Relevance to Everton? If the role is seen as a success, I imagine it will be adopted in the Premier League one day soon...

Given that Group A was labelled the Group of Death (through boredom) by the media I thought both games were entertaining, for different reasons. The first for some terrible refereeing in the first half, the second for chances spurned and scored.

Always enjoyed the Euros. Got tickets in 2000 for the final, and enjoyed that so much flew back from Asia for a few games in 2004.

Regarding the beer, there's over 3,500 different UK real ales, and more than you can shake a stick at from other countries. Tastes, strengths to suit all. I once was in a bar in Liege that had over 1,000 different world beers. Never did get through them all... And, I was with a card-carrying CAMRA member that didn't have a beard!

As for Chang beer, you can only buy it in bulk in one shop in Ireland (the Asian market off George's Street In Dublin). It comes in a corrigated brown cardboard box complete with import stamps of about 30 bottles and works out about a euro a bottle. Not mad about it though. Lidle also stock some Thai beers like Singha. COYBIG!

Three of my personal faves, all available in Sainsbury's or Tesco

www.bathales.com/our-ales/aid/gem - Easydrinking amber coloured ale with a slightly sweet aftertaste. Could drink it all night.

http://www.oldtombeer.co.uk/flavours - Strong dark ale full of flavour. 7% I think but hides the sharp alcohol taste well.

www.leffe.com/en/beer/leffe-brown - Liquid alcoholic bread. Could drink this all night too, Belgian trappist style.

One more if you can find it. Tesco do their own brand Czech beer called Boheme. Lager style but imo not at all like the mass produced crap. Imported from a micro-brewery in the town of Budweiser.

COYB

In the area I live in (Winterhuder) there are a lot of these really tiny little bars that serve great beers. I

I never specify a brand, instead I (pathetically) make that 'pulling a pint' gesture and say 'ein beer'.

The guv'nor will then pick a glass of the rack and say something like..

"Füffenslachermulhöllergröllerjungfersteig?"

And I respond with..er...a thumbs up?

Seems risky but I have NEVER had a bum pint - alway beautiful.

The bottled Jever's nice too (had two of them this morning)

COUGHHEITINGA!

Firstly, I'm slightly alarmed that a Blue would even mention Carlsberg, a beer that was once plastered all over RS shirts. On trip to Copenhagen a few years ago, I was gasping for a beer but drank red wine as the place we were in only had Carlsberg (not even Tuborg). Any brand that is associated to the RS won't get a penny off me - that includes Candy products, Hitachi, Standard Chartered etc. They are all blacklisted in my home, Goodison Towers.

However, on to the beer. Big subject. Depends on where you are and whether it's summer or winter.

A couple of fantastic beers I've had recently were IPAs which I had in the Lake District. One was called Loweswater Gold and really hit the spot. Another was Deuchars IPA.

A local micro-brewery - Peerless Brewing in Birkenhead - make something called Hilbre Gold (formerly Viking Gold) which is also fantastic - and they sell a pressurised keg for around £19.

If I'm ever on a life support machine they can hook me up to any of the above and drip feed me continuously.

For cheap home-drinking, bottled Becks is usually a reasonable hot weather choice.

#966 Chris - As a similar recluse - with dog - Becks is regularly on offer in supermarkets for only slightly more than the price of Bavaria.

#970 Eugene - I was in Hamburg in March and, while I only had a couple of beers, they were very good.

On the international theme, if anyone ever goes to Geneva, AVOID Les Brasseurs (near the train station) like the plague. They are considered a drinkers' pub as they brew their own. Sadly it tastes like it's passed through Rafa Benitez twice. The food's crap as well.

I recommend trying a beer brand called 'Brew Dog'. They are Scottish and they are making really amazing beer that will cater to whatever taste you have. You can be sure that whatever you get will be tasty. Personally I like their darker beers that range in strength from 8-18% - however these are not sessionable unless you are pretty good with beer. Try 'Punk IPA' - an amazing IPA triple hopped. You can get this stuff from Sainsburys or via the internet at www.brewdog.com

Recommend Arrogant Bastard (www.arrogantbastard.com/). Nice, full, taste and their home page is fun even if you don't drink it.

He`s into his real ales too. wonderful names like Fursty Ferret, Bishops Finger, Old Peculiar, Badgers something or other were getting "tasted"

Anyway, the one that real stood out for me was called "Poacher`s Choice". its a liquorice/damson taste (I know ) but it went down an absolute treat.

I asked the missus to pick me eight bottles when she was in Tescos on friday, I thought that would do me the weekend, but honestly, I opened one before the opening game and before I knew it I was drinking like a teenager.

I fell asleep and missed the second half of the Russian game, so it wasnt all good, but if Everton start next season in the usual fashion, I may have stumbled across something to numb the pain.

I dont know if Tescos are doing the same deal over there Kieran, but if they are, they`ve got literally dozens of these ales to try.

Get in and do a little research

I'll distil my thoughts on the topic for easy consumption..

Lagers.. Check the label for the dreaded 'brewed and bottle in the uk', this isn't snobbery, we make some of the worst lager in the world, mainly in Northampton, and it all tastes the same (well doesn't taste of anything really). German lagers are great because those clever krauts passed a law way back when which ensures that only natural ingredients are used in the production process so you can be sure the hangovers aren't fortified.

Belgian and Dutch lagers are good too but you have to shop around to ensure it's imported and not brewed here (UK) under licences.

Ales.. I'm partial to a real ale, and like yourself am a big fan of London Pride but beware, the product in the bottle is not the same as the pint at your local. However if you are a former lager man the nitrogenated ales are a good halfway house combining the fizz with the flavour. For the real thing look for the 'bottle conditioned' mark on the label or just hold up the bottle and look for sediment to ensure that the yeast which conditions the beer is present.

If you like London Pride I would point you towards Greene King IPA as another, easy to find alternative.. You can impress your friends by telling them the story of the origins of India Pale Ale which dates back to the days of the British Empire when we would send ale out by the ship load, the sub continental climate would heat the ale in the cask and this method is still used to recreate the taste..

You're paying too much for bavaria; it's only 99p a bottle in aldi. Although their clumping litter is not the best.