It took a matter of seconds to decide that this challenge would not only be the most enjoyable endeavor this brew hound could think of, but also the most impossible endeavor any single person could undertake. So it was decided that mirroring this year’s World Cup field would be the best way to go about completing this task.
This process started by checking in with the good people at RateBeer.com to find the top beer from each individual country in the field of 16. The annual Best of Beer list provided by RateBeer.com may not be the end all be all of top brews from around the world, but it does provide this tournament with a little objectivity.
So without further ado, I present the field for the 2011 CU Brew Blog World Cup of Beer:
Group A
Germany-Ayinger Celebrator Dopplebock
- Celebrator has a creamy head of tight bubbles contrasting beautifully with its profound dark robe. It is full-bodied and velvety from half a year's aging. Although it is strong, it is not overpowering. There is a wonderful and complex balance between the various malts, the alcohol and the subtle hops. A complex fruitiness of roasted malt and whole hop flowers make Celebrator great as a party drink with friends and family.
Nigeria-Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (Nigeria)
- The basis is an unfermented but hopped Guinness wort extract shipped from Dublin, which is added to local ingredients and brewed locally
Canada-Dieu du Ciel Péché Mortel
- Péché Mortel (French for "Mortal Sin") is an intensely black and dense beer with very pronounced roasted flavors. Fair trade coffee is infused during the brewing process, intensifying the bitterness of the beer and giving it a powerful coffee taste.
France-Rochefort Trappistes 10
- The top product from the Rochefort Trappist brewery. Dark color, full and very impressive taste. Strong plum, raisin, and black currant palate, with ascending notes of vinousness and other complexities.
Group B
Japan-Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout
- Caramel, roasted, black and chocolate malts provide an explosion of coffee like flavors. The strong espresso character comes from the addition of espresso beans to the boil. Notes of vanilla, dark fruit, cocao and chocolate. The very unusual character of Hitachino.
Mexico- Mikkeller George! Barrel Aged (Bourbon Edition)
- Pours a medium creamy consistency of smooth deeper coffee tones, reddish edges, and topped with a creamy medium tan head, minimal lacing...vanilla and pepper upfront then evolves to more of a bourbon woodiness. A little ash on the backend. Nice and not overstated from a barrel perspective. Silky smooth and the barrel is well integrated. A slight bitterness finishing things off a nice note.
England-Old Chimneys Good King Henry Special Reserve
- Blended old ale spiced with cloves. Draught brewed for Christmas only.
New Zealand-8 Wired HopWired IPA
- We believe HopWired is the first bottled version of a true new world India Pale Ale made with NZ grown base malt and 100% truly unique NZ hops. We bet you’ll find nothing else like it on the shelves. Although the malty sweetness is there, this beer is all about the hops. Unlike an American I.P.A. which will mainly hit you with a grapefruit-citrus flavor and aroma, the unique NZ hops used in HopWired are more like a tropical punchbowl: Passion fruit, lime, oranges and Sauvignon Blanc to name but a few.
Group C
USA-Russian River Pliny the Younger
- Pliny the Younger was Pliny the Elder’s nephew, in the case of this beer, the "Younger" is a triple IPA. Pliny the Younger is hopped three times more than our standard IPA, and is dry hopped four different times.
Sweden-Narke Kaggen Stormaktsporter
- Imperial Stout brewed with heather honey and aged on oak-barrels for 2½ months. Serve at minimum 14 degrees. Share the bottle. It was first brewed in October 2005 and ages well for several years. Beer is Art!
Colombia-BBC Chapinero Porter
- Chapinero Porter is our stout English origin with 5% alcohol and gently roasted flavor. Chapinero is one of the traditional sectors which performed much of the city's commercial activity.
Korea DPR-Hite Cool & Fresh
- Clear pale golden color with tiny white head. Dry hops and sweet malt in aroma. Malt, straw, dryish hops and some sweetness in flavor. Something unpleasant in aftertaste.
Group D
Norway-Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout
- We think the Russian tsar would have liked his stout this way. A dark, rich ale in which a generous sweetness with roasted malt bitterness. Serving temp.10°C/50°F. Great with vanilla ice cream or dark chocolate.
Australia-Murrays Icon 2IPA
- A recently created style in the USA, Icon 2IPA is made in the American/Imperial Indian Pale Ale Style. Icon 2IPA is an extreme beer - extensive hopping creates intense citrus/passion fruit/peppery characters in the flavor and aroma balanced by sweet biscuit malt, which finishes with full bodied, rich and with a rounded bitterness.
Brazil-Eisenbahn Lust
- Eisenbahn Lust is the first beer in Brazil produced by the "champnoise" method. After the normal fermentation and maturation in the brewery, the liquid is sent to a winery, where it stays for three months and passes by the traditional process of champagne production. It has fruit aroma and refreshing flavor.
Equatorial Guinea-None
- It appears Equatorial Guinea will face even more insurmountable odds winning this World Cup than they do the actual World Cup.
From here, I envision this tournament playing out in a similar fashion to the World Cup itself. Beginning with group play, each beer shall be tested and assigned a score on a scale of 1 to 10 based on the enjoyability of each brew. The top two beers advance into elimination play.
During this part of the tournament, the higher scored beers will be matched against the lower scored beers in a standard bracket style. The winner of each match-up will be decided based on which beer tastes better in the head-to-head taste test. This process will continue in single-elimination fashion until the champ has been crowned.
This would be a mission the CU Brew Guy would feel more than comfortable handling himself, but to crown a true champ, this contest must be judged by more than one man’s palate. No worries, I have a few friends with discernable taste that I’m pretty sure will be up for the challenge.
Now that the ground work has been laid out, it’s on to the hard part, finding these 15 beers.
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