Era un día ou outro, pero o post da cerveza tiña que chegar... e este levoume días rematalo!
Ben, neste post vou falar das cervezas locales de Estonia, así que abride a nevera, collede esa
Estrella Galicia, e disfrutade do artículo.
Recordo cando en 2006 chegara por primeira vez a este país, que me quedara absolutamente asombrado da cantidade de marcas e variedades de cerveza que había nos supermercados. Recordo tamén que, como son un gran amante do líquido elemento, me propuxera probar o maior número posible agora que tiña a posibilidade. Por suposto non
no mismo día nin na misma semana... Recordo que ó final do ano, levaba unhas 57 botellas de cerveza diferentes apiladas encima da cociña, ás cales lles debería de sumar algunha máis local que non comprei no super ou non puxen coas outras. En total eu diría que nese ano, andaria por unas 65-70 clases distintas, e non foran todas as que se podían atopar no super!
Se hai algo bon no referente a que os productos de Estonia non parezan ter demasiada expansión -calidade, carencia ou chámalle x-, é que eles atraen productos de todos os países disponibles para importar. De feito, por exemplo, non hai moito probei viño de Chipre!
Así que sí, por este país teñen cervezas de prácticamente todos os países europeos (tamén vin/probei a
Asahi de Xapón!), pero tamén teñen unha gama bastante amplia de cervezas locales, que incluso se incrementou desde hai 5 anos ata hoxe. E falar desta gama é o propósito do post de hoxe: aló imos coas cervezas estonias!
Básicamente podemos falar de dúas grandes cervezas estonias, Saku e A. Le Coq. Cada unha destas marcas ten unha serie de submarcas bastante considerable, así que irei unha a unha.
Como notas adicionales, poidovos decir que a maioría destas cervezas se venden en botella e lata, prácticamente todas en envases de 0'5 litros, cun precio que oscila entre os 0'80-1 € actualmente ós cales SEMPRE hai que añadir 0'08 ctms polo envase. Estes envases pódense devolver en certos puntos específicos e eses céntimos devólvense para gastar na tenda onde as mercaches en calquera cousa. Este é un bo método para manter limpa a cidade, xa que as personas necesitadas recollen cantas latas e envases ven para ter uns ctms extra. Tamén é habitual que nas casas faigan colecta de envases para levalos máis tarde a eses puntos. Tal e como está o nivel de precios comparado cos salarios aquí, asegúrovos que non está de máis gardarse as latas para facer un pequeno viaxe a eses puntos. Imaxinádevos que invitastes a 5 colegas para xuntarse na casa e cada un bebe unhas 5 cervexas/ciders (sidras). 25 latas x 8 ctms cada unha son un par de euros que che teñen para un perrito caliente outro día calquera.
SAKU
http://www.saku.ee/eng
Saku naceu en 1820 na localidade de Saku, polo Lord local Karl. Hoxe en día o 100% das accións de Saku está en mans de Carlsberg (unha das peores cervezas do mundo).
Desde 2009, Saku converteuse na cerveza líder do mercado estonio, cun 38,7% das ventas locales de cerveza.
Productos Saku (nótese que vou deixar de lado todo o que non son cervezas):
- Saku Originaal: é a marca por antonomasia de Saku. Está feita de levadura, auga e selección de malta e lúpulo. A súa producción comezou en 1993, sendo a primeira cerveza de Estonia logo da independencia. Algúns estudios de mercado dín que é a máis recoñecida e popular. Para o meu gusto forma parte "do montón de birras", que se bebe pero que non aporta demasiado. Quente é imbebible.
- Comentario comercial: Saku Originaal is a light high-quality beer with a mild taste and
pleasant aroma, which Saku brews of its own yeast, water, and selected
malt and hops.
Saku Originaal is Estonia’s first on beer of the new era, which came on
sale in 1993. With its innovative attitude, Saku Originaal has always
been an active player in the Estonian beer market, a creator of new
packaging and taste trends. The leading local beer is today the most
popular beer brand in Estonia, “The Right Estonian Beer, which expresses
the characteristics, life and dreams of Estonian men.
- Graduación: 4.6%
- Saku Kuld: Kuld significa ouro. Non hai moito que probei unha destas e a sensación foi dunha cerveza moi do montón, cun sabor bastante lánguido e fácil de olvidar. Probablemente unha das peores dentro de Saku.
- Comentario comercial: Saku Kuld – a modern classic, the absolute elite of Estonian beers, a
combination of Saku’s hundreds-of-years-old brewing traditions, and the
newest technology.
With a rich taste, foam, and aroma, a delicate balance of freshness and
mildness characterizes the taste of Saku Kuld. The freshness comes from
Nordic oat malt and velvety smoothness is added to the refined bouquet
by Hallertau hops. In addition, Saku Kuld is characterized by a clear
colour and thick firm foam. Saku Kuld is sold in unique bottles with a
relief of the Saku arms.
- Graduación: 5.2%
- Saku Valge/Stuttgart?: Esta cerveza xa non a puiden atopar nos supermercados, e na páxina oficial de Saku está desaparecida, polo que intúo que foi unha das sacrificadas por baixas ventas (e tamén polo extenso catálogo de cervezas da marca, supoño que estarían a probar novas marcas e quedaríanse coas que a xente compra). Dicen que puido cambiar de nome a Saku Stuttgart, pero ahí xa me perdo. O estilo é rubia-tostada con apariencia "nublada".
- Comentario comercial: Das Echte Hefeweizen Stuttgart, or simply Saku Stuttgart, is a genuine
wheat beer inspired by German brew masters – an unfiltered hazy beverage
for the experienced beer lover. This is exactly the type of
soft-tasting beer with a hint of sourness and rich aroma that is adored
by Bavarian men in the south of Germany. He who has learned to
appreciate the special taste of wheat beer may confidently consider
himself among the crème de la crème of beer lovers.
Besides its unique taste, another peculiarity of wheat beer is that it
is generally not filtered. Therefore, wheat beer includes more grain
particles than a traditional lager-style beer, which gives it a
distinctive cloudy appearance and a softer taste. Before serving, one
should shake the bottle gently, to allow everything worth enjoying to
reach the glass.
- Graduación: 5%
- Saku Rock: unha das máis populares dentro da marca Saku. O sabor é algo máis intenso que Saku Original, pero sólo un pouco máis. Goza de moita popularidade tamén, chegando a patrocinar eventos locales. A relación calidade/precio pode situala nos primeiros postos da marca Saku.
- Comentario comercial: Rock is something more than just a beer. Rock is a lifestyle. Rock is a
badge that expresses your independence and self-confidence and your
positive rebellion against everyday routine. With its alternative
communication language and amazing prizes (Hummer, Trip via Route66,
Ford Mustang, Bikes, Segway etc) Rock promotions have always a high
participation rate. In Baltic Brand Award contest, Rock was voted as a
best Estonian Brand in 2004.
- Graduación: 5.3%
- Saku Mõdu: este é o tipo de cerveza con total aroma e sabor a mel de Saku. A mín faiseme moi empalagosa, pero tamén coñezo a un bo número de xente (toda local, eso sí) que gusta dela. Eu diría que está no borde do que eu chamo Cerveza, porque o sabor é finalmente moi diferente, pero bueno...
- Comentario comercial: King of fermented beverages, cooking traditions which go back to the beginning of civilization. Legend has it that ragweed, a pledge of immortality of the gods of Olympus, was none other than honey. Scandinavian peoples believed that the ancient honey lies the power of wisdom.
The grand popularity of honey and preserved in the Middle Ages, when the honey flowing river in the royal courts, in the castles of aristocrats and monasteries. At that time, as the common people satisfied his thirst for cheap wine and beer, honey has become a celebratory drink, accompanied as international negotiations, and family celebrations.
Saku Õlletehas Mõdu honey produced in the 20s and 30s of the last century. In the production of a new Mõdu used historically preserved data among various recipes preserved in the world of honey have tried to find the one most authentic Estonian drink, the main component of which is the honey.
Mõdu fit to set the mood as national holidays and during the summer parties. This is a drink for the festivities. Saku Mõdu - a traditional fermented drink with honey flavor, alcohol content 4.0%.
- Graduación: 4.0%
- Saku Hele: Foi un descubrimiento reciente, xa que a mín me gustan as cervezas máis ben tirando a amargas, e a maior parte que me fun encontrando son de sabor bastante light. Ésta conserva a amargura e certo sabor a malta, a pesar de non ter demasiada graduación (cousa difícil de encontrar por aquí incluso con cervezas tostadas ou negras). Definitivamente a miña preferida de Saku.
- Comentario comercial: Saku Hele is a light special brew with a strong taste of hops and a
pleasant aroma, which has been developed together with Czech master
brewers. Saku Hele is brewed according to one of Saku’s oldest recipes
in honour of Valerian Baggo, the lord of Saku Manor, who established a
truly industrial brewery from the manor’s small brewery.
- Graduación: 5.2%
- Saku Tume: O caso das cervezas escuras estonianas é algo ó que non estaba acostumbrado. Normalmente a tostada ou negra significaba maior graduación para mín, pero aquí a veces teñen tanta ou menos que as cervexas normales. Este non é o caso de Tume, ainda que pouco se lle nota o alcohol. Ten unha cor entre vermello escuro e marrón, sabor tirando a dulce, con toques de pan negro. Non é o meu estilo, pero non creo que esteña mal.
- Comentario: An old style dark lager. Brewed since 1960.
Saku Tume is special
dark brew with an excellent dark colouring and rich taste. For the
preparation of Saku Tume, in addition to pilsner malt, Munich and
caramel malt, as well as sugar. A long lager period ensures a balanced
taste and fragrance bouquet for Saku Tume.
- Graduación: 6.7%
- Saku On Ice: Unha das poucas que se vende en botellas de 33 cl. Realmente é unha das de Saku que menos sabe a cerveza. Non sólo pola súa apariencia, senón que tamén polo seu sabor parece máis ben un refresco que outra cousa. Desde logo, non o tipo de cerveza que aconsellaría a un amante deste sacro brebaxe.
- Comentario comercial: Saku On Ice is a beer with a truly mild taste which is achieved through a
special production process during which the temperature of the beer
will be cooled down close to freezing point. A unique pull-off cork is
used on Saku On Ice which makes the opening of the bottle significantly
easier. Thanks to its mild taste Saku On Ice is an ideal thirst quencher
on a warm summer day, on outdoor events or picnics.
- Graduación: 5%
- Taurus: Ata o dagora todas as cervexas se podían atopar tanto en lata coma en botella, incluso nalgunhas ocasións, sabendo extrañamente mellor en lata (?) ou costando menos en botella (cousa que nunca entenderei, sendo os mesmos cl.). Con Taurus, chegamos ó punto da Estonia profunda, a Estonia alcoholica que gusta de beber cerveza barata en envases de plástico, incluso en envases de plástico de 2 litros (sí! coma a coca-cola). Recordo especialmente a Taurus por ser unha das cervezas que máis resaca me deu (por aló de 2006) e que procurei evitar desde entonces. Recordo un sabor bastante forte e bastante malo. Eso sí, daquela vez fora en envase de plástico, non sei se tivo que ver. Encontrarémonos con Taurus 7% e Taurus 10%.
- Comentario comercial: Saku had brewed strong beers for decades. In 2004 brewmasters completed
old formulas and nowadays Taurus is one of the most popular bock typed
beer in Estonia. Saku brews it of its own yeast, water, and selected
malt and hops to gain high foam and excellent aroma.
- Graduación: 7%
- Saku Presidendi: Cada vez que vexo unha botella de 2 litros de Presidendi acórdome de 2006-07 e cando nos xuntábamos para beber algo barato afóra mentres a neve estaba ó noso redor. Outra cerveza barata e con pouquísima graduación que se "bebe". Hainas de 8 e 10 grados tamén, pero non as probei, tal vez escarmentado da Taurus. Recordo que a botella verde, de 4.2% era a maneira máis barata de facer botellón e beber algo asequible para a nosa economía. Eran unhas 25 coronas (1'70 € ). Light e fácil de beber, sen moita máis historia.
- Comentario comercial: Its light taste and airy foam make Presidendi Pilsner an excellent
thirst-quenching beer. Whether it's a scorching summer day, a night at
the sauna or a succulent feast, this amber fluid is a companion that
knows how to behave. Tenderly malty, it is a smooth light beer that can
also be enjoyed in front of the TV when it's time to lean back and
relax.
- Graduación: 4.2% / 8% / 10%
- Saku Pilsner: Creo que é unha versión parecida á Saku Presidendi Pilsner (se non a mesma, cousa que a veces dudo vendo que a pesar da variedade, o sabor non é moi diferente entre certas marcas). Non a probei, pero non creo que o faiga.
- Comentario comercial: Saku Pilsner is a classic Pilsner-style lager beer with a crisp hoppy flavour.
First crafted by Czech brewmasters several centuries ago, Pilsner-style
beers have become the most popular variety of beer in the world today.
Saku Pilsner has the lowest alcohol content in our range, at 4.2%
ABV. This beer is brewed especially for those beer lovers who enjoy a
lighter beer with no compromise in its satisfying, hop-rich taste.
Saku Pilsner is perfect and refreshingly crisp on a hot summer’s day,
and works equally well as a satisfying thirst-quencher at mealtimes. It
is brewed using only water, hops, malted barley, and Saku´s own yeast.
- Graduación: 4.2%
- Saku Porter: Non hai moito probei esta nova variedade de Saku, e deume gusto por fin ver unha variedade de cerveza negra que tiña un porcentaxe de alcohol alto, e que é bastante bebible. O sabor é malteado pero con certo toque dulce e chocolateado, difícil encontrar tanta graduación cando se degusta.
- Comentario comercial: The most delightful way to enjoy Saku Porter would be in front of a
fireplace or in candle light during those long and dark winter nights.
This beer keeps you warm all through the coldest time of the year. Saku
Porter is the ideal accompaniment to roasted meats and game. The fact
that porter is also perfectly suited to light various desserts,
especially those containing chocolate, may not be that commonly known.
The ideal serving temperature for Saku Porter is rather high, 12–14 °C, a
typical quality for dark beers.
Saku Porter, a unique dark beer with strong taste, is brewed of water,
caramel, light and coffee malts, hop and yeast, however, only once a
year – for Christmas. Similarly to classical porters, Saku Porter is a
strong (alc. 7.5 % of volume) full-bodied beer. A special jewel to Saku
Porter is its high, rich, brownish foam.
- Graduación: 7.5%
- Saku Manchester/Le Mans/Dublin (Saku World Beers): Manchester é a cerveza vermella de Saku. Empezou a ser comercializada non hai moito tempo, xunto con Dublin e Le Mans (e Stuttgart? ou Stuttgart é a mesma que Le Mans? ou algunha delas saleu da desaparecida Saku Praha? un xa se fai un lío entre tanta variedade tan parecida -decindo esto igual me gano algún enemigo por aquí XD). De todos xeitos, Manchester/Dublin/Le Mans son versións locales de outras cervezas internacionales, como podedes intuír Manchester refírese a unha copia da cerveza vermella británica (non está mal, pero un pouco light), Dublin tira a un tipo de cerveza irlandesa, e Le Mans hacia a francesa. Non probei a Dublin e a Le Mans non me gustou, pero hai moito que non a testeo.
- Comentario comercial Manchester: The Taste of Manchester or Saku Manchester for short is a classic
slightly sweet light red beer brewed following the finest traditions of
English brewmasters. In England this beer is called ale and every
respectable traditional English pub has this type of mild red beer at
the top of their beer menu.
Saku Manchester gets its English accent from light and caramel malt and
aromatic hops that together make the beer sweeter and give it its red
colour. Characteristic to English ale, Saku Manchester has a low carbon
dioxide level.
- Graduación: Manchester - 4.2%
- Comentario comercial Dublin: The Cream of Dublin has a mild, mild-flavored dark beer brewing is a model for the braver Ireland champions achievements. Similar creamy mousse with sweet undertones of a pint of beer served in a respectful in every Irish pub. Net experience for all armours.
- Graduación: 4.2%
- Comentario comercial Le Mans: Bière de blé classique Le Mans, or in short - Saku Le Mans, is a light
wheat beer with a hint of fruit. It is brewed according to the
traditions of French brewmasters and its mild flavour is spiced with
banana and citrus aromas. As with other classic wheat beers, Saku LeMans
is also unfiltered.
This type of aromatic wheat beer is quite common in France, where the
local brewmasters have followed the fine art of fellow brewers in
Germany and Belgium and interpreted that art elegantly to their liking.
Compared to the classic wheat beers, Le Mans is easier on the palate,
milder flavoured, more aromatic and has obvious notes of citrus in its
taste.
Saku Le Mans is ideal before a main dish or as a light aperitif
accompanied by a selection of cheeses or fruits. The aromatic wheat beer
is a great alternative to discover, but it’s probably most suited to
those beer enthusiasts for whom a hop lager might be too bitter and hard
to drink.
- Graduación: 4.2%
- Saku Kodu Old: Hai pouco tempo que se empezou a comercializar esta nova cerveza, e coñezo xente que está encantado con ela. Eu recordo de probala, e penso que tiña certo toque a hidromiel, pero por algún motivo non recordo especialmente o sabor. Hei de darlle unha oportunidade dentro de pouco.
- Comentario comercial: Saku Koduõlu (Homebrew) is a full bodied and tasty lager brewed in
the tradition of the old masters. This is how beer used to taste when
our forefathers brewed it on their farms and when each man was proud to
brew his own. And this is how many of us remember the beer our
grandfathers used to make for quenching the thirst while saving the hay
of a hot summer's day.
What makes Koduõlu special is its taste - sweetish, sour and
containing very little hops. As a real homebrew is never filtered, yeast
particles make the beer look foggy and add roundness to the taste. Warm
fermentation yeast is used for homebrew, which is similar to ordinary
"baker's yeast" used in making beer with maltose at home. Otherwise,
Saku Koduõlu is brewed as it has been since the beginning of time - from
mashing the malt to fermentation.
For the authentic homebrew taste, Saku uses barley and wheat malt in
making Koduõlu. The finishing touch is added with dark malt, which makes
the beer a little darker and adds a roasty touch to its taste.
- Graduación: 4.8%
-Karl Friedrich: Esta cerveza descubrina non hai moito debido ás ofertas coas que a están anunciando desde hai un mes (uns 60 ctms por botella de 0'5 ltr.) e a verdade é que si sigue a ese precio como o leva facendo desde hai un par de meses, en relación calidade/precio pode subir enteiros. Non é unha maravilla, pero está entre as normales-bebibles. O sabor desta rubia é amargo e o cambio de lata-botella non é excesivo (incluso en lata é máis cara, sexa con oferta ou sen oferta, cousa que non acabo de entender).
- Comentario comercial: Karl Friedrich, or just Karl to his friends, is a simple pale lager with
historical taste, boasting the delicious flavour of hops and the brew
master’s pure spirit. It was brewed in honour of Karl Friedrich
Rehbinder, the founder of Estonian beer culture and of Saku Brewery.
Karl is a real beer, exactly as genuine Estonian beer used to be for
centuries before modern times. There is no innovative crystal filtration
or luxurious aroma bouquet, no posh hop cultivars or trendy freshness.
This beer only includes barley malt, water, hops, yeast and the
experience gathered by Saku brew masters over centuries.
Traditional raw materials and brewing technologies create a beer that
combines the bitterness of hops and the sweet hint of barley malt. A
genuine and pure taste to be enjoyed by those who appreciate the charm
of simplicity.
- Graduación: 5.0%
Logo temos ese tipo de cervezas que son máis ben refrescos, algo así como mixtas. Saku ten
Radler, totalmente con sabor a Mixta. e tamén ten
DLight, pero deixo ambas de lado, porque xa non as considero cervezas en sí mesmas, ademáis quedoume un post longo de caray.
Próxima entrega:
A. LE COQ
http://www.alecoq.ee/eng/
