Here’s our Challenge for you: Are you ready to drink the best beer from every country, while you cheer during each match?
The Football World Cup is more than a Gaming Tournament. It’s a Magnificent Celebration – a ritual that embraces the diversity of nations, fans coming together to celebrate cultural differences, without any prejudice.
So, what better way to recognize a nation’s identity, than by enjoying its famous beers 😉 As the month-long event begins tomorrow, show your support and enjoy the game, by drinking your way through the tournament.
To help, we’ve selected a beer that we think is the best of every country playing in the tournament. From classic ales and lagers to exciting new craft beers, this list has it all.
Order your drinks, invite your mates and even if the match turns out to be a letdown, you can still have fun arguing the merits and demerits of the glass in your hand.
Group A
Russia, Egypt, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia
Let’s start with the group that has the hosts. Ancient Egypt was one of the first countries in the world to master the Art of Brewing, long back during the Age of the Pharaohs and Pyramids. The biggest brewery in modern Egypt is the Al Ahram Brewery a subsidiary of Heineken. Stella Local is the most popular and best-selling brew from here.
With strict alcohol laws, we don’t know much about the drinking game of Saudi, so let’s move on to Uruguay. Though the craft beer industry has started in Montevideo (capital of Uruguay), it’s still in the nascent stages.
Coming to the hosts, we think Russia is the winner in this group when it comes to beers. The Baltika brewery, owned by Carlsberg offers some interesting choices. The Baltika No. 6 (a porter) and the Baltika No. 0 (an alcohol-free beer) are the top choices from this brewery.
Group B
Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and Iran
Spain recently saw a massive expansion in the number of breweries, with several young entrepreneurs jumping into the game. Some of the popular choices of Spaniards include Garage Beer Co, La Pirata, and Ceriux Rubia. We think the Ceriux Rubia is a great option for a match day. It has spices, a fruity flavor (grapes) and herby edge that make it very refreshing.
When it comes to Portugal, you can never go wrong with Sagres and Super Bock, both mass-produced beers that work well. Iran doesn’t have much to offer in terms of brews. However, the tiny African nation of Morocco has something surprising. Casablanca, a pale lager with corn and grain flavors and a hint of grassy crispness manages to knock several best-sellers in this group.
Group C
Peru, France, Denmark and Australia
Ok, this one’s a fierce competition, not only in terms of football but also for beer. Three heavy-weight brewing nations – France, Denmark, and Australia – fight it out for the top spot. Even the last contender, Peru has a good entry. Cusquena, a Peruvian lager is good but loses out to the big names from the other countries.
Australia has no dearth of modern breweries. Krush, a pale ale with tropical notes of passion fruit and pineapple from Kaiju, a Victoria brewery is an excellent choice.
Denmark is one of the top nations in the world for its wide range of experimental breweries. Raid beer with a Pilsner base, floral and citrus notes and lingering bitterness is an excellent choice.
France has its game spot-on, even when it comes to beers. Dalva, a double IPA using the French hops Aramis and Dalva from Brasserie brewery are popular choices.
Group D
Nigeria, Iceland, Croatia, and Argentina
Though Argentina may have the world’s best footballer, Lionel Messi, it’s a big letdown in terms of beer. The only option that is worth mentioning is Quilmes a lager.
The dark horse of the football world, Croatia has some interesting options. Azacca, made from American hops, is a pale ale with sweet, mango flavors with a surprising bitterness and tartness.
Einstock brewery from Iceland has several pale ales that are refreshing. Citrusy, with a glint of fruit, spice, and caramel, there are plenty of drinks to get warm with, in this land of glaciers.
Nigeria also has some great drinks. The Foreign Extra Stout, made from maize, local sorghum, and malt shipped from Guinness brewery in Ireland is an unusual version of regular Guinness beers. Toasty, sweet and a dash of firepower, this is one potent drink.
Group E
Switzerland, Serbia, Costa Rica, and Brazil
Perennial favorites of the football world, Brazil has some amazing beers. Brahma, Amazon beer are some of the popular choices. The Amazon beer made with Bacuri (a native Amazonian fruit) is a refreshing summer drink with sweet and citrusy notes.
For Costa Rica, it’s the Malacrianza Scottish ale. Serbia, on the other hand, doesn’t have many choices. But, Switzerland makes up for it with plenty of options. Of these, we think the 1936 Bierre is a notch above with lemony freshness, sweet lager malts, and a subtle bitterness.
Group F
Sweden, South Korea, Mexico, and Germany
There’s no doubt that Germany is one of the world’s most favorite brewing nations. People say that it’s impossible to find a bad beer in this country. While we don’t know if that true, we are sure that Germany has plenty of great choices. Celebrator, a strong dark lager with caramel and malty flavors, with hints of bitterness and dry fruit is our pick today.
South Korea’s choice is Hite, a light beer that makes a great accompaniment for pizza. From Mexico, check out the Tecate, a chocolaty stout.
Flamingo-go, an IPA with bitterness and grapefruit flavors is a choice from Sweden.
Group G
Tunisia, Panama, Belgium, and England
England and Belgium are two of the biggest heavyweights in the football world. While Panama has a couple of good modern breweries, Tunisia fails to incite any excitement both in beer and the sport.
Our beer picks from Belgium are Orval, a beer that ages pretty well and Trappist, a unique tasting brew with lemony, prickly spice and old leather notes.
From England, we choose the IPA Transmission from Brewing Co. It’s an ale with citrusy, piney and tropical infusions. Despite its high ABV, the drink feels reasonably light.
Group H
Senegal, Japan, Colombia, and Poland
The last group of the lot. Poland and Japan have a thriving beer scene, that’s pretty new. From Poland, it’s Maverick an IPA with lemony notes. A hint of bitterness with the tartness of the lemon makes for a very refreshing drink.
Hitachino Nest, from the Kiuchi Brewery, is a Belgian style beer infused with Japanese flavors like funky yeast, grainy base, and spicy hops.
Colombia and Senegal don’t have anything more than a couple of mass-produced drinks.
The Verdict: Which Country will win the Trophy for the Best Beer?
That’s beyond our review and is pretty subjective. We don’t want to pick a couple of names. Instead, we urge you to try different brews from various footballing nations and enjoy the game, with a unique beer in your hand.
Are you Ready for the Challenge?