale Citra: 4.8% ABV

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryJust to note that this was 4.8% but I note in some reviews I have seen online they have it as a 4.5 to 4.7%.

Another cool looking logo from Knightberg, this time of The Statue of Liberty appearing very groovy as she observes all below from high above New York Harbor. Nice. 

Looks good on the pour. We get a hazy orange colour with a small whitish head.

Loads of small sediment floating around, fermenting away in the bottle. The beer is murky to see, and the head maintains. 

Some very good lacing observed on the bottle. Not a bad looking beer

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryThe aroma is nice and malty, get the smell of the the fruits and the hops, a typical pale ale aroma, not too strong.

Get a caramel kind of taste initially. 

Hoppy yes, a bite yes, but not so strong and light enough to enjoy and not offensive. Nice to sip and enjoy slowly. 

Real strong caramel taste, got the malts, the fruits and citrus as well.   

A nice enough beer, not bad, not offensive, Just a regular pale ale.

 

Review: 5l. long brown bottle of Knightberg (Mono) HBC 366, an IPA: 6.0% ABV

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryWeird enough logo, has a giant in the background, hops look like gun shells, must be strong so.

“HBC366” are the hops, from America, that usually produce a powerful bitter brew with notes of tropical fruits. 

On pour it has a nice white head with a lovely golden coloured beer. It looks absolutely FANTASTIC!

The head settles very well and the colour goes a dark cloudy orange after a while.

Some good lacing shown and the head maintains well. 

The smell is intense, quite strong. very earthy and musky. Get the fruits as well, the lime, citrus and melon. Got some spices as well on the nose. Interesting smell, a pointer to whats to come with the taste. 

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryCaramel found, on the initial taste at least.

Quite strong, can feel the alcohol strength, very yeasty. Very strong in the hops too, which are also very earthy.  

Hoppy, very fucking hoppy, very bitter, obviously the Russians have a different constitution than the rest of us when it comes to strong beers! Hops are just too overbearing for me.  

Bittersweet from the citrus fruits and the malts in a battle among your taste buds. 

Fuck me, hops are so strong, have I mentioned that?

A big fat NO! For fans of the HBC 366 hops I guess, sorry Knightberg my stomach and liver is no match for the strong hoppy beers of St Petersberg! 

 

Review: 5l. long brown bottle of Knightberg Premium Lager: 5.0% ABV

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryAnother Knightberg beer, and another shit hot cool logo. This time of a robot with the heart of a hop. Very clever and for me it conjures up the idea of Ted Hughes’ The Iron Man, who had to survive by eating metal. Replace hops with metal, I know I couldn’t survive with good beer (and football!)

For the appearance we get a golden coloured beer with a white head that doesn’t really stick around too long.

The aroma was very malty. And had nice smells of the grains and fruits. Overall a rather pleasant smell. 

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryGet a lot of malt on the taste, very sweet at the early stages, very tingly on the tongue. A nice start. 

Apparently rice is added to this beer to accentuate the hops, and I have to say you can definitely pick it up on the taste. 

Not bad for a lager, nicely balanced and quiet tasty. A lager with a bit more of a taste than your more regular beers. The hops are just about right, not too bitter and very manageable. 

Light enough, and easy enough to swill. An interesting Russian take on a lager. 

 

Review: 5l. long brown bottle of Knightberg Oatmeal Stout: 5.0% ABV

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryThis time the logo has a pic of a broken down London bus, used as a squat, a nod to English stouts of yesteryear perhaps?

This is an Oatmeal stout, a typically English style version of a stout, less sweet than a regular stout, and will be less bitter and smoother to drink.  

On the eye it looks fine, as expected having all the usual stout appearances. Nice and black, jet black, decent head, a tanned head. Some slight lacing. Head died a little. 

Stouty smell, nice and chocolaty. Toffee, chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts. The usual suspects here on the nose.

On the taste get lovely big mouthfuls at the start, very nice and smooth.

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryI have never had an oatmeal stout before and can see the difference easily enough to a regular stout. It is much lighter and not as filling, but very drinkable. Lovely mouthfuls, goes down very nice. This to me is a tiny bit like a Schwarzbier, albeit not as watery and with more flavours.

Nice not bad. Very drinkable. Full bodied and very well balanced. Got the roasted malts easily enough, roasted coffee and the chocolate taste throughout, also got strong sense of toffee notes. With the oatmeal it accentuates the taste of grain and the roasted barley, definitely something I found. 

A nice light bodied brew, with some interesting and nice light flavours, all well held together to produce a rather interesting stout albeit a bit too light for me as an Irishman who perhaps is stuck in his ways with his Guinness and Irish stouts. 

 

Review: 5l. long brown bottle of Knightberg Clockwork Cherry, a fruit beer: 4.5% ABV

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryThis time we get a logo of a chilled woman all in pink, sitting on a Vespa bike, another cool looking logo from Knightberg. Pink of course representing all the cherries in this fruit beer.

On the pour we get a nice white head appearance and a dark reddish coloured beer. 

Head dies a death and goes flat. But the purple look is nice enough. 

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryOn the nose…..oh my word, very nice smells of the cherry, quite prominent on the aroma, also can get the sugars and spices. Kind of like a cherry bubble gum on the nose, really nice and pleasant. 

Nice on taste, cherry taste is lovely on the tongue, really easy to drink and appreciate.

Like sucking on a cola sweet, nice and fruity,  very sweet and tarty in the taste.  

As fruit beers go, this was good. Not much hint of alcohol in it though, but it was nice and refreshing all the same, and very easy and smooth to drink.

 

Review: 0,75cl. long green bottle of Knightberg Brettness, a sour ale: 8.2% ABV

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryComing in a nice big green bottle with a cork to pop. Great, looks like a lot of drinking will be done so!

First have to ask what exactly is a Brettness styled brew? As far as I can tell Brett, short for Brettanomyces, is a type of natural yeast found in the wild, on the skins of fruits, for example. Usually it is unwanted as its can spoil a beer or a wine, and brewers prefer to use pure fermented yeast rather than a fungus type yeast. It can be sometimes found in British ales, Belgian Lambics and Monastery Ales, and the odd German brew, all sour type beers. So the usual tastes to be found are fruity and sour. 

On pour we get a creamy white head and a dark brown coloured beer. Looks ok.

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryHead maintains, some good lacing. 

Oh my word, the smell is very fruity, very strong on the nose, got a whiff of berries, all nice on the nose. Good. 

For the taste, I am getting hit immediately with the fruits, very strong, but very nice.

Also a very sweet and sour taste, tastes like a good red wine but also like a fruity cider! 

Really enjoying this one, loving the fruity edge to it and the fact that it tastes like a fine wine but it is meant to be a beer! It really feels if it in fact a red wine! 

Strong to taste, but its a slow burner so very manageable. Get the sourness like a red wine, but with the fruits to give it that pleasant hit on the senses. 

Fantastic beer, loved it. Recommended. 

 

Review: 5l. long brown bottle of Knightberg Shisha, a chocolate stout: 5.0% ABV

A very eye catching logo of a Russian Cosmonaut hanging out in space, relaxing, probably out of his head on booze, while his mate seems to be struggling to hang on to the side of the space ship.

On pour looks good, a very tanned frothy head and jet dark black colour. The classic stout look.

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryHead maintains well. A good looking stout, no complaints so far.

The smell is amazing! Full of chocolate, very easy to get on the nose, very overpowering, but all nice. Smells like a Turkish delight (that would be the hazelnuts)!!

I am getting a lot of fruits such as berries and lemons, and vanilla, caramel, and lots and lots of chocolate! 

Taste follows the nose, exactly the same senses are ticked, ie the vanilla and the caramel. Roasted malt and barely as well, to be expected. Tongue bombarded with all the chocolate and sweet hazelnuts. All in harmony and not overtly bitter, lovely. 

Very nice, very smooth, really lovely to drink, loved this beer. Recommended

 

Review: 5l. long brown bottle of Knightberg Hefeweizen: 4.0% ABV

Logo this time is a big green monster wading through fields of wheat, showing that this beer is strong and ready to lay waste on your taste buds, or something like that! 

Smell……oh wait……that’s an unusual smell that I wasn’t expecting! Very yeasty, more so than expected, and also strong hints of banana and citrus. 

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionaryColour is yellow with a small white head. Head does go flat after a while and it isn’t the most appealing of beers from its appearance. 

Taste is wow, very wheaty, very nice, goes down smooth and is extremely tasty. 

Taste is very striking and feels very nourishing, like a hearty meal. In fact I would say it tastes a bit like a Weetabix with beer, very weird but I love it. I would say it doesn’t taste like a regular Hefeweizen, in that the wheat taste has a specific Russian style to it that I have never found before. I wonder do all Russian Hefeweizen’s taste like this, is Russian wheat a different taste? 

Got the fruits, especially banana, also got corn and the hops were light. 

Overall its the sweet taste of the wheat with its unique Russian taste that does this beer for me. A top beer. Excellent twist to a Hefeweizen and one that I was not expecting at all. Fun, and very tasty!

Review: 0,75cl. bottle of Knightberg Les Cinq Premiers, a Flanders Red Ale: 7.0% ABV

Les Cinq Premiers, “The first five from Knightberg”, nice big dark green bottle. 

A Belgian style sour ale with Brettanomycetes (that natural yeast), bottle aged for two years.

Looks ok, small whitish head, very dark brownish colour. Looks good. Head maintains 

Knightberg, a Russian revolutionarySmell is very fruity. Plums and berries. Nice. 

Bit of a sour taste initially, like a bitter red wine, strong. 

Like a wine tasting, ok to drink, doesn’t feel like a beer at all. Strong and fruity in the taste, red berries and plum like tastes are prominent. 

Very strong in the taste. Initially wasn’t sure, but it did linger long in the memory a good while after, and I got round to thinking Id like to retry it again. Basically it is like a red wine from start to finish, a slow burner that has a lot of fruit in it and with the malts and hops well hidden. 

Not really used to Flanders Red Ale’s so I guess this was a new experience for me, to taste a beer that really tastes like a red wine more so than a regular beer. An intriguing beer, and a style I will like to return to in the future. 

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ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Senegal

Senegal, another surprise?

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: Senegal

Senegal are back, its been a while. 2002 in fact and those fond memories of beating France and El Hadji Diouf lightning up the early rounds, getting to the last eight in the process. Yeah it was fun and Senegal definitely impressed in their first World Cup experience. 

ThisDrinkingLife and The World Cup: SenegalWhat are they like this time round? Well they have Sadio Mané who has had an excellent season with Liverpool, and Everton powerhouse Idrissa Gueye in defence. They are also quite lucky in that their group is one of the easiest. Poland, Japan and Colombia are all beatable on the day, and if they play as a cohesive team I’d expect them to come out of the group. The question after that is can they beat either England or Belgium in the second round? As much as I would like to see them progress I just cant see it. Their form so far this year in friendlies is shocking, not winning any games, and drawing with the not so mighty Luxembourg, Uzbekistan and Bosnia. But hell they have shocked us before so there is no reason why they could not do it again. Lets see!

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