Put simply it’s the colour of straw and the embodiment of light, refreshing, authentic lager. It’s so pale you might even miss the barely toasted malt in this one.

It’s pale, delicate fizz, infused with the scent of stalks and greenery, ensures it’s fresh and natural in body and soul with a congenital bitterness screaming of the vernacular style.

E.g. it’s hoppy, it’s bitter, it’s Pilsner.

Served in a 330ml bottle means you don’t get a lot for your money (they’d laugh at a such a measure in both Germany and Czech Republic I’m sure). Sure enough you do get a most elegant and well turned out bottle to show off whilst you drink. If that’s your thing.

Meantime Pilsner perhaps lacks the subtle lemon balm slap that (according to my taste buds) separates the most interesting, intense variations of this famous style from those more monotonous attempts.

But let’s be clear – this is no marketing ploy by Meantime to make a simple lager sound more premium, nor is it a poor copycat of the tall, translucent pilsners that changed the world.

It’s a sophisticated, if slightly subdued celebration of grassy, gassy, sparkling straw-coloured beer.

Meantime Pilsner: perfect for the garden

Beer information:
Beer: Meantime Pilsner
Brewery: Meantime
Style: Bavarian Pilsner
ABV: 4.7% (bottle)
From: Greenwich, London

When I first had this at the 2009 Beer Writers dinner I wasn’t fussed about it, I felt it’s bitter finish stopped it from being instinctively refreshing even if it did cut through the creamy seafood chowder it was paired with that night. Perhaps it was too understated, maybe even dull; but subsequent glasses (mostly enjoyed in the garden, in a relaxed state of mind on a warm lazy day) suggest that’s a bit like saying that Mad Men is slow to start.
And strangely, I can see this being an elegant hit on the warm afternoons of Long Island’s shores when the advertising men evacuate the sweaty city. Perhaps there’s a marketing ploy in there after all…

So just a few words on the event we all went down for, and what was a great celebration of beer, food and the writing that so much passion goes into…

I’d been looking forward to the dinner it for some time, mostly to put faces to the names and people I’ve met via blogging over the last 6 months.

Mark Dredge - you couldn't keep the smile off this chaps face all night...or the next day!

The night started by meeting Mark Dredge and Pete Brissenden at The Rake near Borough Market, a pub I’d heard spoken of only in circles of people who know what they’re talking about.

To call the Rake comfy is kind – it was crammed and the bar run was a veritable sardine scuffle, but it served fine, fine ale and had the atmosphere of a place assured of its place in the world.

We sipped a half of Racer 55, a 7% US IPA and a 1/3 pint of the lambic joy that is Cantillon before hopping over to the Hilton Tower Bridge where the awards were been hosted. White Shield greeted us, and was followed by a chilled Budvar Dark to refresh us a little before we sat down.

I was sat slap bang in the middle of the hall, snuggly between Marston’s and Hall & Woodhouse and next to Mark Dredge and Zak Avery.

The first course was soup (technically chowder) dressed with fancy titbits that I questioned the edibility of. It was and the course was delicious. Paired with a Meantime Pilsner, which is nice but not mind blowing, the soup - clam and mussels I believe – complemented each other really well.

Following was venison wrapped around goat’s cheese, which for me is a cardinal sin. I have a palette which cannot abide goat’s cheese – I only tried it 2 or 3 years ago and it still haunts me to this day! But Zak, who also is not exactly an advocate of the devil cheese decided to throw it straight in his gob so with such manly gusto I had no choice but to follow.

And it was ok, better even. It tasted a lot subtler than goat’s cheese I’d had before, more like Italian soft cheese at first. It was only as it hit the back of my mouth and I felt the awful tang of goat’s cheese hit me, so I quickly swigged a mouthful of the sweet/sour Duchesse de Bourgogne, a beer I have a particular fancy for. The combination was liberating and I can safely say I will try goat’s cheeseagain.

And to the main course, rabbit on a flat mushroom, served with some sort of wonderful sauce and a bottle of Old Thumper (and as the organisers joked, they did pick it for the pairing rather than the name!). I wish they hadn’t though, I found the beer, in all honestly, just not that nice. It had have rich malt flavours, and I can see how it complemented the dish, but it didn’t tickle my taste buds as the previous two combinations had.

The rabbit however was stunning, the softest rabbit I’ve ever had – I just wish there’d been more mushroom!

As Zak jumped up on stage to start dishing out the coveted silver tankards, dessert appeared in the form of Camembert and Fuller’s Vintage 2005. A fantastic pairing of rich, barley wine like ale and a smooth yet thick runny cheese. Breadsticks were the only companion needed, although the fruity addition that accompanied it (which were some sort of plums or over sized raisins perhaps – can any help?) made the cheese even more delicious and bring out the fruitier elements of the beer.

And what could round it all off? A tower of chocolate, that looked like a mousse, felt like brick to cut into with your spoon, and melted in your mouth when eaten. Washed down with Flying Dog’s Gonzo stout the chocolate afters was brilliant (I’m by no means a chocolate person). My head couldn’t get round the paradoxical texture of the scrumptious dish, the whole bowled me over.

There was still half eaten chocolate towers left (purely through their grand size rather than them not being nice) as the awards came to a close and the winners congregated around the tables, sipping the remains of the beers and tastes of Woolpack Dave’s home brews.

Pete Brown acccepts his Golden Tankard from Zak Avery at the British Guild of Beer Writers awards

It was a great night and a celebration of beer tasting and food pairing. Lots of discussion arose from the beer and food, the consensus being from my chats with people, that it’s all so subjective anyway. One man’s death row meal is another’s meal from hell, whilst another’s favourite tipple is yet another’s worst nightmare.  Given the variety of tastes and styles I think a big cheers should go to the Guild for making a very interesting and ultimately satisfying night of beer and food.

And a huge well done to all the winners, particularly Mark Dredge for his new media tankard, Woolpack Dave for the recognition of his great blog, Jeff Evans for his trade writing, and of course Pete Brown for a deserved Golden Tankard for keeping us all entertained with not only Hops & Glory but his blogging rants too. And to all the other winners who I didn’t get to meet, a big cheers!

I’ve written the menu details (well all of it) purely from memory so if there’s any beer induced inaccuracies then please let me know!)

Victory Prima Pils - no ordinary pils

Thinking this would be a typical pils with an American influence I wasn’t expecting the almost overpowering hop aroma that exudes from this beer.

Hops rule supreme throughout the taste as well, bold, floral, fruity with an abundance of resin punching over everything. The lupulin is strong in this one!

You can see (well, taste) the similarities with Victory’s Hop Devil, a monstrous and complex ale. Here too they are to put it lightly ‘on the strong side’.

This could be a great pils beer, as Hop Devil is a great (if unbalanced) pale ale. But the hops here are too much for me. Turned down a few notches this would still be hugely challenging to those that like there IBUs turned up high, but a bit more drinkable and actually more interesting than.

The trouble is that you don’t become attuned to the hops here, they get deeper as you drink.

I’d recommend this beer to any hop head, you have to try it, it’s an interesting and experimental addition to the pilsner style. But this ain’t a pilsner for those that like their Budvars or Urquells, and one that might just take you by surprise.

Spendrups Old Gold Pale Pilsner – 5,0%abv – A crisp, sharp pilsner costing only £1,05 a bottle. Well worth a look to refresh you when you’re next trying to put together a flat packed wardrobe. |Be careful though, the 5% abv is subtle and not at all gassy meaning it slips down all too easily – too many bottles will probably have you putting the doors on that wardrobe upside down.

Reindeer Salami ‘Ren’ – This Salami was a very nice Swedish gimmick to stick on the table. Not really sure how to review it except to say that it made a nice little sandwich with the Swedish cheese that I picked up at the same time.

Kopparberg Premium Pear Cider – 4,5% abv – Couldn’t leave this one off the review although I’m pretty sure everyone has come into contact with it at one point or another. This cider is absolutely delicious. It’s so light and sweet you don’t actually even notice that it’s alcohol which isn’t really what I look for in a drink but I know some people will like that.

Something this sweet can’t all be good news though and I’m quite sure that too much of this would leave you with rotten teeth, feeling very sick and possibly suffering from diabetes.

Norrlands Guld Export – 4,5%abv – First and foremost this lager came out of a can and it had the tinny flavour that comes along with that. To quote our host for the evening, Sarah Frost, it seems like ‘a bit of a nothing lager’. You could equally be drinking any number of other canned lagers in terms of taste although I would say that, like the Old Gold above, it is flatter (in a good way) than the likes of Fosters or Carlsberg meaning that it is not bloating.

Billar – little car shaped sweets that are frankly odd. They seem to have the Marmite effect as I, and about half of the people at the party, loved them and everyone else thought they were rubbish.

Mini Elk & Venison Salamis – these were really good nibbles. A bit like mini Pepperamis but slightly chewier.

That my friends, is Sweden in a nutshell.

Selection of my 'Sweden in a Box' experiment