Make way for Skenderbeg

l Ready to try: Beer2go's 5.5% Skenderbeg

April 5, 2005: Named after an Albanian national hero, Skenderbeg has become the second own-label ale to come from Bury St Edmonds specialist beer shop Beer2go in six months.

The shop, one of the newest and possibly the smallest beer emporia in the country, has been attracting visitors from all over the UK. Spurred on by the success of their first own-label beer Bury IPA - now their biggest seller - they have decided to add a second to the portfolio.

This year marks the 600th anniversary of the birth of Skenderbeg - a 15th century Albanian hero who freed his country from the grip of the Ottoman Empire. This beer celebrates that anniversary.

"In one of his great battles legend has it that he tied candles to the horns of rams and attacked the Turks at night," said Paul Garrard of Beer2go. "The Turk, thinking that the opposing army was much greater than it actually was, took flight. As Monty Python might have put it, 'they buggered off!'"

The beer is a 5.5 per cent dark, ruddy ale with a creamy head. It is a complex beer with a bouquet of apples and a hint of cloves, reminiscent of mum's apple pie; a malty tasting brew with undertones of hop and resin, followed by a pleasantly bitter/sour aftertaste.

So why Skenderbeg? Well, Ginny Buchan, one of the directors of Beer2go, was on a trip to Albania and was so impressed with the Skenderbeg legend that she felt that the 600th anniversary of his birth just had to be marked in some way; hence, a strong beer for an Albanian strong man.

"In a blind tasting this beer could easily be mistaken for a Belgian offering, along the lines of De Koninck," suggested Paul.

Beer2go can be contacted by e-mailing Info@beer2go.co.uk - log on to their website at www.beer2go.co.uk