Salitos Export: Gimmicky goodness August 24, 2007
Posted by beertaster in Lager, Mexico.add a comment
Country of origin Mexico Type Lager
If in doubt, go with a gimmick. It works in music, movies and sport, so why not beer?
After all, if you’re trying to get into the Mexican market typified by light, zesty lagers by introducing a … light, zesty lager, then you need to stand out.
So what does Salitos do that neither Sol nor Corona do? It eliminates the need for a bottle opener!
Because each Salitos has an opener built in to the bottom of the bottle. Simply open your next Salitos with the end of your previous one. Ingenious, eh?
Particularly clever when you realise this built-in bottle opener only works on other Salitos bottles. This makes it the sole brand suitable for impromptu outdoor drinking for those without the means to open their beers.
We’ve all been in that situation – searching for a hard edge with which to prize open our brews. Let’s say you’re at the beach – sand isn’t much use in this department. So take along a case of self-opening Salitos and worry not.
And thankfully the beer lends itself to session drinking. It has a light, slightly sweet, refreshing taste. Much like Sol and Corona then, although Salitos is a shade more citrusy, eliminating the need for its counterparts’ gimmick of a slice of lime in the neck of the bottle.
Salitos – a tasty, satisfying beverage which eliminates the need for not only a bottle opener, but the addition of fruit, too. What more could you ask for?
Myanmar Beer: A hidden gem August 3, 2007
Posted by beertaster in Lager, Myanmar.add a comment
Country of origin Myanmar Type Lager
Myanmar is all-but closed to the rest of the world. Sure, it’s possible to visit, but only on the government’s terms – where and when they say. You’d almost imagine they had something to hide…
And a hidden gem which I have never seen anywhere else is the country’s imaginatively-titled Myanmar Beer.
My time in the union formerly known as Burma was limited to a paltry two hours in a ramshackle border town, during which I imbibed a couple of glasses of one of the best beers I have ever tasted.
The experience was too long ago for me to be able to recall the taste in any precise detail, but a couple of factors helped me file the memory into the “happy” department.
First of all, the setting: Myanmar evokes a true sense of adventure, especially when you call it by its traditional name of Burma. However I was not catching some R&R is sweat-soaked fatigues, nor did I somehow stumble across a couple of bottles deep in the steamy jungle. I was on a somewhat less glamorous “visa run” from Thailand and was sitting in a cheap cafe taking respite from the claustrophobic attentions of the local hawkers.
And what welcome respite it was. Thailand is considered a “developing country” but compared to Myanmar, it is like a vision of the future. The town was utterly poverty-stricken, chaotic and filthy. I’ve been told the border towns are the most presentable, too, as the Myanmarese government does not wish foreigners to see the state of the country elsewhere. And maybe it was just psychological, but I could have sworn it was a good five degrees hotter once I stepped over the border! Add to this heat, dirt and chaos the unwanted attentions of dozens of dogmatic hawkers, and you can understand why I sought sanctuary in a watering hole.
Secondly, my expectations played a part. They were low. What, after all, is Myanmar good at making, besides conflict? Turns out it is very good at making beer, although the experience may have been enhanced by my expectations being low. When you expect something good, and get something bad, the disappointment is underlined, and vice versa when you’re expecting something bad.
So when expecting a poor beer and getting a good one, and drinking it with a palpable sense of relief in a boiling hot, exotic country, the result is majestic.
I’m not the right person to comment on Myanmar’s political situation, but I do hope some agreement can be worked out which sees this beer widely exported . I have a wonderful memory of Myanmar Beer and I’m keen to see if it tastes as good on an identikit High Street under a grey British sky.
