Beers of the Month - September 2009

"Drink will either kill you... or preserve you!"
DR. SAMUEL HIBBONS

BEERS OF THE MONTH

Amstel Beer (Lager), Netherlands, 330ml £3.50 5% alc
A refreshing lager-beer from the Netherlands, much misunderstood and maligned, it withstands the acerbic criticism of the bitter and ale-only wags with a noble indifference pausing only to win us over with its charming countenance and endearing drink-ability - refreshing and pleasurable and nice to see it making a return.

Quilmes, Argentina, 330ml £3.50 4.9% alc
Apparently the beer of choice in Argentina the land where they wander around half naked and play weird, slightly condescending games like Polo. Pleasant aroma, there's some fragrant, floral hops, a wisp of honey, and a touch of citrus with a light, sweet-malt background. A smooth mouth feel due to soft carbonation with a clear citric bite up front with more of those flowery hops, sweet and malt in the centre and a dry slightly bitter aftertaste finish.

Desperados, Alsace, France 330ml £4.00 5.9% alc
An increasingly popular style of beer flavoured with, believe it or not... tequila and it isn't Mexican as many people think but is produced by Brasserie Fischer in France. The pilsner-style lager base is of a recognisably high quality and the bitter effects of the tequila are mitigated by the addition of some fresh lime. Ok, so it's great, it's refreshing and tequila and beer is another of those matches made in heaven.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, California, 350ml £4.50 5.6% alc
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is their flagship beer, the one that made Chico famous. Chico the small town in California that is not Chico from High Chaparral, he was famous way before Ken Grossman decided to drop-out in the late seventies, ignoring the persistent pleas of his parents (who wanted him to put his Chemistry degree to proper use and setup a lucrative cocaine-processing lab) but instead with his two beardy, boozy mates concentrated on producing world-class ales and expanding his waist-line. He's done both these things to excess creating this flawless ale, bright, perky, high-notes of malt and orangeblossom with a wonder-bra of under-lying hoppy-spice - awesome.