Euro 2016 – match your beer to the football

England v Russia, Saturday 11 June

The beers - saint v sinner

Drink for England – one of your five-a-day

It doesn’t matter if the English summer weather hasn’t shown up; the English summer beer has. Sip a bit of sunshine with a refreshing Blood Orange IPA from cool London microbrewery Beavertown. This seasonal release – which means it will disappear along with our long, light nights at the end of August - strikes the perfect balance between the sweet fruitiness of the blood orange and the bitter, floral notes typical of the IPA beer style. And hey, it’s got fruit in it - you can practically count it as one of your five-a-day. Plus, you’ll be supporting a small English enterprise just by drinking beer. It’s a win-win situation - which is more than can be said for our chances in the tournament.

If you’d prefer to actually feel the sunshine rather than taste it, check out our best summer holiday deals here.

Drink for Russia – indulge your vices

Russia is very much a vodka country – according to the World Health Organisation, 51% of all alcohol consumed in Russia is the hard stuff. Yikes. And even though the country is currently enjoying an up-and-coming craft beer boom, you’d need to travel to Moscow or St Petersburg to try them. The next best thing? Back in the 18th century, a London brewery created a strong, dark stout specifically to export to the court of Russia’s Catherine the Great. It became known as ‘Russian Imperial Stout’, a style that’s being brought back by several trendy breweries today. Try California-based brewery Stone’s version, a thick and silky brew that tastes of the world’s most delicious vices, chocolate and coffee. It’s also very strong at 10.8% - the Russians would approve. But remember to drink responsibly.

Want to try Russian craft beer? Find out how to cruise to St Petersburg here.

Iceland v Portugal, Tuesday 14 June

The beers – brooding v easy-going

Drink for Iceland – dark and smoky

This is the first time Iceland’s football team has ever made it to a major tournament, so if you’re a fan of the underdog, these are the guys to cheer for. You can bet that if they win the Euros – which would be like Leicester City winning the Premier League, so you never know, it could happen – the Icelandic people will be celebrating with a lot of beer. Handily, the country has a thriving microbrewery scene, so they’re spoilt for choice. Try a delicious dark and smoky toasted porter from the Einstök Brewery, made with pure water from prehistoric glaciers near the Icelandic fishing port of Akureyri.

Book your escape to Iceland here.

Drink for Portugal – light and easy

Portuguese pale lager Sagres is an easy drinking brew, which makes sense when you remember it’s named after the laid-back surf town of the Algarve. Like the happy-go-lucky surf dudes who hang around Sagres’ sunny shores, it’s a great one for when you want to kick back and relax. So, if you really must root for Ronaldo, give this one a try – and if Portugal do badly, at least it will have mellowed you out.

Why not drink Sagres while you’re actually in Sagres? Find out more about this low-key Portuguese sun-trap here.

Italy v Sweden – Friday 17 June

The beers – salty v sweet

Drink for Italy – sip on seafood

The Italians are super-stylish – just check out their team photo, where they’re all decked out in snazzy black suits. So your basic Peroni just won’t do. Instead, look to Rome’s craft brewery Birra del Borgo, which brews an oyster stout MADE WITH REAL OYSTERS. True story. To make their Perle ai Porci stout, the brewery adds 15 kilos of boiled oysters to every 500 litres of brew mash. It gives the beer a briny, slightly salty finish.

If that’s given you a taste for the seaside, find out how to holiday on the Italian coast here.

Drink for Sweden – a sugar rush

Cool Swedish craft beer brand Omnipollo don’t just make interesting beers. Their bottle designs are super-artsy and bright, too. The Agamemnon stout is brewed with Vermont maple syrup and aged in bourbon barrels, giving it a roasted, sweet flavour – perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth. If you can’t get to Sweden to seek out a bottle, make like a Swede and sink a Brooklyn Lager instead. The NYC beer brand is so popular in Sweden, they’ve announced they’re building a brewery in Stockholm.

Fancy cruising by Stockholm? Find out how here.

Spain v Turkey – Friday 17 June

The beers – golden ale v golden lager

Drink for Spain – heavy duty

Catalonia – home to Barcelona and the Costa Brava - is a fiercely independent region of Spain. The Catalans have their own flag, their own language and, most importantly, their own beer. Moritz, packaged with a sunny yellow label, is supposed to be a European pale lager. But seeing as the Catalans like to show off their superiority, it tastes more like a golden ale – i.e., the flavour is a bit deeper, so you’ll need to man up to drink it. Barcelona is also becoming known for its craft beer bars, with places like Biercab offering more than 30 different local brews on tap.

Want to watch the footie with a Barca-brewed beer in hand? Browse our Spain holidays here.

Drink for Turkey - bright and breezy

If you’ve ever been to a Turkish restaurant, you’ll know Efes. The easy-drinking Pilsen is as much a symbol of the country as doner kebab or getting pummelled in a steam room. In fact, the lager corners 80% of the Turkish beer market, the Turks love this light and bright bevvy so much. If you’re going to support the Turkish team, then, there’s no better beer to have in hand while you do it. And if you ever fancied making a pilgrimage to the home of Efes, you’ll be pleased to know it’s brewed in Izmir - a pretty port city known for its sweeping seafront and proximity to Kusadasi’s gorgeous beaches.

Find out more about holidays to the Izmir area here.

Belgium v Ireland – Saturday 18 June

The beers – sweet v sour

Drink for Belgium – a bowl of cherries

If there’s one thing the Belgians know, it’s beer. Oh, and mussels. And chocolate. And frites. Okay, they know a few things, but they take their beer super-seriously - the country brews more than 450 different varieties, many of which are even served in their own unique, special glass. Cheer on Europe’s ultimate beer nerds with a classic Belgian lambic - a famously sour style of brew, fermented in a way that makes the taste closer to cider. To make a ‘Kriek lambic’, the Belgians then ferment this lambic beer with sour cherries. Probably the most famous brand of Kriek lambic is – you know, that one wrapped in red paper you’ve seen in the supermarket. It tastes like a strangely addictive cherry-cider-beer mash-up, even if you can’t stop squinting as the tartness hits.

You can taste more Belgian beer with a cruise to the fairy-tale town of Bruges.

Drink for Ireland – everything’s peachy

Guinness might be the classic Irish tipple, but it’s also basically a meal in a glass. For a lighter option, try the new Guinness Hop House 13. The brewery, which dates all the way back to 1759, calls it a ‘modern lager’, made with Guinness yeast and given an up-to-date twist with American and Australian hops. The result is a citrusy little number, with hints of apricot and peach. It’s all part of the Dublin brand’s Brewer’s Project, which is experimenting with new recipes. Just call it the new black.

Inspired to travel to Europe? Pick from all our options here.

Author: Laura Chubb