It’s not common to get beers with an ABV of over 6% in Singapore, and this is probably partly due to the way alcohol is taxed here. And it’s a real pity because in a lot of other countries like Japan and Australia, the range of beers available in the pubs and supermarkets there expands exponentially with brews with higher alcohol content.

With this in mind, we really hope Carlsberg will do well in marketing and pricing when they release their Jacobsen beers here. As romantics, we particularly like the fact that Carlsberg has so much heritage and has a wonderful story to tell with their Jacobsen beers. Their Jacobsen beers are produced by the Jacobsen Brewhouse, named after Carlsberg’s founder JC Jacobsen and located in original historical buildings of the Carlsberg brewery.

Even with a historical background, these beers seem to be targeted at the increasing number of us, beer drinkers, who appreciate niche beer with good food. Check out their website and you’ll see what we mean.

Saaz Blonde - we think it's a sexy blonde disguised in a sexy bottle

We sampled the Jacobsen Saaz Blonde, with an ABV 7.1% – steam! This blonde is brewed according to Belgian traditions for light, top-fermented beers - “Blonde” is the traditional French word for light-coloured beers. When we poured it into a glass, the colour was an interesting orange amber with good head -  blondes and good head – what more could we ask for?

And it continues to be tantalizing with a sweet aroma, very smooth and tastes of sweetness and spices. Very drinkable beer and although we only had Cheezels as snacks, we suspect this with might actually pair well with a Brie, if not just call for a pizza margherita!

If you want to sample this, checkout Beer Fest Asia 2010.