Dramatic Finale to Groups C + D - What's the Story Golden Glory?

Group C

Match 37:
Slovenia 2
Bojangles 70, Pistilic 81

England 1
Runny 9

England make a bright start - Peter: 'Its lovely. So long as you like peaches. Lends itself to duck pate or cheesecake.' James responds with 'that sounds like a recipe for gout,' and similar feeling amongst the lads means the writing is on the wall for the Three Lions. The Slovenian Hops in Adnams' Broadside are a more conventional hit 'would warm you cockles any old day,' (Dan) and patriotism is put aside in favour of scientific enquiry. It is found to be eminently drinkable - with a punch without the pungency. This could well have disastrous consequences for England's chances.

Other news

So, its do-or-die day for England in WC2010. Great story here from The Daily Mash about John Terry's frame of mind before the big game. Other news:- Apparently an Algerian witch doctor sent the pigeon behind the goal to cast a spell on England last Friday. Elsewhere Raymond Domenech is to write a book entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Possible explanation found for poor Croatian show in qualifiers

Match 38:
USA 3
Measley30 (pen), Hold'em 40, Bubble 57

Algeria 0

The States' entry - Sierra Nevada Glissade - racks up an easy victory against the Algerians who leave COGH without so much as a goal, let alone a goal to their name. 'Fruity, lingers like a good'un,' says Dan about the US of A. Skol, the biggest, if shortest name in lager in parts of North Africa, has a torrid time. 'Light and refreshing my arse,' says Dan, whilst Stu describes it as 'flavoured water. In fact, I don't think they've bothered to flavour it.' The Executive Beer Tasters were going to ring the Skol Consumer Helpline on the side of the can, but ultimately we couldn't be bothered.

Final Group C Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Slovenia	3	3	0	0	10	3	7	9
2	USA	3	1	1	1	7	5	2	4
3	England	3	1	1	1	6	4	2	4
4	Algeria	3	0	0	3	0	11	-11	0

COGH Analysis: England go home due to scoring one fewer goal than the USA - the cruellest form of elimination known to man. The Slovenians triumphed after a couple of narrow wins over their main rivals and annihilation of the Algerians, who never really stood a chance in the company of three strong opponents. England can take a lot away from this experience, but must be bitterly disappointed to be going home at this early stage.

Group D
Match 39:
Ghana 0

Germany 2
Bierhoff Jr 39, Geradehaus 90+2

Yet again there's a shutout for Star - and Erdinger does more than enough to ensure safe progress. 'It's a lovely contrast to have a bit of white beer,' says Peter, who by now has drunk enough generic piss to last a lifetime. 'Nice lid. has five stars on it, shame you can't say that about the beer,' says Stu about the African also-ran. It's plain to see by this point that beers such as Star are going to get little sympathy as we've sampled most of the big guns three times.

Match 40: Australia 4
Chippyfeel 9, Kewl 41, Floater 49, Molehill 80

Serbia 2
Yearic 29, Alcoholic 64

Coopers Sparkling Ale very well received all round. James sums it up 'Interesting and tasty. Smallest bottle in the group but packs a big punch.' Jelen Pivo also has its fans, with Dan noting it was 'very nice, which was pleasing as it came in a bottle the size of a battleship.' However, the antipodean class shone through, and it was arguable there was possibly just too much Serbian Beer knocking around to be impressed by it. At the end of the day, Coopers is a speciality world-renowned ale as opposing to above-average mass market lager. No contest really.

Final Group D Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Australia	3	2	1	0	10	5	5	7
2	Germany	3	2	1	0	8	5	3	7
3	Serbia	3	1	0	2	7	8	-1	3
4	Ghana	3	0	0	3	1	8	-7	0

COGH Analysis: Australia top the table on sheer fire power ahead of a German side who'd have won most COGH groups hands down. Serbia's Jelen Pivo can also count themselves unlucky due to the company they've kept, as they have found the net nearly as many times as those who have qualified. Ghana were outclassed on a regular basis, looking the epitome of average throughout.

Group D - Triumph of the Big Two...

Africa's World Cup?

A cursory glance at the match stats so far suggest it's been anything but Africa's World Cup. Of eight matches involving teams from the host continent (up to Friday 18th) only Ghana have managed to win, and every other game has resulted in a loss apart from South Africa's draw on the opening day. South America are the most successful continent by a country mile, with five wins and a draw from six matches. European teams are drawing more often than they are chalking up wins, but who would ever have thought that Germany, Spain and France would have trouble in the group stage?

Germany miss from the spot for once

Match Breakdown (as of June 18th, in order of success)

South America
Matches 6
Won 5
Drawn 1
Lost 0

Europe Matches 11
Won 4
Drawn 5
Lost 2

North America
Matches 4
Won 1
Drawn 2
Lost 1

Asia & Australisia
Matches 6
Won 1
Drawn 2
Lost 3

Africa
Matches 8
Won 1
Drawn 1
Lost 6

Jelen Pivo: Big, but not one of the Big Two

The Jelen Pivo World Cup lounge...

Cup of Good Hop Match 23:

Germany 3
Mullered 41, 51, Badstubby 77

Serbia 2

Crossstic 13, Zigzagic 43

Two words sum up Erdinger for Deaks - well engineered. The Serbian beer is both big and well received 'it's much nicer than Stella - gets you in the mood,' says Stu, but ultimately it doesn't have enough to match Die Nationalelf, as the Germans are sometimes known. Peter seems to be failing to keep up with the pace when he says 'I might need a little time to finish Germany off,' and the double entredre is well received. James considers Erdinger to be 'subtle but powerful', with the team in full agreement that they should shave a narrow win.

Stuart with the trophy they are all lusting after

Our Team

Just in case you've forgotten or didn't know what our EBTs (Executive Beer Tasters) look like - here they are again...

Peter Styles

James Byford

Dan Last

Lee Deacon

Stuart Fuller

Twitter Titter #4

An occasional COGH series revealing the tweets that make us titter

@billybragg USA continue their winning streak with a brilliant 2-2 victory over Slovenia

What! Another Drinking World Cup!

We've had an email from Tom Drummond , an app that allows you to pledge allegiance to your telling us about the Drinking World Cup allowing you to pledge your allegiance for your nation - indeed any nation of choice - by saying that you are going to drink on their behalf. Seems eminently sensible to us. Cheers!

John Travolta putting a scientologist curse on the Australian team last week

Match 24:

Ghana 0

Australia 3
Kewl 27, Molehill 50, 52

Australia, like the Germans, consolidate after cancelling each other out in the first round of games. Ghana have no answer to the Aussie firepower, with very little by way of attack. Peter thought that Coopers 'beat Star pants down' and Deaks described it as 'special and refreshing. It's a top performer - good bowling Shane.' As far as Star was concerned, Dan picked up on their marketing message. 'They promise a million sparkling bubbles - and deliver considerably less.' James thought Star was 'lacklustre' and 'metallic', and it was clear to all that Star was going to be the whipping boy of Group D.

Group D Table

		P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Australia	2	1	1	0	6	3	3	4
2	Germany	2	1	1	0	6	5	1	4
3	Serbia	2	1	0	1	5	4	1	3
4	Ghana	2	0	0	2	1	6	-5	0

COGH Analysis: Germany have almost guaranteed themselves a place in the last sixteen with as their final fixture is against the lowly Ghana, but the tie that's going to wet many whistles is the one between the Socceroos and Serbia, with the Eastern Europeans needing all three points to progress.

Bring on the Germans... that's right - it's Group D time

Dan interviewing Peter about permutations in the COGH Group of Death

Three big beery nations in this one - someone's gonna get it... Ouch! Would have to say Ghana are underdogs in the group before the off...

Serbia
Jelen Pivo, 5%
'Extremely pale in color. It pours with a sizable, very white head of foam that dissipates relatively quickly. There is minimal lacing on the glass as the head shrinks down to form a film on top of the beer. Surprisingly, and quite pleasantly, Jelen Pivo is moderately bitter in flavor.’ deliciousattack.com

Ghana
Star, 5%
‘A million sparkling golden bubbles with a uniquely rich foamy head and crisp excellent taste.' Awoko Newspaper

Germany
Erdinger Weiss, 5.3%
'Medium gold colour, with lots of swirling yeast haze in the glass. The nose is really quite clean, crisp and citrussy, with a little hint of yeastiness and grass, but rather neutral overall. On the palate the texture is creamy and dense, and this is a very smooth, sleek, tasty beer that is nevertheles a touch non-descript.’
Beernotes.com

Australia
Cooper’s Sparkling Ale, 5.8%
‘A little hint of cinammon, fine hops and fruity notes. On the palate it is medium-bodied and smooth, with a rich moussy attack, and subtly toasty character. It is a very classy beer, with a tight-grained, bitter hoppiness and a lovely focus of quite fruity, herbal flavours and that subtle toast held in check..'

Beernotes.com

Match 7:
Germany 3
Bierhoff Jr. 8, 52, Badstubby 89

Australia 3

Kneel 24, Chippyfeel 45 (pen), Galesalesovic 90

Takes virtually no time for this one to catch fire - a real classic for the archives. James asks Deaks how he's set for time - only for Big D to reply 'I've got two weeks off...' But the beers themselves are of course the focus. Coopers is described as having beautiful body and compared to Elle McPherson by Peter, whereas Dan's response to German Weissbeer Erdinger is 'Ding Ding Ding!!!' The Aussies have a tangy frontrunner that packs a punch, though the Germans hit back from Stu's derogatory 'it's like a flat Hoegaarden' and managed to more than wangle an enthralling draw. Comfortably the best match of COGH so far.

Match 8:
Serbia 3
Zigzagic 1, Alcoholic 32, 77

Ghana 1
Gowaan 55 (pen)

Careful consideration of Jelen Pivo

Serbia's Jelen Pivo was impressive from the start - not only did it come in a two-litre bottle but it was lively, lively, lively. It looked like we were going to be subjected to a gassy uprising from the Balkans, but then the only COGH beer with a stag in the logo locked horns with our tastebuds and easily outclassed the fading Star, which was considered bland and then dipped into further obscurity. JP managed make some firm friends, and there was still more than plenty of the bottle left to sup...

Mass hilarity caused by JP... splendid

Barbie and Sindy join in the fun - god knows where they came from

Stay tuned for two more posts today, by which time we should be bang up-to-date with events over in South Africa and in the COGH Lounge. Laters,

Peter...

The home straight

Sign found by James in the Shepherd's Bush area

Tuesday sent out versions of the press release to local, UK, football and beer media. Got some nibbles but no bites, then around 3pm I notice that Henry Winter, famed footy journo of Daily Telegraph fame has picked up on COGH and wished us good luck. Suddenly we're getting a hundred hits every five minutes! Consequently we're through the 2,000 barrier - and we haven't even held the beer World Cup yet!

More importantly, the search for the last few beers goes on. Arranged to meet photographer for the Evening Argus (Brighton's local paper - piece in Thurs) outside the Afri-Mart on Preston Road in order to pose for photos. Whilst there bought a couple of bottles of this:-

BEER#28 - Ghana - £2.69

Promises 'a million golden bubbles'. We'll see

I also contacted Heineken (who make Pelforth Brune (kinda Cameroon)), a US distributor for Zlaty Bazant (Golden Pheasant, Slovakia) and a couple of others. Who knows if these requests will bring results - we live in hope.

We've had an offer of a bottle of Jelen Pivo (Serbia) from Stevica Madjar - he's been a star, first being kind enough to help, then because getting beer out of Serbia is not as simple as it seems. Their Post Office forbids the transit of beer- but Mad Steva as he's otherwise known reckons he's got a plan. We may have a back-up plan for Serbia just in case his generosity is foiled by faceless bureaucrats.

If anyone is near the radio / internet tomorrow at 11.40am BST, me and James will be talking about COGH on BBC Sussex and Surrey and conducting live beer tasting in the studio. This will be the first time we've had the opportunity to put any of the contestants through their paces. Don't worry - we have some spares!

So as the beer hunting rounds the final bend, we're still totally in the dark as to how we're going to get Slovakia, Cameroon and Uruguay, have a cunning back-up plan for North Korea and are still in need of Serbia. We have the numbers of all the respective London embassies, so may well give them a call over the next couple of days and see if we can pull some diplomatic strings.

That's about all the news that's fit to print at the moment - though I'm sure James has got some interesting posts now he's back from holiday. We have more great ideas for COGH over the next few weeks including 'Hop Trumps', an exciting game you can play during ad breaks inbetween matches.

PS.