Have Beer Will Travel

Kerstbierfest

2011-12-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

Just some pictures for now.

Back at the Kulminator after the fest...

Didn't take many pictures the 2nd day -- it looked pretty much like the first.

Struise Special K -- 22% "Kaiser Stout"

Leifmans Grühkrieck -- served hot.

Three warm krieks to choose from

The beer I had for dinner -- OK but not that interesting

Day Two in Antwerp

2011-12-17T02:29:00.000-08:00

I decided to try a restaurant, Fiskebar (on Marnixplaats) that was recommend to me. It is supposed to be a Danish style seafood place. It turns out they have two places next to each other, so I ended up a the more informal "Fiske Tapa/Oysterbar" rather than the "sit down" type more formal dinning next door. But it was good and I'd definitely go back. Plus its only about 10 minuts from the Kulminator.

They had a bowl of mixed shellfish in a garlic sauce. It was very good but I was burping garlic the rest of the day.

I wandered around Antwerp for a few more hours until the Kulminator opened (at 4pm). Life was easier when they opened earlier.

I broke with my usual tradition by not starting off with a draft beer, but rather the beer of the month, Ename Cuvee. I really like the Ename Triple so I thought I'd give this a try. I was amber colored with good flavor and not too strong -- a good starting beer.

There were a few draft selections I hadn't had, so I decided to "run the table" -- except for the fruity beer.
I having had a Bourgogne des Flandres in a while, so I went with that first. There was just the right amount of sourness and no saccarine sweetness that you fine in some other breweries versions of this style.

While the beer is good, I do like the thistle glasses quite a bit. This is the Gordon's Christmas from 2008. Very malty as you'd expect.

I couldn't wait any longer, I had to have an Avec les Bons Voeux -- it was all the better for the wait.

Now it gets interesting. I wanted to try one of the "new" Westvleteren 12 -- the ones packaged in painted bottles and sold as sets in some supermarkets here. But I was told they weren't serving those, they were being saved for later. Leen said that even Dirk hadn't had one. But she brought me one anyway -- it's good to be a "semi-regular" sometimes.

Not making any comment on where it was brewed, this beer is different that the Westvleteren 12s I had in the past. It was sweeter and the fruitiness and yeast character was missing. It wasn't bad by any means, but certainly not worth the prices they are fetching. Another note to this -- the best buy date on the cap was only 2 years in the future -- the W12s I've had before were 3 years -- which I always thought should be "don't drink this before date" as they are much better with a little aging.

Dirk came over and asked if he could taste it. (Of course I said yes). He took a few sniffs, then a sip, swished it around in his mouth, shook his head and said "Westmalle Quadruple." I don't have the knowledge or expertise to judge that, but I can tell this is a different beer -- either "dumbed down" in order to increase production or farmed out to another brewer.

I guess I was "over the hump" as I seem to pick up speed, alcohol wise. Next was Bush Noel (this from 2010) and at 12% is a big beer. If Santa reads this blog, he can bring me all of these he wants.

The finale is Mikkeller Black (brewed in Belgium, of course) at 17.5%. This is some Imperial Stout. I think this one will age for a while, but I'd be hard pressed to save any, it was so good.

That was supposed to be the last beer, but I wasn't really ready to leave, so I asked Dirk to pick a beer we could share. He came back with a Hoegaarden Grand Cru from 1985. It had aged well, but it made me sade that I didn't have a chance to drink it when I was (reasonably) fresh. Of course in 1985 Anchor Steam was an exotic beer for me so even if I had traveled to Belgium I wouldn't have tried. Mr Peabody, I need your wayback machine.

Not sure I took this, just fooling with the camera but I did like design on the cap foil.

And I took a short video clip that I hope will show those "Snow lights" I mentioned yesterday.

The Kerstbierfest starts tomorrow -- I think I am ready.

Drinking in Antwerp

2011-12-16T01:21:00.000-08:00

After the De Koninck, I had the St. Bernardus Christmas.

Followed by a De Struise Pannepot Reserve Special (3 years in a port barrel, I was told). Yum.

I love this window decoration (it was taken from inside so the text is mirror image)

In addition to these taps, there is a separate tap that had the Affligem Christmas.

It was getting on time for the Kulminator to open, so I decide to head that way. Went by some more Christmas Markets...

Santa Costumes for everybody!

I got to the K. just after they opened. It's always tough to pick the first beer

When in doubt, go for a favorite: Avec le Bons Voeux from DuPoint.

Followed by another favorite, Gouden Carolus Christmas

Head that this years Stille Nacht was good, so I had one. It is very good -- and I bet in 10 years it will be a classic.

There was quite a bit of buzz in the beer world about the Westvleteren packs being sold in the grocery store. It turns out there are quite a lot of these still available. Also heard a rumor that they were actually brewed at Westmalle. The two breweries to co-operate: Westvleteren uses Westmalle bottles and supposed the Westmalle yeast.

Jet lag was starting to kick in so I had a final beer: Straffe Hendrick Quadruple.

These doesn't show up well in a photograph, but the streets in this district of Antwerp have these great "falling snow" lights.

First Beer in Antwerp

2011-12-15T05:06:00.000-08:00

And it is a Bolleke (De Koninck) at Antwaerps Bierhuiske

It is a grey and rainy day here, but what do you expect for December?

There are a bunch of little Christmas Markets in the Old Town, around the Cathedral.

And then I was ready for a beer...

On my way to Belgium...

2011-12-14T10:00:00.001-08:00

...for the annual Kerstbierfestival (Christamas Beer Festival) It is held each December in Essen, Belgium (not far from Antwerp) and this year they expect over 160 beers -- all Christmas beers brewed in Belgium. The fest is only two days so I have my work cut out for me!

Final Day in Dublin -- Final Day of the Trip

2011-10-27T00:41:00.000-07:00

Some non beer pictures of the River Liffey

Against the Grain -- the Dublin Pub of a brewery in Galway

Schlenkerla everywhere!

Smthwick's Pale Ale -- Not sure it is an ale but it does have some nice Amarillo hops.

Oysters at the Porterhouse to go with an Oyster Stout...

Drink 9 Pints and get one free. I like this.

The Free Pint....

Basque Beer -- How do you say "Beer" in Euskara?

The food menu at L. Mulligan Grocer...

Decided to end the night with a whiskey -- Redbreast 12 Year Old

Drinking Beer in Dublin

2011-10-26T02:17:00.000-07:00

The day we arrived Dublin had a months worth of rain in less than 24 hours. Needless to say we got soaked, but it didn't stop us from drinking beer....

Occupy Dame Street -- the Dublin equivalent of Wall Street

Walking Around Brussels, Drinking Beer

2011-10-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

St Idesbald Triple and Rulles Triple at Delerium Cafe

Lambix Deux at A La Becasse

Spaghetti with Ham and Cheese at A La Becasse

Au Soleil

Zinnebir at Au Soleil

Finially a session at the new Moeder Lambic...

Schelde Brouwerij N Toeback and Saison Joisin

Jandrain-Janrenoille VI Wheat and IV Saison

Kerkomse Tripel and Brasserie de la Senne Jambe de Bois

Next was three beers from the Italian brewery Toccalmatto: Zona Cesarini, Surfing Hop and the Last Witch. The Last Witch was the Last of The Keg so it was too yeasty to really enjoy.

ThreeToccalmatto Beers: Surfing Hop, The Last Witch and Zona Ceasarini

Gueze Tilquin and Cantillion Gueze

Another Day Just Hanging Out in Antwerp

2011-10-23T01:21:00.000-07:00

A bolleke at Oud Arsenaal

Rodenbach and North Sea Shrimp at Oud Arsenaal

A fried herring sandwich from the Antwerp open air market

St Bernardus Abt and Triple Karmeliet at Het Elfde Gebod

By now, the Kulminator was open

Gentse Strop, a 6.5% Blond

Kasteel Rouge -- I didn't realize it had cherries in it!

Bush Noel -- only 12%

1995 La Trappe Quad - still very nice

We decided to try some triples for a while, concentration on those that we very fresh.

Triple Moine and Carolus Triple

Bornem Triple and Mardadous Triple

St Bernardus Triple and Chimay White Cap

The hops in the Chimay really blew me away. A very nice beer when fresh.

Looking at the label, I thought it funny that a Trappist Beer has a symbol for "No pregnant women." (It actually is on all the Belgian beers we checking, meaning I guess "Don't drink if pregnant.") In addition to the ingredients list, there was a warning on all beers "Contains barley malt." Duh -- its beer.

At this point things had quieted down and Dirk brought out the special beer for us to taste. It was designed by Mikkeller for Restaurant Noma in Copenhagen -- which often tops the annual surveys of the worlds best restaurants.

I am not usually a big fan of oak aged beers, but this one worked. The oak was a delicate complement to the triple like character of the beer. It was a bit too cold (for which Dirk to the blame)

Nothing could top that beer so we switched directions and had a Black Damnation -- a 13% Imperial Stout collaboration between De Molen and De Struise. Very rich and very nice.

By now they were ready to kick us out, so one last beer: For me an Avec les Bons Voeux and Tom had a La Trappe Quercus (Oak Aged Quadruple)

Tomorrow it is off to Brussels for the day, then Dublin on Monday.

Another Evening at the Kulminator

2011-10-22T02:14:00.000-07:00

I spent a good part of the morning, into the afternoon trying to get my internet connection fixed. After wasting some money (and time) on things I didn't need, I finally figured out the problem and got it fixed. So it was a bit of a slow day, beerwise, but that is good after nearly two weeks.

First (beer) stop was the fairly new (18 months) Antwaerps Bierhuyske (Antwerp's Beerhouse). They have 9 taps -- mostly interesting stuff. The bottle list looks pretty decent as well.

Antwaerps Bierhuyske

My first beer was a "Bolleke" -- a goblet of draft De Koninck. I neglected to take a picture -- or rather I took a picture with my iPhone for a "status update" on a social networking site and didn't take one with my camera -- the source of pictures here.

Next I had a St Feuillien triple (from the bottle). I had ordered one the previous night at the K but they were out of bottles less that 3 liters so I passed and had an Ename Triple as well. The StF is usually one of my favorite triples but I think I like the Ename better.

St Feuillien Triple

Tom had a 3 Fonteinen Kriek

3 Fonteinen Kriek

... and Sam a Goulden Draak

Gulden Draak

By this time it was past 3pm so we adjourned and headed for Vleminckveld, with some stops on the way for errands.

We arrived at the Kulminator just as they were opening. We grabbed a table and were getting settled but before we could even order a beer, groups of people (including one of more than a dozen people) started streaming in and before you knew it the place was packed.

I started off with the Rodenbach Vintage -- there were some sour beers to be drunk tonight so it seemed a good place to start.


Rodenbach Vintage

Next up was a bottle of the 2011 Mega Blend from the Tour de Gueze. Gueze from eight different brewers were blended together. It was good, but a little less intense than I expected. Cantillion is not part of the group so maybe that is why.

Tour de Gueze 2011 -- a blend of 8 Gueze

The Gueze was followed by a De Struise Brouwers Tsjeeses Reserva of unknown age (probably 3 years). This is a version of their Christmas beer aged in Oak. It was oak-y, a bit spicy, very low carbonation and quite nice overall.

De Struise Tjeeses Reserva

Orval is a beer I like but I rarely drink it at home -- I don't think it travels all that well. I try to have at least one every trip to Belgium. Since there were just two of us left, we had one from 2008 as well.

Fresh and 2008 Orval

The fresh one was served cool (as in slightly refrigerated) so it wasn't a quite a fare comparison, but I did like the fresh one better. The aged one was much more carbonated and the brettanomyces ("brett") character was very strong. I like a little brett but if you like a strong brett character, go for the aged.

Tom decided to head over to Paters Vatje for more Lasagna (and Dulle Teve, I'm sure) but I decided to call it an early night and finish off with a Avec les Bons Voeux.

Last Beer of the night

On the way out the door Dirk offered me a very special beer. I said I couldn't take it home with me as I wasn't checking luggage. He suggested we drink it together tomorrow night. So stay tuned....

Evening at the Kulminator

2011-10-21T04:50:00.000-07:00

Oh noes -- not open until 4pm

Choices, Choices

The Boss

Buffalo Bitter and Avec Le Bons Voeux

A pair of triples

Goudon Carolus X

Oerbier and Oerbier Reserva

De Struise Black Albert

"Legless" Triple Karmeliet glass

De Ryke Goulden Ardent 125th Anniversary

LeTrappe Quercus (Oak aged Quad)

Paters Vatje Lasagna

De Dolle Dulle Teve

Internet Problems in Belgium...

2011-10-21T01:08:00.001-07:00

...so there may not be may much posting unless I get it fixed.

Walking around Cologne

2011-10-20T03:30:00.000-07:00

On the train to Belgium and will lose my internet connection, so just pictures for now....

Walking around Düsseldorf

2011-10-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day!

"That delicious drop" (Uerige slogan)

Frikadella -- the perfect bar snack in Düsseldorf

Scheine Brötchen with Sriracha

Schlüssel Alt

Schumacher Alt -- surprisingly hoppy this year

The new Kürzer tap room

Kürzer Alt -- much improved over last year.

Füchschen Alt

Schweine Brötchen from a different stand

Bock Bier Sunday

2011-10-17T02:55:00.000-07:00

Selection of draft Beers at Cafe Abseits

Fischer (Greuth) Bockbier

Keesmann Bockbier

Brauerei Kundmüller Weiherer Bockbier

Gänstaller/De Molen/Närke collaboration beer "Elevator" (10%)

Gerhard Schoolmann with a Weizenbock from Brasil

Bamberg Brewery from Brasil (Weizenbock)

Some other beers from the same Brewery

Schneider Tap X that we didn't get to taste :(

Mahrs "U"

Mahrs Bockbier -- very nice -- 44 IBU

Three beers from the barrel at Mahrs

Day trip to Leipzig and Wöllnitz

2011-10-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

Any early start for a Day of Sour German Beer.

We took an 8am train to be in Leipzig at 11, just in time for lunch at the Bayerischer Bahnhof Gosebrauerei

Bayerischer Bahnhoff Brewery, Leipzig

Bayerischer Bahnhof Gosebier

Like in Berlin, they will often flavor the beer with something sweet. We tried one each of a local Caraway Schnapps, Woodruff syrup and Raspberry syrup. They added way too much for our tastes -- the beers were turned into soda pop but that probably is the intention.

Gasebier Mit Schuss: Caraway, Woodruff and Raspberry

We ordered a cab and went over to Ohne Bedenken, an old time Gose pub. If I lived in Leipzig it would probably be my local -- it just has a comfy feel to it (plus two kinds of Gosebier)

Ohne Bendenken, Leipzig

They serve the Bayerischer Bahnoff Gose here, in addition to the Ritterguts Gose. The latter is my favorite, being more sour and complex. If you only have time to visit one place in Leipzig, Ohne Bedenken is the place to go.

Ritterguts Gosebier

Then it was back to the train station to catch our train back to Bamberg. They are doing some works on the tracks so the ICE didn't come to Leipzig -- we had to take a train to Naumberg where we caught the ICE to Jena. We hopped off the train, called a taxi and went to the nearby village of Wöllnitz were a small brewery as recreated a extinct style of sour wheat beer known as Lichtenhainer. It is of normal strength (4.5% ABV) and very nicely sour. Very much worth a visit if you are anywhere near Jena.

Wöllnitzer Weissbier at the Talschränke, Wöllnitz near Jena

We ordered a taxi and it was a bit late in coming (this place really is in the middle or nowhere) and there was a question if we'd make the train. We did, with about 7 minutes to spare.

It was a long day, with more time spent on the train and in taxis than drinking beer, but it was worthwhile to taste three beers on normally doesn't run across.

Some Pictures of the Old Brewery in Strassgiech (and beer)

2011-10-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

Wooden Mashtun

Wood fired brew kettle

Looking up

Zoiglbier

New edition of Affumicator, a 9.5% smoked double bock

Day Three In Bamberg -- Merkendorf and Memmelsdorf

2011-10-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

Friday we had an excursion planned. We wanted to end up in Strassgiech to have dinner at the Drei Kronen Gasthaus -- which is the tap room for Andreas Gänstaller's new brewery (which is actually the old Friedel brewery in Schnaid). They don't open to 4pm and the last bus back to Bamberg leaves just after 6pm so we'd have to take a taxi back.

On the way to Strassgiech (more or less) are the villages of Memmelsdorf and Merkendorf, each of which has two breweries. So with the correct timing, one could visit a number of breweries in a day.

So we caught a 10:00am bus to Merkendorf and arrived at Brauerei Wagner at about 10:30am. Luckily, they open at 9:00am so we were good to go.

They had 6 beers on tap, a high number for the typical Franconian brewery. We started off with the Ungespundetes (basically a kellerbier), a Märzen and a their Festbier. All were very good. I usually drink the "U" when I am there on a bike ride but I think the Festbier was the best of the bunch -- a nice malty/roasty finish.

For the second round we had the Pils and the Dunkel ("Richard Wagner Dunkel"). The Pils was better than the Fässla Pils. It was very soft but could have used a bit more bittering hoops in the finish. The Dunkel was what you'd expect -- lots of Munich Malt character with just enough hops that it wasn't sweet. The beer we didn't have was a Weizen beer -- I don't know for sure, but often those are contract brewed at breweries that specialize in Wheat Beers.

We had three and half hours in Merkendorf so we walked up the hill to the other brewery, Brauerei Hummel. They too had 6 beers on draft. For the first round we had the Pils, Kellerbier, Märzen and the Räucherla -- a smoke beer.

The Räucherla was the best of the bunch, not as smokey as Schlenkerla (but few beers are) but a little smokier than Spezial. The Kellerbier is usually my beer of choice on my bike trips but it had a few problems as did the Pils -- probably need a little more lagering to smooth out some of fermentation byproducts. We ordered lunch. I had a bowl of a wonderful potato soup and an order of Creamed Herring. Yum.

For the second round we had the Cowboy Schwarzbier (I have no idea of the story behind the name) and a bottle of their Festbier. The Schwarzbier wasn't that great but the Festbier was very good -- up there with the Räucherla as the table favorite for this visit.

We headed back to the bus stop to catch the bus to Memmelsdorf (which was actually backtracking as we had passed thru there on the ride to Merkendorf). It is only about 3-4km -- and an easy walk as it is downhill -- but there number of beers at each brewery meant we might was well take the bus.

The bus left us off right at Brauerei Drei Kronen. The sun had come out and it was quite nice and warm so we sat on the Patio. This Drei Kronen has three standard beers and often a seasonal but we caught them "midseason" -- their bock would come on next week. So we made do with the Lagerbier (basically a kellerbier), the "Keller-PIls" (an unfiltered Pils -- used to be called "Hefe-Pils" but that confused people so they changed the name) and Stöffla ("Little stuff") their smoke beer.

All three were great. It was so pleasant on the patio we all had a second beer and didn't have time to visit the other brewery in town, Brauerei Hoehn. We crossed the street to the bus stop and shortly our bus to Strassgiech arrived.

Day Two in Bamberg

2011-10-15T00:15:00.000-07:00

Today the rest of the group was arriving, one at a time, of course. We met Jeff downstairs (at Spezial) had a beer and decide to have lunch across the street at Fässla.

Fssla Pils and Lagerbier

They have two draft beers: Lager and Pils. People usually are fans of one or the other and for me it is usually the Pils. This time though, the Lager was better -- the Pils wasn't quite as crisp in the finish as it usually is. The schnitzel was great, though.

Fssla Schnitzel

We headed back across the street to Spezial to await Jim, who we expected between 1pm and 2pm. He arrived and of course he had to have a beer or two

We Jim was suitably refreshed, we headed down to Schlenkerla. After a minor financial criss (ATM sucking the money back to quickly) we arrived a Schlenkerla to find they had not yet put on the keg of Ur-Bock, so we had a Märzen. Our taste buds were in much better shape this afternoon as the massive hit of smoke we all know love was there from the first sip.

Eventually Sam arrived and I went with him to show him the way to the apartment where he was staying. It was getting close to dinner time so we walked over to Klosterbräu.

Klosterbräu has a very good kitchen but the beers are very variable. They were on the downside this time -- drinkable, but just. The dinner was very good. I was so hungry I forgot to take pictures, though.

After dinner those who had arrived in Europe today decided it was time to call it a night and they went back to their respective rooms. The rest of us walked up the Stefansberg to Stöhrenkeller for a night cap.

They had two beers on draft as usually -- Drei Kronen Strassgiech (a/k/a Ganstaller Bräu) Kellerbier and Keesmann Bock.

Drei Kronen Kellerbier

The Kellerbier was very nice -- maybe a little bit on the sweet side but not so much it distracted from the great flavor. The Keesmann Bock was good but like the Schlenkerla Ur-Bock was not quite up to last years high standard. But it was good enough to have a second one so we did.

The Rest of Day One in Bamberg

2011-10-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

When Tom and Mike showed up (a few hours late because of airplane problems) we had a couple quick beers at Spezial and then headed off to Schlenkerla to check out the Ur-Bock.

Last years version of the Ur-Bock was dangerously drinkable. This was was good, but not quite up to last years standards. That may be a good think as there is less danger of drinking too many in a row. The smoke on both the Märzen (the "everyday" beer) and the Ur-Bock seemed a bit subdued, but that could have been our taste buds were just too tired and jet-lagged.

Schlenkerla Ur-Bock

Tom and Mike hadn't eaten so we back to Spezial for dinner and a beer or two. Before we knew it, it was closing time and they were ushering people out…. Good thing our rooms were right upstairs.

First Beer of the Trip

2011-10-12T05:00:00.001-07:00

And it is not what you might think.

What is it?

An Anniversary beer brewed for the 475th anniversary of the founding of the brewery.

At first glance it is lighter in color than the Lagerbier but the smoke is more pronounced. I think I like it but more research is needed -- about a dozen more would be thorough, don't you think?

Oh, had some Goulash as well....

And don't worry, the Lagerbier is still great!

Location:Brauerei Spezial, Bamberf

Beer Trip Approaching

2011-10-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well, it's October and that means it's time to head to Europe and drink some beer. No, not Oktoberfest, that is for amateurs -- the worlds largest fraternity party.

This year it is the usual -- Bamberg (with a day trip up to Leipzig), Cologne/Düsseldorf (for Uerige Sticke on October 18), Antwerp (with day trips to Brussels and Gent) and finally Dublin.

Not anything new in the list, you'll find posts on all of those cities somewhere on this blog, but hopefully we'll drink some new beers, meet some new friends and re-visit some old friends (beer and people).

So stay tuned....

More wandering around London

2011-08-06T02:39:00.000-07:00

We headed down to Tooting to check out some pubs there, but our info was incorrect and they all opened at 4 or 5pm. So we went to Old Street to check out the Old Fountain.

We stopped at the Euston Tap for quick pick-me-up.

Hewitts Urbane Gorrilla and Ilkly Black

Walking over to Great Portland Street to catch a bus, something interesting....

Human Fussball

Southampton Arms in Kentish Town -- maybe my new favorite place in London. Too bad it takes a bit of work to get there.

At the Baker Street Tube Stop (decorated with lots of Sherlock Holmes) is the Metropolitan Bar, a Wetherspoon's pub. Time for dinner and a beer.

Theakstons Old Peculier and Grainstore Golden

Something non-beer to do when in London....

The Willow Walk for a nightcap.

Weltons Meteor and Weltons Stumpy

GBBF Starts

2011-08-03T02:41:00.000-07:00

Didn't really take an photos of the first day. Too busy walking around and talking to people.

I will make one comment: In past festivals they organized the British beers basically by region. You could go to one place and try all the Scottish beers or the Yorkshire beers.

This year (and I guess last year, but I wasn't there) they are grouped alphabetically by county, with, say counties starting with letters A,B,C at Bar W6. Then once you get there, there is no indication of the location of the breweries. You have to read the program to find out the details. I guess that is the intention, but it makes it hard for a visitor who wants to try a particular regional style.

I hope they change it back the old way.

Walking around London

2011-08-03T02:35:00.000-07:00

Some pictures as we visited some pubs in the area before going to the Cask Pub for their Kernel Brewery night.

We started out at the Speaker, named for the Speaker of the House of Commons (who rarely speaks)

We walked down to Westminster...

...where across from Big Ben (actually St. Stephens Tower) is St. Stephen's Tavern.

It is a Badger pub and we had a couple of nice Badger beers, but it was quite warm and there was no air conditioning so we soon left.

Walking up Whitehall we came to Lord Moon of the Mall, a Wetherspoon's Pub.

I was slightly air conditioned, so we had a couple of pints.

A short walk east is the Harp, voted as CAMRA's National Pub of the Year for 2011. We had been by once before but it was way too crowded. At 3:30pm on Monday afternoon it was just starting to fill up.

We hopped on the Tube back to Victoria and after a short walk were at the Cask Pub and Kitchen. It was already packed inside (and very warm) and the crowd was spilling into the street. They had 9 Kernel beers on draft (keg) and four on handpump. All were wonderful.

Too busy drinking to take pictures, so these will have to suffice.

Lunch in Greenwich, afternoon in London

2011-08-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

We took the DLR (Docklands Light Rail) out to Cambridge to check out the new pub call the Old Brewery. It is what was once the Hospital of the Royal Naval College.

They had 9 Meantime taps (but at least one -- the Kellerbier -- was out) and two handpumps, one with cider and one with Meantime London Pale Ale.

Meantime Helles and Cask London Pale Ale

Cheeseburger (Irish beef) and chips.

Meantime London Stout ( both glasses, go figure)

We decided to take the bus back to central London, so we could stop off in Deptford and visit the Dog and Bell, a recommended pub.

Dog and Bell, Deptford

They had half a dozen beers on handpump. I had a Fullers ESB and Tom an Acorn Barnsley Bitter.

Fullers ESB and Barnsley Bitter

After a nice beer in the garden, we walked back to the bus stop. The bus nominally runs ever 12 minutes on Sunday. After about 20 minutes there was quite a large crowd waiting. When the bus finally did come, of course it was packed. We went up to the upper deck, which was also full. You are not supposed to stand up there, but there was no way we could fit in downstairs. I believe we also had a less experienced driver --or maybe the bus was just overloaded. Eventually we got a seat but the upper deck was quite hot. After what seemed like hours (but was probably just an hour) we arrived at our stop.

We walked a couple blocks down to the Princess Louise, one of the few Samuel Smith's pubs in London.

They have only one cask ale, Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter (a/k/a OBB). It was £2.11 per pint. That has to be the cheapest pint in London.

O.B.B. x 2

Inside at the Princess Louise

Suitably refreshed, we walked a little into Soho and stopped at the Dog and Duck (I guess we need to find a pub called Duck and Bell to complete the trio). This pub is owned by Nicholson's -- a pub chain whose London pubs all seem to be either historical or historical replications. The chain has a set list of guest beers and each pub has a different selection, marked on a chalkboard outside.

Dog and Duck

It is a cozy little pub. It was at one time George Orwell's local (for a little bit of culture)

Salopian Darwins Origin and Skipton Copper Dragon Golden Pippen

We were meeting a local friend at the Market Porter near the Borough Market (south end of London Bridge). So we headed that way.

On the way we passed the Barrowboy and Banker but it looked like they had just closed.

We also passed the Mudlark, another Nicholson's pub. If we weren't just about late for our appointment, might have stopped for a pint.

The Mudlark

Some Mudlark Handpumps

Around the corner we came to the Borough Market. In the "old days" when pub opening hours were more tightly controlled, they were open in the morning for the workers in the Market coming off work. Also a popular spot for anybody in the area working the graveyard shift.

Market Porter

Leyden Oyster Stout and Bridgehouse Barnstormer

This Oyster stout was better than the one I had earlier in the week, but still not up the level of the Porterhouse Oyster Stout.

Our friends soon arrived and a couple of pints later we called it a night, while they went on to other places. Very close by are two other highly rated pubs -- the Brew Wharf, which in addition to having a brewery on site (but never any of their beers when I've been there) they sell a good range of Meantime beers and a decent selection of imported keg and bottled beers (which is why the locals like it), and also the Rake -- a fairly new place (5 years) that usually has something special.

Kernel Brewery and the Tower Bridge area

2011-07-31T02:46:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday the Kernel Brewery (founded 2010) has an open house where you can buy bottles of their beer -- for tasting or to take home. The brewery is located beneath the archways of a railroad bridge along Druid Ave, near the south end of the Tower Bridge. There are no convenient tube stops near the brewery, so we chose to walk from the Tower Hill station, over the bridge.

Tower Bridge

Most of the spaces are industrial, storage or car mechanics. But it does seem to be "gentrifying" with a bakery along with the Kernel brewery.

The brew differently hopped versions of the same beer, making for interesting comparisons.

The Selections

Pale Ale (Nelson) and IPA (Columbus)

A very linear brewery

Snacks were available from a vendor who had a big selection of Italian style cold meats. This was smoked beef -- I didn't write down the Italian name but I'm sure somebody will provide it.

The only draft beer was an Export Stout (7.8%). It is the best stout I've tasted so far and one of the best I've had in a long time. We also had last years Double IPA, hopped with Centennial. It had mellowed nicely.

There actually are four decent pubs near the south end of the Tower Bridge. We first stopped at The Pommeler's Rest, a Wetherspoon's pub.

Pommelers Rest

The interior was a typical Wethspoons. The Real Ale selection was not as extensive as some but there were some good choices.

Thornbridge Jaipur and Marstons Old Empire

The Jaipur is an old favorite and maybe my favorite British IPA. I had not had the Old Empire before but it was pretty good. Not as hoppy as the Jaipur but very drinkable.

Dean Swift

We walked about two short blocks and came to the Dean Swift. This is a fairly nea w pub and has quite a good draft (i.e. keg) selection and four handpumps. Quite a large bottle selection as well. We were shocked to discover that a bottle of Stone Arrogant Bastard went for £15!

I had the Oakham Endless Summer and Tom had the Magic Rock Courious. Both were under 4% and very tasty

Draft beers at the Dean Swift

We walked back to Tower Bridge road and stopped at the Draft House -- Tower Bridge. This is a new chain, with just three or four pubs.

The outside wall were decorated with the names of hops. A good sign.

It was decorated in "American Diner" style. The first thing I saw walking in was a tap handle for Sierra Nevada Summerfest. Just over a week earlier, in LA, I had remarked I never passed up a chance of draft (or here I guess it is draught) Summerfest. But had as it was, I did pass it up. I'm here to drink British beers, damn it.

The draft select was quite good with at least three Mean Time taps and a good variety of American craft beers. I can see why our local friends like it. Only four Real Ales, though.

The Typhoon was supposed to be a lemongrass beer but there was no real lemongrass flavor. The porter was light and very drinkable.

When we left, a bus went by with destination of "Covent Garden" -- we turned to each other and said "Porterhouse." We started walking to find the bus stop and so skipped the forth pub nearby -- the Bridge House -- a recommended Adnams pub.

We decided to walk to the next bus stop, since we just missed one and came upon another recommended pub, The Shipwrights Arms. It was a nice pub but there wasn't anything that caught our eye so we headed on.

We caught our bus and in a little while came to the Porterhouse. As it was Saturday night, it was packed but we managed to find a table in what was really a hallway between sections.

The Porterhouse is a Dublin brewpub (now microbrewery) that is famous for it's Oyster Stout.

It was as wonderful as ever. One was not enough.

It was passed dinner time so we ordered some fish & chips. The fish was very good, though the chips were a bit underdone. Maybe the Irish just want more residual potato flavor? The green stuff in the little bowl is "mushy peas." Don't ask.

More Walking Around London, Drinking Beer

2011-07-30T03:07:00.000-07:00

Starting at the Crosse Keys in Gracechurch Street.

The to the Dispensary, an nice new pub (the food smelled great)

Next up, the Pride of Spitalfields, and old neighborhood boozer with some good handpumps.

We walked by the old Truman brewery...

After a ride on the London Overground and a short bus ride we ended up at the Southamption Arms. Their motto is simple: Ale, Cider, Meat. A wonderful, wonderful place.

On the way home we stopped in at the Bree Louise again, and ran into some friends from Malmö.

There actually was a second nightcap at the Euston Tap, but it was too dark for pictures my then. But Redemption Fellowship Porter was marvelous.

Day Trip to Cambridge

2011-07-29T02:57:00.000-07:00

Slightly hung over and late for beer so just pictures for now...

Ploughman's lunch with the 3 stinkiest cheeses!

Numbers 1, 6 & 7 for lunch

Can't take your beer into the graveyard.

Kings College Chapel -- No beer but pretty

The Eagle.Not great beer but Watson & Crick researched DNA here over pints

Back in London, we stopped at the Willow Walk for dinner. It was Curry Club Night.

Chicken Vindaloo -- it was very spicy.

Day One in London

2011-07-28T01:11:00.000-07:00

A good day, visiting three new pubs and some old favorites.

We were starting out around Euston Station. We got there sort of early and none of the places we wanted to visit were open yet, so we went to the pub in the station itself. It advertised Cask Marque beers so that usually is a good sign. It was call the Brittania.

I had the Fullers London Pride and Tom the Greene King IPA. It may have been just the first beer of the day syndrome, but neither was that great. Not bad, just not as good as we usually expect for these beers.

Outside the station is a little building that I'm sure I've walked by many times and never noticed. It now is a quite nice (but very tiny) pub call the Euston Tap.

The had a good selection of keg beers (mostly imports) and a bunch of cask beers. The day before was a wheat beer festival so wheat beers were overly represented.

The keg tap handles are all vintage -- they never change even though the beers do (Two of them were only Genesee Cream Ale handles)

I had a Tipples Lazy Summer, Tom had Otleys O-garten. Both were good but his was better.

Since they had a bunch of wheat beers we tried a couple, Schneider Weisse and Thornbridge Versa Weizen. The Schneider was excellent as it always is. I was surprised that the Thornbridge stood up so well. It

Schneider Weisse and Thornbridge Verse Weizen

Across the main entrance to Euston Station is a similar little building. It is the future home (another month or so) of the Cider Tap -- 16 ciders and tap/cask. Something to look forward to on the next trip

Next stop was the Bree Louise, pretty much just around the corner.

The Ye Old Mitre in Hatton Gardens is one of our old favorites. A few years ago it became a Fuller's pub but they still have a bunch of Guest Ales. It is hard to find, down a little alley with not much to mark it from the street.

A short walk away is London's newest great pub, The Craft Beer Company. It's been open about a montth. It is a sister pub to the Cask Pub and Kitchen where we ended the night yesterday. Similar draft range (lots of Mikkeller) but a different cask ale selection.

Finally, we walked over towards Barbican to check out another new (for us at least) place called the Old Red Cow. Our local friends were excited by the keg beer selection but there were only 4 handpumps and one was out, so the cask selection was a but thin. It seemed a nice pub and I had a good fish & chips so for a local (who wants a glass of draft Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA) it could be a good place.

Arrived in London

2011-07-27T01:20:00.000-07:00

After check in my room (Goldsmid House, University College of London) I walk around the corner where there is a Wetherspoon's pub, The Willow Walk

The Willow Walk across from Victoria Station

Choosing somewhat at random, I chose the Acorn Brewery Kashmir. It is hard to see in the picture but it has a nice dark red color and was nicely hops (for a British beer).

Acorn Brewery Kashmir

I was waiting for Tom to arrive, so I had another. This time choosing Cotswold Spring's Codrington Codger.

Cotswold Spring Brewery Codrington Codger

A nice amber beer with a hint of hops in the finish. Just as I was finishing it, in walked Tom. So I had another beer. A Nethergate Old Growler. This was the Champion Winter Beer of 2003

Nethergate Old Growler Porter

It was nearly 7pm, so some food was in order. We both ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala, a Wetherspoon's standard.

Chicken Tikka Masala

It was still light out, so we walked down the street to a new place, the Cask Pub and Kitchen. It came highly recommended by some local beer friends, and I could see why.

Cask Pub and Kitchen

They had a dozen cask real ales and at least that many, if not more, of keg beers, mostly US imports plus a good selection of Mikkeller beers (why nominally Danish, their beers are brewed all over Europe).

An Oyster Stout caught my eye, so I had to try it. It's from the Whitstable Brewery, a small brewery in Kent. It was nice, but not nearly as rich as the Porterhouse Oyster Stout.

Whitstable Brewery Oyster Stout

Tom had a Saltaire South Island Pale Ale, a pale ale brewed with New Zealand hops. At only 3.5% it was a very tasty session beer.

Saltaire South Island Pale Ale

Tom was ready to call it a night, but I was up for one more, so he watched me drink a Dark Star Hophead, an old favorite. It come in at 3.8% but has a nice hoppy finish. But I think the Saltaire was better.

Dark Star Hophead

That was it, back to the rooms and a fresh start tomorrow.

First Beer in London

2011-07-26T08:46:00.001-07:00

There is a Wetherspoon's pub (The Windsor Castle) in Terminal 4 of Heathrow airport.

This is their "House Ale" -- Windsor Castle Ale at 3.9% abv. Not great but way better than the one I had at LAX. I could have had cask London Pride so Heathrow wins by a mile.

First Beer of the Trip

2011-07-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

After a complimentary massage courtesy of the TSA, I made it to the Delta SkyClub...

A "Pacific Ridge Pale Ale." Pacific Ridge is Anheuser-Busch's fake "Craft Brewery." If it is the worse beer of the trip, I will be happy. It's not "spit it out" bad -- not even "dump it out bad" but just not wasting liver cells for.

We have our work cut out for us...

2011-07-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

I don't think we'll make all of these, but we should at least visit the ones in Central London. It's a hard job, but we are willing to do it so you don't have to.

View London in a larger map

Beer Trip Approaching

2011-07-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

In two weeks I'm off to London for the Great British Beer Festival.

It's been two years since I was last in London and a number of really good pubs have opened since then, along with a couple of good small breweries. I am looking forward to visiting the new ones as well as some old favorites.

And as a bonus, I have a one night stop over in Dublin on the way home. My plan is to have a Porterhouse Oyster Stout at the Covent Garden pub (London), hop on my plane and then have one at the original Porterhouse on Parliament St.

Bamberg Day Two -- A ride to Strassgiech and Back

2011-05-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

Crossposted at www.TheMadBrewer.com

Andreas ("Andy") Gänstaller -- formerly at Beck-Trabelsdorf and Mahrs before that -- has opened his new pub in Strassgiech (Drei Kronen Strassgeiech). The beers are brewed at the form Friedel brewery in Schnaid (Friedel having moved the brewery to the Kreuzberg). The pub is only open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and doesn't open until 4pm so I needed to kill some time on the way. What to do?

Well, not far out of the way is Cafe Abseits. I stopped in for a beer or two and a light lunch. I started off with one of my favorites, Mönchambacher Lager

Mönchsambacher Lager

The lunch special was goulash over noodles -- that sounded good.

Goulash at Cafe Abseits

The "beer of the month" was the new Mönchsambacher Weizenbock. I had to try it.

Mönchambacher Weizenbock

I was a little sweeter than I like -- I was told that the wheat malt supplier had substituted some French Wheat Malt in place the for usual Franconian and that led to some fermentation problems. I look forward to trying it next year with Franconian Wheat Malt.

I could easily spend the afternoon the Cafe Abseits garden but there were breweries to visit.

The first village you pass thru is Memmelsdorf, home to two breweries, Höhn and Drei Kronen. I stopped in at Drei Kronen first (leaving Höhn for the way home, if time)

Drei Kronen, Memmelsdorf

First off, I tried their seasonal beer -- this time a Dinkelweisse (Dinkel is an archaic form a wheat)

Drei Kronen Dinkelweisse

It tasted like a typical German wheat beer with just a bit more spiciness. That could be from the yeast but also from the Dinkel. Very refreshing.

Next up was one of their standard beers, the Keller-Pils

Drei Kronen Keller Pils

I think it was a little less hoppy than in the past. Herr Straub told me his daughter (who recently finished her brewing education) was now mostly brewing the regular beers. I hope she didn't cut down on the hops!

On the way to Strassgiech you pass thru Drosendorf (home of Brauerei Göller) but I took a slight detour -- a couple miles up the road (up -- as in uphill) is Merkendorf, also home to two breweries.

First stop was Brauerei Wagnerm which is one of my favorites.

Brauerei Wagner, Merkendorf

They have a number of beers on draft, but I had a kellerbier. Actually, it was so good I had two.

The recently won a silver medal at the European Beer Star competition and were proudly displaying this banner.

I have to leave you with a picture of the mosaic in the entry way. My initials are FW so I have a particular fondness for this...

Down the street from Wagner is the other brewery Hummel.

Brauerei Hummel, Merkendorf

Since I had a bit of a trend going, I started with their kellerbier

Hoppy and refreshing. Just what I needed for the long (200 meter) ride from Brauerei Wagner.

Then things started to go downhill -- I noticed they had a Maibock on draft. I could pass that up, so I had one.

You could spend a while at Hummel -- they had nine beers on draft that day (with probably another nine in the bottles.)

Just stay away from the "Cowboy Schwarzbier" -- it is the only one I've had that I didn't like at all.

The Maibock took me a little longer to drink that I though, so now I was a little late for the 4pm opening. But I soon was there.

As the brewery is just getting started, Andy only had his kellerbier on draft.

But soon after Andy brought out of sample of his Zwickelbier which will be ready soon (Very tasty but a bit young still)

They have a nice garden there, which started to fill up after I took this picture.

Dinner was one of my favorites they brought along from Trabelsdorf, Schnitzel breaded in spent grains with a beer gravy and fried potatoes. Yum

I had lights on my bike but I don't like riding in the dark, so I passed on another beer and headed back to Bamberg. As I was passing Brauerei Göller in Drosendorf, I realized I had forgotten something very import -- a bit stop.

Since I used their facilities, I felt in only fair to have a beer. So I did.

It was a perfectly nice beer, but not quite up to the standards of Merkendorf or Strassgiech.

I continued on to Bamberg and when passed Schlenkerla the open door beckoned. I could not resist.

It was a much short ride than Tuesday -- only 20 miles round trip -- but the beer consumption was far higher. Eleven beers, including two bocks and not counting the nightcaps (plural) at Schlenkerla. A hard day but lots of fun.

Bamberg Day One -- A ride to Herrnsdorf and Back

2011-05-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

(Crossposted from www.TheMadBrewer.com)

There has been some recent discussion on the Franconia Beer Guide message board about Brauerei Barnikel in Herrnsdorf. I realized I hadn't been there for a while so I thought that would be a good first day ride.

I took off down the Regnitz bike path do Hirschaid, home of Brauerei Kraus. But they are closed on Tuesdays so no beer for me there. I then headed west up Ebrach valley to the village of Röbersdorf, home of Brauerei Weber.

Brauerei Weber, Röbersdorf

They had three beers on draft, a Hell, Dunkel and Rauchbier. I started with the Helles Lagerbier

Weber Lagerbier

I had ridden about 10 miles at this point so it tasted pretty good. After the first few sips (ok, gulps) I did notice a slight grainy astringency but it wasn't objectionable at all. I needed some food as well, but since it was 2pm they only had cold food. I ordered the Hausteller ("House platter") which usually is a selection of sliced meats and cheese with bread. This one was all meat.

Lunch -- the "House Platter"

The brewery tap has been recently (i.e. within the past 30 years) remodeled but they kept the flavor of a tradional gasthaus with lots of wood.

The bar at Weber

Before I was done with the Hausteller I had run out of beer so I ordered the Rauchbier. There was just a touch of smoke in it -- enough to notice it but not so much to scare you away if one didn't like smoke beer. It was cleaner that the Hell and more drinkable.

Weber Rauchbier

Since I had a ways to go yet, I didn't try the Dunkel -- maybe next trip.

A few miles down the road is Herrnsdorf, home of Brauerei Barnikel. They claim the brewery has been run by the same family since the early 1300's. I think have been a few liberties with the idea of "family" over the years, but it still is quite an impressive run.

Brauerei Barnikel, Herrnsdorf

They only had their Lagerbier on draft, so I had one.

Barnikel Lagerbier

There was a butterscotch note to the beer (caused by diacetyl, a fermentation byproduct). This is often caused by not lagering (cold conditioning) the beer long enough. It wasn't strong enough to make the beer undrinkable, but I couldn't drink too many of them.

Since that was the only draft beer and I still had to ride home, I got a bottle of the Rauchbier to go.

Bottle of Barnikel Rauchbier for later

Over the door they have this great sign

I love this sign "Last brewery before the Autobahn"

So I started back towards Bamberg. When I reached the Regnitz I decide to ride back up the other (west) bank. This took me thru Pettstadt where there is a lovely little bierkeller, Schauder's Keller.

Schrauders Keller, Pettstadt

They serve Löwenbräu Buttheim kellerbier. Since somebody invariable asks, no they do not have any connection with the more famous Löwenbräu of Munich. There are four or five breweries in Franconia alone that use the name "Löwenbräu."

Löwenbräu Buttenheim kellerbier from the barrel

This is a very rustic and traditional bierkeller. It sort of gives you a "summer camp" vibe -- only with great beer.

The beer stand

I had two beers and could have had a couple of more, but it still was a ways back to Bamberg -- and I had felt some sprinkles so I wanted to get back before it started raining.

With this route you ride thru the "Hain" district of Bamberg, which basically is a forest park. Along the way is the Bootshaus, the "Boat House" for the local rowing club. There also is a nice beer garden that is open during the warmer months. I needed to make a pit stop so I stopped for a beer. There is a lovely view of the Regnitz river.

View from the Bootshaus, Bamberg

They have beers from Brauerei Kundmüller in Weiher which is just to the west of Bamberg. They had the kellerbier on draft (Kundmüller also does a nice Rauchbier)

They serve Kundmüller Lagerview from Weiher

While I was drinking my beer, an 8 person scull came buy. It was some sort of training or class because a few of the people were clearly out of sync, but it was fun to watch anyway.

The kind of boats you find at the "Boat House"

As I got back into Bamberg proper I passed very close to Klosterbräu when I realized it was May and their Maibock would be served. In the past this has been one of my favorite beers. Sometime it is so good and drinkable you have three or four and only when you get up do you realize it is nearly 8%

Klosterbräu

They did have the Maibock. While it was good, it wasn't up to the high expectations I had from previous years. It may also have been that it was the end of a long day.

Klosterbräu Maibock

It is Spargel season (white asparagus) and they had a special Spargel menu. I started with the soup, which was very good.

Spargel Soup

I followed this up with a Schnitzel and Spargel combo -- Schnitzel, Spargel and Beer -- three of the most important food groups.

Schnitzel and Spargel

I was soon back at the apartment. It was a little over 30 miles, mostly flat but a few hills along the way. A good first day riding.

First Beer In Bamberg!

2011-05-17T02:10:00.000-07:00

(Cross posted at www.TheMadBrewer.com )

After a bus detour and an extra couple of train changes (the tracks were closed on one section of the route between Aschaffenburg and Lohr) I finally arrived in Bamberg.

After putting the bike together I went for a short test ride to make sure all the parts stayed attached. It was only a few km but I was in need of a beer so I stopped at Brauerei Spezial. It was as wonderful as ever.

Spezial Lagerbier

I hadn't had anything to eat since a quick sandwich while waiting for the train. I asked Helga, the waitress, for the menu. She said I had to wait another half hour or so but I should have the Schäuferla (pork shoulder) as it was especially good today. I asked to see the menu and she repeated "you want the Schäuferla." So I ordered it (you don't want to mess with Helga) and she was right.

Spezial Schäuferla

Another couple of beers with dinner and it was time to move on -- the jet lag was starting to kick in and it would be embarrassing to fall asleep at the table. So I headed back to towards my apartment but Schlenkera was on the way so I stopped in just for a quick quality inspection.

Schlenerla Märzen

With the first beer I was willing to give them a passing mark but I take my quality control duties seriously so I had a few more just to be sure. Before I realized it, it was 11pm and time for sleep.

Warning: Beer and Bike Trip Approaching

2011-05-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'm off to Germany with my trusty Bike Friday for 10 days or so of riding around Bamberg (weather permitting). While beer will be consumed it's more a bike trip than a beer trip so mostly I'll post over www.TheMadBrewer.com

Day Trip to Malmö, Sweden

2011-04-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

We took the train over the Øresund bridge over to Malmö, Sweden. We met a beer friend Lennart (and his friend Lars) but the bulk of our Malmö beerfriends had just left that day for a trip to the US.

We arrive a little early before our meeting place pub was open, so we walked around the town a bit.

The pub was called The Bishops Arms. Not very Swedish sounding, is it. Lots of British Cask Ales, a good selection of continental lagers and, of course, some Swedish beers.

It was getting on time for dinner. We walked thru town to another The Bishops Arms. Own by the same people but this one had a better kitchen, according to our friends. Also a bigger selection of beers.

Herring Appitizer

Salmon Dinner

Dessert

Day Two in Copenhagen

2011-04-10T01:46:00.000-07:00

A full day of drinking beer with some touristy stuff at the start.

We went to see the Little Mermaid. Not that we really wanted to see it, but that would be the first thing anybody asked us if we told them we had been to Copenhagen. It actually was a nice walk along the harbor, so it wasn't a total waste.

After the excitement of the Little Mermaid we needed a beer. We got on a bus towards the city center and the driver was not having a good day. He actually stalled the bus in the left turn lane once. The he totally ignored the "Stop" request and drove a couple blocks past the stop. A few other people wanted to get off when we did and they started yelling at the driver. Finally he pulled over in the middle of the block and let us off.

So we ended up a few blocks out of our way. We passed a restaurant with a nice outdoor patio. I noticed they were serving Brøckhouse beers so we decided to stop for lunch. We order one each of the Classic Lager and Pilsner.

The lager was pretty bland. The Pilsner was refreshing and had a nice hoppy finish.

It took us a while to get a menu and in the meantime the two guys at the table next to use received this large platter for food. There was what looked like roast pork, red cabbage some live pate and a bunch of other stuff. We found what we thought was that in the menu and ordered it.

After a bit our waitress came back with a platter, that had fried flounder and some pickled herring in sour cream and a basket of bread. OK, we must have pointed to the wrong thing but I hadn't had any herring yet so no big deal. The herring was wonderful, it practically melted in your mouth and on the heavy Danish rye bread it was a treat.

We finished the food and gulp down the last of our bills and I was trying to catch the eye of the waitress so we could pay, when she comes by with platter number 2, the one we had seen earlier. It turns out the fish was just the appetizer. Oops.

We now knew why we each had been give two sets of plates and silverware.

We struggled and managed to make respectable dent in the food but in the end it defeated us.

Heading on to our beer destination, the Lord Nelson Bar, we passed a number of these bicycle parking spaces. They were on the street where normally they'd be two car parking spaces. I can just imaging the uproar in LA if they started converting car parking to bicycle parking. Chaos in the streets!

If you are not paying close attention, you could easily miss the Lord Nelson, there is just a small sign and the pub itself is in the basement.

Lord Nelson is a interesting name for pub in Copenhagen, as Nelson pretty much wiped out the Danish fleet in a battle off Copenhagen in 1801. Sort of like naming your pub in Savannah, Georgia "The General Sherman."

The first beers we had was a Croocked Moona "The Blind Eye" -- a red rye ale, and a "Lord Neslon IPA" brewed for the pub by Herslev. Both were hoppy and good but the rye ale was the better of the two.

The pub itself is very tiny and has low ceilings with beams. The barmaid said the owner was going to name the place "Mind Your Head" but went with Lord Nelson as the more controversial name.

Next up was a Beer Here Black Cat black IPA and a Refsvindinge Ale 16, a brown ale. The brown ale was nice and malt and a nice change from all the hops. The Black Cat was nice but not my favorite of the style.

The huge lunch was still making us a bit lethargic, so we decided to walk a bit. On the way we passed a restaurant named "Kreuzberg." I stopped to check the menu to see if there was anything about the name when I noticed their beers were from Nørrebro Bryghus -- a local brewpub that was on the list if we had time. They had three beers on draft, so we order a small one of each.

Well, it turns out the "small" is .4 l (while the "large" is .6 l) so we had a bit more beer that we expected.
The three beers were Ravnsborg Red, Ceske Böhmer and Påskebryg, literally "Easter Brew"

The Ceske Bömer was misnamed. It was nothing like a Czech pils. It wasn't bad, just way too sweet not dry enough (under attenuated). The Red ale was a typical red ale and the Påskebryg was dark and strong and my favorite of the bunch. All three had common house character (from the yeast?) that you either liked or hated.

The restaurant had a decent bottle selection for a non-beer place. Westmalle, Rochefort, Anchor among the breweries represented.

We continued our walk and happened on this pub. We did not go in.

A pub we did not visit!

As we walked to our bus stop we passed a statue of Hans Christian Andersen. I figured he rated a photo.

Statue of Hans Christian Andersen

As we neared a major intersection there there was this interesting device next to the bike lane. As best we could figure out it counted the number of bikes passing by that day (3287) and the number since it was erected (658,641). A lot of bikes.

There was some construction were we thought our bus stop should be, so we had to detour around it and found ourselves in front of the Scottish Pub. It seemed work a look.

The only Scottish beer they had was Bellhaven St Andrews. Instead we had a "Carls Ale" -- on Carlsberg's line of "craft" beers, and a Tuborg Gold. The Carl's Ale was better than I expected and the Turborg wasn't that bad either -- a little on the bland side but well made.

The railing in from the of bar was attached with these interesting elephant designs. Leaves no doubt who owns the pub (or at least did own it)

We found our bus stop and in due time our bus came. In a few minutes we were in front of Plan B on Frederiksborggade.

They had 10 taps, 9 of which were "Danish" beers (the quotes are there because who knows where the Mikkeller one was brewed) and the tenth, Sam Adams Boston Lager.

They had the Beer Here Smokestack Porter I'd had the previous night so I got one for my Dad, I had the Beer Here Weed, a slightly smoked wheat beer. (Staying with the smoked theme). The weed was very lightly smoked and if fact if they didn't tell you, you might miss the smoke. The beer I didn't have was the Beer Here Tia Loca -- described as a cross between a Belgian and German wheat beer. Later I found out the label for the beer shows Hitler as Tintin. (Belgian/German). I guess the Danes really do like stirring up trouble.

Like all the pubs we've been to, it was fairly small -- cozy I'd guess you'd say. I liked my Dad's Smokestack so much I went back and got one for myself.

We continued walking up Frederiksborggade (though it changed name when we cross the canal) and so were at Ølbaren.

They had Mahrs Ungespundet from Bamberg so I had to have a mug of that. My dad had the Limfjords Porter that I had the night before. Both were delicious.

While we were sitting there a young lady came up and asked the bartender about it a beer -- the Green Flash West Coast IPA -- a regular of mine when at home. I told her it was a great beer but was very hoppy. "I like hops" she replied. Be still my heart!

While we drinking our beer, one of the bartenders -- Mads -- opened a beer for us to sample, Bierwerk Aardwolf, a coffee stout from South Africa. The brewer is from Denmark, though (which explains why they had it). It was a very nice coffee stout.

Bierwerk Aardwolf

It was time for another beer, so I had an Amager Kogsaa a barleywine. I can't tell you much about. I must of liked it because I finished it. I vaguely remember lots of malt.

As we were leaving Mads poured us another Bierwerk beer, Vlakvark, and Ordinary Bitter. Not the best beer to drink after a barleywine. It was pretty good, though. They used all South African malts and hops -- didn't know they grew hops in South Africa.

By now it was way past our bedtime. So back to the hotel to sleep. Tomorrow we go cross the channel to Malmö, Sweden -- just because.

Arrived in Copenhagen

2011-04-09T02:01:00.000-07:00

Our hotel room was ready so we thought we'd kill some time looking for a beer. One place I though opened early was Den Tatovevede Enke. We took a bus out to the area but had a hard time finding it -- it turns out to be in a little courtyard off the main street. Unfortunately my information was incorrect -- it didn't open unto 2pm.

Not far from Den Tatovevede Enke is a sandwich shop called Ida Davidson. It is listed in the book "1000 Places to See Before You Die" so we thought we'd check it out. It turns out lots of people want to see it before they die because a reservation is required.

Bicycles are everywhere. I like how this bike rack was just bolted to the side of the building.

We headed back to the hotel and were able to check in. After getting settled, we walked over to the Mikkeller Bar, which is about 3 blocks away. You really have to be looking for it, there is not any signage, just the name on the door.

Dried Sausage made with hops

My dad decided to call it a day. The sun had come out and I was feeling ok so I tool the bus up to Ølbaren, where a beer friend Jacob works.

First Beer in Copenhagen

2011-04-09T01:54:00.000-07:00

Its a Mikkeller Vesterbro Pilsner (on the right). My dad had the Vesterbro Wit. These beers are only available at the Mikkeller Bar. Vesterbro is the neighborhood around the bar.

On the plane to Copenhagen

2011-04-07T15:58:00.001-07:00

And I cant wait for that first beer. Why can't airlines have decent beer?

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Location:E 63rd St,,United States

Warning: Beer Trip Ahead

2011-04-06T22:02:00.001-07:00

In the morning I'm off for a quick trip to Copenhagen. I've never been there before and I am looking forward to trying lots of Danish beers. And yes, I'll have a Carlsberg.

Beer Fondue in Davos, Switzerland

2011-03-20T02:05:00.000-07:00

Went to Restaurant Kulm in Davos where they usually have the Monsteiner Huusbier on draft. I was (pleasantly) surprise to fine the Wätterguoge ("Salamander") instead. I've only had the Wätterguoge in the bottle and the draft was much better. It has a very slight smokey note and is about the closest thing to Spezial Lager that I have tasted. At least one of the brewers in Franconian trained so that may be no accident.

Monsteiner Wätterguoge

The beer fondue was also made with the Wätterguoge and was very good but it is hard to compare it to the Huusbier version I had last year, as the fondue recipe itself has changed (more herbs and other stuff in it this time).

Beer Fondue

Best Beer I Have Ever Had...

2011-03-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

... in Lichtenstein.

It is from Brauhaus Lichtenstein. It is a perfectly decent Helles. Some malt, clean finish and pretty refreshing. They also do a darkish wheat beer which I've yet to try.

And yes, the tag says "Switzerland" but the beer was paid for in Swiss Franks so I'll take it.

Bamberg the Final Day

2011-03-17T03:02:00.000-07:00

Note: I have to run to catch my train -- I'll finish the text as I can.

We decided to have our traditional bowl of soup and a beer (or two) for lunch at Spezial. I know I've posted pictures of this beer, but it's my favorite in town so you get some more...

Spezial Lager

There is a wonderful tradition in these parts that after having a beer or two you can order a "half beer" -- called "schnitt" (literally "cut"). This is usually half the price of a full beer (so it's a good deal) and if you are a good customer you may get a "good schnitt."

A Schnitt

On the way back we did some shopping and other errands. We passed by Schlenkerla for maybe the third or fourth time in the pass two days without going in. That could be taken as a sign of dis-respect, so we went in. They don't serve beer in anything smaller than a half liter but that was too much my Father so for a small fee I offered to drink half his beer for him. He accepted.

My father's Schlenkerla before I got to work on it.

When half was gone I bought a Fastenbier for myself. I'd make that deal any day of the week.

My Schlenkerla Fastenbier

The evening's plan was to head out to Strassgiech, where in the old Drei Kronen pub Andy and Manuela Gänstaller are opening a new place. Andy will brew the beer in the old Friedel brewery in Schnaid. Gerhard Schoolmann of Cafe Abseits offered to drive my father and I out for the "soft opening."

On the way, we passed near Merkendorf were Brauerei Hummel has recently added a Zwickelbier to their extensive lineup. So we had to try it.

Brauerei Hummel, Merkendorf

They have a quiet extensive list of beers. The five in the picture below doesn't include the Zwickel so they actually had six different beers on draft. Quite a lineup for a small rural brewery. And a word of advice -- avoid, at all costs, the "Cowboy Schwarzbier." You have been warned.

Draft choices

The bottle selection is also quite large. The Räucherator was hard to pass up but this was just a quick stop.

Bottle List

We all thought the Zwickel was a little clear for such a beer. It was good, though. Pretty close to the Kellerbier in flavor (which is in the small krug below)

Hummel Zwickelbier

I love these sayings you see all over Germany. This one, loosely translated is "If you seem someone eating, eat with him. If you see someone drinking, drink with him. If you see someone working, let him work."

A short car ride later we were in Strassgiech.

Day Five in Bamberg

2011-03-16T02:34:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was one of those days that was so nice I wish I had my brought my bike. We decided to head up the Kaulberg to Brauerei Greifenklau

Greifenklau

They have a very nice terrace out back with a great view...

Altenburg Castle from Greifenklau

A few years ago the beer was very inconsistent but is regularly pretty good these days and today was no exception.

Greifenklau Lager (take my word for it)

I had gotten a message from Hans-Ludwig Straub, the owner/brewer of Drei Kronen Memmelsdorf that he had a new Fastenbier, so we took the city bus (Line 7) out to Memmelsdorf.

Drei Kronen Memmelsdorf

The Fastenbier was tasty but very filling (which I guess is the purpose if you are fasting). I'd like a bit more bitterness but I say that for just about every beer around here.

Drei Kronen Fastenbier

For a second beer I had the standard (as opposed to seasonal) Keller Pils. Herr Straub came over while we were finishing the Fastenbier and told us that his daughter was now doing all the brewing except for the seasonals. I hope Herr Straub doesn't take this the wrong way, but I liked the Keller Pils more than in the past -- it was a bit crisper in the finish. I'd say the brewery is in good hands.

Drei Kronen Keller Pils

After catching the bus back to town, we rested a bit, caught up on email and scoured the web for news on the impending rail strike, then decided to walk up the hill to Spezial Keller for dinner and some beers.

Spezial Lagerbier at Spezi-Keller

The mugs and glasses all had new Spezial Keller logos (at least I don't remember them from last year but the memory is the first to go, somebody said)

New Spezial Keller logo

After a few beers we walked down the hill and paused part way at Stöhrenkeller to see what they had going. It was 9:30pm on a Tuesday night and the place was packed. So I guess business was good. We had a Keesmann Josefi Bock (their spring book) and the Eichhorn Kellerbier from Dörfleins (the glass says "Pils" -- ignore that). The Josefi bock was too drinkable, the half liter was gone in no time.

Eichhorn Kellerbier and Keesmann Josefi Bock

We had to pass by Schlenkerla on the way home but managed to resist a nightecap after our nightcap.

Day Four in Bamberg

2011-03-15T03:05:00.000-07:00

Just in case you think we were slacking Monday, not all the beers got their picture taken. Morning was laundry time and I didn't think anybody was interested in pictures of my laundry -- dirty or clean -- so I left the camera in the room. We ended up having lunch and couple of beers at Fässla so no pictures. Also, dinner was at Spezial and there were multiple Lagerbiers consumed but I figured pictures of one was enough.

After laundry and lunch -- where I did try the Fässla Lager -- it was slightly darker and maltier than the Pils and when it warmed up a bit there was a bit of diacetyl (buttery flavor) in the finish, which why I like the Pils more, we wandered over to Klosterbräu. It was fairly nice outside so we sat at the tables out front.

Klosterbräu

We had the Braunbier and the Schwärzla -- the two beers they still brew. Normally I find the Braunbier the better of the two but not today. There was a little something in the finish of the Braubier that made it not that enjoyable. The Schwärzla was very drinkable.

Braunbier and Schwärzla from Klosterbräu

We walked along the river and canal, just taking in the sights. Somehow we ended up at Spezial so we went in for a beer...

Spezial U and Lager

I had the U and my Dad the Lagerbier. The U is not as yeasty as the Mahrs U and I waffle back in forth as to which I prefer. I've decided it's which ever one I've had last.

Spezial Märzen

They also have a Märzen on draft, so in the interests of science we had one. It is much darker and maltier that the Lager I just not as enjoyable. So I had a couple more Lagers.

In this time we had dinner and it was getting late so we headed towards home. On the way we passed Schlenkerla and decided a nightcap was in order.

Schlenkerla Märzen

When we were finishing up Matthias Trum came by and he sat with us while I had a Fastenbier. Some news (don't know if it is a scoup) but they did a bottling of unfiltered Eiche, vintage dated, with the idea they will do each year and arrange multi-year vertical tastings. Sign me up!

Day Three in Bamberg -- The Day of the Bockbier

2011-03-14T01:14:00.000-07:00

It wasn't planned that way, but I ended up drinking four bock beers, all over (or very close) to 8%.

First stop, Cafe Abseits where I was happy to see the Schlenklerla Eiche was still on draft..

Schlenkerla Eiche and Witzgal Landbier

It was lunch time and that means a Schnitzel Sandwich.

Schnitzel Sandwich

Gerhard Schoolman joined us and brought out some beers he has been saving for beer tourists like us. First up was the Greiss Bock from nearby Geisfeld. Wonderfully hoppy.

Griess Bock

Next up was Mönchsamber Weihnachtsbock (Christmas bock). Much more on the malty side and very good. I am sorry I am going to miss the tapping of their new Weizenbock in a couple weeks.

By the way, check out this commercial they made as a test project (don't think it has ever been shown on TV)

After three bocks it was time for a walk, so we headed down to Mahrs Bräu, where another bock waited. On the way you pass Gaststätte Wunderburg which has a few interesting beers on draft, my favorite being the Wagner (Kemmern) Pils. They also have Stegauracher Hausbräu Lagerbier (though it is probably contract brewed at Brauerei Göller in Zeil am Main) and St. Georgen Kellerbier from Buttenheim. We didn't stop in for a beer though -- but you should next time you walk by.

Gaststätte Wunderburg

Soon we came to Mahrs Bräu

Mahrs Bräu

It was early for the U so my father had a Helles from the barrel and I had Der Weisse Bock (which is a bottled wheat bock). I found the helles a bit bland but the weizenbock was wonderful. Dark and malty with just a bit of spiciness from the wheat yeast. If I hadn't already had three bocks I would have had another.

Mahrs Helles and Der Weisse Bock

While we were waiting the U was tapped so I had to have one.

Mahrs "U"

It was time to think about dinner, so we stopped at Schlenkerla on the way home. We started in the with Märzen (instead of the Fastenbier). When you "ease" into the Märzen by starting with the Fastenbier the smoke isn't as intense, and I wanted the full "hit you over the head" experience.

Schlenkerla Märzen

I decided to go with the tradition Franconian Sunday Dinner: Schweinebraten with Wirsing and Kloss.

Dinner!

By that time I was ready for a nap so we headed back to the apartment where the plan was to open one of the special beers our landlord left for us. But the nap turned into the best nights sleep I've had this trip. Lots of bock bier and walking will do that to you, I guess.