local flavour

I don't mind making mistakes so long as they are, if not universal, commonly made ones. Who of us, after all, has not supped a pint of Cypriot-brewed lager on an orange skied coast and exclaimed "this beer is fucking gorgeous. It's Cypriot beer for me from now on".

Exactly, all of us.

Sitting in bars on a similarly idyllic range Croation beaches and harbours, I've knocked back plenty of Lasko this week, and enjoyed it hugely, hugging the thick pint glass to myself in the afternoon sun. I had a long day today, however, and thought to myself, 'I'll just grab a couple of beers from the supermarket and drink them in front of BBC World in my room'. So I bought 2 cans of Lasko Pivo, branded 'Zlatorog', the beer which I think I've been drinking with abandon all week in the cheerful Adriatic sun.

God Almighty!

It took about six reluctant sips and a good deal of sniffing to work out what exactly this particular Croation beer brought to mind. Taste? Good old fashioned vinegar. Smell? Much more interesting - I eventually pegged it, incredibly accurately, as soy sauce. Unbelievably, unforgivably bad. Wow. Straight down the sink.

Will I drink more of it by the harbour during my lunch break tomorrow? I wouldn't bet against it.