K Beer In K Town

England 0 v Slovenia 0 

UEFA 2024 EUROs, Group C 

Tuesday 25 June 2024 

Played at Köln 

England Away Game #157 

German Beer Ticks up to #109 

We leave Köln this morning. England have won the group. So, we're moving on (back) to Gelsenkirchen for the Round of Sixteen. In my lifetime, tournament group games will NOT be used to eliminate teams. They'll be used just to decide who plays who in the knockouts. A thirty two team EUROs or World Cup, 8 groups of 4, once the groups are done we'll go to a Round of Thirty Two knockout. In every knockout game, the “lower ranked” country will try to take the game into extra time and penalties. The TV ratings will be astronomical with that minnows narrative. And football will have died a bit more.

Anyway. Round of Sixteen.

If you're in K-Town, you're gonna drink K-Beer. Kölsch.

Kölsch has a Protected Geographical Indication. Think Melton Mowbray Pies and Henderson's Relish. To call your beer Kölsch, it must be made within 50k of Köln. And must be brewed according to “the rules”. Let's go with top fermented and cold conditioned.

It's alright. But, can seem a little bland and insipid. Cold, wet, and you can drink a lot of it. There's a ritual to serving it. Done properly, it comes in 20 mil test tube glasses called Stange. The myth is that serving such small measures means the beer in your hand is always fresh and chilled. Barmen are supposed to constantly trawl the room, carrying fresh Stanges in a tray called a Kränz - a Wreath. If they feel you're in need, they whack another down in front of you.

Done properly (which I think is rare these days) it's Beautiful Beer Bollocks. Rather than ordering a beer, you have to order for the beers to stop. We sat down at the bar in;

Brauhaus Reissdorf

Kleiner Griechenmarkt 40, 50676 Köln

The barman used an instinctive seventh sense and whacked this in front of me, unrequested!!!

I'm not expert on who owned what, when. But maybe that Reissdorf was one of the few genuinely independent Kölsch I hoovered. The sign on the brewery gate certainly indicates - one factory, many brands. The Radeburger Gruppe responsible for all that palaver.

Occasionally, you can detect a bit more sweet malt in one Kölsch or another. But, there's not much between ‘em really. I had eight different ‘uns. Helping push my German Beer Ticks up to 109.

They were serving Bitburger Pils in the ground. I didn't bother. Some of someone else's went on me head when Saka scored that disallowed goal. I understand some of the empty pots went at Southgate as he acknowledged the fans. I couldn't really concentrate on that, as I was sat in my seat, checking results, checking England had won the group, and booking my luxury hotel in Gelsenkirchen as Carrier Bag Firm HQ over the weekend.

I've not come on this Blog to particularly defend that England performance. But, I'm rather happy I'm in my own bubble and just moving through the tournament.

“Phil, why the clamour to play Bellingham as a ten? He doesn't really play that position for Real Madrid.”

“Fuck me, does he play for Madrid now…”

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Passionless Disinterested

England 1 v Slovenia 0

World Cup Qualifying, Group F

Thursday 5 October 2017

A little walk around N1 at lunchtime before the game. The Earl Of Essex. I've always had a great experience/time in The Earl. It never disappoints. A great range on keg & cask. Great & helpful service.

Deya, Into The Haze IPA on keg at 6.2%.
Sensory overload. Here have this. I can't remember a hoppy beer that smelled as GLORIOUS as that. Backed up by a very citrus, but deep intense bitterness.

Then. The Wenlock Arms. Of course, more rough n ready. Less hip. Than The Earl. An “interesting character” at the bar.

Windsor & Eton, Guardsman, Fresh Green Hop, Best Bitter on cask at 4.2%.
Great beer that. Perfect combination. A hoppy best bitter. Lesser spotted.

And, finally. The New Rose. If I've ever been in there before, I can't recall.
Hackney, APA on cask at 4.5%.

Despite all the Bollocks you can read elsewhere. England are my team. England win. Me likee. Celebrate. The Three Johns.

Thornbridge, Coritani, Imperial English IPA on keg at 7.4%.

Sierra Nevada, Hop Hunter IPA on keg at 6.2%.
That one claims some new process with Hops. Steam distilling wet hops before they leave the fields. Science. I'm all for it. Have to say. Didn't get much off it all. Nice beer though.

I'm not going to put my head all the way in the sand. I understand that this England team & set up do not look like exciting the Nation any time soon. The expectation is we'll just crack on and beat “the likes of Slovenia” easily. The aspiration is for open, pacy, attacking football.

Look, if I think I won't enjoy a game. I won't go. Enjoyment is dimensional. The people you are with. The experience at the ground. The way your team play. The result. I'm pleased England stuck at it. The winner came from players sticking to their task & showing their skills well over 90 minutes. Everyone to The Three Johns to celebrate.

I will also not have a dig at the Wembley crowd. Which of course is an introduction to just such a dig. The thing I'll say is - it doesn't feel like a football crowd. Passionless. Disinterested. OK. I'll hear arguments that of course it is, they're feeding off the team. People making paper planes & trying to get them on the pitch. Funny hats. Videoing corners. Coming in after half an hour. Leaving with 25 to go. More interested in shopping downstairs than watching the game.

548/1143

Broz, The Sequel

Slovenia 0 v England 0

Tuesday 11 October 2016

FIFA World Cup Qualifier Group F

twitter @ball_sup

The Football

I'm not sure. Are we supposed to beat teams like Slovenia any more? There is nothing dynamic going on. Joe Hart has kept us in that game. Time & time again. And some of those great chances came from poor defending & defensive errors. We seemed disorganised at corners. The Slovenians cottoned on. Some shooting on sight. They'll be disappointed not to have got on the scoresheet.

We don't seem to have got the simple idea that you stretch them one way. Then stretch them again. Keep your foot on it. Pull 'em this way, then that. Knacker 'em. Wave after wave. It's more have a look, see what happens.

I quite like the system where someone takes the ball off the Centre Backs. “At the back of the diamond”. Henderson & Dier at that. But, part of it must include the CBs themselves stepping through the line with the ball at their feet. It puts an extra man in play. None of that. At all. Did nothing. Got nothing.

The Beer

Wards or Stones? The story that does the rounds is that the Ljubljanains pile into either Union or Lasko. The two historic lager style beers available in the city. Brand loyalty. One or the other.

Of course, in today's, modern, industrial, conglomerate brewing world, they're both made in the same industrial brewery. No doubt to two very distinct recipes with ingredients sourced from different places. NOT.

Anyway. That Union Brewery has a lovely modern wood & stainless steel Brewery Tap. Pivnica Union. During our time there, locals were pouring in & piling into the Unfiltered Union Svetlo. On keg. Fair dos. I'd feel the same. And, there was enough variety to keep me interested.

Beer Ticks up to 16 were Supped on my previous trip.

Drinking with Josip Broz

http://ball-sup.blogspot.com/2015/06/drinking-with-josip-broz.html

17 Pivnica Union TRUe la IPA on keg at 6.4%. Sweet. Toffee smell. Cinnamon. Werthers Original. Bittering is way too gentle.

18 Pivnica Union Amber on keg at 5.4%. Slight sour smell. Thin mouthfeel. Bizarrely, not sweet enough.

19 Pivnica Union Nefiltrirano Toceno Pivo on keg at 4.9%. (The glorious unfiltered lager the locals were attacking). Nice n opaque. Lots of flavour. Barley Sugar into bitter finish.

20 Pivnica Union Renons Blond on keg at 6.2%. Belgian yeast. Nice sourness. Hint of bubblegum. Some spice. Almost Saison style at the end.

Then a Room Beer sourced from a great off licence, Pivoljub.

21 Hopsbrew, IPA in a bottle at 6%. Certainly bitter!! Smells zingy. Dandelion bitter. Hits you full on. Nice finish.

Match day was the superb Sir Williams Pub in Ljubljana.

22 Human Fish Brewery, Combat Wombat on keg at 4.7%. Slightly metallic. Growing rich bitterness. Full of flavour.

23 Tektonic, Dizzy on keg at 6.1%. Great mandarin orange upfront. Sugar dies into nice bittering. Nice beer.

24 Hopsbrew, SMASH, Mosaic on keg at 4.5%. Sweet on the nose. Hay, grass on the first hit. Pleasant bitterness.

25 Human Fish Brewery, Stout on keg at 4.5%. Sweet. Red berries. Bit of toast.

And finally. Odds N Sods in Bled pubs, cafes, restaurants.

26 Gamsar, Svetlo Kvasno at Pub Lovec, Bled from a bottle at 4.8%. Smells yeasty, dough yet to rise. Fresh apple upfront. Background hint of pepper.

27 Maister Brewery, General Maister IPA from a bottle at 6%, Vila Preseren, Bled.  Lovely tan brown. Smells slightly sour. Nowhere near bitter enough.

28 Lasko, Dark 5.9%. Merest hint of chocolate. Glimmer of liquorice. Gentle toast. Safe, but nicely balanced.

29 Union, Svetlo 4.9%. Sort of last & least. A tick is a tick, it's stormy, it's a port, cooking lager. Refreshing, maybe just a hint of hop action.

The standout beer of the trip goes to Tektonic, Dizzy. But, make no mistake, broken glass would be crawled over to get to that Union Unfiltered.

389/812

Drinking with Josip Broz

Slovenia 2 v England 3

Sunday 14 June 2015

Twitter @ball_sup

Deity on a bike, I had the Swindon away, 5 all shivers at one point.

The Beer

I've had a right old ticker's dilemma there. Many places in Slovenia have bottles from a brewery called Bevog. If you ask at the bar for "beer from smaller Slovenian breweries", they'll recommend Bevog. A Slovenian beerhead fella I trust has Bevog as one of only two reliable Slovenian micros. I'm told the Bevog owner/brewer is Slovenian. I'm told he even lives in Slovenia. And can see the brewery across the way there in Bad Radkersburg from his house. Yeah, over there across the border in sodding AUSTRIA.  Sue me, I'm ticking 'em on this trip.

1. Reservoir Dogs, Grim Reaper from a bottle at 7.1% in the Paleta Bar, Camping Lucija. Gloriously opaque. Dull amber. No head to speak of. Smells clean & refreshing. Maybe a bit of peach, apricot going on. Quite complex. A bit the wrong way around. Bitter first, some sweetness in the finish. Sometimes happens. Doesn't bother me too much. The bitterness is nice & intense. Some ginger. Seems to become "a bit less of an IPA" as you get down it, as the sweetness dominates. It is NOT syrupy, sickly sweet though. More pleasant, fruity.

2. Bevog, Kramah IPA from a bottle at 7% in Hangar Bar, Izola. Wine gum sweet on the nose. Tongue swirling bitterness. Grows into a mouthfilling finish. Poured straw yellow. A bit opaque. The bitterness is good. But the further I get down it, the more it's upfront & dying. My mouth is a bit anaesthetic numb though.

3. Pelicon, Stout from a bottle at 5.5% in the Lord Byron Pub, Koper. Poured flat as a fart. Deepest black though. First impression. Tastes great. Lots going on. But all in sync. Some red fruit at first. Rich. Quickly gives way to some toast. Just a hint of smoke. And a gentle bitter finish. Roger all that.

4. Reservoir Dogs, Warrior, Pale Ale from a bottle at 5.6%. Bought at the Paleta Bar, Camping Lucija. But drank in the apartment. Quite malty in the mouth, without much sweetness. Lovely amber in the glass, with a New Zealand ODI shirt beige head. Puts me more in mind of an English bitter than a pale. There is some icing sugar dusting on my lips. But also a nice gentle bitterness. Good, simple, full of flavour.

5. Bevog, ABCD Dirty Deetz, from a bottle at 4.6%. Bought from my Slovenian Brothers at Hoppiness Beershop in Koper. Gold in the glass. Some apricot & peach in the smell. Refreshing. Upfront spicy bitterness. We're in hopped Pilsener or Kolsch territory here. Very good. Easy drinking, hop kick.

Ticks 6 & 7 were a Slovenian Black IPA Face Off. Reservoir Dogs, Starvation at 8% vs Bevog, Rudeen at 7.4%. Both in bottles from Hoppiness.

Rudeen has more upfront bitterness. Although on the second go, there is some blackcurrant sweetness. 

Starvation starts a little sweeter, toffee, treacle, then icing on the lips. Rich. The dominant initial impression is sweet. It does develop a slow bitter finish.

Starvation is definitely more complex. It's a superb beer. But I'm a one trick pony hophead. I'm giving it to the Bevog, Rudeen.

8. Bevog, Tak (Pale Ale) 5.5% on keg in Zlata Ladjica Pub, Ljubljana. Gold leaning amber in the glass. Mouthfilling flavour. Lovely, straight ahead pale. Bitterness comes in gently, but it's a stayer. Some citrus in the bitterness, but it's intense as well. Seville orange & marmalade near the bottom.

9. Carniola, Hop Head in a bottle at 6.7% in Zlata Ladjica. No. Irn Bru in the mouth. A sort of metallic taste. Orange jelly cube straight from the pack. Bittering sort of gets there in the end. But via route circuitous. No.

10. Pelicon, the 3rd Pill in a bottle at 6% in Petkovsek. Here we go. Rich, intense effervescent smell. So deliciously bitter, "you can smell it". Tropical, pineapple maybe. But all fruit, no sugar. They've got the bittering spot on. Grows. Grows. Grows. Stays. Great beer. I also had 3rd Pill on keg in Fany & Mary. If anything,that was even better.

Ticks 11-14 were on match day. So, I was busy doing my carer duties. You know the drill. My tasting notes are sketchier.

11. Bevog, Ond (Smoked Porter) on keg in Petkovsek at 6.3%. Loved that. Rich blackcurrant gives way to gentle toast & smoke. And then a good bitter hit finish. You could taste all the components & perfectly in balance. Great.

12. Mali Grad, India Pale Ale from a bottle at 6.5% in Petkovsek. Lovely Amber in the glass. Nice white head. Sweet on the nose, lavender even. Bittering is rich & intense. Keeps developing. Comes up as a long finish.

13. Vizer, Mirko Pale Ale from a bottle in Petkovsek at 5%. Came up more as an English Bitter than a new world pale. Some malt at first, with a little bit of candied fruit sugar.

14. Mali Grad, Pale Ale on keg at 4.6% in a last knockings cafe by the hotel.  Very refreshing, easy drinking pale.

15. Vizer, Gringo IPA from at bottle at 6% in Du Bop. Quite a bit of grapefruit in the smell. Taste is initial rocket leaf bitterness. But it does grow from there into a nice finish. Nice enough, but not right up there.

16. Bevog, Who Cares at 5.8% from a bottle in Du Bop. One of their experimental series. Put me in mind of some BrewDog efforts. Simple pale malt bill. See what the hops deliver. It was OK. The hops hit, but it seemed all a bit in the mix.

Right, 16 ticks ain't bad. Two candidates for Stand Out Beer Of The Trip. The Bevog, Ond Smoked Porter vs The Pelicon, the 3rd Pill IPA. I'm gonna give it to Pelicon (keg). Partly because it's made in Slovenia. Not a spit over the border in Austria.

Tourist

My second time in Slovenia. This time around it was five days on the coast at Piran. And two days in Ljubljana. Thoroughly & heartily recommend. Ljubljana is a superb weekend city break type place. And the coast is scenic & fairly quiet.

The Football

I thought England sort of did enough. For once, I was fairly low in a small stadium. So, I felt I could work out what was roughly happening. Initially, my prejudice that Premiership defenders don't have & don't like players running at them at pace was confirmed. At one point if Cahill had backed off any further he'd have been sat next to me. And FFS, the strikers just need to put the little dinks away & put their foot through it.

Sterling is great with the ball at his feet. On a string. He's also fairly difficult to knock off the ball. Wilshere took his goals well. Good strikes.

152/327

Pace Pace Pace

England 3 v Slovenia 1

Saturday 16 November 2014

Twitter @ ball_sup

We did a bit of The Bermondsey Run. But just The Kernel, Brew By Nos. & Southwark Brewing. That last one was a new one for me. Declaring an interest, one of my football mates has a little piece of it. Lovely people. Lovely beers. Give them a go.

A little bit of a contrast between the all keg too cool for school Kernel & BBNo & the traditional all cask Southwark. And I notice BBNo are now charging a 3 quid glass deposit for their branded glassware.

I annoyed myself a bit. Instead of hunkering down to hopped beers, I was sucked into "ooooohhhhh what's that one?" mode.

I ended up with

The Kernel
Biere de Table Oak Aged on keg at 3.8%
Biere de Table Fresh Hop WGV bottle at 4.3%

BBNo
Black IPA Yakima Valley on keg at 6.1%
India Pale Ale on keg at 6.5%

Southwark Brewing
LPA on cask at 4%
Bitter Sweet on cask at 4.6%
Gold on cask at 5.2%

The Southwark beers were all in perfect condition. Fresh & full of flavour. But, sighs, inevitably the stand out beer was India Pale Ale from BBNo. Superb.

I suppose this is what EURO Qualifiers are going to be like in UEFAs brave new 24 team world. I suppose I'd better get used to it. Including the large, but very subdued crowd.

England looked pedestrian at times. Yet as soon as Slovenia scored, England injected pace straight from the restart. That won them the penalty that put them back in it.

I'm out of my depth. But wouldn't it be better to introduce that pace & tempo earlier in the game.

I'm not counting many chickens. But maybe the Arsenal rejuvenated Welbeck will become the mainstay of the forward line for a while.