Subjective ramblings about beer, pubs and associated topics

Pubs with a real history

CAMRA has researched many of the pubs claiming to have played an important role in historical events. Many of these claims are without substance, but they have found 14 pubs who will be the first to be awarded a specially designed Pubs in Time plaque.

CAMRA Research and Information Manager Iain Loe said: “No-one would believe how much nonsense and mythology there is around pub history. Even the celebrated dispute over which pub the Great Train Robbery was planned in turns out to be fiction – the robbery was planned in a safe house in Oxfordshire.“

The great poet John Dryden was supposedly nearly killed in an alleyway next to one London pub, but CAMRA discovered the alley was not built until 71 years after his death.

“The second issue is the number of pubs of historical significance that have been either demolished or converted to restaurants. For example, The Roebuck in London ’s King’s Road where Johnny Rotten auditioned for the Sex Pistols is now a restaurant.”

Among the 14 is the Eagle in Cambridge. On February 28, 1953, Francis Crick and James Watson made the first public announcement of the discovery of DNA with the words “We have discovered the secret of life” Throughout their early partnership Watson and Crick dined in the pub on six days every week.

Read the whole story on the CAMRA web site.

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:23 | link | comments
beer, england, pubs

No gold medal

I took this picture before the Winter Olympics, intending to blog about Italian beer for the occation. While I have been enthusiastic about the Panil beers, most of the other Italians are boring. According to the label, this Gran Riserva from Peroni should be something more. I am afraid it is not - just another malty strong lager. But the photo was so nice I had to use it. I men, this is beer porn, so I cannot go for quality every time! I intend to have a more enthusiastic post tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 21:29 | link | comments (1)
italy, beer

Pleasant company and a religious insult

Despite the fact that I am blogging about beer on a more or less daily basis, I rarely visit the pubs of Oslo. The last week I have been out drinking twice, both with people I have met through this blog. First I had a few beers with Maria from St. Petersburg, who travels to Oslo once in a while and wanted some information on beers and watering holes. We met at Bar & Cigar, and the landlord gave us a bottle of the #100 from Nøgne ø, which he had stored in his cellar for a year. A very pleasant beer, which reminded me of English old ales with notes of sherry and dried fruit. A bit more hops, and this would probably be on top of the list of Norwegian beers. Pleasant company and - a rare breed around here - a bar owner who actually cares for what he serves.

Last night I met with Gunnar and Yngvar from Venner av Nøgne ø  (the "fan club" for the brewery) for a pub crawl here in Oslo. Our most interesting find was the Ardenne Blonde from Haandbryggeriet, available at Beer Palace.  A few good beers at Oslo Mikrobryggeri, too, while a visit to Lorry showed that this place is not very interesting to beer lovers any more. They have not updated their beer list in ages, and it is mostly bland lagers. It was interesting to note that several beer enthusiasts came over to out table to chat when they saw the Nøgne ø t-shirts Gunnar and Yngvar were wearing.

Nice meeting all of you. Other blog readers passing through? I will try to fit you into my schedule!

There is a tendency to avoid religious jokes of all kinds at the moment, but we can't give in to the pressure. The closest we Lutherans come to a prophet is naturally Martin Luther, and the Prairie Home Companion have come up with those beer glasses with appropriate quotes. All hate mail to be sent directly to Lake Wobegon, please.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 09:46 | link | comments (1)
beer, norway, haandbryggeriet

Sometimes the package designers get too much to drink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 10:58 | link | comments (2)
beer

Back to the Highlander

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 10:30 | link | comments (2)
italy, beer, microbreweries

Some Riesling with your popcorn, mate?

It seems like the Germans have messed up things rather badly by giving the beer franchise for the upcoming soccer World Cup to the King of Beers, instead of using this golden opportunity to promote German brews in all its variety and splendor.

According to the Economist, they are trying to remedy this by using the event to promote German wine. They are very welcome to try, but I'd rather have a weisse.

Here is the article (only available online for a fee):

Wine could replace beer as the staple German drink this summer if the German Wine Institute (DWI) gets its way. The DWI has secured exclusive rights for more than 50 of its members to sell wine in German stadiums and VIP lounges during football's World Cup later this summer. German brewers, to the chagrin of many, failed to secure the beer franchise, which the organisers, FIFA, sold to Anheuser-Busch, the American brewers responsible for Budweiser, for a reported €40m ($47.6m).

German winegrowers see the football tournament as an unparalleled opportunity to smash the country's beer-hall stereotype—and restore the fading fortunes of German winemakers. To ease the transition from grain to grape, the wine institute believes it has found a perfect and readily available gastronomic companion: the Bavarian Weisswurst, a rubbery white sausage usually drowned in sweet mustard. What could be better to replace the usual accompanying tipple of murky wheat beer than a glass of tart, delicious Riesling? Klaus Schaller, director of a world-famous wine research institute at Geisenheim in the Rheingau, insists that the blend of mustard, wurst and wine tastes good.

The combination was first introduced by a football team of winemakers last June, on the eve of a match in Munich against a team of gourmet chefs. It met with considerable acclaim. But it remains to be seen whether wine and Weisswurst will impress the full spectrum of football enthusiasts, from head of state to hooligan.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 07:57 | link | comments (2)
beer, german

Stout is struggling in Ireland

The heartland of stout is increasingly switching to lager, according to new figures. Stout experienced a decline for the same period of 5% and now commands a 38% share of the beer market in Ireland. It does not take genius to see that this is hurting Guinness the most. Heineken is increasing its market share to more than 20%.

When you look at the beers on offer in most Dublin pubs, an obvious possibility is to widen the range of beers on offer. When stout is more or less synonymous with Guinness, you are very vulnerable to changes in drinking habits. And no, extra cold varieties and widgets in cans is not going to help much. What about a range of premium porters, using the Guinness trade mark for something more challenging? They don't have to travel far, the Porter House brewpub is right down there in Temple Bar and I'm sure they can give them a hint or two. Or they can ask CAMRA - they have come up with the illustration on the right to help drinkers to get an idea about the characters of various beers.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 10:25 | link | comments (1)
beer, ireland, stout, porter

Swedish revelations

I tried two amazing beers from the Swedish micro Nynäshamns Ångbryggeri the other day. Nynäshamn is a small town half an hour away from Stockholm, which in the summer is an excellent starting point for exploring the surrounding archipelago, starting with stocking up on the local seafood. Out of season it’s not been too thrilling, but they now have one of the best micro breweries in Sweden. Some of their beers find their way into the best Stockholm pubs like the Mackinlay’s Inn.

I had the pleasure to try a pint of Smörpundet Porter (Named after a small island shaped like a lump of butter). Full head, the foam boasts of coffee, liquorice and burned toast. Pitch dark. It has a full rich taste, with fruity tones balancing the toasted aromas. Bitter and slightly burned aftertaste. Great!

Their Indianviken Pale Ale is more towards a mild Pale Ale than a super dry IPA. Full of flowers and perfume, a pleasant hoppy aftertaste just as it should be.

Two outstanding ales from this micro, which really should make the move towards bottling and wider distribution of their brews. This is beer that deserves a wider audience!

The Mackinlay’s Inn has lots of other micro beers available, too, and their food can also be recommended. I was amazed on the range of beers on tap, but the waiter assured me that the turnover is large enough to warrant it. Some of these ales, like the Smörpundet Porter, is only available a few times a year, and the rumour about the availability spreads fast. The next time I am in Stockholm I’m likely to spend the whole evening there. And it is easy to find, right outside a subway station.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 15:43 | link | comments (2)
beer, sweden, microbreweries

Carlsberg to stop brewing in Copenhagen

No, it's not the Danish micros that has brought the giant down to its knees, but rather that they are moving their brewing operation to the town of Fredericia. I assume that the prices thay can get for the Copenhagen real estate will be astronomical. The visitor's centre and the Jacobsen speciality brewing will stay where they are - there are strong limitations on what they can do with the historical buildings.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 10:11 | link | comments
beer, carlsberg

Report from Sweden

I'll be back with full reports in a day or two, just a few words to say that the Swedish beer scene is thriving with some really great brews available. There are micros who have much more to offer than boring lagers, and there are pubs willing to offer it to the customers. I had an amazing porter yesterday. I think we are just seing the beginning of the beer revolution!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 08:22 | link | comments (1)
beer, sweden

Dinkel, not dunkel. Dummkopf!

Two of the certified organic beers bought at Frankfurt airport the other week, both from Neumarkter:

First the Lammsbräu Dinkel. Dinkel is a wheat variety. The beer has a rich wheat smell and a full weisse flavour. Oranges and dry apples, nice hoppy finish. They even draw the water from their own well, if I am to believe the label. An outstanding wheat, sorry, dinkel, beer.

Their Urstoff Helles is a helles all right, but this is not a beer type I am too enthusiastic about in the first place. So, my very subjective verdict is: boring.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 23:44 | link | comments (3)
beer, german

Crowded pavements

It used to be more difficult to find out which pubs and bars were the most popular. It’s getting easier all across Europe . During opening hours, you’ll see the customers and staff standing outside smoking because of the ban on smoking inside the pub. And when they are closed, you see all the cigarette butts.

This has happened in Scandinavia, in Ireland, in Italy and now in the United Kingdom. To quote the Independent:

Smoking will be outlawed in 124,000 pubs and clubs across from next summer, after MPs voted overwhelmingly to ban lighting up in all enclosed public places. Tony Blair and 12 of his Cabinet colleagues were accused of a U-turn after abandoning Labour's manifesto commitment. In a historic free vote, MPs threw out an "unworkable" compromise on which Tony Blair fought the general election, namely, the commitment to allow smoking to continue in pubs that do not serve food. Slapping down that compromise, the MPs voted for all pubs to be included in the ban, by 453 votes to 125 ­ a majority of 328. They then decisively threw out a last-minute proposal to exempt private members' clubs by 384 to 184 ­ a majority of 200 ­ voting again for a complete ban.

 

The vote, warmly welcomed by health groups, brings into line with and . Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, was accused of a U-turn after backing a total ban just hours after hinting that she would support the exemption of private clubs. Gordon Brown, Charles Clarke, Peter Hain, Ian McCartney, Margaret Beckett and David Miliband were among the Cabinet ministers voting for a full ban, as did Tony Blair. But six of their colleagues, including John Reid, John Prescott, John Hutton, Tessa Jowell and Ruth Kelly, backed a compromise aimed at allowing smoking to continue in not-for-profit clubs such as working men’s' clubs and the Royal British Legion.

The vote means an end to the "pint and fag" culture of the local pub and the smoke-filled rooms of 18,000 private members' clubs.

 In Scotland a ban will apply from 26 March this year. The Welsh assembly will also discuss a ban, which will not come into effect until next year.

Who's next? My advice is either to quit smoking or to buy some warm underwear. The first option has the extra advantage that the beer tastes better!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:07 | link | comments
beer, england, smoking

Ringnes again

I promise I won't bother you much more about the new Norwegian Ringnes range, just an observation to add to my earlier thoughts. The concept of having parallel beers of full strength and with lower alcohol content is something they have learned from their collegues in Sweden, Pripps. They have done this for years. In Sweden you will often have one premium strength beer only to be found in the state monopoly stores (and in pubs), one watered down at 3,5% that is sold in supermarkets and then, and here is the trick, a low alcohol version which may not sell many bottles or cans, but which you can run commercials for. Prippes Blue is the main example - they had the bulk of the market for ages.

They had to modify the concept in Norway, where the legislation does not allow for running commercials using the same brand name as a beer with alcohol. But when they slap on the "Munkholm" label instead on Ringnes, they can run billboards, television ads and what have you without interference. Does the competition have resources to do this? Nope.

In this blog post, the picture is an integrated part what's on my mind. Sometimes I use photos more to decorate. I will reduce the size of the photos a bit  - I've had some complaints. But, at the same time, this is also a beer porn site. So the photos will stay!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 17:24 | link | comments (3)
beer, ringnes, oslo

Airport refreshment

As even the big airlines are cutting back on the food, drinks and service on their flights, we passengers have to rely on the airport watering holes to get through the day. Often the choice is either lobster in the seafood bar - beyond most budgets - or sandwiches of variable quality. The beers on offer are usually the same boring lagers.

An example for others to follow is this snack at Linate Airport in Milan. A Schöffenhofer Hefeweisse with a delicious grilled sandwich with cured ham, mozarella and basil. Then I could politely refuse the stale cheese roll from Lufthansa an hour later!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 15:19 | link | comments (4)
italy, beer, german

It's all gone organic

As I told you I had a stopover in Frankfurt Airport the other week. It turned out to be shorter than I had hoped for - due to late incoming aircraft we regret to announce that.., but I managed to visit the supermarket down in the sub-basement. I had seen reports that this was well stocked with all the famous German beer styles, but I found that it is in fact an organic or "ecological" supermarket - and that goes for the beer selection as well. So, instead of kölsch and alt I had to make do with with variations on wheat beer and pilsneners. More on the contents in the bottles to follow.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:34 | link | comments

New Norwegian brewer

There is an article in today's Aftenposten about the new brewery established in Atna - a small place in the forest in Eastern Norway. (Note to Non-Norwegians: I doubt you'll find it on a map!) They are launching their beers next week - I'll see if I can find my way to the food and drink fair where thay are promoting it. The article mentions a wheat beer and a brown ale - not the monst innovative, perhaps, but we'll see. They have plans for seasonal beers, too. I wish them the best of luck. The big advantage for them and other micros is that the lager boys in Ringnes never get around to brewing any intereresting beers despite their resources.

I think the next step for the small Norwegian brewers is to set up a distribution network to make sure theri beers are available in symphatetic pubs and shops. It's been months, for example, since I saw any Nøgne ø beers in the Centra supermarkets, and the shelves are now filled with the toothpaste flavoured offers from Ringnes...

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 12:21 | link | comments
beer, norway, microbreweries, atna

"...want to keep their wits about them ..."

According to the Indy, Guinness is launching a new version on their home market with reduced alcohol content.

The company promises that the new tipple, called Guinness Mid-Strength, is identical in every way to traditional Guinness, except that its alcohol content is significantly lower - 2.8 per cent rather than the regular 4.2 per cent.

The brewery says it is a new Guinness for a new age in which Irish men want to drink but also want to keep their wits about them for more hectic and exacting lifestyles.

They will test market this liquid in Limerick soon, but I am sure it will eventually turn up in a pub near you. Served at freezing temperature.

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:51 | link | comments
beer, ireland

Nethergate Umbel Ale

So, since I keep whining about the big brewers - what could they come up with, within the confiens of the 4,75% alcohol level permitted in Norwegian supermarkets?

I think they could look to Britain, where most beer are well below that limit. Something like the Nethergate Umbel Ale, perhaps? I had this on tap in Oxford, and bought a bottle home with me from the Real Ale shop. Brewed with whole leaf hops (both Challenger and Fuggles), Maris Otter and Crystal malst, it clocks in at 3,8%. And then there is the twist - they have added some coriander, which leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Soapy is the adjective that covers it best, but not soapy in a negative way. This beer should be able to cope with a curry - but if you ask me, they could have thrown in another handful of Fuggles.

I am sure Ringnes will not pick up on this, but it could be something for a Norwegian micro, perhaps? And I will surely look for more Nethergate beers the next time I'm in England- they have a porter as well.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 09:22 | link | comments
beer, england

Three wheat beers

The most interesting beers from the Ringnes launch were two wheat beers, one Weiss at 4,5%, the other Munkholm Hvete , the alcohol free version. I picked an acquisition from Germany, Maisel’s Weisse, to have something to compare them with.

The Maisel first. It is a hefe, which means it is unfiltered with yeast particles in the beer. It has 5,4% alcohol and the appropriate cloudy peach colour. It smells of hay, flowers and a little yeast – a bottled Bavarian summer’s day!

It does not have a very strong aroma, but it has the proper citrus tang and the finish of wheat grain combined with the yeast particles. More for midsummer than for midwinter, perhaps, but a very good ‘un.

 

The appearance of the Ringnes Weiss is very similar, but it smells of chemicals. It has a much lighter taste. Some lemony freshness and some hoppy finish, but not in any way outstanding.  It claims to be unfiltered, “like a German weisse”, and it is cloudy, but I can not detect any yeast particles in it.

At this price, it is actually a welcome addition to the range in Norwegian supermarkets. I’ll test it with a Mack wheat beer later in the year.

The Munkholm Hvete is slightly paler and – rather obvious for a beer without alcohol – with no yeast. So there are other particles floating around – they probably buy them by the ton! The label even states it has added unspecified aroma – a first when you don’t count lemon or spices as far as I know. Whatever beer aroma they have tried to put in, there is another ingredient on the label that dominates in the taste – lactic acid.  Ugh!

I poured it down the sink!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 10:21 | link | comments
beer, norway, ringnes

Why nine new beers is a mixed blessing

Norwegian brewers Ringnes ( a Carlsberg affiliate) are showing their muscles in the domestic market. The other week they launched nine new beers in addition to a dozen varieties of soft drinks and flavoured water.

One of the beers is a (slightly watered down) version of the Bramley Wit from Jacobsen, the micro run by Carlsberg. I look forward to this, although they are charging a premium price for the brew. They also have a bottled and unfiltered Ringnes Weiss, which may also be a good idea. Then we move into the more strange territory - in more than one sense. This years' theme in their marketing departement seems to be geography, maybe they all got new atlases for Christmas? There is a Latin American Cerveza Guajiro, flavoured with mint and lime. Inspired by the Cuban drink mojito, it says on the can. Sigmund at RateBeer has given it a rating of 0,6, which is about as low as you can get. There is an "Asian" beer, too - Akairyu. The name is supposed to be japanese for "red dragon", if we are to believe the can. The last of the globetrotters is Nunavut, a Vienna they claim is inspired by the Norwegian polar explorers.

There is more. Apart from the wit, they have launced alcohol free versions of all of the above - see the picture. So far I have tried the Munkholm 78°N and Munkholm Asia. Both are thin and watery. The cans boast of fullness, bitterness etc, but there is nothing of the sort. The 78° is sweet and watery, the Asia is watery with a hint of hops. Not hoppy, mind you, more like those bottled waters with "a drop of lime". Their standard Munkholm alkohol free beer stands out as an amazing drink in comparison.

Of course this new range of beers was launched as the greatest thing to happen to Norwegian beer lovers since the start of commercial brewing, but apart from the daily business paper it's hardly been covered. The whole concept is rather puzzling. If they wanted to push beverages with lemon and peppermint, why didn't they go for alcopops instead? If they wanted a range of quality beers, why didn't they aim for a bitter, an IPA or a Stout?

They say they will spend 20 million kroner on the launch, and that they aim for the wine drinking market. Again - do they think they can conquer the wine drinkers by adding chewing gum flavour? I wonder what kind of wine the marketing departement of Ringnes drink with their steak!

I think this is about shelf space in supermarkets,refrigator space in bars and nothing else. While claiming to offer a full range of excotic beers, they can squeeze out the few bottles and cans of imported beers that are available. I think they will lose a few million on this, particularly on the alcohol free beers. But if that makes an importer and a medium sized brewer bite the dust, it is probably worth it.

I hope they are underestimating the consumers.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:13 | link | comments (3)
beer, carlsberg, norway, ringnes

The beer posts will be back shortly. Meanwhile: Some food porn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some snapshots from Parma, Italy. Additionally you have dried mushrooms, mozarella, anchovies,  mortadella, olives,pasta of all shapes and sizes, balsamic vinegar, wine....

For those of you who have problems downloading the blog, I am sorry, but that's the way it is!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 10:12 | link | comments (1)
italy

Black on white (a photo opportunity)

Köstritzer Schwartzbier bought at Frankfurt Airport and brewed by one of the brewers in Eastern Germany that managed to survive through the DDR period - the Köstritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei (quite a mouthful!)

It was transported to a Norwegian resort as an after ski refreshement. Pitch black, whith roasted malts resembling a stout. Not very aromatic, but there are some subtle flowers in there. Fine hoppy bitterness in the finish, too. A nice little beer, if not in league with the giants. A beer style to try for some of the Scandinavian micros who want to do something slightly different, perhaps?

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:11 | link | comments
beer, german

From the Lufthansa check in counter, Linate airport

Any luggage, sir?

-Just hand luggage.

-Could you please place it here so I can see how heavy it is?

-Sure.

-This is more than 20 kilos, which is the weight limit for check-in luggage! The limit for hand luggage is 5 kilos!

-OK, then I'll have to do some repacking!

But I managed to get all the beer home. And the wine. And the Parmesan. And the Parma ham and salami. And the pesto.................

 

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 10:26 | link | comments (4)

10.000 hits

and counting. You're not all robots, are you?

I've been told that deep down in the caverns underneath Frankfurt Airport there is a supermarket with a good selection of beer. That's where you'll find me after my Lufthansa lunch, so be good, all of you, (robots or not!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 09:19 | link | comments (1)

Gluten free beer

Carolyn Smagalski is the beer and brewing editor on the web site Bella Online, and a female voice is very welcome on the cyber beer scene. Her recent column is about a beer festival for gluten free beers, which takes place in England over the coming weekend. While you may not be able to go there, there is a list of beers which are available for those who have to avoid gluten. I would add that most beers are brewed on barley malt, but, depending on the process and the recipes, there may be traces of gluten in them. Ask your local micro if they have gluten free beer if you are in doubt.

None of the beers listed are available in Norway, but I have tried the Finnish Kukko, which is a very malty lager, as the Finnish beers tend to be. A version with more hops would have made this better IMHO.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 08:04 | link | comments
beer, finland