The Elusive 961

As per current records, the oldest cultivators of wine in history are those in the Bekaa Valley. By the way, that's in Lebanon. So, yes, I AM saying that Lebanon has a longer wine tradition than any other country. According to modern scholarship this is still true. I'd bet you with the stupid hummus wars in place, Israel will find some reason to say that wine is originally from Israel. Fact of the matter is this: Lebanon makes great wine. Even after war, even with a heavy islamic influence, even with an economy that went to shit, even with (insert other thing here that makes wine production difficult) Lebanon still makes great wine. One more remark on how awesome lebanon is for making this stuff...

One of the best vintages is 1978 Chateau Musar. Fine whatever, it's some year, some winery, somewhere. But 1978 was in the middle of a gruesome civil war. Absolutely horrible war, absolutely fantastic wine!

So, when you go to Lebanon looking for something other than wine or Arak it's a little difficult to find. Strangely finding lebanese brandy is a task. I'd expect that to be a no-brainer, but apparently, they simply like grape juice and anise too much. Oh well... But beer... Good luck buddy. Almaza is the king of Lebanese beer. If you're looking for something else, chances are you'll get Heineken (Almaza'a parent company) or Corona (for what reason I have no idea). But the new kid on the block, 961... Fat Chance. Lebanon's first microbrew.

I found a bottle way up in the mountains. I didn't even have to go to Beirut to find it. Moreoever, I didn't have to search for the brewery that apparently no longer exists. I found a bottle in the mountains. Tired of drinking the bland german and turkish products that actually make it to Lebanon I finally went for the 961. Problem was, I was looking for IPA, and they only had traditional lager. Why the hell is this such a popular style? If traditional lager were a varietal of grape it would be ugni blanc. Who makes WINE out of ugni blanc? Basically no one. Why? Quite simply, it's kinda of bland and boring. It doesn't have much flavor and it basically pissy alcoholic water... making it the wine equivalent of traditional euro-style piss lager which is the model for Budweiser, Miller, and all other evil breweries.

But, I wanted a real beer, and this was my best shot...
So I gave it a go.

Shockingly, it was really tasty! It was the same style, except with a nice hoppy backbone. I guess if I'd come from the states or Canada and tried it, I would have been terribly disappointed in how bland and boring it is, just like everything else. But I was coming from India, where the common "beer" can only be described as having imitation beer flavor. So if you go and read comments about 961traditional lager on ratebeer or beeradvocate you'll probably find more complaints than complements. I can't offer any other comment, but I definitely want to try their other beers. At least they are bold enough to add hops to their eurostyle piss beer.

But, all things considered, if you're going to Lebanon to drink, best bet is wine (or arak).