This world cup is absolutely flying by. We’re in the round of the last 16 and have two heavyweight nations competing to advance to the quarter final. France, overall underwhelming, but have managed to grind out results, are against Argentina, who were extraordinarily luck to reach this point in the competition.
Mandatory “Chti Triple” Facts
- Untappd Rating: 3.35 (at time of writing)
- Country of Origin: France
- Brewery: Brasserie Castelain
- ABV: 8.3%
- Style: Belgian Triple
- Serving: Bottle, 330ml
As mentioned above, my French beers to date often flat when it comes to flavour profile and diversity. If any French beers are going to excite me, then this is probably France’s best bet. A Triple in strength and with Belgian inspirations, sounds like Dr Beer’s kind of drink. I opened this drink when France were trailing 2-1 and I feel that I may be single handedly responsible for the French turn around! France subsequently scored 3 goals in the space of 10 minutes to destroy Argentina’s hopes of progression.
The beer pours a rich golden-oak colour, with a hint of transparency. It has a slim bright white foam head. The cool liquid creates a thin-bodied mouthfeel. On sampling primarily malt notes are noticed, with a slight caramel undertone. At the end of my many sampled Belgian beers, a mild spice note and bitterness collide. This didn’t happen with this beer and it created a light lager like finish – definitely not what I expected. At 8.3% I was surprised at the lack of alcohol warmth when I finished each sip.
Rating: 2.75/5. This beer, although marketed as a Belgian triple, doesn’t live up to it’s neighbouring country’s success. Despite this, it has been more successful than Brasserie Castelain’s ‘Blonde’ that I tried earlier on during the world cup.
Mandatory “Quilmes Cristal” Facts
- Untappd Rating: 2.92 (at time of writing)
- Country of Origin: Argentina
- Brewery: Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes
- ABV: 4.9%
- IBU: 12
- Style: Lager
- Serving: Bottle, 330ml
This is the only Argentinian beer that I was able to source in the UK. Not surprisingly it is a macro brewery that are the creators of what is commonly regarded as the country’s national lager. Often these breweries create beers that lack individuality and uniqueness, corresponding to the fact that the beers are mass produced, often with inferior ingredients for two purposes; time and cost. Lagers aren’t designed to have the complexity of IPAs or stouts, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t taste good.
The beer logo is lovely, it perfectly reflect the colours of the Argentinian flag and there is probably no better time for me to sample it than during this year’s world cup. It pours a light golden colour, with a thin white head and fills the glass perfectly. There is a lot of carbonation with this beer has a very light feel on the palate. It is reminiscent of a typical lager, by being clean and crisp in flavour. Little else comes through, but at least there isn’t a harsh metallic aftertaste as I’ve found with so many of this variety. This goes down very easily during a rare heatwave in Scotland! It’s so warm I could feasibly be in Argentina!
Rating: 2.75/5. ‘Quilmes Cristal’ is a nice lager but does it meet the criteria I use to grade lagers
- Is it light, crisp and easy drinking? Yes
- Could I drink a couple pints of this on a hot summers day? Yes
- Is it better than my home nation’s lager? Yes
So overall, it checks the boxes, but doesn’t smash the criteria to smithereens!
Football: Wow, wow, wow! 4-3 to France, with a late comeback by the South American teams that would have had the French support panicking. There wasn’t a lot to split the performance of the brews, which I was surprised about, given that the descriptions are quite different!
#FRAARG
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