Monyo Flying Rabbit American IPA

www.monyobrewing.com

Brewed by Monyo Brewing Co.
Style: American IPA 
Budapest, Hungary

Established in 2014, in the centre of Budapest, Hungary, Monyo Brewing Company set about creating one of the countries craft beer revolutions, a new wave of brewing. Founded by friends Pein Ádám and Németh Anti, both sick of the stale beer scene in the capital at the time, decided to do something about it, first by trying out some home brews with their friends, then, by contract, playing around with their own recipes in various more established breweries in the country. Over time their beers were becoming madly popular. They both finally went all in and took their assets and energy and they built MONYO Brewing. The goal in the first minute was the same as today: the production of uncompromising beers for consumers.

Today they brew over 80 different brands and types of beers, and export all over Europe to further afield to the likes of China, Mexico, and Canada, making them one of the fastest-growing breweries in Hungary.

Review: 33cl bottle of Monyo Flying Rabbit AIPA: 6.5% vol.

Flying Rabbit is Monyo’s signature beer, the ace in the pack!

Funny quirky cartoonish logo, of a crazy rabbit riding a beer across the mountains,
it is funny but kind of normal of IPA’s these days.

For the appearance I get a decent sized white head and a dark amber looking beer. Not a bad looking beer, with a good head on the pour but it does die a quick death.

Bit of sediment floating about too, not much but there.

A typical IPA aroma, very nice, hoppy, spicy, notes of caramel. The tropical fruits are very apparent on the nose. Very strong, very fruity, very nice!

Taste………oh dear, it’s one of those IPA’s then, hopped to death, overdone and far too sweet.

Like medicine, a bit “urgh”, stringent and off putting. Hops are citra, which shows as you can definitely get a taste of the tropical fruits but on the extreme level. 

Not nice at all, this is an IPA that the “normie drinkers” will not like. Too bitter and over hopped to fuck, YUCK. One of those IPA’s that are hard to down.

They are strong in the alcohol, and I was fairly pissed after them.

No balance to this beer, the aftertaste is puke and way off kilter, hard to stomach.

Pity as was drinking very good beer upto this point, drinking this I end the night with a downer……… 

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Kenya Tusker Lager

www.tusker.beer/

Brewed by East Africa Breweries Limited (Diageo)
Style: Pale Lager
Nairobi, Kenya

Tusker is a best selling beer owned by East African Breweries from Kenya, the largest African beer brand in the Diageo group.

First brewed in 1922, shortly after the founder of Kenya Breweries Ltd, George Hurst, was killed by an elephant during a hunting accident. His brother Charles, who took charge of the company, decided to name their first ever lager, Tusker, in memory of his sibling, since large, male elephants indigenous to East Africa, were called Tuskers.

In 1935, Kenya Brewing Limited acquired Tanganyika Breweries and in 1936 these two companies were merged leading to the creation of the East African Breweries Limited.

The beer soon gained popularity both inside and outside its borders, selling to Tanzania, Burundi, the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda, all of Kenya’s immediate neighbours, making it one of East Africa’s most popular beers.

By 2000, Diageo acquired majority control of EABL. Operating out of Nairobi, East Africa Breweries Limited now own a vast portfolio of African breweries, do charity work in the region and is also involved in football in Kenya, sponsoring the country’s premier league while also running its own successful team in the division, Tusker F.C.,

In early 2008, the UK supermarket chain, Tesco, began selling Tusker, followed soon after by Sainsbury’s.

Tusker is brewed from 100% African ingredients that are all locally sourced: the barley grown in The Great Rift Valley and the spring water is from the Aberdare Mountains. 

Apart from its flagship brand, Tusker Lager, the brewery also produce a 5% Tusker Malt Premium Lager, a 4% Tusker Lite, a 4.5% Tusker apple Cider, and a wide range of other beers from its subsidiaries including Serengeti Lager, White Cap Lager and Uganda Waragi (a 40% liquor), to name but a few.

Review: 500ml big brown bottle of Kenya Tusker Lager: 4.2% vol.

My first beer from the country of Kenya,  a nation more known for its long distance runners less so for its beers ok let’s see how this goes.

Available in bottles, cans and on tap in selected outlets.

Big brown bottle featuring the iconic logo of an African elephant, with the theme “together forever” printed. Stands out, no doubting this is an African beer. 

On pour I get the standard lagery look, creamy white head that looks good on the pour but fizzles out quick, and a light golden coloured beer. Just the look of a regular lager, ok. 

The aroma is very faint but can pick up a sweet malty grainy smell, but nearly odourless.

The taste is very grainy and malted barley, but all on the faint thin level.

It has the feel of a regular lager, but not going to set the world alight, and truth be told it is a little boring to drink, light and thin, and has an overall flat taste to it all.

Novelty factor in having a beer from Kenya but nothing else at all there for me to return. A light lager that is boring. Definitely not worth entertaining again. 

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Birra Moretti 

www.birramoretti.it

Brewed by Birra Moretti (Heineken Italia)
Style: Doppelbock
Milano, Italy

Birra Moretti is an Italian brewing company, founded by Luigi Moretti in 1859, in the small city of Udine, in northeastern Italy, which at that time was still part of the Austrian Empire. 

The Moretti family owned the brewery and business until 1989, when it was sold to a consortium of other brewers. In 1996 the company was acquired by Heineken International who also own the Birra Moretti trademark. The original factory in Udine closed in 1992, after brewing was transferred to San Giorgio di Nogaro. It was subsequently bought by a new brewing consortium called the Birra Castello group, which now owns the property. 

The “Moretti” logo, of a traditional Italian countryman about to enjoy a big frothing glass of beer, stands out. The story behind the famous iconic logo is that one day in 1942, the nephew of Luigi Moretti, saw a pleasant-looking man sitting at a restaurant table in Udine. There was something unique in the man, it was though he embodied the real values of the Moretti beer: authenticity, tradition, genuineness. Eventually Mr. Moretti went up to him and asked if he could take a picture of him. When the man was asked what he wanted in return, the only thing he asked for was another Birra Moretti beer. Since that day the image of that man is on every single Birra Moretti label, a reminder to the traditions of the Province of Udine, and it’s tasty beers.

Under the Birra Moretti brand there are a collection of beers that the brewery produce, from their Birra Moretti main brand, a 4.6% abv pale lager launched in 1859, to a popular La Rossa, which is a 7.2% strong dark lager or doppelbock, to a couple of radlers, a variety of lagers and ales, to the usual non alcoholic stuff that you can find these days in the off licences. 

Today Birra Moretti is exported to over 40 countries around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan and has won important international awards, including gold and silver medals at the World Beer Cup, the most important international competition in the industry, the only Italian brand to have achieved this.

Review: 33cl bottle of Birra Moretti La Rossa: 7.2% vol.

Not my first time trying a Birra Moretti beer, I tried their famous pale lager a while back and found it to be  very pleasurable, crisp and clean and oh so smooth. I liked it, so I just know that the La Rossa won’t disappoint. This beer also has won numerous awards, including gold medals in both the 2007 and 2010 World Beer Championships.

7.2%, yes but in a small bottle no…….

Remember Bocks are bottom fermented lagers that typically spend extra time in cold storage during the winter months to smooth the intense flavors that develop during the brewing process. Stronger than a typical lager, bocks are dark amber in color with robust malt flavors and very light hoppiness. A Doppelbock, meaning “double,” is a bigger and stronger version of a bock beer. They range in alcohol from 7.5-9.5%, stronger than a typical lager. These beers are extra strong, rich and weighty lagers characterized by an intense malty sweetness, with a note of hop bitterness to balance the flavor. Doppelbocks were first brewed by the Paulaner monks in Munich. At the time, it was intended to be consumed as “liquid bread” during Lent.

On pour getting a ruby brown looking beer (La Rossa is “The Red” in Italian) with a nice frothy head. Looks good. some light carbonation going on. Appetizing on the eye. 

The smell is not too bad, a light toffee and caramel kind of aroma with roasted malts, nice but faint. Typical of a bock, but not a strong smelling beer. 

For the taste, initially it is hitting the spot, very nice and straight off the bat this looks and tastes good. Getting a lovely caramel flavour, with the barley malts, the hops are mild and not intrusive, and generally this is quite pleasant to drink. Flavour lingers long in the mouth.

Nice and relaxing, one to saviour and enjoy over a long evening by the sofa. Chocolate and dark fruits. 

Served cold, this is good. Clean, very solid and the toffee flavours are gorgeous.

As it’s a bock can feel the alcohol, so the edge is there alright. I know if I had a few of these I’d be pretty drunk………strong. 

Liked it, very relaxing, very soothing to drink and will definitely try some of these bad boys again.

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Cubanisto

Brewed by Broken Barrel Brewing Co. (AB InBev)
Style: Rum flavoured beer
St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Not wanting to miss the trend for fruit flavoured drinks, and in competition with Heineken’s Desperados, a tequila mix,  AB InBev launched a rum-flavoured beer Cubanisto to hit this market head on. 

Review: 500ml bottle of Cubanisto: 5.9% vol.

This “rum flavoured beer” comes in an interesting can, deep purple colour, with a menacing looking skull, looks interesting and stands out. Does come in bottles as well and apparently the logo glows under UV lightning making it stand out at night, all part of the marketing schtick, the spookiest beer out there……..which also I imagine looks interesting for the nighthawks in a club.

Described by AB InBev’s marketing gurus as “inspired by the vibrant spirit of the Caribbean…with a fresh taste of citrus, orange zest and lime, accentuated by the aroma of caramalised cane sugar and treacle”. A Cuban style lager with rum from the island of Youth. 

They also add “Remember Cubanisto rewards the curious and favours the bold”, whatever the fuck that means. It’s just a beer at the end of the day!

On the pour I am getting a nice golden coloured beer with a very small white head. Not so hot in the appearance, flat, disappointing even.

As expected getting the sweet fruits on the nose and, of course, the rum, the rum, the rum………..not bad

For the taste it is very fruity, and very sweet as well. Bit of a citrusy flavour off it. Also can definitely taste the rum for sure.

Nice and tasty beer to relax on a hot day. 

The alcohol is very well hidden, barely noticeable, so easy to drink it doesn’t feel like a beer at all. Some trick considering its 5.9% vol.

Overall it’s all fruits, the lemon n lime, the orange, and don’t forget the rum, all very sweet and sugary but it is ok to drink. Not brilliant but nice enough for a few in the summer.

Never tasted like a beer, more like a sweet fruit juice with a slight kick. Not too bad, but not sure if I’d be bothered to buy again though. I do like to taste alcohol in my alcohol!

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