Beers of the World

Can’t get out of the country?  Bring other countries to your fridge!  Last week I was shopping at a nearby Super Target and found a variety of beers available by the bottle ($1.50 each).  They had boxes to carry 4, so I chose 4 I hadn’t had before from 4 different countries.

To give you some background, my fav beer is Stella Artois.  I also like most Caribbean beers (unfortunately, I can only find Carib here in the mainland), Dos Equis, Corona, and Yuengling.  My cheap go-to beer is (don’t laugh) Rolling Rock.  Oh, I like some other beers too – I’m just mentioning ones that I regularly buy.  I don’t know how to describe flavors/scents or even types of beers, but I’m learning.

I tried Peroni from Italy.  It’s billed (on the label) as “Italy’s  number one beer.”  It’s a lager, and I liked it.  It was pretty stinky, so don’t stick your nose in it.  It didn’t have any noticeable aftertaste, so that was a plus.  It didn’t make me feel like I was in Italy though.  I always think of red wine as the drink of choice.  (Actually, I’ve never met a bottle of Italian red I didn’t like.)  If it were noticeably cheaper than Stella, I’d consider buying it again.  Otherwise, I’ll stick to Stella.

I had a bottle of Tsingtao from China.  It was also stinky lager.  The aftertaste was pretty rough.  Maybe it’s the rice?  It wasn’t awful; I did, after all, finish it.  I definitely wouldn’t buy it again, but I’d drink it if someone handed it to me at a party.

I enjoyed a bottle of Negra Modelo from Mexico.  I figured I’d better throw a dark beer in the pack so people wouldn’t think I’m a complete wimp.  This one wasn’t nearly as stinky as the first two – just smelled like a normal beer.  I liked it while drinking it, but it definitely changed the taste of what I was eating.  I’ll probably stick to Dos Equis so I don’t have beer-tasting food.

I tried St. Pauli Girl’s lager from Germany.  This was my favorite of the bunch.  It is light, is not particularly stinky, and has no real aftertaste.  I think it’s a good beer to go with a casual meal, and I’d definitely buy it again if the price point is right (still has to be less than Stella).

Have you enjoyed a good beer from abroad lately?  Tell me about it. 

Images from BeverageWarehouse, BartonInc, Suncomex, and ColourLovers.

About these ads