Thursday 20 July 2017

Barbican Malt Beverage From Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Barbican

As I am on a medication that does not allow me to drink alcohol, I have been looking for alternatives other than pop. Yes, I do enjoy a Diet Coke but am looking for something with a bite. At my local grocers I found Barbican Malt Beverages.

The malt drink of choice for the youth in the region, Barbican is one of the leading malt beverages brands in both market share and brand strength in the category. Originally launched in 1982, it has been proudly produced in Saudi Arabia and the UAE since 2005.

Barbican has always stayed in tune with the youth of the region. It is synonymous with being a brand that understands them and speaks their language. Barbican is courageous, chivalrous, loyal, genuine, and open.

Barbican is available in glass bottles and aluminium cans in a range of nine flavours, from tangy Lemon to fruity Raspberry.

I bought the original malt, lemon and raspberry to try. It turns out that a friend of mine from work spent two years in Dubai and loved Barbican!

Let's start with the unflavoured Malt beverage in the top picture.  It pours amber in colour and I was surprised to find a head on it although it went away rather quickly. As you can see from the picture, it is quite carbonated, which is OK. I like carbonation. There is a little hop and malt in the aroma. It is much sweeter than I expected although that sweetness disappears in the finish. Definitely something I would buy again.

Barbican Lemon

This one pours a lighter amber than the original. There is a little hop in the aroma, which is mostly lemon. In many ways, this reminds me of a ginger ale but a more pleasing one. Whereas the malt comes in at just 50 calories, this one is only 105, much lower than a regular pop. It's very tasty and I have already gone out and bought a six pack of it.

Raspberry Barbican

This pours more of a golden colour with no reddish hue. I had expected a reddish hue. There is a little raspberry in the aroma. It's very much like a raspberry ginger ale but I found it much too sweet for my liking, but it's my work buddy's favorite. This one does come in at 220 calories.

The Middle East may be alcohol-free but they know how to put flavour and a little bite into their beverages.

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