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In 5: Refreshing, Crisp, Cheap, Golden, Tasty
“Is it pronounced Sisk or Chisk?” we asked the lovely Maltese waitress, “Sisk, Chisk, however you want to say it” was the helpful reply. Turns out service isn’t high on the list of priorities in Malta, eating and more importantly drinking beer are very high. On a previous trip to Malta we had a seat on the captain’s bridge of the Malta – Gozo ferry, on the way back we sat in the bar and tried to keep up with our Maltese guide drinking cans of Cisk like they were water. His goal was to drink a can for every 10 minutes of the journey. Our struggles just made him smile.
Everywhere you go in Malta you will see signs for Cisk, outside bars and cafés, on billboards and on umbrellas and verandas. There is no doubting it is the Maltese beer of choice for both locals and tourists alike. Generally speaking the beer you have on holiday will often taste nicer on holiday, and when you get home you go back to your regular tipples. This is not true with Cisk, although we’ve never seen it stocked in the UK the little supply we brought back with us taste just as good this side of the Mediterranean, especially as a curry chaser (lamb tikka jalfrezi if you must know)…
It is a lovely refreshing lager with a nice crisp finish that will barely make a dent on your wallet. By the pool, at the bar, with a meal, it seems that Cisk comes out trumps in any scenario and the Maltese are very proud of this.
It is refreshing to visit a country where the local produce costs local prices and the imports cost imported prices. If only the UK would take note and support local beer!
This article is copyright © 2012
