Cheer for the beers

WE IRISH are astonishingly, notoriously brand loyal.

Proffer a beer that isn’t already a heavily-advertised household name and we’ll peer sceptically at it like something the cat’s dragged in.

Happily though, we have been waking up to a world of fab beers, and the parties that’ll accompany the Irish matches in the Euro 2012 from Sunday week provide a great opportunity to go explore. While I’d happily tuck into well-made beers from the UK or China or wherever — or even one of the big brands — I’ve put together two team sheets for a tasty friendly match, Ireland v Poland.