h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The highlight of last night's Bank Holiday World Beer challenge was a Ukrainian white beer, Weissbier Etalon (http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/acatalog/Beers_of_Europe__Ukranian_Beer_175.html). As well as being an eminently palatable brew with a hefty alcoholic punch, it provided one excellent moment of surrealism: "I can't quite place the aftertaste..." "No, me neither actually." "Hang on, I think I've got it!" "Yeah?" "You'll never believe it!" "Go on" "Frazzles. Crispy Bacon Frazzles (http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?snack_code=697)" "Blinking heck*, you're right!" I advise anyone near a Wetherspoon or Tesco to try it out. *Not actual phraseology.

Good grief, how much of that did you drink?

Only one bottle, as our Ukrainian stopover on the "World Beer Challenge". Our actual drinking list was as follows:

England: Carling Extra Cold
Belgium: Stella Artois
Poland: Tyskie
Poland: Zywiec
Ukraine: Etalon
Russia: Baltika
Turkey: Efes (voted worst beer of the night by unanimous decision)
China: Tiger
Then I had a single whisky lime and dry ginger as I can't stand the Australian beer of choice; Fosters..

The girls however went for a less adventurous option of enough wine and vodka to make my girlfriend unsociably hungover for most of the day.

Oh, and I missed out Erdinger. But that doesn't count as I had it whilst waiting for my better half to put her face on, and not in the pub.

Funny, we ended up at the Bierbörse in Cologne on Saturday, but I only had a few Kölsch - and that's not really beer.

Never tried it to be honest. Take it that it's not a very interesting beer?

Was that Belgian Stella or English Stella ?

English Stella is a very poor cousin to the real thing.

The wifebeating English variety. We weren't exactly spoilt for choice.