I want a Beer brewed in the country it’s from, please!
In these days of fake this or fake that, it’s nice when you actually find something that is what it is!
In this case, I’m talking about beer, when I buy a can or a bottle and it says Spanish lager or German pilsner, I want that particular beer to be brewed in the country it says it's from.
Often I’ve picked up a bottle of so-called Spanish lager and when I read the label, it says brewed in Peterborough UK, often in such small writing it’s hard to find.
Now this really annoys me, “I WANT A BEER BREWED IN THE COUNTRY IT’S FROM” (I know I’m shouting!) but it does p**s me off!
Sorry! rant over, let’s get back to what I enjoy writing about and that’s letting you guys know what I’ve been drinking and what it's like.
I was wandering around M&S the other day and found myself in the drinks aisle (now there’s a surprise) and I noticed some cans of beer labelled simply with Spanish Lager and German Lager, nothing fancy.
I picked up the Spanish one and read the label expecting the dreaded brewed in the UK but to my surprise, it said brewed and packed in Spain from the ‘El Prat del Llobregat Brewery’ in Barcelona, which makes Estrella beer.
So I then picked up the German Lager Can and again it said brewed in Germany and from the ‘Aktien Brauerei’ (ABK) in Bavaria.
Hooray! And guess what they both found their way into my basket, but were they any good, and which one was better?
M&S Spanish Lager 4.5% abv
Very understated can simply with ‘Spanish Lager’ and it’s Spanish!!!
Was it the best Spanish lager I’ve tasted? no, but it was nice enough and tasted authentic.
The Mediterranean weather definitely helped, the beer itself was clean and crisp, you could taste the grains, lightly toasted, with a hint of bready yeast, and some satisfying bitterness on the finish.
This was brewed by the Estrella Brewery and it had some characteristics of Estrella beer I recently tried in Spain.
M&S German Lager 4.9% abv
Same branding on this can, with simply ‘German Lager’ and the ABK brewery.
Super crisp and refreshing, made in a ‘Helles’ style, slightly more full-bodied than the Spanish can, you can really taste the malts and hops as well as a touch of sweetness, although it still had a nice bitterness on the finish.
4.9% abv and a delight to drink!
Verdict
For me the German Lager just shaded it, but the real winner is the fact that they are both Authentic from the country the are suppose to come from.
