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A Euro semi-final between the Czech Republic and Ireland seemed highly unlikely on the pitch before the tournament started, but the Beer Tournament has given these two nations the chance to stake a claim for a spot in the final. The Czechs will be represented by yet another of their pilsners with Staropramen up this time. It will come up again one of the most controversial selections of the tournament in Caffrey’s Premium Irish Ale, this beer would normally be considered English or Northern Irish but this can is marked as being brewed in Dublin… Enough with the politics though, lets get down to the beers!
 Staropramen CZECH REPUBLIC Czech Pilsner 5.0% |
Staropramen was my first true Czech Pilsner that I fell in love with and it is just as good as I remembered! It’s incredibly drinkable with a distinctly Czech, bitter hop finish. The perfect beer for almost any occasion, but especially summer.
This Caffrey’s beer is rather strange. I like surger cans normally but this one produced a rather disappointing head, and the flavour of the beer left a lot to be desired. It’s very bland and the mouthfeel seems unnecessarily thick, just not for me… |
 Caffrey’s Premium IRELAND English Pale Ale 3.8% |
The Irish beer helped avoid a political scandal by being a huge disappointment on one of the biggest days in the history of Irish beers in this country (possibly an overstatement…)! Staropramen once again proved itself to be a fantastic all purpose lager, it’s one of the best value for money lagers out there if you can find it. A comfortable win for the Czech Republic sees them reach the final of the Euro 2012 Beer Tournament where they will face the winner of tomorrow’s second semi final between Germany and England.
On the pitch this is a battle for footballing supremacy on the Iberian peninsula. Spain and Portugal have a fierce rivalry and I expect this to be a particularly testy encounter. With Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the player of the tournament so far, on the pitch Portugal are a chance, but his supply will be limited by the Spanish possession game. I imagine Spain will win this 2-0, however watch out for a huge upset if Portugal score early. They will sit back and defend for their lives and Spain without a recognised striker may struggle to break them down.
