World Beer Challenge
Date Consumed: 2012
Beer: Angkor Beer
Brewed: Cambrew, Sihanoukville, Cambodia
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 5.0%
Sourced: Pub Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia (thanks to Ashna Hussein)
World Beer Rating: 5/10
Notes: Mildly bitter, metallic flavour finish. I suspect this beer, like many other Asian beers, would be better enjoyed in the Asian climate. Still, I would buy this in a case for a BBQ – a session beer but not a craft beer.
Date Consumed: 2012
Beer: South Pacific SP Lager
Brewed: South Pacific Brewery, Hohola NCD, Papua New Guinea
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 4.5%
Sourced: Spiros Bottle Shop Online, QLD, Australia
World Beer Rating: 6/10
Notes: Strong carbonation, mildly sweet but not unpleasant. Taste of hops present but not overpowering – it’s quite like the domestic beers of Australia – clean but nothing to write home about.
Date Consumed: 2012
Beer: Club Colombia
Brewed: Grupo Empresarial Bavaria, Bogota, Colombia
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 4.7%
Sourced: La Cita, Darling Harbour, NSW, Australia
World Beer Rating: 5/10
Notes: Pretty weak, very dry, mild hops. Seems to be in line with other South American lagers.
Date Consumed: 2012
Beer: Cerveza Aguila
Brewed: Grupo Empresarial Bavaria, Bogota, Colombia
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 4.0%
Sourced: Half Time Beverage, Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
World Beer Rating: 5/10
Notes: Not bad, although this beer feels mass produced and lacks any real flavour. Little bit of corn and hops.
Date Consumed: 2012
Beer: Kilimanjaro Premium Lager
Brewed: Tanzanian Breweries, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Size: 375mL
Alcohol Content: 4.5%
Sourced: Stone Town, Zanzibar Town, Tanzania (thanks to Lachlan and Liz Ralph)
World Beer Rating: 5/10
Notes: Well carbonated with light cereal and hoppy notes. Gets better the more you drink. Definitely would be more refreshing after a hot day in Africa then Australia!
Date Consumed: 27th June 2013
Beer: Serengeti Premium Lager
Brewed: Serengeti Breweries, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 5.5%
Sourced: Beers of Europe, Kings Lynn, United Kingdom
World Beer Rating: 3/10
Notes: Tastes of charcoal and bitterness. Not one I would drink again.
Date Consumed: 23rd April 2013
Beer: Vailima
Brewed: Samoa Breweries, Apia, Samoa
Size: 750mL
Alcohol Content: 4.9%
Sourced: MH Supermarkets, Nadi, Fiji
World Beer Rating: 5/10
Notes: Watery and weak with light citrus flavour, although it had a mild chemical flavour. Very odd aftertaste, like I’d had a McChicken Sandwich from McDonalds (sesame seeds and chicken?)
Date Consumed: 2012
Beer: Cerveza Imperial (Costa Rica)
Brewed: Florida Bebidas, La Ribera de Belén, Heredia, Costa Rica
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 4.6%
Sourced: The Beer Store NZ (thanks to Julia Nixon!)
World Beer Rating: 3/10
Notes: Unimpressive beer, no real flavour. Would be very welcome in a hot and humid environment, but not a beer that you’d go for over other mass produced beers. Excellent logo though!
Date Consumed: 2012
Beer: Kross Golden Ale
Brewed: Kross Microbrew Beers, Curacaví, Chile
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 5.0%
Sourced: Wines2Buy Pty Ltd, eBay Australia, Australia
World Beer Rating: 8/10
Notes: Golden ale with lemon and honey notes. Well carbonated, very clean, much like a Coopers Green beer but sweeter and more fruity. I will enjoy many more of these!
Date Consumed: 22nd June 2012
Beer: Kunstmann Torobayo Pale Ale
Brewed: Cerveceria Valdivia S.A. (CCU), Valdivia, Chile
Size: 330mL
Alcohol Content: 5.0%
Sourced: Churrasco Brazilian Style BBQ, Woolloomooloo, NSW, Australia
World Beer Rating: 9/10
Notes: This is an exceptionally good beer from Chile. Clean, refreshing and well crafted, this beer is definitely one of my favourites from South America so far.
Date Consumed: 3rd June 2013
Beer: Austral Calafate Ale
Brewed: Cerveceria Austral S.A., Punta Arenas, Chile
Size: 355mL
Alcohol Content: 5.0%
Sourced: monfavori.com
World Beer Rating: 7/10
Notes: Maybe it’s been a while since this beer was brewed, affecting it’s flavour, but nothing special going on here.
Date Consumed: 2011
Beer: Istak Halal Beer
Brewed: Khorshid Zareewar Co, Sanandaj, Iran
Size: 320mL
Alcohol Content: 0.0%
Sourced: Naab, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
World Beer Rating: 2/10
Notes: As far as non-alcoholic lime flavoured Iranian halal beers go, this one is quite drinkable. On the beer scale however, it’s not comparable. 2 points because it tastes of lime and not malt.
Date Consumed: 20th September 2011
Beer: Rich Beer
Brewed: Al-Moudi Beverage Ind, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Size: 340mL
Alcohol Content: 0.0%
Sourced: Marakesh Restaurant, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
World Beer Rating: 1/10
Notes: Malty horribleness. How do people even consider this a beer? Still, it’s an unexpected Saudi Arabian achievement!
Date Consumed: 2011
Beer: Anchor Smooth
Brewed: Guinness Anchor Berhad, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Size: 325mL
Alcohol Content: 4.5%
Sourced: Cool Storage Supermarket, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
World Beer Rating: 5/10
Notes: Not particularly good. Tastes of cereal and hops. Lightly carbonated.
