So IKEA now sell beer...

You know that you have hit a certain age and stage in your life when bank holiday mondays change from the pub to DIY or garden centers. For us this week we decided to brave IKEA...if you think we have gone mad you are probably right, venture away from the arrows on the ground and you are separated between a sea of furniture customers.
Whilst waiting for our friends to pay at the end of the store I decided to have a browse around the food section. I started by picking up a pack of Elk mini sausages (yum), moved onto some blue cheese (not so yum). When I went to pay I discovered that Ikea sold beer! This was a very exciting time for me as when choosing lager I tend to stick to Czech, Belgium and German lager.
Both beers are 4.7% and cost £1.50 a bottle...which is certainly overpriced for a 330ml bottle, but worth a try surely?

At looking at the bottles I decided to start with the Ol Ljus Lager. This was a very generic lager, golden in colour and ideally suited chilled. After drinking a bottle of Staropramen the other day (£2 for a 660ml bottle in Morrisons at the moment) I was expecting something similar due to the flavourful aroma coming from the lager. Unfortunately the flavours ended with the smell, it was still a really refreshing lager but lacked a lasting taste in the mouth. Honestly I will purchase this again, maybe for a Sunday afternoon in August when I am not in the mood for an IPA. It certainly is better than Carlsberg or Fosters...but if you want better quality for your money then pick up a Staropramen, or even a Birra Morretti (for a more value Peroni). 6/10

Following the light lager I moved onto the Ol Mork Lager (dark lager). This excited me at first, all I could think of was dark Budvar. On pouring this beer it really did look the part (see below), however I ended up with the same dissapointment that I had from Guinness Dublin Porter. It was really bland, it had the fizzyness (is that a word) of a bottle of Old Peculier, but was almost like I had watered down a fizzy guinness....not good at all. So if you see this bottle...avoid it. 2/10

All in all I wouldn't say that my venture into IKEA beer was completely unsuccessful, the Ol Ljus light lager is really worth a try, if it is ever better priced...or even in larger bottles for your money then it will certainly be making an appearance in my fridge again. But as mentioned above, avoid the Ol Mork and pick up a bottle of dark Budvar instead.

My Rum Diary: Part 2

If you look at our home bar you will see a huge mix of differnet tipples, we have Gin, Amaretto, Vodka, Tequila, Red Wine, Prosecco and finally Rum...lots and lots of Rum.
I have always enjoyed drinking Rum, this all began after a holiday with friends to Lanzarote many years ago where I was introduced to Havana Club. I tried to get into Whisky as it is my Dad's favourite, but the spirit of my choice is definately Rum. I think it is because it is sweet and has many different variations. A current favourite of mine is Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum....little hint, stray away from the coke and try it with fresh orange juice...it really is a winner!

Now if you read my last blog you will know of our trip to Cuba last September. When we were planning our holiday I used my love of Rum as one of the main selling points of Varadero. Unfortunately you can only bring so much back with you to the UK. We had a real issue, ow on earth do you pick what to bring back when you are in a country famous for Rum...you sample as many different types as you can.
In the hotel, the first thing we did was to make friends with some of the bar staff. This way when ordering a Cuba Libre we managed to try various different brands as opposed to the house Rum.
Varadero is very much a tourist resort, you could walk out of the hotel, jump on the bus and explore the town without any safety worries. We were told by our rep that there was a shop called the House of Rum....we had to visit it.

 


When we arrived it was heaven for me and Liz, the shop (as can be seen in the picture) was absolutely crammed full of every different Rum that you could imagine of...it was perfect for me seeing so many bottles of Havana Club. As we browsed we were asked the question 'would you like a sample?' how could we say no? Usually when that question is asked you will get a single shot of what ever spirit you are sampling...by the time we had finished we had sampled 8 different shots each (white, golden, spiced, sweet, dark...what a mix).
After having 16 shots between us (small measures may I add) we made the decision to purchase our holiday rum from this shop. Originally I went for the Havana Club bottles that I know and love (for about a third of the UK price), however Liz suggested that we picked out bottles that we had sampled and that we would not see on supermarket shelves in the UK.
Each bottle of Rum that we purchased cost 8 Cuban Pesos...so approx £5.
This is what we came home with:

The first Rum that we purchased was Havana Club Ritual (37.5%). At the time this was a brand new product, we purchased it as the closest supermarkets that will stock this will be in Spain. This is perfect for a Cuba Libre! It is a mix of sweet and spiced rum (mainly sweet)...think of a smoother Sailor Jerrys. You can get this in the UK now, but just online only at https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-26840.aspx.

The second Rum purchased was again from Havana Club. It was the Anejo Reserva (40%). Translated this is their Old Reserve. You can purchase many of the normal Havana Club Rum's in many drinks shops (3 year, Especial, 7 Year) but I have not seen this one. It is certainly one to purchase. Like the Ritual, this Rum is a mix of sweet and spicy. But at the same time is essentially the opposite to it, there is definately more spice than sweetness from this Rum. If I were to compare this to a Rum in the UK it would be Captain Morgans, but as this is an aged Rum you can really taste the quality, it has an oaky flavour and slight harshness to it (less harsh than the Havana 7 Year). If you were to drink this with coke you can taste the smooth flavours from an average shot...whereas for the Ritual a larger shot is recommended so that the mixer doesn't drown out the flavours. You can order this on Amazon, or again from the Whisky Exhange website http://www.amazon.co.uk/Havana-Club-Anejo-Reserva-Reserve/dp/B00BFMA9BW

Ron Mulata Elixir De Ron (32%). Now this is a brand well known in Cuba, our hotel bar was fully stocked with all the different types. Unlike the famous brands, Ron Mulata is still a fairly new product for Rum...the brand is only 20 years old. Check out their website ... this will soon be seen in UK bars. http://www.ron-mulata.co.uk/

As I previously said we decided to bring back only bottles that we knew we couldn't really find in the UK...that is the dissapointing thing about the bottle of Mulata that we brought back, I cannot restock my bar with it. We purchased their sweet rum, which is not on their UK site...and I'm still awaiting a response on twitter whether they will introduce this. Unlike the other rums that we purchased I would recommend to drink the Elixir De Ron as it is, over ice. As soon as you pour a measure you can smell the sweetness of it, it kind of reminded me of a dessert wine, with a mix of raisins and oak flavours. I cant give you a link to where you can purchase this unfortunately...but if you find this in the UK then let me know ASAP.


Last but certainly not least Ron Legendario(34%). Until we arrived home and searched for this online we thought that Legendario was the name of the rum, but like Mulata it is the brand name. They have a mix of white, spiced, dark and aged rums available. I found a link on amazon where you can buy the them all http://www.amazon.co.uk/Legendario-TastePack-bottles-Elixir-Superior/dp/B00GB36RIE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1431176709&sr=8-4&keywords=legendario yes it is alot of money but certainly worth it. We purchased the Elixir De Cuba. Similar to the Mulata this rum has a sweetness to it, but out of the 4 that we brought back this is the closest to a dark rum. If you want a dark rum that is not too harsh then this is for you. Honestly I think some dark rums are a bit harsh (Lambs Navy Rum), but the sweetness in Legendario offsets that.
Out of the bottles in our bar this is our favourite, and probably the best priced to buy online...its about £24.00. If you come round to ours for a drink and get offered a Legendario then you are definately one of our favourite people.
Again this goes well with coke, but it has a really kick to it mixed over ice with fresh orange.


So for about £20 we managed to purchase all these amazing bottles. From our experience at the Casa De Ron in Varadero I now tend to sample random tipples that I have not heard of in bars hoping to find a new gem (as when ordering rum I tend to stick with what I know). So tweet me with what Rum you are drinking, and if you see any of the above then buy them ! It is certainly worth stocking up your bar with one if not all of these tipples.