Gold in Galway

Arriving on the Thursday of the festival which just happened to be the ever popular ladies day, myself and the honeyman felt as if we were "just at a massive wedding". With sales of fake tan up by 450% for the week the ladies paraded their newly found tan with the shortest skirts and the lowest cut tops to make sure they were getting good value for all they had spent on their top of the range fake tans. None of the male contingency had any objections. The day typified an Irish wedding with the ladies looking delightful while their opposite sex drank themselves into a new found state of drunkeness.

Myself and the honeyman didn't do well on the betting front and were concerned on the money front until........we made the greatest discovery of our drinking lives! Before I reveal the discovery I must give you a piece of history first......

Dutch Gold is a popular low-cost import lager beer in Ireland. It retails at a cost of seven euro for six 500ml cans, and this attractive price, along with its smooth, mellow, almost oak-like flavour is the reason for its popularity. Its manufactuers describe it as "made from the finest malted barley, hops and pure water - Dutch Gold is a premium continental lager beer". Dutch Gold is sold in many forms, the most popular being the classic "six for seven" package. However of late, due to recent incursions by rival beer manufactures looking to muscle into the lucrative Irish low-cost beer market, Dutch Gold is now sold in both "Four for Five" and "Twelve for Fourteen" formats.
Despite it being apparently brewed and canned in the Netherlands, very few Dutch people drink it or have even heard of it. Dutch Gold's continued existence and popularity are threatened due to new competitors in the already flooded '6 for 7' market. Tuborg, another cheap import beer from Denmark, is becoming increasingly popular amongst Dutch Gold's original fanbase. Bavaria, made by Bavaria Brewery, another Dutch import, is another rival. A new Czech competitor in the form of Praszky has become a recent threat. Amsterdam Lager, while not being found in a particularly high proportion of off-licenses, adheres to the 'six for seven' ideal and also has its base of loyal brand consumers. On the non-beer front, Dutch Gold is sometimes perceived as losing ground to Druids Celtic Cider, a strong and economical alternative.

Now as you can see the "six for seven" market is becoming increasingly packed and this is where the discovery begins. My favourite beer, the one no house should be without, Dutch Gold, are after lowering the price of a six pack to 6.50 euro. I will admit I let a tear of joy run down my face that day, the 4th of August 2006. What a day.