Subjective ramblings about beer, pubs and associated topics

A beer list

Most restaurants won't bother to set up a beer list. They will try to get away witha boring lager, or perhaps in the case of ethnic restaurants a choice of a boring lager from the country connected with the cuisine and a boring lager from a major brand.

I just saw the online beer list from the Covent Garden Grill. I cannot give any judgement on their food, as I have never eaten there, but they certainly know how to present their beers.  With categories like "Light, Crisp and Thirst Quenching" and "Dark, Caramelised, Bitter & Creamy", you get a picture of what's on offer. Pricey compared to a pub, perhaps, but if you want to combine good beer with good dining htis might be the place.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 16:39 | link | comments
london, beer

Four from Freising

I have written at length over at A Good Beer Blog on my recent visit to Freising, Bavaria, which I won’t repeat here, I just wanted to add some notes on the beers I drank there.

All four, the Franziskaner Hefe Weisse, the Spaten Helles and the two beers from the Weihenstephan are featured in Roger Proz’ 300 Beers to try before you die book. Not bad for a lunchtime session without any specialist beer shop to pop into! But I do not feel that the Franziskaner and the Spaten beer were outstanding, at least not in their tap version. I have later tried the bottled version of the Franziskaner, which was more enjoyable, but not amazingly good, either. They may be good examples of their styles, but do not expect any sensational taste here.

The weisse and the pils from Weihenstephan, which claims to be the oldest brewery in the world, are in another class. Lots of aroma, and I would particularly recommend the pils if you come across it. I bought a souvenir pack with more of their beers, and will report on those as soon as I get around to tasting them. One point: All the references to monks and holy orders they use for these beers are historical connections - there are no monks involved in the brewing nowadays. Weihenstephan is owned by the State of Bavaria, as far as I know.

So, four more down from the 300 beers book, but I still have about 200 left!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:34 | link | comments
beer, german, pilsener

Two Italians. Or San Marinoans?

Two beers I bought with me from the Highlander pub in Parma the other week. Both are brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, but that does not stop them from having a lot of taste. Great Italians, - no wait a minute. Republic of San Marino, it says on the label. Micro brews from a micro state! I love these countries that makes Norway look like a major power. Andorra, Liechtenstein, Iceland ....

So, according to their web site, the Amarcord brewery has a range of four beers, all named after characters from Fellini movies. The two I brought home seem to be the most interesting.

La Tabachera has a lot of flavour kicking in from the first sip. A bit Belgian Ale, a bit like an IPA. Fruity taste, I would say peach and lots of sweet malt. A sour finish rather than bitter round out a mouthful of almost perfume aromas. 10% alcohol gives warmth, but I would say the half litre bottle size is a bit big for a beer this strong. But I love the retro bottle design, so it's all right, really!

The other one is a red beer - La Putena, which could be filed under "beers with naughty names" along with british beers like Sheepshagger. A red "double malt" - which I think is the Italian term for strong beers. Sour cherries is what i associate this with. Easier to drink than the previous one, but not as exciting. A very smooth and pleasant brew.

Their web site is still under construction, so it's not easy to see where these beers are available, but I spotted one of their bottles in a Parma supermarket as well.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 12:40 | link | comments
beer, italy

Pubs for ghosts

Thisislondon.co.uk has a list of haunted London pubs for Halloween in case you are in for that kind of treat. I think I will sit back and read a good back while sipping a few Italian beers tonight. I think I may fit in a London trip before Christmas . I'll have a look in my pub guides to do some planning.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 15:44 | link | comments
italy, beer, england

Carlsberg again

It is certainly not my plan to turn this into a Carlsberg blog, but there are reports in today's Danish papers that the Danish competition authorities are setting limits to what the big brewers can do in the domestic market. They fear that smaller brewers are being squeezed out. The measures include:

• Contracts can be cancelled at three month's notice, not five years(!) as today.
• There should ba ample space at the bar for beer pumps from other breweries
• The pubs/restaurants can buy the beer pumps after five years at 18% of the price for new ones.

There are also strong limitations for how much of the sponsorhip market Carlsberg can take.

When you add the explosive growth of new breweries, I think the Danish consumers have a reason to be optimistic.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:24 | link | comments
beer, carlsberg, denmark

Some short notes on three of the Danish premium brews I picked up in Copenhagen recently. One could say they are from three micros, but as one is from Carlsberg, that is stretching it a bit! I read recently that these beers now account for 10% of the sales of beer in one of the biggest supermarket chains in Denmark. When one bottle of premium beer selling for the same as a crate of discount beer, it is easy to understand that the shops are eager to promote higher quality, and the consumers are following this up by seeking out the new brews. The imports available in the shops are more interesting than the Coronas and Red Stripes, too.

First Gold IPA from Carlsberg’s Semper Ardens range is a nice IPA. Moderate malt taste, some hops that give some pine aroma as well as bitterness. When you look at the hype, however, you could be led to expect that this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Carlsberg are really rolling it out for this one, with slogans like "the brewmaster's dream", even attaching a booklett to the bottle explaing the process and the ingredients. So I would have loved to say that this was a fantastic beer, but it isn’t. A nice beer, but not a great one.

The second is Brøckhouse Blonde. The appearance is rather brown than blonde. I tried the draft version recently, and I recall that as slightly better than the bottled ale. Heavy malt taste. It tries to recreate a Belgian blonde, but I’d rather have a Duvel, thank you. Or a Brøckhouse Rød, which was really an outstanding beer. 

The best of the three was Fur Ale, with lots of fruity malt and flowery hops. Subtle, not strong, with enough bitterness from the hops in the finish. A little yeast in the aftertaste was rather pleasant, too.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 21:38 | link | comments (2)
beer, carlsberg, denmark, microbreweries

Carls Porter

Sometimes I say nice things about the big brewers, too - when they get it right. This is one of those occations, Carls Porter from Carlsberg, Copenhagen. I don't know if they brew this at other of thir plants, but I doubt it.

The head reminds me of milk chocolate, and the first sip brings aromas of dark toast. Pitch black as a porter should be. Both sweetness and bitterness in the brew, and a fruity taste - cherries play along with the roasted, almost burned malt. Liquorize it says on the label. Definitely. 7,8%, and makes full use of that to extract all the goodies.

You can get this on tap in the more rustic pubs in Copenhagen, and try it if you are passing by. The flavour is probably more stable in the bottled version, but the atmosphere in the places where they put away enough of this to have it available on tap is special!

One more in Protz' 300 beers book, and a worthy entry.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 22:28 | link | comments
beer, carlsberg, denmark

From far away

A good collegue was kind enough to bring me this bottle of Castle Lager all the way from South Africa. It has a nice malt taste with bitter hops in the finish, which linger a bit in the mouth. A perfectly OK lager - a Summer beer, I would say.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 18:48 | link | comments
beer, south africa

New beers in Sweden

Dagens Nyheter in Sweden is one of the few Scandinavian dailies with regular beer reviews. They have gone through the new beers in the October list from Systembolaget, and observes the fact that more mid-price lagers with medium bitterness is not exactly what was needed. Among the new lagers available a Brooklyn Lager stands out as the best.

Better then a few new ales - Traquair House Ale from Scotland (which seems to be getting a wide distribution, I picked up a bottle in Italy recently) or an India Ale from Swedish micro Karl Oscars bryggeri.

Not much to write home about, then, but luckily the Scandinavian Christmas brews are here in a few weeks!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:56 | link | comments (2)
beer, sweden

Beer for Halloween

I fell for this Kronenbourg ad in their newsletter. Without saying anything about their beers, I certainly like their design!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:22 | link | comments
beer, france

A few beers in Bratislava

The capital of the Habsburgs for centuries, then reduced by wars and barbed wire to a provincial city, Bratislava has awakened from its slumber. A bustling city centre where, house by house, the old quarters are restored to their former beauty. Shops are crammed with food and other consumer goods, but there are also beggars in the streets and old ladies peddling apples and walnuts showing that prosperity has not reached everyone yet.

The Slovaks have been overshadowed by their Czech brothers in most aspects, including their beer. They are coming into their own, and it well worth checking out the scene, particularly as Bratislava is only an hour or so from Vienna and it’s not much of a detour from Budapest, either. In summer you can travel in style on a boat on the Danube, if you wish.

So, what about watering holes? It does not look much has survived from the period before the velvet revolution. The restaurant in my hotel was very much East Bloc-1970ish, but apart from that most of the places seem to be post-communist, even if some of them are in old houses. The Slovak Pub was recommended on the web, located in an old house with creaky floorboards and filled with nooks and crannies. They seem to aim mostly at students, who dominated the place when I was there. No noisy music, a menu well tailored to beer drinking (lots of dumplings and pasta) and very low prices for a foreigner. You don’t pay many cents (Euro or dollars) for a glass of beer. They have a range of beers on tap, but they only had pilsners on when I was there on a Sunday evening. They were perfectly all right, both the Topvar 12 and the Zlaty Bazant 12, very similar to Czech pils, but I was looking for something more challenging. Better then to take a stroll and see if I could find something else.

Sparx is an old beer hall that has been spruced up in a nice way. Quiet at lunchtime, I suppose this is bustling in the evening. www.sparx.sk. A nice glass of the dark version of Golden Pheasant (Zlaty Bazant. Smells faintly of tasted malt. A little hoppy bitterness but it is rather sweet, almost syrupy. Coca-cola colour.

The best beer I drank in Bratislava vas a dark Corgon, with more aroma than the other beers I tried. But the supermarkets had a good selection, so I brought some home to try at my leisure. I will keep you posted!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 19:07 | link | comments
beer, pilsener, slovakia

Free beer in London

According to thisislondon.co.uk, the pub chain All Bar One is having free tastings of a range of European beers over the coming week. Every afternoon you can sample beers from Austria, Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Czech Republic. Look like a good deal to me - I tried to google for their web site, but they do not seem to have any!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:47 | link | comments
italy, beer, german, belgium

A new way of marketing beer

You have seen it all over the world, I assume. The kids refuse to leave the supermarket before they get a comic. Not because of the comic itself, but because of the cheap toy that is enclosed (and that will fall apart within minutes anyway!) The magazines for teenagers have all sorts of trinkets enclosed, the women's glossies have the first volume of a new serial novel.

Well, in Bratislava, they have one for the lads as well. In the current issue of Breik magazine, you get a can of beer thrown in. Sure, it is without alcohol, but it is certainly a start. This would really be the thing for the UK laddie magazines like Loaded! But wait, there is more inside the plastic. What is this? A packet of hangover pills. Clinically tested, I think it says in Slovak. Something like "as used by the KGB" as well, and around here they should know. What more could you possibly need? The magazine itself is rather sober, with the girls inside all having their clothes on, with articles on cars, travel and the usual stuff.

I'll get back to you about the hangover pills. The beer? Rather sweet and malty, some more hops would have done the trick.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 09:39 | link | comments
alcohol free, slovakia

Quite a few

Here is what I have managed to drag home over the last few weeks. No wonder my back hurts!

Italian and Danish micros, some Bavarian beers that are not pils or hefeweisse, some dunkels from The Slovak Republic and a few oddities.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 12:29 | link | comments
italy, beer, denmark, microbreweries, slovakia

An airport brew

If you find yourself stuck in an international airport for a few hours, you usually find a lounge or a pricey bar, but in Flughafen Frans-Josef Strauss in Munich they have an alternative - there is a brewpub in the huge public space between the two terminals of the airport. The Airbräu serves a lager and a hefe weisse, and even has a beer garden outside for for warm days. They have their own newspaper showing a wide range of entertainment, and seem to aim at airport employees as well as travellers. That makes sense in a complex as big as this.

I tasted a Kumulus, the wheat beer, and it was pleasant enough, but really not outside the ordinary.  I applaud the effort, but my advice would be to have a beer or two which is a bit more challenging than this.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 12:45 | link | comments
beer, german, microbreweries

Back soon!

No time to update, as I'm off to Bavaria and Slovakia at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Expect lots of updates from Wednesday on - until then go and have a beer!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 18:15 | link | comments

Buonasera!

Parma, Italy. Located on the plain between Milan and Bologna, this is the centre of the agro-industry of Northern Italy and home to world famous delicacies like Parma ham and Parmesan cheese. A nice city centre where you can have your pick of operas and concerts, exclusive shops with clothes and perfume and a fair selection of cafes and restaurants. A particularly pleasant bargain was having a haircut in an old-fashioned barbershop where the service is like it was when I was a kid.

But is there any good beer to be found? I checked a few supermarkets, and there was a quite good selection of British, Belgian, German and even French beers, even rare beers like the Scottish Tranquair ales. There were not many Italian beers, however, and most of them were pale lagers.

The beer selection in the cafes is not too impressive, either. There are exceptions where they have interesting brews like the amber Birra Menabrea on tap, but generally what you get is lager.

Better then to take a stroll through the cobbled back streets to the Highlander, who has a fairly long beer list on their web site (in Italian). I was greeted by a very friendly staff, with first one of the customers helping me to communicate and later one of the barmen translating for the proprietor.

A friendly bar crammed with beer paraphernalia, they have a very impressive selection of imported beers, and for the train spotters among us even a few from countries like Cuba and Argentina. Most of the great Belgians, wheat beers from Germany, good English bitters.

From what I gathered, the beer interest in Italy is growing, with some micros starting brewing what they call Birra Artigianale. I tried an award-winning lager first, from the Menabrea brewery, which was not too interesting compared to their amber beer. Much better was an Ambre from the Panil micro in the Parma region. Similar to an Abbey ale from the low countries, this was an interesting brew.  Almost orange colour. Sour like some Belgian beers, but with a particular edge, I would say sour/salt like pickles, almost. Intriguing.

I had other business to attend to, but I left with a carrier bag full of other Italian beers and a promise to return next year. The smell from their food counter was delicious, so I will try that next time as well. I will come back to the other Italian beers over the next weeks.

A welcoming tavern in a nice town, a few obscure beers and someone proud of their trade who do their best to overcome the language barrier. What more can you ask for?

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:10 | link | comments (2)
italy, beer, pubs

Mighty Danish micro

I was very impressed with the selection of craft beer aboard the Oslo-Copenhagen ferry last week. The first one I tried was a bottle of Brøckhouse Rød. Brewed with Munchener malt, and claims to be like an old-fashioned Danish Bayer (i.e. Munchener). Smells of roasted malt, full taste, splenid hoppy finish. A great beer, but hard to categorize. It could pass for an English bitter, with the hops giving fuuitiness as well as bitterness. Splendid with mature cheese!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 10:52 | link | comments
denmark, microbreweries

Easy on the grappa!

It is off to Italy in the morning - wondering about the beer scene. I'm sure there are a few brews worth mentioning.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 21:31 | link | comments

More beers available in Norway?

I sent an e-mail to Vinmonopolet, the state liquor store chain in Norway which has a monopoly on beer stronger than 4,8% (as well as wine and liquor), asking them if it was an idea to give more self space to beer. Their answer is that it is not economically feasible to extend the range of beer, as they sell very small amounts.

There is some light on the horizon, however, with a specialized shop opening at Briskeby in Oslo in November, where they plan to have a broader range of beer. But there is no reason to expect a range as boad as in this picture (at the Pitfiled Beer Shop in London).

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:52 | link | comments (4)
beer, norway

Nøgne ø and Larsblog

Lots of interesting information (in Norwegian) on the "Venner av Nøgne ø" web site. As I am going to Copenhagen by ferry this weekend, I was happy to read that there are beers on board both from the Danish micro Brøckhouse and from Carlsbergs micro Husbryggeriet Jacobsen.

Lars Marius Garshol has started a beer blog (in English), where there are actually discussions taking place (which is more than I can claim on this blog!).  Good articles on beer in Franconia, and I hope there is more to come.

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:00 | link | comments
beer, german, norway, nøgne ø

A sweet-and-sour pint, anyone?

I am amazed on the length some people are going to make beer taste like - anything but beer. The latest news reports tell us about a Mexican drink called michelada — beer served with lime juice, assorted sweet-and-sour spices, chili pepper, ice and a salted rim. This has apparently been a best seller in Mexico for years, and now they have high hopes for the US market. I think I will pass on this one, as I have commented on the German beer/cola mixture earlier. But do not be surprised if this fad comes to your town as well. You have been warned!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 22:54 | link | comments
beer

Three Scots (one of them great!)

I bought three beers from the small Scottish brewery Traquair in London this summer, and tried the first, Bear Ale, some weeks ago.From my notes at the time: Smoky flavour, hoppy aftertaste. Fermented in old oak barrels. Interesting, but not more than that.I postphoned the other two until recently.

Lairds Liquour is described on the label as a "rich dark ale with a hint of liquorice ferfect for winter evenings and plotting rebellion". Maybe. It has a rich toasted aroma and a warming feeling. A sour finish which is really pleasant. I would say that this ale is closely related to a stout or a porter. It is good, but not great. The elements of taste are nuances rather then the relevations of flavour I expect in a really great ale.

Luckily these revelations are to be found in the Jacobite ale. This was the real thing - a really outstanding ale. Roasted malt, a hint of smoke, some aniseed, too. Warming like a shot of whisky or a glass of port. Bittersweet, rich and malty. The hops are hard to identify, but they are there balancing the brew. I wouldn't want many at one sitting, but this ale has entered my top 20. Alcohol content of 8%, and this is needed to carry the maximum flavour. Hard to classify, this, but it is definitely a beer for grownups.

Some are very enthusiastic about visiting this brewery, but the correspondent for the magazine of the Danish beer enthusiasts felt that it was one of the low points of an extensive tour of Scotland. That may be, but please try the ale! Btw, Roger Protz has a fourth beer from the same brewery in his 300 beers book.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 20:10 | link | comments
beer, scotland

Discount beers give micros shelf access

It is interesting to note that the owner of a Danish micro on the island of Bornholm is not too worried about the competition from the big brewers. Tim Stender from Svaneke Bryghus points out in an interview with the business daily Børsen that no supermarkets earn money on selling crates of discount beer for 100 Danish kroner. This makes it more interesting for the retailers to promote more specialized beers - and that makes it possible for the micros to get their products on the shelves. Mr. Stender had planned to sell most of his beer as draft, with bottles being more or less souvernirs, but it has turned out that he nows sells far more bottled beer, as it is available in specialized beer shops and supermarkets across the country.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 23:09 | link | comments
beer, denmark, microbreweries

Mallaskosken Kuohu IV

The can fooled me into thinking this was another strong lager. This was a dark red beer with a rather sweet taste, not unlike the home made non-alcoholic beverage my mother used to brew for Christmas. I suspect we are on to a traditional beer type here, like the ones drunk after a hard days work. But what do I know - all the information on the brewery's web site is in Finnish. Tastes of prunes and raisins. Alko's web site says it has hoppy bitterness, while I could not detect much of that. An unususal beer, which you should try if you come across it. One can is enogh, though. The brewers are the ones with the Leningrad Cowboys beer brand, by the way.

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 12:22 | link | comments (2)
beer, brewers, finland