Ahead of this summer’s Euro 2020 championship, Better Wholesaling editor Paul Hill was joined by some of his colleagues at Newtrade Media to test out a selection of beers from the competing nations with the task of crowning the continent’s top beer.
Split into four groups, our beer heroes responsibly drank through each beverage and selected four group winners before choosing two semi final winners and an overall champion in the final.
France was the clear winner in Group A, with the Pelforth Blonde and its delightful pelican label coming out on top because of its notable fruity, spicy notes and malty character. The full-bodied classic Belgium blond beer Duvel then took the title in Group B; its subtle bitterness and distinctive flavour was a huge favourite amongst our drinkers.
Full of delicate notes with a flavour that is much smoother and silkier than expected given its high ABV, Spain’s Alhambra Reserva Roja won a tightly contested Group C. Meanwhile, Switzerland was surprisingly victorious in Group D with 1936’s unique, slightly sweet taste winning over the judge’s tastebuds and putting the beer into the semi finals.
This then left four remaining beers for the two semi final showdowns of Belgium v Spain and Switzerland v France. As the video above shows, Belgium and France tightly made it through to the final before our drinkers crowned France’s Pelforth (Pelican) Europe’s top beer.
A huge thank you to Jack Houston at Hungry Communications, Euroboozer and Morgenrot for supplying the beers.
