If you're from another part of the world, national holidays in America are truly a sight to behold. The usual suspects like Christmas, Independence Day and Thanksgiving each have their own unique brand of insanity, but no holiday quite compares to the one day every year that causes millions of Americans to glue themselves to a T.V. set, abandon any notions of a new years resolution pertaining to food, and consume copious amounts of lager. Yes, in case you haven't guessed it yet, I'm talking about the one and only Superbowl Sunday.
It seems like only yesterday that my beloved Minnesota Vikings were plodding their way to mediocrity once again, but now the season has finally boiled down to a showdown of epic proportions that every football fan around the nation has been clambering for; The Pittsburgh Steelers Vs. the Arizona Cardinals. One of the most storied rivalries in national football history comes to a head today when these two juggernauts of the gridiron meet head to head on the field today in the ultimate pursuit of glory. In case you don't know anything about football and haven't yet picked up on my unique brand of sardonic wit, I'm being facetious. This is probably the least intriguing Superbowl match-up in recent years, and frankly I wouldn't care if they just decided to determine the winner of the game with a coin toss and just got straight to the commercials. Nevertheless, Superbowl Sunday is one of my most cherished of all American traditions and I don't plan on wasting any time in stuffing my face with ridiculously unhealthy food, and of course, more beer than any one man should ever attempt to drink in one sitting. For a mere mortal this sounds like a recipe for disaster, but come on, I'm the brewman! If anyone can tackle a few dozen buffalo wings and a couple of pitchers of beer, it's yours truly.
I decided to celebrate this all American pseudo-holiday with none other than a Welsh beer. Thames Welsh extra special bitter comes from the country of Wales, as the name implies. The title of "extra special bitter" is enough to send many beer drinking novices running for the hills, but fear not; it turns out that extra special bitter is a bit of a misnomer. ESB's are typically very heavy and malty, but have far more complex flavors than regular bitters. Wheras bitters are usually strong flavored brews, ESBs are considerably much more balanced in terms of flavor, often with hints of fruit and herb coming out in the bouquet. Thames Welsh extra special bitter had strong hints raisin and coffee, which complimented the silky smooth feel of the ale nicely. Thames Welsh ESB retained its head nicely, and it tasted great even in my standard red plastic party cup. Don't be fooled by the ESB, there are many stronger, more bitter ales out there than Thames Welsh. I can't be certain as to how many beers I acutally drank on Superbowl Sunday, but the Thames Welsh ESB was the only one that truly stood out to me, and I'm sure I'll be enjoying this one again very soon.
Iechyd Da!
Ian
http://www.felinfoel-brewery.com/
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