Wednesday 20 August 2008

Olympics

As much as I am enjoying the over achievement of Team GB in the various Olympic events, there is not really much for the beer lover. Being the 1979 Barnes Fayre yard of ale champion and a dab hand at table skittles or shut the box, I feel the IOC could make some worthwhile changes for London 2012.

My beer of the Olympics has been Downton Olympic Flame which I have chanced upon twice in recent days. Admittedly this is the only Olympic beer I have seen so far but it wins gold, silver and bronze for me. A straw coloured beer, flavoured with ginger and coriander, weighing in at 4.1%. The ginger is not too overpowering, making this a very refreshing pint for the expected balmy evenings of late August.

Staying on a Chinese theme, I notice that Tsingtao Brewery results were announced today. China's best known brand posted a 42% rise in half year profits. Although China's beer market is fragmented by nearly 400 brewers, Tsingtao brewed 26.86 million hectolitres (c 18 million barrels - over 5 billion pints) in 6 months - a staggering amount - and only 10% of China's total; the world's largest beer market by volume.

Off to Peterborough Beer Festival today for a marathon - or at least a decathlon...

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