Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
TODAY: SWITZERLAND V. CHILE
For the Swiss selection, I head into the old styles that are being revived section of Craft Beer Land. Zwickel is a rather old, rare, and unique German beer style, a lighter version of Kellerbiers which are unfiltered and unpasteurized lagers. Keller and Zwickel beers are smooth and cloudy and rich in vitamins.
The beer comes from Rugenbräu near the town of Interlaken.
TODAY: BRAZIL V. IVORY COAST
When you sit down to watch Kaka face off against Didier Drogba make sure to grab a refreshing and a little sticky sweet Palma Louca. Brazilian beer isn’t just Xingu ya’ know.
TODAY: DENMARK V. CAMEROON
I am going to go for a dark lager from Denmark’s mega brewer, Carlsberg. But this is from their premium line of Jacobsen beers. Here is the details on the dunkel: Original Dark Lager is brewed according to J.C. Jacobsen’s original recipe. The colour is chestnut. It has a Hersbrucker hop aroma while the floor malted Munich malt adds a caramel character.
TODAY: USA V. SLOVENIA
Since the US National team likes to use the “Don’t Tread on Me” logo, I thought I would pick a beer from Snake River Brewing in Wyoming.
The beer is Custer’s Last Ale. According to the brewery, “This beer is an English pale ale, full bodied and copper colored. The hop flavor and aroma are strong and assertive. Caramel malt and English yeast produce a nutty and fruity character. Dry-hopping in the conditioning phase completes the package. Custer’s Last Ale has an alcohol content of 6.0%.”
TODAY: MEXICO V. FRANCE
While you root for the tri-color, you could choose to enjoy a nice pint of Bohemia. A 5.3 ABV German style pilsner from Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma. Considering the lackluster choices like Corona or Sol, this is probably your best bet.
TODAY: SPAIN V. SWITZERLAND
Estrella Damm is one of the leading brewers in Spain and I have had their Inedit beer made in partnership with Ferran Adria. For the game against the neutral Swiss, I suggest the Damm Barcelona. A light Euro Pale lager.
TODAY: NEW ZEALAND V. SLOVAKIA
To quench our thirst as we watch the Kiwi’s, we turn to “Speight’s Summit lager, a refreshing golden lager, brewed with only natural ingredients. With the wisdom of the southern man you understand that there is a natural order in this world.
Summit lager is a new liquid innovation from Speight’s Brewery, our first lager brewed with only natural ingredients. Pacific hallertau hops sourced from Nelson have been used to create a clean, crisp, refreshing golden lager with a 4% ABV.”
TODAY: PARAGUAY V. ITALY
Rather than take the easy way out and choose a beer from Baladin or one of the other Italian micros that are putting out great and dramatically different beers, I opt to head to Paraguay for a cool, refreshing macro water lager.
From Cervecería Paraguaya which was originally established in 1894 as Cervecería Nacional. The name was forbidden in 1938 and changed to the current name. The brewery in Ypané has a capacity of 2.5 million hectoliters per year and is part of InBev’s Latin American South Zone.
TODAY: GERMANY V. AUSTRALIA
One of my favorite breweries in Germany is in Michael Ballack’s hometown of Gorlitz on the German/Polish border. Landskron is famous for their hefeweizen which will be perfect for a light and frothy game between the efficient Germans and the underdogs from down under.
TODAY: ARGENTINA V. NIGERIA
Day 2 of the World Cup and the light summer hot weather appropriate beers continue with Quilmes from Argentina.
Quilmes frist started brewing in 1888 in Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province, with Otto Bemberg, a German immigrant at the helm.
By the 1920s it was already the most popular beer in Buenos Aires. The entire country was next and now Quilmes has 75% of the beer market share in Argentina. It sponsors the Argentina national football team, and the colours of its labels mimics the uniforms light blue and white.