Most forays
to the popular beach hotspots of Europe do not, usually, include a
visit to a brewery producing “traditional” real ales. Reasonable
local keg, bottles, cans and sparse offerings of craft beers are
possible to find, and in the hot, arid and sunny climate a cool local
beer, usually lager in style, seems to suffice the quenching of the
thirst, although a repeat performance with your chosen tipple, in the
cooler, damper breezes of home after finding your favoured holiday
beer in a local supermarket, almost always ends with disappointment.
So, where is this blog posting heading? Well, back in September, we
flew off to our destination of choice, armed with fond memories of
previous beery offerings, and a promise to visit a proper Real Ale
brewery which has been highly rated by many since it opened only a
few years back. So, here goes. A review of one of Europe's most
beautiful and enchanting islands. Cyprus. Also the home of
Aphrodite's Rock Brewing Company.
Cyprus.
Reputed to be the birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of love.
A beautiful Island in the Eastern Mediterranean. Hot, sunny and
unbroken blue skies greet the visitor. What a place to spend your
holidays. Cyprus is one of our favourite destinations, and this year
we were able to re-kindle our love of the island, the first time for
about 10 years. Previously, we had stayed on the east coast, around
Protaras, but this time the West coast beckoned, so we decided to try
Paphos, a city of archaeological interest, on our return. Following
our flight, we arrived rather late on a September Sunday at our base
for the next two weeks, Tasmaria Apartments, on the main road through
the small, but vibrant, city. The busyness of the road initially came
as a shock, but with the hotel sitting slightly back from the new
dual-carriageway, and our room being at the back, we can honestly say
we didn't get bothered by the traffic in the least. We were soon
booked in, and then decided to stretch our legs, all of the 20 yards
to Tramps Bar, right next door. This is a very friendly
bar, which always has a eclectic mix of locals, usually ex-pats, and
tourists. Alongside the KEO, Leon and Carlsberg, I did
espy a pump proclaiming Everard's “Beacon”, which I later
found out was brewed under licence on the island. Hey!, it was
holiday time, around midnight and we were still basking in 20° C of
warmth, so we chose the Leon. I will reflect on the more
usually served beers of Cyprus later, but I will admit that a cold
Leon on a warm night, after quite a few hours travelling via
car, plane and coach, was more than welcome. Over the next couple of
days, many a bar in Paphos was discovered (there are plenty, and they
are not hiding) and the KEO and Leon were partaken of.
I did have the phone number of a friend, an ex work colleague of
mine, Geordie, who had retired to these parts a couple of years back,
and having promised to have a drink or two with him if we were ever
to re-visit Cyprus, I gave him a quick text on the Wednesday evening.
The plan was for Jane to do some retail therapy on Saturday afternoon
at the local Mall, whilst I would meet up with Geordie, over the
football, sink a few beers and have a good old yarn about what we had
both been up to over the last biennial period. This is were I had
underestimated the generosity and friendship of my old work mate.
 |
| Lynne & Geordie. Best tour guides on Cyprus. |
“Where are
you two stayin', Fozzy?” was the reply to my opening gambit of
football and drinks.
“Tasmaria”
“Can't
make it on Saturday. Charity raft race for the local Animal Welfare
Shelter (PAWS). I'll pick you and Jane up tomorrow, and give you the
Grand Tour......”. And so it was. The very next day, Geordie, his
lovely wife, Lynne, and Dexter, the dog, pulled up outside our hotel
at the start of one of the most wonderful holiday experiences we have
ever had. We visited bars nestled in places even the locals would
need reminding of, with views which would bring a tear to a glass eye
they were so beautiful. Churches, beauty spots, secluded beaches and
even shipwrecks, among other things, were shown, and lapped up
gratefully by us. The tour was more than Grand, it was Magnificent.
All in all we enjoyed their company for the best part of 7 days of
our 14 on the island, and never tired of it once. We cannot thank
them enough, and were very humbled at their insistence to “stay
over” for a couple of nights at their homestead in Mandria, which
allowed us to explore so much more of this area. Sunday, after a trip
around Pissouri (Aphrodite's Rock, and all) and the areas nearby, saw
us eat at the brilliantly situated Bonamare. With a great view of the
local airport, and one of the best positions for dramatic sunsets in
the area, it is a great bar to visit. That evening, after some of the
largest food portions we have both ever experienced at a pub, and
washed down, back at Mandria, with a bottle, and a bit of a quite
reasonable brandy ( described as “9 Euros a litre bottle from the
Bulgarian shop. Asda price!”), Geordie kindly insisted to pick us
up and run us out to the Aphrodite's Rock Brewery,
in Tsada, the following Tuesday. What a Gent! It is not the easiest
place to reach via public transport.
 |
| Up the Creek with a Paddle |
So, moving
on to Tuesday, we were picked up and, after a tour of the area around
Tsada, we visited Minthis Hills Golf Club, which contains a 12th
Century monastery on the course. Next stop was the much awaited visit
to Aphrodite's Rock Brewing Company. On arriving, we were
quite surprised at how busy this little place can be. We were soon
shown to a table though, and settled down to sample the selection of
real ales on offer. The choices are quite good, to be fair. There are
real ales, ciders, wines and soft drinks all available, with brewery
tours, drink and pizza combos, Sunday lunch deals, drinks, and food
separately. We decided to taste the wares, and just have a spot of
lunch alongside. To enable us to taste the full range on offer, I
decided on a paddle of 5 of the beers on offer, served in 200ml
glasses, whilst the other beers were sampled between us as pints. Our
findings were as follows.
Yorkshire
Rose. 3.8%
What a great
Yorkshire Bitter styled beer this is. It is smooth, full bodied and
has a slight floral hint to it. A touch of spice is also there, after
the initial sweet, caramel and toffee opening. It would be as much at
home in The Pennines as it is in the Mediterranean sunshine.
Lian
Shee. 4.5%
I first
encountered this brew in its bottled form, in the Harbour area of
Paphos, and as much as I enjoyed it then, I liked the cask version a
lot more. It is a creamy Irish Red Ale, with a big boost of malt and
caramel at the start. There is a nice controlled bitterness towards
the end. A really nice beer indeed.
Extra
Special Bitter. 5%
This is
quite like a Brown Ale, but not quite as sweet. It is driven by a
malty sweetness, but well balanced and tempered by an earthy back
taste.
Oktoberfest.
4.8%
German by
design, but undeniably a beer crafted for British tastes. Again, a
malt sweetness leads, but the hoppy bitterness lurks in the
background, waiting to help in the final balance of this nice beer.
There is also a slight, but noticeable, fruitiness, with just a hint
of plums on the palate.
West
Coast IPA. 6%
This is a
good IPA. It isn't as punchy and “in your face” as some of the
beers of this style, but the well hopped flavour is there. Just
giving you a nudge towards the end of the initial mouthful. It is
rounded in the main, but that telltale bitterness really allows this
beer to reach new heights.
London
Porter. 4.8%
 |
| The paddle beer today |
I had heard
good reports of this one, and was not disappointed. The beer sat in
the glass rather proudly, with a fine and dandy creamy white head
atop. Now, I have had drinks before that have been good looking in
the glass, but have failed in the flesh, so to speak, but not this
one. The aroma is of chocolate and roast malt and the choco-malt
theme carries through into the main taste, with liquorice and a hint
of spice sitting alongside these very nicely. Carob is listed as one
of the ingredients, and possibly adds to the chocolate vein, dark
iridescent colour and smooth mouth feel. Make no mistake, this is a
great London Porter.
Rock
Premium. 4.8%
A Bavarian
styled craft lager, with a bready aroma and quite a light, subtle
taste. There is a quite floral aftertaste, and the bitterness is not
too prominent. A good thirst quencher.
Sorrella
Fine Traditional Cider. 4.2%
One of four
bottled ciders on offer from the brewer, and quite a reasonable
tasting one too. I am no expert but T'other 'arf definitely enjoyed
it, as the empty glass and satisfied smile proved.
What an
excellent afternoon. Add to this some nicely prepared food and a
wonderful view of the surrounding countryside, with dramatic hills
drenched in sunshine, and I struggle to believe there is a better
place to be to have a piss-up in a brewery!
 |
| Some of the Refreshments for the balcony. |
What of the
other beers available on Cyprus? As I have mentioned, KEO and
Leon are the local mainstream beers, with a pump or fridge
full at most places. We did stumble upon a few other beers in the
local Lidl, but these were only imports, although, probably available
as staples. I have included these in my reviews as well.
KEO Pale
Lager 4.5%
The most
popular beer on the island, and has earned the odd award along the
way. It was first brewed, in Limassol, back in the 1950's. It is
light, with sweet malt shining through before a very slight
bitterness from the hops. The finish is dry, with floral hints on the
palate. To be fair, it is a quite refreshing and reasonable lager,
and easy drinking. I don't mind it. It was usually my drink during
the heat of the day.
KEO
Light. 3.5%
The name
sums it up really, it is the same as the original, but a lesser ABV
value, a touch thinner in taste and a touch less carbonation. Nothing
special, but not a horrid brew either.
Leon All
Malt Beer. 4.5%
I remember
drinking this on my first visit to Cyprus, and found it a touch
darker and heavier in taste than I found this time. It was first
brewed in1937, but the company, Photos Photiades Breweries, suspended
production in 1962, after it acquired the licence to brew Carlsberg
here. It was brought back in 2003, but I believe a slight tinkering
of the recipe has since taken place. It has a smooth sweet malted
flavour throughout, and a hint of grass in the after taste. Medium
bitterness, and carbonation is not heavy.
Ermis
Argus Hellenic Lager 5%
I found this
in Lidl. It is light, with slight fruit aroma, and the taste is
reasonably fresh. Quite highly carbonated, and a metallic backtaste
at the finish.
Ermis
Gold Hellenic Lager 5%
This was
very much the same as Argus, but a much sweeter taste towards the
finish. They are not classics, by any means, but at only a few cents
for a can, they are worth a punt to keep one hydrated in the sun!
Perlenbacher
Radler (Cloudy) 2.5%
Refreshing,
but not anything more than a very lemonade driven shandy. Not a lot
more to say, really.
Perlenbacher
Weissbier. 5%
This was not
so bad, really. It starts out with yeast and fruit on the nose, and
leads onwards, with more fruit, some herb hints and nice yeast
esters. There is a smooth creaminess in the mouth, and only a light
carbonation. I am no expert when it comes to this style, but I did
enjoy it.
Kamenitza
Lager. 4.4%
A bottle from the aforementioned Bulgarian shop in Paphos, this was a
quite malty brew, with a astringent bitterness in the finish. The
aftertaste is a little sour. I suppose “acquired taste” sums this
one up.
The Old
Fishing Shack Ale and Cider House.
"Gone Fishin'"
There are a myriad of pubs, bars and restaurants in, and around,
Paphos. We found our way around quite a few. You have the Tomb of the
Kings' Road, with, Thomas's Jungle Tramps, Yiamas, The Green
Corner, to name but a few, and the web of streets leading
off, and the Old Paphos Town area, a bus ride or energetic walk away
with its selections, then on to the famous Bar Street, just off from
the Harbour is, well, full of bars. Most around here are much of a
muchness, but if that's your gig, who am I to say otherwise? The
Harbour has quite a few more up market establishments, and a nicer
ambience, but no matter where you wander, you will find a refeshment
station to suit your needs. One place that is worth digging out is
The Old Fishing Shack Ale and Cider House, tucked just
away from Bar Street. The owner has a terrific knowledge of his
wares, and the selection of beers here is vast. There are beers from
all over the World, and many rare ones and vintage Ales too. It is
not a cheap place to drink, but a very enjoyable, and interesting
diversion. You will be amazed at the collection.Off sales as well as
bar sales. It certainly is not a cheap night out, though, with almost
all the beers having to be imported, but carefully reading the “menu”
can avoid you choosing a 100 euros plus vintage beer by mistake. We
had four different beers in here, firstly I had a Belhaven
Scottish Oat Stout, a lovely heavy stout of 7%, which had a nice
sweetness that combines well with coffee and the bitterness of dark
chocolate, Jane opted for Greene King St Edmunds Golden Beer,
4.2%. This is a straightforward tasting beer. No complexity at all.
There is a slightly sweet malt flavour to start, then a pronounced
full stop of dry bitterness at the end. We followed these with a
Barock Dunkel, courtesy of Weltenburger Kloster, a 4.7%
dark brew with a rich smooth fruity taste that has a fine vein of
spiciness to it, and a nicely bitter-sweet finish, and a Fucking
Hell. This beer comes from the Austrian village of Fucking, and,
to be fair, is a bog standard lager. It is 4.7% and light, hoppy but,
besides the name, not that memorable. It looks good in a photo
though.
 |
| Brandy Sour and Ouzo Special. |
Ouzo, Brandy, Zivannia, and the various
cocktails (the best Brandy Sour was at La Boite 67,
whilst the best Ouzo Special was in the Rose Pub,
both in the Harbour area) that just about covers our trip to Paphos.
We enjoyed it immensly, and have vowed to return soon. We managed to
get to a Mediterranean real ale brewery, and a beer shop-come-tavern
, soak up loads of sun, ate like hogs and enjoyed Lynne and Geordie's
rich hospitality. What's not to like. As they say on the Island of
Cyprus “Yiamas”.
Well, besides the
Oh, that Everard's Beacon, brewed here under licence. It is
the smooth version, and quality does vary, but find a bar where it is
popular and it does make rather a change from the lager.
Cheers
and keep it “Real”,
