Yesterday I featured a beer named after Alexander the Great. Continuing the same theme, today's beer carries again a heavy legacy. Meet the Spartan beer:
As you can see, the can features an ancient Spartan hoplite and as you may know from the 300 film, Spartans were one of the most feared military forces in the ancient Greek world. At the height of Sparta's power, it was commonly accepted that one Spartan was worth several men of any other Greek city state.
Among other things, Spartans were known for their laconic lifestyle, deprived of any unnecessary luxuries. Take for example their..national dish, the black broth, full of protein and more than enough to sustain their armies during battle...but tasted like shit!
Same with their education. They were among the most literate Greeks back in the ancient times but unlike other Greeks rarely bothered to show off their superior intellect. Same with their speech, short, simple and to the point. Take for example the brilliant response when King Philip of Macedon told them that “If I win this war, you will be slaves forever” asking for their alliance under his rule. The Spartans simply replied:
"If"
Soon after, all Greek city states had, one way or the other, pledged their alliance to Philip. All except Spartans, who Philip never dared to challenge!
And after a brief introduction to Spartans, let's talk a bit about the Spartan beer. It was the cheapest lager beer in the place I got it from and everything about it appears to be laconic, at least on the outside. A simple design, no fancy description other than the mandatory ingredients and a very cheap price. So, unless it tastes like shit it could be a perfect option for any true Spartan! But how it will fair overall?
Let's start with some more photos:
Cheers!
Review
Mandatory Note: I won't pretend I am a connoisseur or something. Chances are I would fail a blind test between the beers I typically drink.
I didn't have high expectations for this beer, since it was the cheapest available option. Having said that, the taste was ok, had a nice bitterness, it wasn't too watery and overall I liked it. It's exactly what you want to drink if you want to get drunk and you are on a budget. Ancient Spartans would probably enjoy a glass of cold "Spartan".
Will I drink it again? Probably not, as I already know of another cheap beer that tastes pretty much the same but is about 30 % cheaper :)
After a bit of thinking I decided that 
These are the rules to be taken into account:
- You have to try a new beer every day, for 7 days
- The beer must be something you have never tasted before
- You must put a photo of the beer and write a few words about it
- Nominate someone every day
- If you are a social outcast with no friends to invite you just join the fun. You have every excuse to drink!
- Use the tag "#sevendaybeerchallenge" as one of your five tags.