Turkish Beer, you say?

What of it? They're not known for it and probably for good reason. Until recently the only one I knew was  Efes, the San Miguel of Turkey. Fairly bland and easy but perfectly pleasant enough when ice cold and a great aperitif on a hot day prior to some tasty Turkish tucker.  Come to mention it, until I discovered Stoke Newington around ten years ago, I hadn't even eaten Turkish food. My deprived childhood in Glasgow was limited to Indian, Chinese, Greek, Russian and wherever kebabs come from when it comes to exotic foreign food. I realize they may be Turkish, but you get the point.

Anyway, a while back I used to get my haircut in a barbers near Bond street as I worked nearby.  For the exorbitant price, the only extras were singeing of one's ears with a flame to remove hairs and a "free" drink.  I noticed in the fridge an Efes, but not as I knew it. It was a different shape, a different colour. Now as always, context can affect our judgment and very possibly our taste buds and given that the hairdressers compares only slightly more favourably to me than the horror of the dentist perhaps I was getting carried away. But it was lovely. So, determined to enjoy myself for once, whilst a hairy man with sharp instruments breathed in my ear, I quizzed him. Off put, I suspect, by my unusual questioning he babbled away and told me that my only chance of finding it might be in a restaurant somewhere. And I never saw it again though I don't eat Turkish that often these days, living at altitude in Muswell Hill where such cuisine is in short supply. 

Now, recently, needing to kill some time, I wandered into a big Turkish supermarket near Wood Green. I like them, they have fresh bread, giant containers of olives, Taramasalata and huge bags of cheap basmati rice which I always say I'll buy but never do. And what do I see...? Well the picture, will reveal. I only bought one bottle, but now I've found a supplier, I may just buy some more. 

The moral of the story, never trust a hairdresser when it comes to beer advice.

And go to north-east London and have some Turkish grub!