009. Greece - Mythos (4.7%)

This will be familiar to those of you that have holidayed in Greece. It may taste good over there in the basking heat but in the back garden of our Sale venue it didn't deliver. I'm not convinced its even that good over there, but we'll give 'em the benefit. That soapy after taste you tend to get from some Mediterranean beers was all too evident. Mythos is part of the Carlsberg stable these days (says it all really).

008. Cyprus - Keo (4.5%)

This was a slight disappointment, as I have such great memories of Keo from holidays as a youth. Supping pints of this by the pool all day in dimpled pint pots before doing the same in the night spots of Ayia Napa left me with the impression that this might just be the greatest cooking lager in the world. A decade or two later and either my taste buds have developed or I was naive. Or maybe it's just that draught Keo is that different to its bottled brother, which has a slightly burnt malt smell, touching on vinegar. Still tastes good though.

007. South Korea - Hite (4.5%)

We didn't hold out much hope for this one and we were right not to. Bland, nondescript and unremarkable - and that's just New Malvern, Surrey, where Hite is imported to (one of our largest South Korean communities, oddly) . The beer's the same.

006. Australia - Tooheys (4.6%)

A rather unpleasant instant chemical and metallic taste hits you immediately, giving way to a bland but guzzleable lager that is still infinitely better than Foster's or Castlemaine. Aussies seem to specialise in this line of beer. Standard fayre in the Walkabout chains and certain other Aussie bars where they charge ridiculous amounts for small qualities of not particularly strong beer. Each to their own I suppose!

005. Argentina - Quilmes (4.9%)

Pleasant and crisp South American Lager, with subtle citrus tastes and considerably better than its peruvian cousin. Not yet a fixture over here in the supermarkets, it would be a welcome addition and is an easy to drink sunny afternoon beverage.Also the blue and white of the national flag and team are seen in the label, which will always bode well with those of us from the blue side of town.

004. Peru - Cusquena (4.6%)

Strange little brew that seems to be becoming popular in Britains supermarket, but really aint all that. With a slightly nutty taste and a little too fizzy, its a bit harsh on the palate and isnt as smooth as you would like. As a result, you feel quite disappointed as you hoped for great things from the home of the Incas.

003. New Zealand - Speight's (4.0%)

Speight's Gold Medal Ale is a terrific light ale and really surprises with its dark amber colour, reminiscent of Irn Bru almost. Clean and crisp with only slight carbonation and a slightly sweet, mellow aftertaste. A great summer barbecue ale I'd suggest due to its moderate strength (4.0%) and the fact it will take well to chilling, unlike some stronger ales. In fact, it's brewed using lagering yeast in Dunedin in the very south of New Zealand and hence, is known as the "Pride of the South."

002. USA - Brooklyn Lager (5.2%)

Excellent lager/ale type beer from America that was considerably better than expected. Good strong taste and alcoholic content of 5.2% made this a very palate pleasing drink and worth searching out. Unusual strength, bearing in mind it's a yank lager, whether you would get the same over there is debateable, but at least for our market its a good 'un!

001. England - Joseph Holt's Humdinger (4.1%)

We'll start with what we consider the best and of course that would be a bottled beer from our home town and country. Humdinger, brewed by Joseph Holt's in their Derby Road Brewery site, is a fine bottled ale made with Mexican honey and citrus hops to deliver a light crisp and sweet taste, with just a little fizz to keep it lively. The beer of choice for our match day away travels, this is easy drinking whilst delivering a very reasonable 4.1% on the alcohol front. Certainly one of the finest takeaway beers in the land.