World Cup + World Beer – THE FINAL!

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TODAY: HOLLAND V. SPAIN

Finally, the world will get a new champion of soccer!

Will Holland finally break the curse and finish off Spain?

Or will Spain continue it’s dominance of possesion and wear down the Oranje?

To finish the 2010 World Cup, we return to South Africa for our final beer from the Shongweni Brewery.
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Here is the info from the website about the Durban Pale Ale, “Durban Pale Ale was inspired by the original IPA’s produced in Britian and then shipped to India for consumption by the soldiers and bureaucrats. The IPA came via the Cape and records show that some of that beer made its way to the British serving in South Africa. With Durban then, as now, a major shipping port it is hard not to believe that barrels of IPA were happily consumed here on the East Coast so we wanted to revive an old tradition.

We only use the best malts for our Pale Ale, and in order to achieve our 5.7% ABV we need to pack the mash tun full of grains. The beer is also packed full of hops to achieve the 45 units of bitterness that we want. We use Cascade hops since they provide the bitterness we want but don’t leave any lingering harshness on the palate. The inclusion of Challenger hops provide the crisp, fruity characteristic of the beer, which is complimented by the special strain of English ale yeast that we use to ferment the beer.

In the glass the beer is a light caramel colour, with an immediate blast of rich orange on the nose, a toffee character and just a hint of spice from the cascade hops. On the palate it is medium- to full-bodied, and the initial sweetness from the sheer amount of barley in this beer is balanced with solid and tangy hops and a gentle fruitiness with a dry after-taste.

Our Durban Pale Ale is a strong beer and we have found that its character will mature over time if cellared producing a complex ale that will reward the patient drinker.”
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World Cup + World Beer – The Netherlands

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TODAY: HOLLAND V. URUGUAY

OK. The only reason I chose this beer was because of the “controversy” with the ticket selling and jailing of Bavaria beer girls. That is the power of PR.
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“Bavaria Brouwerij was founded by Laurentius Moorees in 1719 and produced around 88 barrels of beer annually. Jan Swinkels, born in 1851, great-grandson of Laurentius Moorees, received ownership of the brewery and expanded their production and distribution.
In 1910 a malting plant was built, which still produces malt for Bavaria and other breweries. By 1924 the brewery had become too small and a new brewery was built and in 1933 the brewery added a bottling plant, which produced 2,000 bottles-per-hour.”

World Cup + World Beer – The Netherlands

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TODAY: HOLLAND V. BRAZIL

OK. I am stating in advance that I am cheating here. The beer for this round of action comes from the US. But the brewer is NEW HOLLAND. See how tricky I am?
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The beer is…well, let me have the brewery explain…”A kölsch-style beer, Full Circle is a refreshing celebration of our brewery’s belief in balance. The soft, well-rounded malt character, light hop profile and crisp finish bring us back around to the familiar tastes of classic, thirst-quenching beer. A perfect session beer, we recommend Full Circle with fish, grilled vegetables, grilled sausages, and just about anything else served on a patio.”
At 4.9 abv, you can watch the game with a few of these and still referee better than the officials this year.

World Cup + World Beer – The Netherlands

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TODAY: HOLLAND V CAMEROON

I have always loved the free flowing play of Holland AKA The Netherlands. They are always on the cusp of winning then they run into Argentina or Brazil and fall. Maybe this year.

For the game how about trying Wieckse Witte: a classic Dutch “white” beer. Light and cloudy, Wieckse Witte has a genuinely sweet and mild taste, without a hint of bitterness. Refreshing and delicious.

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