Eurovision Beer Contest 2009

So it’s Eurovision this weekend, a big old camp cheese fest of dodgy music, weird acts in strange costumes and political voting. It occurred to me three days ago that I should’ve held a Eurovision beer contest, taking 15-or-so Euro countries and finding a beer from each and having a little competition. Like a beer night but with slightly more co-ordination.

Anyway, I’ll try and remember to do that next year, but today let me ask you this: Of the European beer you have drunk this year (or beer from any of the countries competing in Eurovision – I mean Israel, seriously? European?! – also you can have England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as four separate countries instead of lumping them together as the UK), which gets Full Points and which gets Nil Point? In other words, which was the best and which was the worst. And, of course, where did it come from (this is about place as much as it’s about beer)?

Just one beer for each. It doesn’t matter whether it was an ultra-rare Belgian lambic, a pint of brilliant pilsner in the Czech Republic or just a nasty bottle of fizz from some obscure Eastern European country, it’s about that one great beer which stands out in your memory (and is therefore worthy of Full Points) or the one terrible beer that is blighting your memory (and deserves Nil Points).

Notes: Try not to plump for the obvious big name beers like Carling or Stella for the bad ones. And consider that it is a one-off rating, it doesn’t have to be the worst country overall, just the worst for one particular beer, because as we know, sometimes these countries put forward completely mental acts when I’m sure there must be at least one other person in their country who can actually sing.