A very enjoyable chat with Serbian football expert Vladimir Novak, who over a very pleasant half an hour, told me how Serbia are going to do in this years World Cup!
Check out Vladimir’ stuff:
Twitter: Vladimir Novak @VNovak13
Asahi Super Dry (Japan): V Tyskie Gronie (Poland): 0-1
? (Senegal): V Club Colombia (Colombia): 0-1
Asahi Super Dry (Japan): V : ? (Senegal): 1-0
Tyskie Gronie (Poland): V Club Colombia (Colombia): 1-1
Tyskie Gronie (Poland): V : ? (Senegal): 1-0
Club Colombia (Colombia): V : Asahi Super Dry (Japan): 1-0
POLAND: 7 Qualify
COLOMBIA: 7 Qualify
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JAPAN: 3
SENEGAL: 0
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Asahi Super Dry (Japan): V Tyskie Gronie (Poland): 0-1
Close game but I will have to give the victory to Tyskie, as its a stronger beer and has more of a taste to it.
? (Senegal): V Club Colombia (Colombia): 0-1
Club Colombia head for the last 16 of my Beer World Cup, with no competition from Senegal
Asahi Super Dry (Japan): V : ? (Senegal): 1-0
Asahi Super Dry of Japan on its own today, no beer sourced from Senegal, pity.
Tyskie Gronie (Poland): V Club Colombia (Colombia): 1-1
Was hard to separate Club Colombia and Tyskie. Both came cold from the fridge, and both were enjoyable in the hot breezy summers evening, while the football was on. Since I quite liked the two beers, I decided a draw would be the fairest result.
V
Tyskie Gronie (Poland): V : ? (Senegal): 1-0
Had the Tyskie Gronie in the second half, quite enjoyable too, unlike their football team who were pretty flat.
Club Colombia (Colombia): V : Asahi Super Dry (Japan): 1-0
Both were fairly nondescript beers, nothing really to excite too much, but I will give the victory to Club Colombia as it had slightly more of a taste, that is it had a taste, as opposed to nothing from Asahi.
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So to our last group in the World Cup, one would imagine Poland and Tyskie will come of this group, and second place is a fight between Japan and its Asahi beer or Club Colombia. Couldn’t source a beer from Senegal.
Couldn’t source any beer from far away Senegal so I guess some good old friend chicken is in order, eh?
Jessenhofke RSRV (Belgium): V :London Pride (England) 2-1
? (Tunisia):V 😕 (Panama) 0-0
Kamil Blonde Ale (Belgium): V 😕 (Tunisia) 1-0
? (Tunisia): V :London Pride (England) 0-1
? (Tunisia): V :London Pride (England) 0-1
Jessenhofke RSRV (Belgium): V 😕 (Panama) 1-0
BELGIUM: 9 Qualify
ENGLAND: 6 Qualify
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TUNISIA: 1
PANAMA: 1
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Jessenhofke RSRV (Belgium): V :London Pride (England) 2-1
Ok this was a battle royale between two great beer drinking nations. For Belgium we had some beers from the Jessenhofke brewery while for England there was the old reliable, London Pride.
Arvum, a Belgian Ale of 6%, went first. It was quite nice, a typical blond bier, looked fine, and was very tasty and the flavours stuck around for a while on the tongue. As much as I love London Pride, the Belgian Ale got this, one nil to Belgium.
London Pride is a solid pale ale, with lots of flavour, and was fairly easy to drink, a good session beer. So for this reason I would give it a point/goal against Jessenhofke’s RGLR, a blond ale, which was fine but at 3.5% didn’t have the kick against the big boy here. 1-1.
So there was one more pair up to decide who would go through as leaders of the group. ‘t Bottelke, with its strange name, again up against LP. ‘t Bottelke again, a Belgian ale, 6% so not too much alcohol, but with a lot of taste and oh boy so smooth. Really enjoyed this beer, it was so silky on the tongue, and i would have loved to have had another one. London Pride couldn’t match the smooth flavours and feel of this little Belgian beaut. Belgian win 2-1.
? (Tunisia):V 😕 (Panama) 0-0
No beer, keeping my liver ready for the second half of the heavyweight battle between England V Belgium. Fuck these shitty retard nations.
London Pride (England): V 😕 (Panama) 1-0
One nil to the England, Love the London Pride.
Kamil Blonde Ale (Belgium): V 😕 (Tunisia) 1-0
No competition for the interesting Blonde Ale from the Bieren Van Begeerte brewery. Was enjoyable, one nil to the Belgians.
? (Tunisia): V :London Pride (England) 0-1
London Pride, excellent beer, really top class and so smooth and silky. Love this beer. One nil to the England!
Jessenhofke RSRV (Belgium): V 😕 (Panama) 1-0
Had a Jessenhofke RSRV, a strong Trappist and abbey ale, and it was pure Belgian gold, very tasty and I pretty much enjoyed it and sipped it right through from half time to the 90th minute, like a long enjoyable meal. As there was no competition it was a a simple victory but boy did I enjoy that slow second half with my little Belgian ale.
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This is a tussle between two beer heavyweights, Belgium and England. For England back again for another Beer World Cup is last time finalist London Pride, and for Belgium we get Jessenhofke, with their selection of eco-friendly beers, and Kamil, a Belgian brewery that focuses on specialty and custom made beers. It will be interesting to see who takes top spot in this group. Tunisia and Panama disappoint as I couldn’t source any beers from these two nations.
Could not source any beer from Panama, so perhaps a tortilla to pass the time?
Another kebab country, no beer is no fun from Tunisia!
Brewed by Brasserie Celestial
Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Celestial Brewery, or to give its true name, Brasserie Celestial, is located not far off the La Tène Beach, on the western shore of Lake Neuchâtel, the French-speaking centre of Switzerland.
It is a new venture in the region and one with many exciting and ambitious plans. Founded by Peter Danielsson who had a dream to start his own brewery. Despite been in the software industry and a general “newbie” in the beverages industry, he finally managed to take the plunge in 2017 and set up a small brewing operation.
I say ambitious and exciting, as Celestial Brewery are producing a wide selection of great beers to the public, something that as a new brewery is quite brave, but I guess they must be very confident in the deliciousness of their brews. A wide selection of beers on offer include, some very interesting IPA’s, to a bière blanche (a white beer), an amber beer, and a coffee flavoured black beer.
So far the reception from the public has been very positive, proof that sometimes your dreams are worth pursing, and it is great to see an new brewery doing well in my adopted country of Switzerland. Bonne Chance!
Review: 33cl Bottle of Celestial, Le 7eme Ciel, India Pale Ale: 6.1% ABV
Translates into “7th Heaven” in English. Coming in a black bottle with some very dark imagery.
On pour got loads of carbonation, bubbling along, taking a little while for it all to settle down. What remained was a very frothy white head with a golden coloured beer.
Some good lacing as you would expect.
Not a bad looking beer when it all settled down.
Smell is malty, with an interesting floral, earthy, and piney smell. Also get the fruits and citrus.
On the taste, got a lots of hops in it hitting you from the start.
Nice big mouthfuls, with the hops lingering on the tongue.
Some fruit in background.
It’s strong enough for sure with the bitterness in the flavours there, but manageable enough to enjoy.
It is a regular IPA but you do get a more pronounced earthy and piney taste that kind of distinguishes it from other IPA’s, which I really liked. Stronger to taste.
Interesting beer, not sure what to think about it, has me a bit stumped. It is definitely a very tasty beer and with it some unique tastes for sure, but I would like to try this one again to give a better rating.
Not a bad beer and certainly worth checking out.
Review: 33cl Bottle of Celestial, Tène Out of Tène, Pale Ale: 5.1% ABV
Loving the name. Tène, of course, represents The La Tène (Celtic) period of time which was a European Iron Age culture named after the archaeological site of La Tène on the north side of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Clever!
Get a very hazy looking beer with a nice golden orange look. Very carbonated and has a big frothy head. Good lacing.
Has a very hearty appearance which looks very appetizing.
Smell is quite strong, Oh, very strong tropical fruit aromas. Good stuff!
Taste is hoppy, IPA style, overloaded with the tastes of fruits, and I also get the malty flavour.
It is an alright beer, crisp in taste, well balanced, refreshing and does the business, goes down the hatch decent enough.
Liking the fruity taste to it, and although the hops are there they are very manageable. Nice and soft on the tongue.
Find it a very filling beer, and not a bad one from Celestial here.
Review: 33cl Bottle of Celestial, L’êlektron Libre, an Amber beer: 5.0% ABV
“Free Electron” in English, I guess the electricity will be bouncing around your body when in contact with this beer, firing up an unstoppable current of energy and pleasure. Perhaps!
A lovely frothy white head of beer, with a darkish cherry colour, on the pour. Looks nice. Actually looks better than that, looks fantastic!
Head maintains well, with some very good lacing apparent. Deep red hues run throughout the colour. it is definitely a good looking beer. Very inviting, just waiting to be drank.
A very toasty aroma, must be the caramelized malt which is great on the nose.
Getting the caramelized malt again, this time in the taste, making this beer very nice to drink.
This is a real craft beer, with the hops and the malts to the fore.
It is quite hoppy, but very manageable. Was very easy to drink.
Enjoyable and a beer that goes down very easily, with flavours that are both tasty and delicious.
Not a huge array of exotic flavours but what they do have in abundance, tasty malts, is good enough for me to give this beer the thumbs up.
Review: 33cl Bottle of Celestial, L’Intemporelle Blanche, a Belgian style witbier: 5.0% ABV
Translates to “Timeless”, the beer is styled as a Belgian witbier.
Hazy cloudy yellow golden colour, very carbonated and the frothy white head maintains.
Looks ok.
Smell is very fruity and sweet, quite strong on the nose.
Nice initial mouthfuls, very fruity in taste and quite appealing and delicious on the old taste buds.
Filling and hearty, went down well.
Yeah, a very nice beer, delicious, and the fruits coming out very strong in this beer.
Sweet, and a typical wheaty and expected coriander taste with a bitterness that isn’t going to bother. A decent beer that was enjoyable enough to drink. Not bad.
Review: 33cl Bottle of Celestial, Celestial, L’autre Monde, a coffee stout: 6.8% ABV
Celestial, L’autre Monde, “The Other World” in English. On the bottle I translated, “We can not please everyone – and do not try it! Our beers are uncompromising and push the limits of the stylistic requirements to accede to intense and expressive tastes. important notice: drinkers of tasteless bees to be absent!” Bit ballsy, lol!
On pour, massive carbonation, all over the place, very temperamental. All resulting in a massive frothy tanned head and a pitch black stout.
When it finally all settled down it looked pretty good.
Head maintained throughout, and some good lacing.
Aroma is the usual smell of a stout, a little sour as well.
Taste is very interesting. The chocolate taste is very prominent, like a rare dark chocolate, and sure enough I see on their website that they have used “Tree frog” an aromatic dark coffee from one of their local suppliers in Neuchâtel. This taste is quite strong, so now I see why they put the “disclaimer” on the bottle, ha!
Bit too bitter and strong for my liking, but it definitely is an interesting flavour.
Not a bad stout, not as layered as a Guinness but that’s not what it is going for, the hops are intense and the coffee and corn all contribute to a stout that has a good strong kick in it.
Worth a try for sure.
Review: 33cl Bottle of Celestial, Le Dernier Cri, a New England style IPA: 7.7% ABV
“The Last Cry” in English, this is Celestial’s version of a New England IPA. A New England IPA is meant to be a little smoother with less of a hoppy bitterness to their West Coast IPA cousins, the appearance is also meant to be a little hazier.
Very carbonated, jeez mad to come out of the bottle! A cloudy looking dark orange beer, with a very frothy head. Some lacing.
Malty and fruity smell, faint though.
Smooth creamy mouthfuls, goes down easy enough.
Not meant to be too hoppy, but I certainly got the hoppy taste, but not that bitter and very manageable.
Nice malty flavour, the fruits to the fore, bit of caramel.
I know that there is some who dont think New England IPA is a style in its own right. I am not so sure, but this beer here just seems like a regular IPA to me, albeit toned down a bit and more cloudy in appearance and feel. I am not getting that distinct style though.
A safe brew that’s not going to set the world alight, but this beer is not bad, is drinkable, and did the business.
Einstök (Iceland): V :Bura Brew (Croatia): 1-1
Guinness Special Export (Nigeria): V :Einstök (Iceland): 1-0
Guinness Special Export (Nigeria): V :Quilmes Export Beer (Argentina): 1-0
Quilmes Export Beer (Argentina): V :Ožujsko (Croatia): 0-1
Ožujsko (Croatia): V :Guinness Special Export (Nigeria) 1-0
Quilmes Export Beer (Argentina): V :Einstök (Iceland) 0-1
CROATIA: 7 Qualify
NIGERIA: 6 Qualify
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ICELAND: 4
ARGENTINA: 0
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Einstök (Iceland): V :Bura Brew (Croatia): 1-1
Tough one, Einstock tasted nice, hoppy and full of interesting flavours while Bura Brew was lovely to sip at and enjoyable to relax with. Will go with a score draw, one a piece.
V 
Guinness Special Export (Nigeria): V :Einstök (Iceland): 1-0
Although Quilmes was pleasant enough to drink, it was no match for the strong tasting Guinness Special Export, that was full of flavours, and had a strong bite to it. Nigeria get the victory and so are through to the last 16 of my Beer World Cup.
Guinness Special Export (Nigeria): V :Quilmes Export Beer (Argentina): 1-0
Good battle between two very strong tasting beers, but will give it too Nigeria and their version of Guinness as it lingers in the mouth longer and had that tad bit more today over Einstok. One nil to Nigeria.
Quilmes Export Beer (Argentina): V :Ožujsko (Croatia): 0-1
Croatia’s Ožujsko, much like their team, had that bit more of class to them, smoother, more enjoyable and long lasting. Enjoyable. Quilmes was ok, but just not as good as Ožujsko, one nil
Ožujsko (Croatia): V :Guinness Special Export (Nigeria) 1-0
Close battle, like Guinness Export, but was really enjoying the Ožujsko, was smooth and went down well, and for that reason I will give Croatia a narrow win here.
Quilmes Export Beer (Argentina): V :Einstök (Iceland) 0-1
Einstock win it for me, as their beer had load of character, was tasty, and despite it a little hoppy was fine to drink and I enjoyed slow tasting it. Quilmes was decent for a lager, but one nil to Iceland here.
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Just like in the football, Group D is a tough one to call. We have four countries and five beers! Croatia pack a punch with Ožujsko, the country’s most popular beer, plus they have Bura Brew, an interesting craft brewery. Guinness Special Export is Nigeria’s favourite drink and brewed especially for that nation in mind. Quilmes Export Beer, Argentina’s light and blue and to bring up the group we have Einstök, a beer from Iceland. Looking forward to this group!
