Moussy

It was going to happen.

And it happened today.

Maybe it was psychological. Maybe something else. Earlier in the afternoon, a work colleague contacted me to say he was staying in Bahrain rather than return to Khobar. He needed a beer. This was set out against a background of growing excitement at today's start of the English football season and my subscription to Brentford FCs online commentary service meaning I won't miss a moment. Perhaps refreshment was inevitable and necessary.

So, popping out for a pint of milk, I grabbed a non-alcoholic malt beverage from the local store.

I like beer. I like beer, too much. My body and my soul have suffered as a result through the years. So, I had always vowed that I wouldn't drink the non-alcoholic versions available in Saudi.

The non-Booze section at supermarkets over here are almost as large as booze sections in their UK equivalent. Most of the key beer brands are present. Budweiser, Becks, San Miguel. They offer a wide range of non-alcohol beers flavoured with fruit syrups. Apple. Pomegranate. Strawberry... You name it, they have it. There are a myriad of Bacardi Breezer equivalents and fake wines.

I've found it a little sad.

If you want to sell booze. Sell booze. Don't sell an imitation. I don't really understand it.

But it is the way it is and I have fallen for it. 

Back in March, I recall seeing a link on Facebook with a map showing the best selling beers in every country in the world. 

Beers by Country

And it was there that I saw that Moussy was the most popular beer in Saudi Arabia. And I had never heard of it.

So ten months and I'm bitten by a snake. A snake tempting me with a stubby, brown bottle of Moussy. Moussy Classic. No fruit flavouring for me. I want my beer to taste of beer.

And, you know what?

It's pretty good. 

Better than Becks Blue. Better than Barbican (obviously).

Turns out that it is brewed in Strasbourg. France. Kronenburg.

It's got a really nice hoppy finish. It's not too gassy. It's a beautiful amber colour. 

I'm smitten. And this is bad news. 

I fear I may be drinking more. 

Cheers