Pick your battles

The Battle of Grunwald was a bit of a big deal. The combined forces of Poland and Lithuania delivered a severe smack to the Teutonic Knights and it remains a reference point in quite a number of eastern European countries. It also gave Lithuanian brewer Volfas Engelman a name for a series of beers, including today's lager. The battle happened in 1410.

1410 Lager is 5.3% ABV and comes in one of those handsome tall pint cans with the foil top. The glory of poking Germans with pointy metal sticks is depicted in startlingly grim detail on the outside. Big lager sweetness greets the nostrils, though with a twang of cheap lager plastic, the telltale sign of nasty hop extract. Luckily the off-flavours are absent from the flavour and it's all smooth golden syrup with a hint of strawberry and fresh ripe figs: fruity, but not in a wonky lager way. Best of all, the texture is big and chewy making for something easy drinking but nicely satisfying too.

A decisive victory for Lithuania, then. I reckon this would be great as a food beer. It may not have enough going on by itself, but it'll sit well alongside any number of other flavour combinations. On its own, one was fun; a second might have got a bit cloying. But I'll happily return to it at some stage.