We were in a more than suitably relaxed mood after sampling the last of the 32 beers... and downing the representatives of Group H was the perfect way to close the curtain on the first round of matches.
So here, for the final time, are those lovely tasting notes from the experts:-
Honduras
Banana Bread Beer, 5.2%
'The aroma is a lot stronger than I was hoping for, I wasn't expecting it to smell exactly like banana bread, but it does. Just on the nose there was very little else. The initial taste is a banana attack and a very strong attack at that. The mid palate taste and even feels a bit like butterscotch which is I think saves it from being too overwhelming. The finish is a little watered down which was actually quite pleasant. I definitely think that this isn't a beer you can drink often but was exciting anyway and could probably be had with some food.' Beeradvocate.com
COGH excuse - Honduras don't export their beers, but bananas are their greatest contribution to the world. Hope that isn't too patronising.
Chile
Cave Creek Chili Beer, 4.2%
'Holy crap, this is awful. No head, smell's like black pepper and bad Mexican food that they tried to cover up by making it super spicey! Aweful. No balance. I get no hops, no malt, just bad peppers. It smells like cat pee, and not in a good sauv blanc kind of way. I will never go anywhere near this beer ever again!' Beeradvocate.com
COGH excuse - neither love nor money could source something sultry and S. American - so we went down the literal route instead.
Switzerland
Samichlaus, 14% (yes that's one-four per cent)
| 'The label claims "Strongest Lager Beer in the world", and at 14% ABV, that seems fair. The beer pours a dark amber colour, with a dense, but quickly dissipating off-white head. It is not the most aromatic of beers, but there is an intense fruity note of cherry and red berries, with some Christmas cake spice and dried fruit. In the mouth it is powerful, dense and smooth, with an immediate rush of sweetness, before a very Scotch whisky-like character emerges. That raisiny sweetness persists through the mid-palate, with more malty, treacley notes pushing through. It is a balanced beer, with heady alcohol showing up in the finish, but also good acidity and a nip of assertive hops. Surprisingly drinkable given its massive alcohol, and very enjoyable.' Beerpages.com |
| 'Made in the style of an Abbey beer, it has a striking ruby-red colour and a high-rise, persistent white head just tinged with pink. There are cherry and floral notes on the nose, with a hint of old roses and fine, malty notes beneath. On the palate There’s a mocha-coffee richness, and plenty of sweetening, Belgian Trappist-style notes, with a great thrust of grapefruit pith acidity adding balance. This is a big mouthful of beer, with its 7.2% alcohol making its presence felt in a long, grippy finish.' Beerpages.com Before we kick of the games - I have to say how funny I found Dave Henson's Vuvuzela song - should be adopted as the official song for the whole World Cup - let alone England... Well done Dave, the country salutes you... Match 13: Honduras 2 Ponce 66, Palacial 70 Chile 0 |
Stu dismisses Chile straight off - 'there's no room for novelty beers in this World Cup', and there are several faces stretched in pain before him in agreement. Much as we're all in love with the world and all its kind after 32 beers, Chile just couldn't compete in a group described as a 'taste sensation'. The inverse was true, however, of another novelty beer - 'give us our daily Banana Beer Bread' (James) was the consensus, as it was slipped down lovely-like and allegedly counts as one of your five-a-day.
Ponce by name... you know the rest
Twitter Titter #2
Am enjoying this new thread to COGH so here's another from @DavidSchneider - Robbie Earle doesn't actually know ITV's sacked him. They phoned him but accidentally played him an advert instead.
Be seeing you Robbie. Send us a line if you fancy doing a column in COGH instead - and we'll chew it over. You can follow Peter & James on Twitter - @pstymail & @rockjimford. Big thanks to @henrywinter for the tweets.
A thriller - pure and simple. Beer Titan versus Beer Titan in a near-perfect encounter. The Spanish were clean, crisp and incredibly tasty. Dan was their biggest advocate, but that judgment was not clouded by his trans-national marital status... it may have been slightly fogged by downing a 7.2% brew as his 31st of the day. Peter then lets go what can only be described as an 'air biscuit', bringing the game into disrepute. 'The best game of the tournament' (copyright Deaks) saw near maximum goals, but the phenomenal Swiss edged it with a taste not unlike your favourite Christmas combined with near hallucinatory effects. At 14%, it is the Messi of the beer world and all should stand and applaud the Swiss - who to paraphrase The Third Man have clearly produced more than cuckoo clocks after 500 years of peace and brotherly love.
Samichlaus - formidable
So stay tuned for the second round group of games - there's plenty more from COGH to enjoy. We've just passed the 5,000 hit barrier - who'd have thunk it? Bye for now, and here's to some entertaining football in the African sunshine.
Cheers - jusssst going for a little lie down after that last match.
Peter.
