Date Consumed: 2nd April 2025
Beer: Speak Easy
Brewed: Birrificio Abusivo, Domagnano, San Marino
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 4.7%
Sourced: Suitcase by Jim Cook (thanks Jim!)
World Beer Rating: 4/10
Notes: Quite hoppy for an Italian pils, otherwise a pretty thin mouthfeel. Not bad, maybe better in a warmer climate.
Date Consumed: 4th March 2023
Beer: Dead Sea-rious
Brewed: Carakale, Fuheis, Al Balqa Jordan
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 5.0%
Sourced: Suitcase by Jim Cook (thanks Jim!)
World Beer Rating: 5/10
Notes: Strong grapefruit flavour coming through; noticeable salt. A well made gose, definitely inspired by US brewed recipes.
Date Consumed: 16th May, 2020
Beer: Druk Traffic Lights
Brewed: Namgay Artisanal Brewery, Paro, Bhutan
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 4.7%
Sourced: Suitcase by Jim Cook (thanks Jim!)
World Beer Rating: 7/10
Notes: A mini break from the Covid-19 lockdown with a virtual trip to Bhutan! I did not expect to have this country ticked off. Pineapple and salt go surprisingly well together in a sharp but sweet gose.
Date Consumed: 5th October 2019
Beer: Ngok
Brewed: Brasserie du Congo, Brazzaville, Congo
Size: 650mL
Alcohol Content: 5.0%
Sourced: Les Terroirs du Congo, Rue Labat, Paris, France
World Beer Rating: 4/10
Notes: Brewed by Heineken Congo and tastes a lot like Heineken. Not great, a bland lager with all the hallmarks of an African beer brewed for a hot market.
Date Consumed: 28th August 2019
Beer: St Louis Export
Brewed: Kgalagadi Breweries, Gaborone, Botswana
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 4.7%
Sourced: Suitcase from Botswana. Thanks to Jonathan Rudd!
World Beer Rating: 5/10
Notes: Brewed for the export market. Nice carbonation, refreshing. Not bad at all. Very similar to Carlsberg.
Date Consumed: 28th August 2019
Beer: St Louis Lager
Brewed: Kgalagadi Breweries, Gaborone, Botswana
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 3.5%
Sourced: Suitcase from Botswana. Thanks to Jonathan Rudd!
World Beer Rating: 3/10
Notes: Not as good as the Export version by a long way. Bland, low carbonation, lacks flavour. Lower alcohol, which may contribute to the poor effort.
Date Consumed: 9th January 2019
Beer: Xirdalan Export
Brewed: Carlsberg Azerbaijan, Xırdalan, Baku, Azerbaijan
Size: 440mL
Alcohol Content: 3.6%
Sourced: Suitcase beer from Baku Azerbaijan (thanks James Cook)
World Beer Rating: 4/10
Notes: It’s brewed by Carlsberg and it tastes of Carlsberg. Surprising hop flavour, more like a Polish lager. A difficult country tick!
Date Consumed: 8th January 2019
Beer: Föroya Bjór Classic
Brewed: Föroya Bjór, Klaksvik, Faroe Islands
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 4.6%
Sourced: Keflavík International Airport, Reykjavík, Iceland
World Beer Rating: 6/10
Notes: A true to style dark lager; slightly sweet, not bad at all. I’d enjoy a couple but its not a style I enjoy.
Date Consumed: 12th November 2018
Beer: Stella Lager
Brewed: Al Ahram, Giza, Egypt
Size: 500mL
Alcohol Content: 4.5%
Sourced: Bekya Middle Eastern Kitchen, Harold Park, Sydney NSW, Australia
World Beer Rating: 4/10
Notes: African lager is African lager. Suprised continued use of the word Stella hasn’t got some Belgian lawyers up in arms. Wasn’t expecting much, did not deliver.
Date Consumed: 12th November 2018
Beer: Meister Max
Brewed: Al Ahram, Giza, Egypt
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 8.0%
Sourced: Bekya Middle Eastern Kitchen, Harold Park, Sydney NSW, Australia
World Beer Rating: 5/10
Notes: Wasn’t expecting much as before, but this high alcohol beer wasn’t bad! Oh, its warming up. It’s not as good.
Date Consumed: 29th October 2018
Beer: Wadadli
Brewed: Antigua Brewery (Royal Unibrew), St. Johns, Antigua & Barbuda
Size: 250mL
Alcohol Content: 4.8%
Sourced: Suitcase beer from a supermarket in Antigua & Barbuda (thanks Jim Marlow!)
World Beer Rating: 4/10
Notes: Caribbean lager, served in a smaller 250mL for quick drinking and many of them in the heat! Nothing too exciting but not unpleasant either.
Date Consumed: 28th March 2018
Beer: Lidskoe Pilsner
Brewed: Lidskoe Pivo, Grodnenskaya Oblast, Lida, Belarus
Size: 500mL
Alcohol Content: 4.2%
Sourced: A Belarusian Deli on Ulitsa Vosstaniya near Обелиск Городу-Герою Ленинграду
World Beer Rating: 3/10
Notes: Absolutely nothing to report on this one. Pilsner, bland, slight cereal taste, mildly bitter.
