Stick to the cigars

I haven't been to Cuba but I hear it is hot. Really hot. This sort of information brings to mind my theory that bland beer or beer that you usually wouldn't touch with a long canal related piece of wood suddenly becomes quite pleasant and satisfying under such conditions. It has happened to me in various Canary Islands and on the sun scorched rock of a country that is Malta. I contentedly chugged back light and bland lagers while on holiday in these sweltering places, temporarily suspending the beer snobbery that my friends assure me I exude. So when I was distinctly underwhelmed by Cubanero Fuerte - it is a sweet and heavy lager with an unpleasant alcoholic heat - I of course can't help but wonder if I would happily neck this stuff if I was in the land of Mr Castro. It's a question I don't think I can answer with any degree of accuracy, but highlights once again the powerful influence of mood and environment on the way we appreciate and judge the beer we drink.