12.140
25 (Tue) May 2021
Pork Taco Egg Wraps
3.0
by me
at home
-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-
with the Family
GMTD World Series of Pilsner (3 of 5) (see also WSP)
This project is to taste-test pilsner-style lagers from around the world, mass-market brands widely available in Korea. 16 contenders: 4 from Korea (none really worthy, but anyway), 4 from Europe, 5 from Asia, 3 from the Americas (would’ve preferred an even 4×4 regional spread, but only 3 contenders were deemed worthy from the Americas, so I included a 5th from Asia). The contenders are placed into 4 groups each comprising 1 randomly selected Korean beer, 1 European beer, 1 Asian beer, 1 American beer. The beers are blind-tasted on a 4-point scale for taste and for texture, repeated, tallied to a maxim score of 16 points. In case of a tie, the tying beers would be tasted a third time to determine the favored beer. The winning beer moves on to the final round, along with winners from the other testing groups.
GROUP C
BACKGROUND
- Corona Extra (Mexico): Whereas Corona Extra is among the best-selling beers in the world, possibly the best-selling import beer in America, it’s absolutely ubiquitous in California, especially Southern California. Having attended both college and grad school in California, including Southern California, I can attest that Corona Extra is the default beer for students in bars (where they often do that dumb lime thing). I can’t think of another beer that is so singularly associated with its national cuisine. As I speculated during the initial outbreak of the pandemic (see 11.099 Extra-Crunchy Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes), I wonder whether sales have dropped due to the name.
- Estrella Damm (Spain): The oldest beer in Spain, first launched in 1876. I don’t have a long personal history with this brand, but I do have amazing memories of drinking the beer in Spain (see for example 5.197 Pintxos).
- Singha (Thailand): Regarded as the “original Thai beer,” founded in 1933. I was so pleased to discover the beer on my first visit to Thailand in 1992, my very first “exotic” vacation. I also have fond memories of drinking Singha at Thai restaurants during college, thinking myself very sophisticated. It remains 1 of 2 beers in my regular rotation (the other is Pilsner Urquell). TIP: it’s pronounced “SING” in Thai, omitting the “HA,” though that really works only in Thailand, or maybe in a Thai restaurant run by Thai-speaking Thais.
- Terra (Korea): Produced by Hite Jinro, launched in 2019, but already a major player in the domestic market, 1 of 3 beers mostly likely to be served in restaurants (others are Cass, Kloud). Supposedly made with Australian malt (I just realized that Australian beer is not readily sold in Korea, which is why none were included in the Sweet Sixteen).
RESULTS
- Estrella Damm (6+6)(12): bitter, tasty, solid finish – just as I remembered it.
- Singha (6.5+4)(10.5): fruity and rich, refreshing finish – exactly as I like it.
- Terra (3.5+6.5)(10): “sour and flabby” on the first tasting (3.5), somehow flipped to “tasty and crisp” on the second tasting (6.5).
- Corona Extra (4.5+3.5)(8): bland, flat – no wonder American students like it.
I liked that the egg made the taco much softer and inviting, and it provided a neat bed for the melted cheese, but the taste of egg kinda got lost amidst the strong flavors of the filling and salsa, so maybe half as much egg next time, just enough for the texture.
(See also FOODS)
(See also PLACES)