Saku are circling...

I've got nothing against Estonian beers. In fact we've got two very good ones on tap (Sillamae Munchen, Viru Toolse) and one good one in bottle (Saku hele) in the pub. What I don't like is that just because we're in Estonia, that we're expected to sell ALL the Estonian beers available. I've got two main reasons for not complying with this rule. 1) We simply don't have space in the bar to provide a great selection and Saku/A Le Coq. 2) Everyone else in Tallinn sells these beers. As Groove Armada sang "If everyone looked the same, we'd be tired of looking at each other". The same goes for beer. Our USP is that we sell beers that others don't and don't sell beers that others do.

So Saku have come up with a new concept. Actually, it's not a bad idea. They call it their "City Collection". We've already experienced the delights of Dublin, and now they are taking us on a trip to Manchester via Prague. I really wish they had stopped off at Saaramaa on the way. And stayed there.

And of course - as we are an "English pub", then of course we must sell Manchester beer. I can picture it now - the sales guy sitting as his desk, and in between mouthfuls of his carrot and orange juice salad lunch from a Kaubamaja plastic container, has his Eureka moment. "Manchester is a town in London. London is in the country of England. England people are in Tallinn. England people like to stand up and drink beer. Stand up happens at Drink Bar. Drink Bar people will love this beer!!" So with that revelation still fresh in his mind, four days later he visited Drink Bar proudly clutching his bottle of Saku "the taste of Manchester". Unfortunately for him, another of his colleagues had already visited me the day before and had given me two bottles - "the taste of Manchester" and another new product "Praha, the taster of Prague". As I'd already tasted them, I told him so, and was in a position to answer his follow up question "what do you think of these beers?".  I felt sorry for him, because bringing the beers four days after they've launched is pretty proactive round these parts, so I simply answered that I didn't think they were very good. Shocked - he replied "neither do I". And that was the end of the sales pitch.

Here's the review.

(ratebeer.com rating: Unrated). According to the label, Saku have looked long and hard at the traditions and flavours of English brewing and have come up with this. They describe it as a traditional sweet red beer in the English style.

I don't think I have approached a beer with such trepidation for a long while....

Pours quite nicely. Not much carbonisation, but a few bubbles coming from the bottom of the nucleated glass. Nice colour - nut brown, like a good ale should be. Creamy head. Aroma is very very sweet. No hint of any hops.

It's really sweet! In a bad way. Absolutely not an ale - just a coloured lager. No hops at all. Mouthfeel is ok, and as you can see from the lacing on the glass, it's got quite a good body. If I hadn't read that it was 4.2% I would actually have thought it was an alcohol free beer - because it's really SWEET!

Not a bad effort - but if you are going to produce a beer claiming it's been derived from much research into English beers....then at least make it taste like one! Just the addition of some hops flavours would have made it better. And where on earth have they got the idea that English beers are sugary tasting?
This has obviously been produced to appeal to the Manchester United fans in Estonia. The biggest brewery in Manchester (Boddingtons) closed down years ago, so I wouldn't exactly say that Manchester has it's own particular taste! The good people of Manchester would certainly have something to say about it.

Much better than "cream of Dublin", but with the availability of real English beers in Estonia, I really can't see any point in drinking this.