Like making love in a canoe

There comes a time in every beer aficionado's life when one finds oneself at the home of a non-beer-drinker who has laid in, specially for the occasion, some absolutely dreadful lager one is forced to drink out of politeness. I had thought that the advent of the big-chain German supermarkets, with their half-way decent cheap lagers, meant that the risks involved had lessened in recent years. Today I found I was wrong. Mein host had purchased a supply of Kristorg stubbies from Lidl. This is a very weak French lager which tastes like it achieved its 3% ABV by taking a dull full-strength beer and watering it down. It tastes utterly hollow and barely beery at all. If ever there was a lesson in false economy, this is it.

(As an aside, I notice that the Python reference I picked for my title was used a month ago on another blog, in a post about Korean beer. The author's views closely echo my own experiences with beer in Seoul, though I'd take a slightly more positive view of Hite Stout. Shame about Platinum going down the tubes: their Irish Cream Stout, served in a half-litre Kwak-style glass, was a highlight for me.)