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 17^th of September and go through to the 3^rd 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.

Check out Duff’s website – its in German but you will get the jist! http://www.duff-bier.de

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.

Well the last thing you want to do after a few beers is get behind the wheel of a car, well with Schlossgold you can have as many as you like and still be fine to drive. This beer is alcohol free!.. You might be thinking no that cant be beer it will taste awful, well we are here to tell you it is delicious!  It is an Austrian Beer and one of their best sellers, it dates back to 1321 and is the perfect beer to have when you are not having a beer.  This beer and many like it are becoming quiet popular in Europe as people are becoming more responsible when drinking, it is stocked in both liquor stores and anywhere you might buy a milk or soft drink. The beer is available in many countries around the world and the distributors are looking for more, so look out for it when you want a beer that tastes like a beer but is virtually alcohol free.

http://www.schlossgold.com.au/

Franziskaner is the oldest privately owned brewery in Munich and has a proud tradition, dating back over 700 years to 1363, where the brewery set up by Seidel Vaterstetter diagonally over the road from the Franciscan monastery, hence the name Franziskaner.  In 1841the brewery moved to more modern premises in Munich’s eastern suburbs at Lilienberg.  Franziskaner has been a proud brewer for Oktoberfest, with it’s first brews appearing way back in 1872, they produce a beautiful golden yellow beer especially for the event from a old Viennese recipe ideal for summer drinking.  Franziskaner beers are easily identified with the distinctive Franciscian Friar monk on the label, this was originally painted by Ludwig Hohlwein back in 1935 and has remained an important icon ever since.  The brewery produces a number of beers including their most popular the Weisse wheat beer,  Hefe Weisse Hell, a Dunkel and of course the Oktoberfest brew which appears at the end of Summer each year.  They are all top fermented and use no nasty chemicals or additives as stated in the German Purity Laws for beer.

Spendrups Christmas Beer

Sweden must be a good place this time of year as not only is it close to Santa’s home but also their local brewery produces a christmas beer. Spendrups have several breweries across Sweden and pruduce beers under the brand names of Spendrups Original, Norrlands Guld, Loka, Wisby Klosteröl and Old Gold,as well as producing heineken under licence for the local market. Around christmas time each year Spendrups produce a christmas beer that has a fruity taste and aroma with added spices and herbs to give it a festive flavor. Over the last few years we have always picked these xmas beers up at our local IKEA store, not sure if any other bottle shops stocks them outside Europe but keep your eyes out for them or just head down to IKEA, they wash down their tasty meatballs very nicely indeed.

http://www.spendrups.se/

Recently many beer drinkers have been concerned about additives and other nasties in their beer, and then there are people who are allergic to different things- well from deep in the German Black Forest not far from the French border town of Strasbourg comes Schnitzer Brau a organic gluten free beer which is full flavored, fresh tasting and brewed using organic millet malt instead of wheat. There are two flavors to look out for the Original and a very tasty German Hirse Citrus and Lemon blend.  The brewery also takes pride in ensuring the beer is organic with no nasty chemicals, pesticides or insecticides used on any of the products going into the brew, which has got to not only make the beer tastier but much better for you. Look out for Schnitzer Brau- it is available outside Germany.

When you think of Greek beers you usually think of Mytos, but there are so many other great beers to look out for including Alfa, Keo and today’s feature beer Marathon.   Marathon is no ancient brew it only reached the market in 1971 and is made using only high quality natural ingredients- none of the nasty stuff. Being a pale lager it contains 5% alcohol and has a fresh crisp taste with a hint of malt making it very easy to knock down.  Marathon Beer is produced by Athenian Brewery which is now part of Heineken, this beer  is available in many regions throughout the world so look out for it in your bottleshop’s fridge.