Thursday, September 16, 2010

Beer of the Month September 2010 - Bavaria


This month's beer comes from us all the way from Holland.....or The Netherlands....or the Dutch....they seem to call themselves something different every week.  It says Holland on the can so we will go with that.  So let's see, what is Holland famous for?  Well Amsterdam is the weed capital of the world.  At least according to Harold and Kumar.  They went there in the second movie.  Awesome film too.  Check it out if you get a chance.  Where was I again?  Oh yeah, Holland.  They have a good soccer team.  Too bad they choked in the world cup though. 

I looked up Bavaria on wikipedia and discovered that the brewery was founded all the way back in 1719 when Buzz was just 3 years old!  It is currently owned by the Swinkels family.  And the Swindels are a family I have never heard of.  Up until the 1970's, Bravia concntrated specifically on the Dutch market.  Today they are concerned with global beer domination as it is available in over 100 countries.  Should we be glad that the Swinkels shared their brew with the rest of the world?  Well let's find out!!!

The Beer Drinkers:

Barry "Lights Out" Flynn

Robert "Buzz" Bezzant




  
The Packaging:

I don't know about you, but this can looks an awful lot like Holland's more popular export beer....Heineken.  Same green colour scheme...similar lettering....very similar indeed.  There is an interesting logo on the lower part of the can.  It is half "S", half snake, all attitude.

The logo on the bottom earns a few points but Bavaria - come on - this can looks like Heineken 2.0!  But what's this?  Heineken was founded in 1873, over 150 years after Bavaria?  Who cares?  I still say it is copying Heineken
Packaging rating:


The Pour:

The beer did not pour smooth at all.  There is more head here than a Ron Jeremey film festival.  When I originally tried to pour the beer, it ran all down over the side.  My hands got all sticky from the spillage.  Probably the same way Ron Jeremey's hands get.....ah forget it!

Pour-ability rating:

Taste:

Dear Swindel family:

What have I ever done to you to deserve having this foul tasting abomination to touch my sensitive taste buds?  This beer is by far one of the worst beers I have ever tasted.  Buzz is perhaps the greatest beer drinking machine I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing.  And even he struggled to put this crap down the hatch.  If you think the taste is bad, wait until the after taste.  It stays with you FOREVER.  It makes you want to take another sip just so the agony of the after taste will stop.  Then you remember had bad it tastes.  And then the cycle repeats itself.  Maybe I am exaggerating here but in all honesty, this is not a very good tasting beer that has a nasty lingering after taste.  The taste did slightly improve with each swallow but really, how could it get any worse?  As bad as it was, Buzz and I managed to drink every drop because one of the rules of beer club is YOU DO NOT WASTE BEER!

Taste Rating:


Summary:
Beer name:  Bavaria

Style: Ale
Origin: Holland
Price Point: $2.50 CDN
Capacity: Tall Boy ml
Taste / Flavour: Too Strong
Body: Large
After Taste: Too much of an after taste
Foods to be have with this style of Brew: Maybe some ketchup chips or dill pickle to help balance the after taste
Where: Downtown alley
Retailers: LCBO
Purchased by: Buzz

Buzz’s Final Say:
The beer as soon as it hit my taste buds, left a sour puss expression on my face, the after taste was definitely not appealing to the pallet and buds. It was a sweet but sour combination when you took each sip. But I was a trooper and never like to waste any brew, so down the gullet it went.

Buzz's Overall Rating:

Barry's Final Say:
I have to say, I did not enjoy this beer at all.  If it was the only beer left in the fridge, (and I was already 10 beers in and really needed that 11th), I would drink it.  But there would have to be practically no other option.  And I'm talking there are no other beers, no gin, no wine coolers, no Zimas, no potatoes to make my own vodka, nothing.  In this situation, I would happily enjoy a Bavaria.  But unless you are in this situation, stay away.  But even though it is bad beer, it is beer....and beer is like sex.  Even when its bad, it is still pretty awesome!

Barry's Final Rating: