{"id":1574,"date":"2020-06-21T18:16:33","date_gmt":"2020-06-21T18:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/?p=1574"},"modified":"2023-02-10T19:36:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T17:36:25","slug":"bottled-beer-in-kaliningrad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bottled-beer-in-kaliningrad\/","title":{"rendered":"Bottled Beer in Kaliningrad"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mick Hart&#8217;s totally biased review of bottled beers in Kaliningrad (or how to live without British real ale!)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-blue-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\">Preface<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Published: 21 June 2020 ~ Bottled Beer in Kaliningrad<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Prompted by no other motivation than a love of beer drinking, I have decided to review some of the bottled beers I am drinking here in Kaliningrad, Russia, whilst the bars remain closed due to social distancing rules. This is the preface to a series of posts on that most hallowed of subjects, beer. It places my own beer-drinking experiences in a biographical and historical context and is a precursor to explaining how I am surviving without real ale in Kaliningrad, the alternative beers available and a personal review of the quality and marketing success of the bottled beers that I have sampled. As they say, it\u2019s a tough job, but somebody has to do it!*<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bottled Beer in Kaliningrad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">When I told fellow Brits that I was moving to Russia, three responses\nstick in my mind. The first, and the most obvious, was aghast amazement that I\nwas leaving behind the most celebrated democracy in the world (Ha! Ha!). The\nsecond, a rather cynical comment on the number of times I visit the doctors,\nwas made by one of my brothers: \u201cIt\u2019s a long way to travel to see Dr Kelly each\nweek!\u201d And the third, \u201cHow are you going to survive without real ale?\u201d The last\none worried me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I was a victim of the first wave of lager drinking, which infected the UK back in the 1970s. I will not call it a love affair, it was more like sex for sale. &nbsp;In those days, the UK pub industry was dominated by the Big Six ~ six major breweries that had consolidated their monopolies by buying up many smaller regional breweries and their tied houses and incorporating them into their business portfolio. Real beer had long since been challenged, and in many public houses replaced, &nbsp;by what CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) pejoratively dubbed \u2018fizz\u2019, keg beer, which was spearheaded in the 1960s by the now infamous Watneys Red Keg Barrel, both brewer and beer having since become a cipher for poor quality, mass produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"469\" data-attachment-id=\"1577\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bottled-beer-in-kaliningrad\/1028498_a51743da\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?fit=640%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,480\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Watney Mann Beer Tanker\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Watney Mann Beer Tanker&lt;\/p&gt;\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?fit=625%2C469&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?resize=625%2C469&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Watney Mann in Bulk\" class=\"wp-image-1577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?resize=624%2C468&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?resize=24%2C18&amp;ssl=1 24w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?resize=36%2C27&amp;ssl=1 36w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/1028498_a51743da.jpg?resize=48%2C36&amp;ssl=1 48w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">  A former Watney\u2019s brewery tanker reincarnated as a water tanker for farm use. <br>  <strong>(Photo credit: Roll Out Red Barrel;<\/strong><br> <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\">cc-by-sa\/2.0<\/a>&nbsp;&#8211; \u00a9&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.geograph.org.uk\/profile\/19979\">Michael Trolove<\/a>&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.geograph.org.uk\/photo\/1028498\">geograph.org.uk\/p\/1028498<\/a>) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It is an irony of fate that the beer and the brewery which set out, and partly succeeded, in changing the drinking habits of the nation ended up as the beer-drinkers\u2019 pariah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Remember the Firkin pubs?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Of the many insults levelled at Watney\u2019s, possibly the quintessential &nbsp;one, certainly the one that I remember best, was when the Flamingo and Firkin in Derby, one of the David Bruce-inspired craft-ale chain of pubs, refitted the gents toilet with an oversized water cistern masquerading as a Red Barrel. The barrel design, shade of red and even the Watney&#8217;s name emblazoned across the front in a typeface identical to the one that Watney&#8217;s used, was the pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance of piss taking, and in that respect it was in the right place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Whilst no one can defend with any credibility the instigatory role that Watney&#8217;s played in the fizz revolution, Red Barrel was not alone for long. Who can forget the dubious delights of such mass-produced keg mediocrity as Ind Coope\u2019s Double Diamond (\u2018Double Diamond Works Wonders\u2019 ~ it didn\u2019t) Whitbread Trophy (\u2018Whitbread Big Head Trophy Bitter the pint that thinks it\u2019s a quart\u2019 ~ well it would; it was all head, no strength and as inflatable as a hydrogen balloon) and Charles Wells\u2019 Noggin (its bar-top beer-pump head made of wood to look like a nautical mooring post complete with rope wrapped around it, presumably to remind you that the 15 pence you had just spent was \u2018money for old rope\u2019).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The bland and sterile taste that these truly revolting beers left in one\u2019s mouth was gradually, but then meteorically, replaced by something not dissimilar. It, too, was gassy, bland and sterile but sold well, thanks mainly to the money thrown at it in mass advertising campaigns that succeeded in hiding its meretricious nature behind a macho, blokey image, similar in aspiration to the rugged sexuality exploited by aftershave brands Brut and Hai Karate and enlisting the same flared trousers, tight-fitting tank tops and downturned droopy moustache approach.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Make way for lager<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Initially, the lager market was aimed at female and young mixed clientele, but its rapid uptake quickly recommended it as a manly alternative to keg, escalating sales into brand warfare as &nbsp;brewers vied with one another to gas-tap their product into the number one slot.&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">My lagers of choice at that time were Lamont, Tuborg Gold and Tennent\u2019s Extra. But the gold standard in lager for myself and my drinking confederates was undoubtedly Stella Artois, which, unfortunately, we could only seem to find in freehouses, and in our area these were few and far between.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1580\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bottled-beer-in-kaliningrad\/beer-700150_1280\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?fit=852%2C1280&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"852,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"beer-700150_1280\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?fit=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?fit=625%2C938&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?resize=376%2C564&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Bottled Beer in Kaliningrad\" class=\"wp-image-1580\" width=\"376\" height=\"564\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?resize=682%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 682w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?resize=768%2C1154&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?resize=624%2C937&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?resize=16%2C24&amp;ssl=1 16w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?resize=24%2C36&amp;ssl=1 24w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?resize=32%2C48&amp;ssl=1 32w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beer-700150_1280.jpg?w=852&amp;ssl=1 852w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 376px) 100vw, 376px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">My return to beer drinking and my induction into real ale is\na vivid memory. It was 1979 and I was on a pub crawl in Norwich with a fellow\nstudent from the University of East Anglia, a chap called Clive. We had not\nknown each other long, but long enough to know that we both liked beer. We met\nin the student\u2019s bar on the then Fifers Lane campus. It was a full house that\nevening and a group of us were sitting on the floor surrounded by beer cans.\nClive had just rolled in from a late game of squash. \u201cA fitness fanatic,\u201d I\nthought. I revised my opinion six pints later, but I have to say it was beer at\nfirst sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Clive was a Londoner and as such, insofar as beer-drinking\ntrends were concerned, he was far ahead of the game than folk like myself who\nhailed from the sticks or from small provincial towns, places at that time\nwhere the only escape from the big brewers and their bog-standard fare was the\noccasional hard-to-find freehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It was Clive who introduced me to real ale. We were in a pub overlooking Norwich market when Clive asked if I would like a pint of Director\u2019s. As a lager drinker, used to less esoteric names, such as \u2018Extra\u2019, \u2018Gold\u2019 and \u2018Red Stripe\u2019, I remember thinking \u2018what a bloody silly name for a beer\u2019. Moreover, I had not drunk anything from a wooden handle pulled at the bar since my light and bitter days. Gas-tap beer was typically dispensed through a little plastic box with a light bulb behind it, whilst lager frothed and foamed worse than the liberal-left from out of conspicuous chromium taps, large, brassy and brazen things which over the years have become incredibly more stupid. Where does the light and bitter fit in?&nbsp; We were young when we started drinking in pubs, about 14 I think, but even then we eschewed Charles Wells\u2019 bitter, which, unfortunately was a staple brew in most of the pubs in our area. We could drink it, but only \u2018half-and-half\u2019, that is a half pint of Charlie from the handpump diluted with light ale from the bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Silly name or not, Directors was my first pint of real ale,\nand to me, at that time, it tasted like nectar. I was hooked from the first\nsip. Here, at last, was something different; something which had flavour!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">All praise to CAMRA!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It was CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) which revived the fortunes of real ale and put the final nail in the keg-bitter coffin. CAMRA launched a relentless campaign throughout the 80s and 90s, encouraging small and later micro-breweries to experiment with and increase their beer type and range and as the \u2018cold tea\u2019, as my cockney friend called ale, caught on the major brewers were forced to follow suit and up their real-ale ante to keep pace with the craft-beer experts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Local beer guides and national <em>Good Pub Guides<\/em>\ncoinciding with the arrival and development of the soon to become ubiquitous beer\nfestival, which ranged from large-scale events featuring scores of brewers from\naround the country, fast-food outlets and live music to mini-festivals held in\npubs, compounded and accelerated what for real legacy Britons such as myself is\na unique and treasured part of our national heritage: proper beers and British\npubs! No wonder that our saviour from the European Union, the indefatigable\nNigel Farage, is himself a beer connoisseur! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"469\" data-attachment-id=\"1579\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bottled-beer-in-kaliningrad\/cavalcade-tent\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?fit=960%2C720&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"960,720\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Cavalcade-Tent\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?fit=625%2C469&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?resize=625%2C469&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Rushden Cavalcade beer tent\" class=\"wp-image-1579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?resize=624%2C468&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?resize=24%2C18&amp;ssl=1 24w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?resize=36%2C27&amp;ssl=1 36w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Cavalcade-Tent.jpg?resize=48%2C36&amp;ssl=1 48w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening time at the Rushden Cavalcade beer tent c.2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">But these are troubled times, comrades. Coronavirus\u2019s New Normal is sweeping across the land like an out-of-control temperance league and ideological agendas threaten British life with a rehashed version of British heritage. Our only hope is that beer-drinking patriots stand firm in the face of adversary. Keep the beer-drinking faith and stamp the virus out! Pubs are a national treasure and beer the jewel in its crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It is not \u2018Time Gentleman, please\u2019, yet gentlemen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bottled Beer in Kaliningrad<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In the next astonishing instalment of Mick Hart&#8217;s totally biased review of bottled beers in Kaliningrad, we will see how exactly Mick Hart adjusted to the New Drinking Normal of no real ale!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"625\" height=\"672\" data-attachment-id=\"1581\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bottled-beer-in-kaliningrad\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?fit=983%2C1056&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"983,1056\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1592694890&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"the-station-pic-jpg-cropped\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?fit=279%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?fit=625%2C672&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?resize=625%2C672&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Mick Hart &amp; Olga Korosteleva-Hart The Station Rushden: Bottled Beer in Kaliningrad\" class=\"wp-image-1581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?resize=953%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 953w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?resize=279%2C300&amp;ssl=1 279w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?resize=768%2C825&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?resize=624%2C670&amp;ssl=1 624w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?resize=22%2C24&amp;ssl=1 22w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?resize=34%2C36&amp;ssl=1 34w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?resize=45%2C48&amp;ssl=1 45w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/the-station-pic-jpg-cropped.jpg?w=983&amp;ssl=1 983w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mick Hart, with his wife Olga,  enjoying a magnificently well-kept pint of real ale, on the platform of <a href=\"https:\/\/rhts.co.uk\/\">The Station<\/a>, Rushden, Northants, England c.2017<br><br><br><br><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">*If you make your obsession your profession you will never work again ~ so some clever fellow once said. Well, I was fortunate to make one of my obsessions, beer, my profession for a while, and yes, if I had not moved on to something else, I might never have worked again! I was fortunate enough in my publishing career to work on and contribute to various licensed trade publications, hospitality titles, pub guides and drinkers\u2019 manuals, which also gave me the opportunity to interview brewers, publicans and report on real ale and cider festivals. Consequently, I can vouch for the fact that you can have too much of a good thing, so I switched from drinks\u2019 publications to medical ones, thus exchanging the fear of becoming an alcoholic for becoming a hypochondriac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/variety-of-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">NEXT ARTICLE IN THIS SERIES: Variety of Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Articles in this series:<\/strong><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bottled-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Bottled Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/variety-of-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Variety of Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/cedar-wood-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Cedar Wood Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/gold-mine-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Gold Mine Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/zhigulevskoye-beer-kaliningrad-russia\/\">Zhigulevskoye Beer Kaliningrad Russia<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/lidskae-aksamitnae-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Lidskae Aksamitnae Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/baltika-3-in-kaliningrad\/\">Baltika 3 in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/ostmark-beer-in-kaliningrad-is-top-quality\/\">Ostmark Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/three-bears-crystal-beer-in-kaliningrad-russia\/\">Three Bears Crystal Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/soft-barley-beer-in-kaliningrad-russia\/\">Soft Barley Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/oak-hoop-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Oak &amp; Hoop Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/lifting-the-bridge-on-leningradskoe-beer\/\">Lifting the Bridge on Leningradskoe Beer<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/czech-recipe-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Czech Recipe Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/zatecky-gus-svetly-in-kaliningrad\/\">Zatecky Gus Svetly in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/gyvas-kaunas-in-kaliningrad\/\">Gyvas Kaunas in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/german-recipe-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">German Recipe Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/amstel-bier-in-kaliningrad\/\">Amstel Bier in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/cesky-medved-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Cesky Medved Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/oxota-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">OXOTA Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/lidskae-staryi-zamak-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Lidskae Staryi Zamak Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/cesky-kabancek-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">Cesky Kabancek Beer in Kaliningrad<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/bochkarev-british-amber-beer-in-kaliningrad\/\">British Amber Beer in Kainingrad<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/plyushkin-bar-restaurant-kaliningrad\/\" title=\"Plyushkin Bar &amp; Restaurant Kaliningrad \">Plyushkin Bar &amp; Restaurant Kaliningrad <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Copyright \u00a9 2018-2023 Mick Hart. All rights reserved.<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mick Hart&#8217;s totally biased review of bottled beers in Kaliningrad (or how to live without British real ale!) Preface Published: 21 June 2020 ~ Bottled Beer in Kaliningrad Prompted by no other motivation than a love of beer drinking, I have decided to review some of the bottled beers I am drinking here in Kaliningrad, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[480,479,483,486,482,481,484,485,478],"class_list":["post-1574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad","tag-beer-drinking-kaliningrad","tag-bottled-beer-in-kaliningrad","tag-englishman-beer-kaliningrad","tag-mick-hart-wellington-pub-bedford","tag-mick-harts-guide-bottled-beers-kaliningrad","tag-real-ale-alternatives-kaliningrad","tag-the-wellington-arms-bedford","tag-the-wellington-pub-bedford","tag-watneys-red-barrel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Mick-at-The-Wellington.jpg?fit=868%2C960&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1665,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/variety-of-beer-in-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":0},"title":"Variety of Beer in Kaliningrad","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"30 \u0438\u044e\u043d\u044f, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Mick Hart\u2019s totally biased review of bottled beers in Kaliningrad (or how to live without British real ale!) Introduction Published: 30 June 2020 ~ Variety of Beer in Kaliningrad Everybody knows that vodka is Russia\u2019s national tipple, but it may come as surprise to learn that the second favourite is\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;VISITOR'S GUIDE to KALININGRAD&quot;","block_context":{"text":"VISITOR'S GUIDE to KALININGRAD","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/visitors-guide-to-kaliningrad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mick Hart & Olga Hart Residence of the Kings' Terrace Summer 2019","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/At-the-Three-Kings-Late-Summer-2019-RZ.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3123,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/oak-hoop-beer-in-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":1},"title":"Oak &#038; Hoop Beer in Kaliningrad","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"31 \u044f\u043d\u0432\u0430\u0440\u044f, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Mick Hart\u2019s totally biased review of bottled beers* in Kaliningrad (or how to live without British real ale!) Article 11: Oak & Hoop beer Published: 31 January 2021 I developed a taste for beer when I was about 14 years old, about the time that they turned a blind eye\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD&quot;","block_context":{"text":"DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/daily-life-in-kaliningrad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oak & Hoop beer in Kaliningrad Russia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Oak-Hoop-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Oak-Hoop-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Oak-Hoop-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Oak-Hoop-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8634,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/taurus-beer-in-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":2},"title":"Taurus Beer in Kaliningrad","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"11 \u043c\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0430, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Bull-headed whilst drinking Taurus 11 March 2023 ~ Taurus Beer in Kaliningrad Mick Hart\u2019s totally biased review of bottled beers* in Kaliningrad (or how to live without British real ale!) Article 24:\u00a0Taurus Oh, come on! Even those of you who are far too rational to have any truck with mystic\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD&quot;","block_context":{"text":"DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/daily-life-in-kaliningrad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taurus Beer in Kaliningrad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Taurus-Beer-in-Kaliningrad-min-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Taurus-Beer-in-Kaliningrad-min-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Taurus-Beer-in-Kaliningrad-min-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Taurus-Beer-in-Kaliningrad-min-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1848,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/gold-mine-beer-in-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":3},"title":"Gold Mine Beer in Kaliningrad","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"24 \u0438\u044e\u043b\u044f, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Mick Hart\u2019s totally biased review of bottled beers* in Kaliningrad (or how to live without British real ale!) Article 4: Gold Mine Beer Published: 24 July 2020 The bottled beer that I am reviewing today goes by the very enticing name of Gold Mine. As with all beers in this\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD&quot;","block_context":{"text":"DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/daily-life-in-kaliningrad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gold Mine Beer in Kaliningrad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Gold-Mine-Lable-Close-Rz.jpg?fit=1038%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Gold-Mine-Lable-Close-Rz.jpg?fit=1038%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Gold-Mine-Lable-Close-Rz.jpg?fit=1038%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Gold-Mine-Lable-Close-Rz.jpg?fit=1038%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3554,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/czech-recipe-beer-in-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":4},"title":"Czech Recipe Beer in Kaliningrad","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"26 \u0430\u043f\u0440\u0435\u043b\u044f, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Mick Hart\u2019s totally biased review of bottled beers* in Kaliningrad (or how to live without British real ale!) Article 13: Czech Recipe Beer Published: 26 April 2021 Hitler may have referred to England as a nation of shopkeepers, but back in the day when England was England, before it became\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD&quot;","block_context":{"text":"DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/daily-life-in-kaliningrad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Czech Recipe Beer in Kaliningrad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Czech-Recipe-with-camera-Rz-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Czech-Recipe-with-camera-Rz-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Czech-Recipe-with-camera-Rz-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Czech-Recipe-with-camera-Rz-rotated.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5495,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/cesky-medved-beer-in-kaliningrad\/","url_meta":{"origin":1574,"position":5},"title":"Cesky Medved Beer in Kaliningrad","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"19 \u044f\u043d\u0432\u0430\u0440\u044f, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Mick Hart\u2019s totally biased review of bottled beers* in Kaliningrad (or how to live without British real ale!) Published: 19 January 2022 ~ Cesky Medved Beer in Kaliningrad Article 18: Cesky Medved What\u2019s not to like about a bear drinking a pint of beer? It\u2019s so Russian. Look at him\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0412 &quot;DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD&quot;","block_context":{"text":"DAILY LIFE in KALININGRAD","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/category\/daily-life-in-kaliningrad\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cesky Medved Beer in Kaliningrad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Cesky-Medved-Kaliningrad-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Cesky-Medved-Kaliningrad-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Cesky-Medved-Kaliningrad-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/expatkaliningrad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Cesky-Medved-Kaliningrad-scaled.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}