UEFA 2024 EUROs, Group C
Sunday 16 June 2024
Played at Gelsenkirchen
England Away Game #155
German Beer Ticks up to #87
The Carrier Bag Firm Warm Up Camp has been in the German town of Bamberg in Upper Franconia, Bavaria. Bamberg is a lovely, smart, historic place on the Regnitz river. But, various channels and cuts and canals mean there's water everywhere. And bridges.
Bamberg is also a Beer Pilgrimage destination. To make beer you need malted barley (or other grain). To malt, you soak the grain in water to wake it up. Then you allow it to germinate. Then you dry it out over heat. One of the ancient ways they dried the malt in Bamberg gave it a very smoky flavour. That gave rise to Smoked Beer, Rauchbier.
Maybe the most well known Rauchbier in the world is made by Heller-Bräu Trum, Schlenkerla in Bamberg. Mate, we're tourists. We're gonna go to Schlenkerla. And, we're gonna drink Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen at 5.1%. Even though we've had it before.
Lovely. Main thing to say is it's not powerfully smoky, it's balanced nicely. Don't tell their PR Department, but I enjoyed one of their other beers more.
Heller-Bräu Trum, Schlenkerla Rauchbier, Kräusen at 4.5%
Kräusen refers to the intense bubbles and foam formed during fermentation of a young or green beer. There is a brewing recipe in which some young/green beer is added to a fully matured beer. And it Kräusens the beer up, Baby.
“Aufkräusen me Barman.”
So, recap. You've got a malting process in Bamberg which produces smoky beers. You've also got a few hills above the river, with the odd cave and rock cellars you could carve out. Those cellars proved invaluable in keeping the beer cool in the warmer months. And gave rise to Lager Kellerbiers - Cellar Beers.
Pictured here is one of the historic Beer Lifts at Brauerei Spezial Keller.
Brauerei Spezial, Spezial Rauchbier Lager at 4.9%
Over the back of the Brauerei Spezial Keller is the Wilde Rose Keller. We had a ludicrous experience in there. It's a big sprawling beer garden amongst the trees. Clearly, it would seat “many hundreds”. But, it's still June, it's a bit fresh up that hill, and it's a Tuesday. So, there's just a few of us dotted under the foliage.
Wilde Rose Braukeller, Kellerbiers at 5%, brewed by Alte Klosterbrauerei Vierzehnheiligen Brauerei Trunk
Bang on 7pm. Suddenly. More and more people start arriving. And even more. Mostly blokes. More. Fucking hundreds. All arriving at once. Like a military operation (winks). Ten minutes tops. The Gaff is full. Can't be a group of bussed in Beer Tickers that. Can't be.
Waitress cleaning tables catches my incredulous - who the fuck - grimace.
“Polizei. Internationale Polizei”
Same in English, love!!!
Quick bit of googling reveals the Bamberg Plod are hosting a hugemungous collection of football plod from across Europe in association with the EUROs. Anyway, the fucking queue for the single beer garden serving hatch is now UNSERVICEABLE. And will be for the foreseeable. The CBF drink up. But, we're €10 in as there is a deposit pfand on them rather fetching ceramic pots. But, I can't join the queue for that €10 refund. Be ridic that. So, I simply push to the front of the hundreds long queue, smile, try to look my full, bumbling 65 years and go;
“Sorry, if I don't return these glasses, you'll have nowt to drink from, sorry.”
First geezer, very first geezer who looks over says (in Scottish accent);
“Aye, nae bother, in ye go.”
“Oh thank you mate, that helps, big group of police aren't you, working the EUROs?”
You know what he fucking says to me, this clearly Scottish Polis?
“Is it, I don't know, we're just come for a beer.”
Fuck Sake. What does he hope that'll achieve? Lying to me.
“PC Jock, when at an international training event for undercover football plod, do not all come in hundreds handed, with the Levis and Quarter Zips and the sensible shoes and expect not to be sussed.”
“And develop a better backstory than - Is it, I don't know.”
The Carrier Bag Firm and Football Plod - both in Training Camps in Bamberg. Who'd a thunk it?
I articulated my hopes for England's first group game as;
No dramas. No injuries. No Red Cards. A nice simple win. All sorted before we get near the 90. With no hanging on.
I'd sum it up as - not convincing, but not shit. Started like a house on fire. Dominant and wave recycling. Serbia pushed back deeper and deeper. England a bit lateral at times. But, keeping possession and looking to probe.
“Luckily” Bellingham scored that well worked goal during that spell. Helped by the infuriating modern defensive tactic of not actually trying to win the header.
But, man, Serbia clawed their way back in didn't they? Particularly as it went into the second half. Saka and Foden anonymous. Bellingham tiring and snuffed out a bit. Kane keeping at it. But he was in a right battle all night with Nikola Milenkovic.
England going ever deeper. But, hanging on in the end.
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