Classe Royale is a premium larger from United Dutch Breweries brewed in Brenda in the Netherlands which is located between Amsterdam and Antwerp. The beer is s a classic pilsner with a 5% alcohol content and as its name suggests is a royal class or premium beer. The beer is a classic European pilsner with light colour and a malty and somewhat sour taste not unlike that of Stella. There is also a non-alcoholic version of the beverage this has similar looking but silver can. The beer was first brewed in the 1960’s and is sold in about 30 countries around the world.
We just received an email from the Munich Oktoberfest and it looks like It is going ot be bigger and better than ever. This year’s festivities start on the 17th of September and go through to the 3rd of October- that’s only 10 weeks away! Beer prices have gone up about 30 Euro cents since last year a Mass or litre of beautiful fresh Munich beer will cost between 8.70 Euro and 9.20 Euro but entry is free. There are 14 main beer tents including favourites like Hofbrau Festhalle, Café Kaiserschmarrrn and the Hippodrom all serving amazing German dishes and beer. This year there are two new rides, The Rio Rapidos which is a raft ride and the Monster which sounds pretty scary, a swing which goes 40 metres in one direction before rotating down around its axis. Probably a ride to go on before the beers. Over 6 million people are expected to attend this year and security has been raised to stop so many beer glasses being stolen, last year over 77000 were collected from people by security. For those planning to attend, start booking your spot in the tents as they are filling up quickly- avoid disappointment… do it today!!!!
One of our more popular stories was titled “the Real Duff Beer” it was a beer that was brewed in South Australia but was taken off the market due to a legal stoush with Fox the owner of The Simpsons. Well some could say there was more than a coincidence with the product and Homer’s favourite beer but this is nothing to what we have just found in Germany. We just received a tip from a keen Hoppsy follower that there is another Duff Beer on sale and it comes from Gotha which is right in the centre of the country. The beer as you will see in the image above looks pretty much identical to the Duff we all know and love on The Simpsons. The beer is brewed using the traditional German purity laws and has a 4.9 alcohol content. It is sold throughout the northern central and northern areas of Germany and the market is growing and soon will stretch to Bavaria, Bremen and Hamburg. The beer is also proud sponsor of the Queen of the World Competition which is noted as the hottest beauty contest in the world.. We are not sure what the giant News Limited company thinks of this drop, as it looks too much like the real thing for them to be not concerned, so it will be interesting to see what happens with the product as it grows in popularity. It might be another great can or bottle to source for the poolroom shelf. Read the rest of this entry »
Zlatopramen is a Heineken owned beer from the Czech Republic and even on Czech standards this is a magnificent beer. It’s got the crisp and light taste of most Czech beers but there’s a lively aftertaste that leaves you refreshed but wanting more. The beer is brewed by Krasne Brezno, situated on the left bank of the River Elbe in the Severni Cechy region of the Czech Republic. The town has history of brewing which dates back to 1249 – King Vaclav I. granted the privilege to brew to the town. There has been a rich history ever since and even recently a Russian company has bought a licence to produce their beer in Russia . There are 4 types of Zlatopramen available a pale ale, dark lager, light draft and pale lager the company also sells soft drinks using the Zlatopramen name.
With most of the information in Russian this beer was a little and to research but we found that Baltika is part of the Carlsberg group of companies and began production in 1990. The beer originates from St Petersburg and is the leader in the Russian beer market owning around 40% of sales. They now have 11 breweries and brew 5.2 million hectolitres- which sounds a hell of a lot every month. They say that the Baltika brand is one of the top three most valuable brands in Russia and the biggest selling beer in sales term in Europe- which is pretty impressive. They export to over 70 countries. We have tasted quite a few of the Baltika beers, including the Classic, The Porter and the Pale Ale. The one we have photographed is the Wheat Beer No 8 had a thick dense foam, soft fruit aroma with spicy tinges and light sweetness. They started brewing this beer in 2001 and have won several prestigious Beer awards with it. The beer has a 5% alcohol volume and original wort gravity of 12.5%. Well worth looking out for when you want to try something different, it is a very nice beer.
The brewery dates back to 1848 when it was originally founded by Diedrich Konig and had a few ups and downs until well after the Second World War. It wasn’t really the 1960’s it got back on its feet and was fairly successful with a Jever Export was produced. Tastes changed a bit in the 1990’s and a Pilsner like the one in our photo became the more popular beer and the Export was dropped. The Pilsner is a very nice drop and not unlike other German beers in this region in particular Becks. It’s got a fairly light pale straw colour and there is a very noticeable hop refreshing taste and it’s got the traditional fairly heavy head. It’s not one of the normal German Beers you see in the local bottle shop so look out for it as it is well worth a try and another very nice German beer.
Mahou Cinco Estrellas or Mahou Five Stars as it is known, is an interesting beer from Alovera in Spain and has been on the Spanish market since 1969 but the brand dates back to 1890. The beer is one of the huge San Miguel Corporation’s suite of beers. The beer which is nicknamed “The Queen of Beers” is a pale lager and has what we could only call Spanish flavour with a bit of a sour or hoppy bite and a bit flatter than the average beer, not dissimilar to San Miguel or Estrella Galicia. The beer has a 5.5% alcohol content and is the official beer of Real Madrid and La Liga. It’s not the best beer we have ever tasted and certainly not the worst, great for a hot day enjoying while a few tapas.
One of the great Geman Beers is DAB which comes from Dortmund in Germany. The brewery is fairly new in German terms and dates back to 1868 being set up by a few local buisnessmen and their master brewer Heinrich Herberz. Dortmund is located in the North Rhine-Westphalia which is on the central western side of the country not far from the Dutch Border.
Being rebuilt in 1949 after being destroyed in World War II and is now owned by German food giant Radeberger The DAB is a pilsener and like all German beers obeys the Purity Laws. DAB is readily available in bottleshops around the world and is a favorite in German themed restaurants worldwide.
Here’s a clever add from the guys at Amstel Bier in the Netherlands, it shows what lenghts people will to, to ensure the beer reaches the customer- its quiet fun. sit back with a cold Amsel and enjoy today’s You Tube of the week.
Obolon the great Ukrainian Brewer offers some beautiful beers including Magnat, a barley beer, Velvet their dark beer, a White Beer and the one photographed here the Premium to name a few. The premium is exported to many countries around the world and readily available and well worth a try next time you are at your favorite liquor store or bottleshop. The Obolon Premium comes in half litre green bottles and contains 5.2% alcohol. The beer uses Obolon Premium Rice which gives the beer a lovely soft flavour with medium content of solids with a distinct malty taste. The beer is a very good choice if you are looking for one of those crisp but flavorsome European style pilsners- look out for it.
