A Mountain in Scotland

Schiehallion - 4.8%

Near Perth there is a mountain which goes by the name of Schiehallion and depending on how it's translated could mean "Fairy Hill" or "The Maiden's Pap" or "Constant Storm".  Nice to see we've got that one nailed down.

One of my all time favourite beers is Old Engine Oil.  The same brewery produced that made that also brews Schiehallion.

It's billed as a craft lager and should be drunk straight from the fridge.  So what better way to undo a trip to the gym than a nice cool refreshing beer afterwards?

Well it's definitely cool, but refreshing?  Sadly it's a little busy on the hops to be truly refreshing to me.  It seems that many brewers now are trying to distance themselves from the popular lagers by upping the stakes in terms of flavours. It's not a bad thing for someone to do but when I want something cool and refreshing I'd also like something just a little simpler.

The off licence I buy most of my beers from has sadly now closed due to their Victorian building being turned into a hairdressers.  It's a real shame but I hope they will be back at a new site soon.  Good luck Alexander Wines, I'm rooting for you.

Land of the rising sun

Asahi Super Dry - 5%

In far off Japan there is a beer company.  Asahi has been brewed since 1892 in Japan, meaning "Rising Sun" this is the Super Dry version.  It was this beer which took over the Japanese beer market making Asahi brands account for almost half of the Japanese market.

So what we have here is a finely crafted Japanese product with the finest ingredients and shipped over the UK?

Nope, bottled and brewed under license by Shepherd Neame.  So how do they do with the recipe?

The answer is not bad at all.  It's a crisp and clean lager with no unpleasant taste at the end of a sip to make you regret it.  I would compare it favourably to a Chang or Tiger and this evening it complimented an Indian curry.

Highly recommended and relatively easy to get hold of, check your local Sainsbury's, and get a cold one in for the summer.  It'll be perfect for the BBQ season.

Epic and Surreal

About 4 years ago a friend and I decided to travel from England to China by train.  Along the way we found ourselves in Moscow on New Years Eve.  And what is there to do in Moscow on New Years Eve?

Baltika - 5.5%

Drink.

This appears to be the Budweiser of Russia.  It was everywhere and I was rather surprised to see it back home recently.

The Baltika Brewery was formed during the Soviet Union and survived to become a private business in the years after its fall.  In 2008 they were snapped up by Carlsberg and they are now letting it out into the wider world.  Talking to a Russian, when I was in St. Petersburg for work, he didn't rate it too highly.

But what does he know?  Well as lagers go Baltika is a nice clean refreshing one.  It goes nicely with spicy food doing a great job of complimenting the heat and taking the edge of it as well.

There is a slight after taste, but for once it is one that I like.  Think of a clean lager crossed with a hint of honey.

Za vashe zdarovye!

And now for something completely the same

I have to admit that I am a sucker for an interesting bottle.  Be they painted strange colours or odd shapes.  It was this urge that lead me to tonight's offering from Estonia.

Viru 5.0%

Named for Virumaa, formerly a country, but now a pair of counties in Estonia, and it's brewed in Tartu, which is is in neither of them.

Viru is a lager and after one sip I was thinking of Fosters, but in a good way.  This is the beer that Fosters is trying to taste like, with a nice gentle flavour, refreshing, and no hideous wet sock after taste.

Also this is likely the cheapest most inexpensive beers I've gone through lately and can thoroughly recomend it for when summer rolls around again.

Thin and watery

But frankly just what I needed at the time.

Wadadli

I spent a couple of weeks away on a ridiculously lavish holiday which included, to my delight, a free bar.  Once I recovered from the shock I set about exploring the beer options.  And it appears that the Caribbean it something of a one trick pony.

They do Lager.

Just Lager.

I can certainly see why.  It was punishingly hot for someone like me who is used to winters actually getting cold, where water has been known to get hard outside without the influence of a freezer drawer.

Wadadli is the original name for Antigua (as in pre Columbus) and was used for the local beer.  Sadly it's not quite so local any more and is now produced on St Vincent for cost reasons.

Red Stripe

Red Stripe is far more famous and comes from Jamaica originally but is produced under license from the Antigua Brewery.

There isn't a huge amount to separate these two drinks in terms of flavour or look.  Both are pale and fizzy and I would be hard pressed to identify one over the other in a blind test.

What they are though is massively refreshing in a hot day provided you drink them before they get warm.

The unexpected lager - Samuel Adams

For my first beer I was after a dark porter, something I saw a friend enjoying a few days before.  But the lure of a cool lager from one of the fridges proved too much on September day that was hotter than California.

With this in mind I'd like to introduce Samuel Adams by The Boston Beer Company.

£1.60 for a 355ml bottle (Alexander Wines)

The label proclaims, "Samuel Adams is handcrafted in single batches with extraordinary care and attention to detail.  Following my great-great grandfather's recipe, we use only classic ingredients: hand-selected"

Frankly I can believe it.

I've heard about this beer repeatedly from Americans and I thought I would give them the benefit of the doubt and try it for myself.

It's a rich golden colour with a slightly creamy head.  It's a much richer flavour than the cheaper lagers you find in the pubs up and down the country (I'm looking at you Carling) far more refreshing with no bitter after taste   Perfect for a hot summers evening when you want to sit down and relax.