This month's beer of the month hails from the land of Croatia. Where is Croatia you ask? Buzz and I asked ourselves the same question. We both thought it was in Europe. I thought it was close to Russia while he thought it was near Germany. I looked it up and I am still not sure! We might not know our geography, but we do like our beer! I looked up the beer on wikipedia and the article was about 15 words long. All it really says is that it is a Croatian marzen lager beer that has been brewed since 1892. It is also the official sponsor of the Croatian National Football team, which of course is soccer to us North Americans. There was a link to their official website but the site was in whatever language they speak in Croatia.
The Beer Reviewers:
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| Barry Flynn |
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| Robert "Buzz" Bezzant |
The Packaging:
Overall the can was very appealing. It had a nice contrast of yellow and red. It also had some of the red and white checkers that the Croatian Football team wear as their national colours. The red tab on the top was also a nice touch. One other great feature is that there is a best before date on the bottom. That way you know if you are drinking a skunky beer. As you can see, our beer was certified fresh until January 3, 2011.
Package rating:
The Pour:
I was quite impressed with the ease in which the beer poured. Usually when I pour beer, I do it wrong and end up with half a glass of foam. However with this beer, It poured quickly with the desired amount of head. If only I could get the desired amount of head.....
Pour-ability rating:
The Taste:
Now this is where it gets interesting. When the brew first hit my lips I thought, "hmmm certainly not the best tasting beer in the world. No wonder the Croatian Football team didn't make the world cup.". When I took the first mouthful, I really thought it was an ale. Buzz read the side of the can (at least the little english we could fin on it) and it said it was a "Lager Hell". Now I am not sure if a lager that tastes like an ale is what classifies a beer as "Lager Hell" but given the attractive can and the nice pour, the taste disappointed me. I did find that the taste improved with each swallow but the first sip was nothing but a disappointment. There was little to no after taste, which is good considering its mediocre flavour.
Taste Rating:
Summary:
Beer name: Osječko / Ozjecko
Style: Lager
Origin: Croatia
Price Point: $2.40 CDN
Capacity: Tall Boy ml
Taste / Flavour: Strong, bold and refreshing
Body: Medium
After Taste: little to none
Foods to be have with this style of Brew: Breaded Wings, maybe of Cajun variety
Where: Downtown Patio
Retailers: LCBO or local German Pubs
Buzz's Final Say:
After a hard day at the office or Trade I found that the first taste was a little strong, but as the pallet got wet after a few times, the taste was satisfying to swallow. I would purchase once in awhile, but not totally sold.”
Buzz's Overall Rating:
Barry's Final Say:
Overall I would have to say I was disappointed with the taste of this brew. It looks good, pours well but the taste did not live up to the expectations. It certainly wasn't a horrible beer but unless I am stuck in Croatia and this is the only beer available (and I don't see this scenario ever happening), I doubt I would go out of my way to have it again.
Barry's Overall Rating:
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