World Cup 2018: The best beers to drink for every nation
From a Danish tipple with the flair of Christian Eriksen to a dark German doppelbock that will hit you harder than a Mats Hummels double-footer, these are the beers you need to be drinking throughout this summer's tournament
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Your support makes all the difference.Rejoice! After a four year wait it’s time to load up the fridge with beer in anticipation of a feast of football, as the World Cup 2018 invades our TV screens with all the razzmatazz the hosts Russia can muster.
To help in your choice of goal-cheering beverages we’ve selected a beer to represent every country in the tournament (providing they’re available to buy in the UK) and have picked two star performers from each group to qualify for the later stages. Featured are some classic ales that have withstood the test of time; some amazing brews from exciting new breweries; a few shocks from beer minnows; and lots of continental lager.
Get your orders in, invite your mates round, and if the football turns out to be a letdown then at least you can have fun arguing about the beer.
Group A
Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
If the Russians were looking for a dream draw in our Beer World Cup they could not have picked a better group than this. Egypt may be credited as the country to first master the art of brewing but we can’t get our hands on its current output – the biggest brewery is the Heineken-owned Al Ahram Brewery, with Stella Local its leading brand. Saudi Arabia’s strict alcohol laws mean it provides even less competition so it’s up to Uruguay to put up a match – but although the craft beer scene has reached Montevideo and beyond, there are no exports for us to try.
That gives Russia a clear run, which is just as well because, although there are a few brands regularly available in the UK, none are world-beaters. We’ve opted for the Carlsberg-owned Baltika brewery which produces a few beers worth serving. Its alcohol-free beer is actually among the best of its type and our choice, Baltika No 6, is a reliable porter with some toasty malts and a caramel sweetness up front joined by some dry fruit and bitterness at the back.
Baltika No 6 Porter, 7%: £2.19 for a 500ml bottle, Beers of Europe
Group B
Iran, Morocco, Portugal, Spain
Spain has recently caught the brewing bug with exciting new producers springing up all over the country, and wins this group at a canter. Of the breweries that are represented in the UK, La Pirata and Garage Beer Co are well worth tracking down, along with our choice Ceriux Rubia. It’s a fairly simple beer that has been livened up by the introduction of game-changing spices and grape juice giving it a slightly fruity, herby edge along with a refreshing honey sweetness.
Iberian neighbours Portugal are also getting in on the brewing act, although it’s much more of a struggle to get anything other than the ubiquitous Super Bock or Sagres, a mass produced pale lager that performs well on hot Portuguese beaches but is less impressive on a wet Wednesday evening in Grimsby.
As you might imagine, Iran fails to offer up much in the way of competition but we have tracked down a Moroccan beer. Casablanca is another sweet mass-produced pale lager, although we found its grain and corn flavours, along with a hint of grassy crispness, slightly easier on the palette than Sagres, enabling it to pull off a qualification shock.
Ceriux Rubia, 5.4%: £3.19 for a 375ml bottle, Beers of Europe
Casablanca, 5%: £1.79 for a 350ml bottle, Beers of Europe
Group C
Australia, Denmark, France, Peru
There’s a fair amount of interest in this group for football watchers but, in beer terms, it’s the Group of Death, with three powerful brewing nations – Australia, Denmark and France – battling it out for the top two places. Even beer minnow Peru has managed put up a challenge with lager Cusquena, a perfectly acceptable drop of booze, even though it’s unlikely to set the world alight.
Australia has several established breweries along with plenty of modern outfits, with punchy, fruity hop beers being popular with UK importers. One such brew is Krush from Victoria brewery Kaiju, a pale ale that is loaded with a twin tropical attack of pineapple and passionfruit.
Denmark is world-renowned for its innovative, experimental breweries, with To Øl being one of the country’s most celebrated brewing stars. Raid Beer is made on a reliable, Schmeichel-esque Pilsner base but displays the creative ingenuity of Christian Eriksen, with citrus and floral tricks and a lingering bitter finish.
With France being surrounded by Europe’s best brewing nations, its own output is often overlooked, but there are many fine beers to be had. Safe choices such as the Heinken-brewed Pelforth Blonde should keep lager drinkers happy, while those seeking more French flair could opt for our choice Dalva from Brasserie Thiriez. It’s a smooth-drinking double IPA with French hop Aramis joined in midfield by the American trio of Nugget, Simcoe and Citra, all of which give it a good level of bitterness along with some tropical and spicy hops. Good enough to join Denmark in the next round.
To Øl, Raid Beer, 5.2%: £3.49 for a 330ml bottle, Beer Hawk
Thiriez Dalva: £3.39 for a 330ml bottle, Beers of Europe
Group D
Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, Nigeria
Argentina may have one of the world’s most exciting footballers in Lionel Messi, but the only Argentinian beer we could find is Quilmes – a far less inspiring, although perfectly drinkable, lager.
Regular footballing dark horses Croatia can, at long last, boast a few good beers in the UK thanks to a keen interest from retailers in The Garden Brewery. Azacca is one of their experimental beers using American hops of the same name that help create a smooth fruity and bitter pale ale, with sweet, sticky pine and mango flavours showing some start turns.
Iceland’s Einstock brewery is a little more established, with their modern citrus-forward Pale Ale leading the line. It’s a reliable performer offering glimmers of spice and fruit with a light, caramel tinged body.
Irish football fans looking to adopt a nation in Russia might like to consider Nigeria. The Guinness brewery ships malt to Nigeria which is combined with local sorghum and maize to brew a Foreign Extra Stout, giving Irish drinkers at least three games to use as an excuse for cracking open the black stuff. It tastes like an unusual version of Guinness, with some toasty and ash notes, a fair amount of sweetness and some extra firepower from the high alcohol content, and we think this curious concoction is good enough to nudge out the Icelanders on goal difference.
The Garden Brewery, Azacca Pale, 5.2%: £3.19 for a 330ml can, Honest Brew
Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (Nigerian), 7.5%: £4.29 for a 600ml bottle; or £2.29 for a 325ml bottle, Beers of Europe
Group E
Brazil, Costa Rica, Serbia, Switzerland
The 2014 World Cup ended in humiliation for Brazil’s footballers and, despite having a large squad of local breweries, they’re relying on an unusual fruit to save them from embarrassment in our beer knock-out. Brahma is the country’s best known beer export, but Amazon Beer has come up with a much more interesting pale ale that is also available in the UK. It’s made with the Amazonian fruit bacuri which, apparently, has sweet and sour flavours that should be ideal for beers. This effort is certainly sweet and does have a slight citrussy tartness before drying out, making it an easy-going, refreshing summer drink.
Despite liking the sound of “Costa Rica’s Malacrianza Scottish Ale”, we’ve been unable to find this or any of the country’s other beers in the UK, and we’ve also drawn a blank with Serbia. That leaves Switzerland to romp through the group stages with an Alpine pilsner-style brew, 1936 Biere. It’s an uncomplicated drop, with sweet lagery malts, some lemony freshness and subtle bittering combining neatly and delivering a crisp finish.
Amazon Beer, Forest Fruit Bacuri, 4.1%: £2.09 for a 330ml bottle, Beers of Europe
1936 Biere, 4.7%: £2.10 for a 330ml bottle, The Bottle Bank
Group F
Germany, South Korea, Mexico, Sweden
The reigning footy champs, Germany, are many folks’ favourites to lift the trophy once more and, as one of the world’s greatest brewing nations, fans will have plenty of choice when it comes to celebrating. We’ve gone with the aptly named Celebrator, a doppelbock from Bavarian brewery Ayinger. It’s a strong, dark lager, full of caramelised and rich malty flavours, hints of dry fruit and a light toasty bitterness. Like Germany’s footballing counterparts, it is slick and smooth but its booziness makes it capable of some direct knockout blows.
At the other end of the lager-style quality spectrum is South Korea’s Hite, a thin, light beer that is best served as a quick thirst-quencher for pizza.
Mexico’s footballers are known for causing a few surprises with unusual attacking moves, and we were certainly surprised to see a chocolate stout arrive from Tecate, Baja California. Dia de Los Muertos The Necromance Chocolatl Stout displays a better quality on the tastebuds than it does on the bottle label (a strange rendering of a well-tailored skeleton lifting a rabbit out of a hat), with lots of sweet cocoa and vanilla in a thick black body.
With Sweden now missing the unpredictable genius of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, we’ve tried to compensate as best we can by suggesting the maverick brewery Pang Pang. Founder Fredrick Tunedal has “Pang” tattooed on each of his knuckly fists and has similarly bonkers names for his beers. Flamingo-go is an IPA with a fair amount of bitterness, zesty grapefruit flavours and offers a bit more depth of quality than its Mexican opposition to ensure a safe passage for Sweden to the next round.
Ayinger Celebrator, 7.6%: £3.49 for a 330ml bottle, Beer Hawk
Pang Pang Flamingo-Go, 6%: £3.09 for a 330ml bottle, Mitchells Wine
Group G
England, Belgium, Panama, Tunisia
Group G features a battle of two beer heavyweights, England and Belgium, both with a recent history of underachieving at football. Of the other two nations, our scouts tell us there are a few good modern breweries in Panama, but there’s very little to excite beer fans from Tunisia, and we’ve not been able to try anything from either country, so it’s down to the Europeans to provide the drinking entertainment.
Belgium’s current footballers have the right blend of control and flair, but have never truly performed on the international stage, so will be hoping their more experienced squad will deliver the goods this time round. Our beer pick, Orval, definitely does age well, with fans arguing over how long to store it before it’s at its best. A Trappist classic, there is no other beer is quite like it, with pithy lemon, old leather and prickly spice all being used to describe its unique taste.
Gareth Southgate’s England squad is packed with youthful enthusiasm but contains few players who are used to regularly winning things, so we’ve paired it with a young brewery – North Brewing Co – that is currently scooping plenty of top awards, mostly for its IPA Transmission. It’s a West Coast-style ale, full of citrus and pine flavours, along with an injection of tropical flair from late hopping, and it finishes satisfyingly dry. Despite a high alcohol content it has a light touch that makes it easy to drink, so go easy on toasting the England team in the unlikely event they go goal crazy.
Orval, 6.2%: £2.79 for a 330ml bottle, Beer Hawk
North Brewing Co, Transmission, 6.9%: £3.06 for a 330ml can, Beer Hawk
Group H
Colombia, Japan, Poland, Senegal
Hands up if you thought we would struggle for decent beers from this group? A few years ago it would’ve been hard to find anything, but importers have finally cottoned on to both Japan and Poland’s vibrant brewing scenes and the countries’ beers are becoming more readily available. For Poland, we’ve picked out Maverick, an APA with added lemon juice, from Browar Rockmill. It’s a hazy, pale yellow drink packed with New World hop flavours, just a hint of bitterness, and refreshingly tart lemon that builds towards the finish and lingers.
Hitachino Nest, Saison Du Japon, from the Kiuchi Brewery, is our choice to represent Japan – the seventh largest beer producer in the world – and it’s a Belgian beer style with a Japanese twist. Along with the grainy base, funky yeast and spicy hops you would expect from a saison is a sweetness caused by the inclusion of a malted rice used in sake making called koji. With this is some fruitiness from the addition of the citrus fruit yuzu. It’s a well-crafted, distinctive beer that is capable of surprising a few people.
Colombia also have a number of craft breweries, although we’ve yet to taste any of their goods, so we’ll have to rely on the only beer we could find online, Club Colombia, a fairly standard lager. Senegal, alas, lets the group down so we’ll be sending the Poles and Japanese through.
Browar Rockmill, Maverick, 4.7%: £3.49 per 500ml bottle, Honest Brew
Hitachino Nest, Saison Du Japon, 5%: £2.79 per 330ml bottle, Drink Supermarket
The Verdict: Beers for the World Cup
Of our qualifiers we picked a quartet of European brews for the semi-finals – Belgium, Poland, England and Germany – with the eventual glory going to Ayinger’s Celebrator. Let’s see if Germany’s footballers make it a beer and football double.
