WHAT TO TAKE AND DRINK ON HOLIDAY

When you pack for a holiday, do you  leave space to bring some bottles of booze back ?  How about leaving some space to TAKE some bottles with you ?  More later.

We've just returned from a week long holiday on the island of Madiera, a place Mrs Ken and myself have visited several times. In fact my first time was a school cruise 50 years ago ( no Mrs Ken then). Worryingly, one of my few memories of the trip back then was a free Cliff Richard concert on the boat ! 

Although located in the Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles off the coast of Morocco, its actually part of Portugal. Famous for its Madiera Wine, in common with a lot of southern European countries, the beer  tends to come second place to the wine, which is fair enough I suppose.

The local brewery produces Coral lager, and is indistinguishable from any other of the other fizzy yellow stuff that you can find in holiday destinations such as Corfu, Cyprus or Lanzarotte . Just about every bar, hotel  and restaurant has the dreaded Coral font/ dispenser  ; see picture left . Some bars cater for the Brits (with signs showing which Premier League game  is on next)  and the inevitable Guinness logo displayed, but these are not that common.

So what to do for a decent beer then ? Well , there is a brand called Super Bock. Brewed in mainland Portugal I've found at least 2 worth trying; Original Pale Lager and Stout.

Both are 5%, but the Stout is far superior and my beer of choice. Its taste is a cross between Sonnet 43 Bourbon Milk Stout and Mackeson. Another stout is brewed by Coral but comes nowhere near the Super Bock. A third litre bottle costs 90 cents ( about 68p)

This year, while shopping for the stout the local supermarket, my eyes lit up when we found a selection of Leffe beers from Belgium. Blonde, Bruin, Radieuse ( a strong  amber-coloured beer ), and  Vielle Cuvee (a strong dark ale). Again, prices not too bad ; these were 2 Euros for a third litre, which works out at about £1.50 a bottle  All went down well.

So what about the beer I packed ? Well,  a couple of bottles of Double Maxim were sneaked in the case, to enjoy on the hotel balcony. Perhaps this is a first for the North East  ?