11 p.m., Saturday 14 June. Football fans gather before the TV in anticipation of England vs Italy. There is quiet, save for the click and hiss of fresh lagers being opened. Football and beer are indivisible.
The football was forgettable, and so — in most cases — was the lager. When was the last time you guzzled Carlstellabourg and were conscious of taste? You drink lager without noticing it.
Craft beer is another matter. You can’t help but notice it — and not always in a good way, as a panel of eight seasoned drinkers discovered on the night of the England-Italy game. While waiting for kick-off, they worked their way through 15 British craft beers, and marked each against their ideal branded lager. The panel gave two scores: one for taste, the other for bottle design. The benchmark beers included Peroni, Stella Artois, Budvar, Bitburger and Kronenbourg; tough competition when looks are the equal of flavour.
This unscientific exercise proved three things. One: famous beers are hard to beat on taste. It only takes a swig or two of rough beer to appreciate subtlety where once you found blandness. Two: some British craft beers are exceptional and merit a wider market. Three: famous beers have brilliant styling.
Carlstellabourg looks more exciting than it tastes; but the opposite is true of many craft beers. Take Wrexham Lager; it’s delicious — a balance of earthy richness and acidity, and with a slightly bitter aftertaste. It scored well on flavour, matching or beating the brands on six out of eight occasions. ‘I’d drink it all night,’ said one enthusiast. But the panel unanimously agreed that they would not buy a bottle of Wrexham because of the uncultured design.
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