Subjective ramblings about beer, pubs and associated topics

The lager boys grow bigger in Central and Easter Europe

Sure, I'll be working Monday, too, but there is a holiday atmosphere as much of Norway shuts down and people crowd into their hiliday homes in the mountains or on the seaside for the Easter break.

A bit too busy to blog much right now, so here is a story from foodindustry.com:

Continued growth in the beer markets of Central and Eastern European has helped drive a strong increase in sales for two of the world's largest brewers as they capitalize on emerging markets within the region.

Both Heineken and Carlsberg posted strong financial results for the 2006 financial year this week, seeing profit growth for the global operations of 12.6 per cent and 21 per cent respectively.

Though both companies's attributed their results to strong performances from their international sales, Eastern Europe remains a key market for the brewers.

Of Heineken's five regional operations, Central and Eastern Europe continues to boast the highest consolidated beer volumes of 46.9m hectoliters, compared to Western Europe - its second largest market with beer volumes of 32.1m hectoliters.

Carlsberg's combined operations in the region also dominated its sales, with 2006 seeing 8.3m hectoliters of beer produced.

Through Carlsberg's Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH) - a joint venture with brewer Scottish & Newcastle - beer sales rose 17 per cent to 5.4m hectolitres.

The cooperation is present in a number of Eastern European countries, including Ukraine which saw 11 per cent growth, and the Baltic states which also grew by 5 per cent.

However, it is Russia which is the jewel of BBH's crown, as consolidation within the market and external factors delivered a strong performance in 2006.

Sales increased by 11 per cent over the same period in 2005, driven by the merger of some of Russia's most prominent beer brands under BHH's Baltika brewery, giving Carlsberg a 36.4 per cent market share.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:50 | link | comments
beer, brewers, carlsberg, netherlands

The EU, Turkey and the beer mug again

Here is the UPI story, which makes a bit more sense:

An antique beer mug given to French President Jacques Chirac has strained Turkey's ties with the European Union.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has been irritated by Chirac's retirement present, a German beer mug allegedly depicting an 18th-century victory of the French over forces from the Ottoman Empire.

"If the EU has a future vision, it should look to the future," Gul said, according to Deutsche Welle Online. "Harping on the past does not befit the EU vision."

The Turkish media has said the beer mug sports an image depicting Napoleon's 1799 victory over Ottoman forces in Egypt; the mug was given to Chirac by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the meeting of EU leaders this past weekend in Berlin -- a further source of aggravation as Merkel is opposed to Turkish EU membership and favors a "privileged partnership" with the Muslim country.

The German government said Wednesday the commotion had sprung from a misunderstanding: The mug, manufactured around 1710 in Germany, was adorned with flower ornaments, not a pictorial depiction of a historic war victory.

Chirac, who collects beer mugs, has said he was "very happy" about the present. This past EU summit has been the French president's last. He will not stand for re-election this spring.

I used to collect beer glasses. None of them antique, though.

I found an old news item reporting that President Chirac doesn't drink wine, but prefers German beer.  I would have thought that would amount to high treason in France, but maybe it is proof that the EU has had a civilizing effect, even on the French. I think we Norwegians could have done with a bit of the same exposure. Both to the beer and the European integration.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 15:10 | link | comments
beer, german, france

NYT on beer again

The Alström brothers of BeerAdvocate are interviewed by Eric Asimov in the New York Times today. No earth-shattering wisdom, perhaps, but an interesting read.

A prediction: “Before the Internet, computer nerds felt on the outside but now they’re accepted,” Todd said. “I think beer geeks are the same way. We’ll look back 10 years from now and remember what it was like.”

Maybe.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 15:34 | link | comments
beer, usa

Turkey Criticises Beer Mug Gift

Turkey is criticising the gift European Union president Germany has given to France's outgoing president - a decorated beer mug.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, presented the stein to Jacques Chirac on behalf of the EU.

Turkish media says the mug's lid decoration portrays the 1799 defeat of Ottoman forces by Napoleon in Egypt, and is a sign to Mr Chirac to review his support for Turkey's EU membership.

A German government spokesman says the mug is decorated only with flowers and the date, 1799, and there is no depiction of the defeat of Ottoman troops.

It's a news wire story, and it doesn't make much sense. Maybe one of the Kaisers had a zillion beer mugs made in 1799, and they have been giving them away ever since. The most far fetched is the belief that the Germans have an affection for Napoleon. And the Prussians may be men (and women) of few words, but it's new to me that they make use of cryptic clues on beer mugs to communicate. Maybe it's the beer version of the Da Vinci Code?

But since I had a photo of a German Stein, I though I'd use it.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:16 | link | comments
beer, german, france

A visit to Westvleteren

No, it's not me. It is Joris B Pattyn over at ratebeer that has managed to have an interview with Brother Joris, head of the brewery at Westvleteren. No less. Go and read it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 12:21 | link | comments
beer, trappist, belgium

How to behave in a Scottish pub

This list is nicked from Scotland on Sunday:

1 In a nation that loves queueing, the crowd at the bar can feel anarchic. The truth is that there is still a queue, but it's just in the barman's head - he will get to you when it is your turn.

2 Do not attempt to attract his attention by waving, shouting or banging your empty glass on the bar. Extending a cash-filled hand while adopting a slightly anxious expression should alert him to his duties.

3 Men who wish to assert their masculinity should avoid halves, shandies and any drink with bits of fruit in them. But be in no doubt about the butchness of a man who is brave enough to order a piña colada in a Castlemilk hostelry.

4 Women should remember that ordering cider-and-black, an alcopop or anything that comes with more than two umbrellas in it is not the mark of true sophistication.

5 If a man walks into the pub and immediately glares at you - and you are not drinking anything with fruit in it - he is probably a regular, and you are probably in his seat. If he is bigger than you, it is probably worth getting up, just in case.

6 Smoking may only be banned in enclosed public spaces, but the fine for being caught removing tiles from the roof to un-enclose the space is rather greater than the one for being caught smoking.

7 Do not be the last to buy a round. You look cheap. And it's likely that more people will turn up the longer the evening goes on.

8 Do not think that your child will be happy to sit in the car with a packet of crisps. Times have moved on. They want chicken nuggets, a bouncy castle and Sky TV in the family bar - or you can forget your quiet pint.

9 If you are going to chat someone up in a pub, make sure she's not drinking cider-and-black, and that the man she arrived with is drinking something with fruit in it.

10 It is bad form to allow a group of puzzled tourists to sit for longer than 45 minutes at their table before revealing to them that in fact there is no waitress service in Scottish pubs. Mind you, it is quite entertaining.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 17:09 | link | comments

Beer porn

The New York Times has a How-to-make-the-most-of-36-hours-in-Prague today, (free for a period, but you may need to register) and they have included a pub with 6 draft beers from regional micros and 200 rare bottled beers.

206 beers in 36 hours sounds like rushing it to me, but their photo was wonderful!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:26 | link | comments (1)
beer, brewers, czech republic

Young’s axes long-serving PR chief

From the Morning Advertiser:

The man who co-founded Camra and created the Good Beer Guide has been axed by Young’s after 27 years’ service.

Michael Hardman, head of public relations at Young’s since 1980 and credited with popularising the phrase “real ale”, has been made redundant following a PR review. His role will be carried out by an external agency.

Despite his long service, Hardman has been offered just three months’ salary.

“I am devastated,” said Hardman. “I’d planned the rest of my working life and retirement around being at Young’s. That’s all got to be drastically revised now.”

Hardman’s exit is the latest in a series of redundancies at Young’s – 23 employees were told they had lost their jobs earlier this month, and 90 were made redundant last summer when brewing switched to Bedford.

I have disagreed with many things Young's have done over the years, but entereing a well run Young's pub has always been like finding an oasis.

 It seems like  the men in suits have truly taken control. May they drown in their own lager!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:17 | link | comments (2)
london, beer, england, brewers, youngs

On idiots and drunkards

If she really expects drinkers who are unaware of the deleterious consequences of their excessive drinking to pick up a bottle, notice the warning label and see the error of their ways, then she has a touching, albeit deeply misguided, view of idiots and their idiotic behaviour.

Stephen Pollard in The Times on the British Public Health Minister. She has told the drinks industry that if it does not agree to put a warning label on every bottle of wine saying “Know your limits”, and then demanding that women should “Avoid alcohol if you are pregnant or trying to conceive”,  then she will consider legislating to force them.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 09:36 | link | comments
beer, england

A matter of being prepared

If you want to do some serious pub crawling, it can be useful to avoided being stranded at one of those places that you see on the front of the tube trains, but have never actually visited. There is a nifty solution to this now, the Wake me up at set of stickers. An alternative is cutting back your consumption by about two pints, or, even better, by avoiding the tequila completely, but sometimes you aren't quite able to do that.

My objection? If you are completely blastered, you are unlikely to find the right sticker. So maybe you'll wake up at Cockfosters after all.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:00 | link | comments
london, beer

Cantillon brewery, Brussels

This micro brewery in Brussels also functions as a museum for lambic brewing and has a tasting room for its products.  Both Cantillon and the lambic beers are covered extensively in any guide to the beer styles of the world, so I'll just give you some personal impressions.

The concept is simple - you turn up at the brewery, enter and pay a 4 Euro entrance fee. You then get a leaflet explaining the brewing process, and you are free to wander around as long as you like. The start of the brewing process is like in any brewery, the difference comes at the point where you'd usually add the yeast. The lambic beers use spontaneous fermentation, which means that no yeast is added. Instead they expose the cooling wort to the open air, and yeast spores then, like Tinker Bell, come dancing on the breeze and settle in the beer. Theses spores could be anywhere in the environment, so they have to be extra careful when doing any alterations to the building. And they leave cobwebs and dust in some corner - the food control authorities are not too happy about that!

After the wild yeast has started to do its job, it's time to fill the lambic into oak barrels, which, for the first three or four days, are overflowing with foam. After this has died down, a slow fermentation starts in the barrels, and this can go on for years.

Some of the lambic is bottled as geuze, some has fruit - cherries, raspberries or grapes - added in the process. At the end, a mix of new and old beers (up to three years in the cask) is bottled and sent to the market.

When you walk through this shrine to old fashioned brewing, you have the smell of beer evaporating everywhere, from open vessels and from barrels of various vintages. The strong smells tells you that this is a rather more expensive way of brewing than in large plants where everything is hermetically sealed to make sure you can bottle every drop.

And at the end you get to taste two or three varieties. The Geuze is a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year old lambics. It is more sour than bitter, with a lot of acid. You have no feeling of the malt or hops, it is a cider-like beverage, but extremely dry.

The Lou Pepe Kriek is their premium brand of cherry lambic. It is very smooth, with the cherries adding a new dimension. A little sweetness in the finish, but the sourness lingers, too. Very refreshing.

The last beer I tried was their Faro. This is lambic where they have added caramel and candy sugar. The yeast is still so potent that this will only keep for a few weeks. This was very sweet, had a peach-like fruitiness, but with the sourness underneath. A bit too syrupy for me, more interesting than outstanding. I guess that this was the form they drank much of the lambic in the old days, adding sugar as it suited the customers of a particular cafe.

You can get Cantillon lambics all over the world, and they even make special beers for other countries, with additions like blueberries and cloud berries.

If you want to really explore the world of beers, this is a family of beer styles you need to look into. Be warned, though, the sourness is not to every one's liking.

I raise my glass to the enthusiasts who keep this running, keep it open to the public, and even sell their beers at a very nice price to people dropping by.

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 08:04 | link | comments
beer, brewers, belgium, lambic

A Swedish roundup

The Stockholm daily Dagens Nyheter has good coverage of the Swedish beer scene, often reviewing the new beers available at Systembolaget.  They have recently tested a range of beers from Swedish micros, emphasizing beers which are difficult to find. On the top of the list is Gas-Jannes Golden Ale from Sigtuna Brygghus, but they recommend more than a dozen other beers from small brewers, too.

A good piece of beer journalism. 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 15:55 | link | comments
beer, sweden

A very useful beer shop

I had some extra time on my hands when I visited Brussels recently, and, after having heard good things about a specialist beer shop called BeerMania, I decided to make an excursion. A few stops on the Metro from downtown Brussels and ten minutes' stroll down a quiet street lined with immigrant shops from around the world led me to the door. At first I felt some mild panic, as it looked all locked up, but I was relieved to find that it was just half of the storefront  being used for storage, the main shop was open for business.

A friendly welcome, and I was happy to get some recommendations in addition to what was already on my shopping list.

The shops has exclusively Belgian beers. And there are no dreary pilseners from the big brewers here, the focus are on the small breweries and on quality beer. All the trappists are present, including the elusive Westvleteren (at 12 Euro a bottle, which is not too bad considering the limited supply.) The standard price for most 0,33 l bottles is 2 Euro, which is very decent.

I picked a dozen beers, including all those available for De Dolle brewers, and the owner recommended some rare brews, too.

As an extra bonus, there is a cafe are in the back, with soft jazz music, where you can enjoy a glass of beer at cellar temperature after finishing your shopping, or you can taste beers before deciding what to buy.

A very civilized place, and I am sure to be back whenever I am in Brussels!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:23 | link | comments
beer, brewers, trappist, belgium

A very useful tool for visitors to London

The LondonTown draggable and clickable hotel map, showing where there are rooms and at what rate.

Nifty and useful, every city should have one like these!

Now, what I want is a version which tells me the guest ales available in every pub in London. With a blinking alert when there are only a few pints left.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:27 | link | comments
london, beer, pubs

It's not only Norway.....

A short note on the Finland for thought blog has led to 50 comments so far. The issue? New legislation which means that you cannot buy beer before 9 in the morning.

This will undoubtedly curb the rampant alcoholism, as now you can only sell beer 9-21.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 12:49 | link | comments
beer, finland

At last: the cheap Bulgarian beers

After a nap, I set out for a beer bar to test the more generally available beers in Sofia. I bought a few beers in a shop, but of course I wanted to soak in the atmosphere in a pub as well.

There are flashes of wealth among the sign of poverty, with casinos and red light establishments being very prominent. A man in a shiny car pulls up and parks outside my hotel as i walk out. His suit looks expensively Italian. He asks me for the time, I tell him, and he tells me he can get the best girls in town and that the rates are most reasonable. He hands me his card with contact details.

So, the pimps seem to do a lot better than the guys at the market stalls in Sofia. But that would probably be true in any town!

The Halbite pub is just ten minutes walk from my hotel, and they can boast of 11 beers on tap as well as about 40 bottled beers. Domestic beers are at about 50 cents, which is fine by me. There are import beers available, too, the Erdinger range being the most expensive at about 3 Euro each. You can have Bishop's Finger, Leffe, Efes and Grosch, too, if that is what you fancy. The big multinational brewing companies have bought the national breweries, and that is reflected in the list of imports, too.

I order two Schoumensko beers, a pale lager and a red beer, both of them on tap. The lager looks nice, a golden beer with a fluffy white head. It is quite well hopped, but there si a cardboard element in the flavour which is not very pleasant. The red beer has a fine ruby colour, but there is not much flavour in it at all. Like some of the Irish red ales - perfectly drinkable, but devoid of character.

A Kamentitza Extra is bottled. A golden beer, pours a bit cloudy, not very carbonated. Malty, a bit sweet, but there are hops in the finish, too. All right, but there are some unpleasant elements in the aftertaste, like boiled cabbage.

I order some light dishes, which are both very fine - breaded and fried red pepper filled with feta cheese and a plate of cold pork roast with garlic and walnuts.

The bill comes to about 5 Euros for food and beer, which is really decent.

I try a few more beers back at the hotel and at lunchtime the next day, but the trend is the same. I have a feeling that old fashioned equipment and a focus on sourcing the cheapest raw materials leads to dull beers without the clean taste you want from a lager regardless of it being on the sweet or dry side.

I suppose that with Bulgaria's entry into the European Union, it is one of the cheapest countries anywhere for brewing beer. If one of the multinational owners decide on using this area for brewing beer to supply either the region or across Europe, we can see an improvement in standards.

To conclude: If you want cheap beer, this is really the place to go. If you want cheap quality beer, I'd rather  try Slovakia.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:14 | link | comments
beer, brewers, pubs, bulgaria

A Kafkaesque tale of 6 bottles of beer

I have a rant over at the Good Beer Blog today about the problems of receiving two liters of beer as a gift from abroad. Two government agencies plus one state owned company are involved, and I think this will cost the taxpayers a lot more than the fees and taxes involved.

If I was more paranoid, I would be hiding under my desk by now.

For more information, see the back of the page. The back of the page is blank.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:23 | link | comments (1)
beer, norway

Pri Kmeta

I am getting quite thirsty from walking around, and by now I have figured enough of the Cyrillic alphabet to find my way to Paris street, where the Pri Kmeta brewpub is waiting. Yes, I've done some prior research, and some of the guys over at ratebeer are really helpful in transcribing information from excotic languages.

The place, down to stairs to a well lit cellar,  is quite deserted at lunctime, but I am given food and beverage menus in English and start with an unfiltered wheat beer. Served ice cold, this is pleasantly refreshing, with just the hint of citrus that should be present. Not a great beer, but quite all right. I follow this with a Kmetsko Pivo Light, which is a pilsener. A pale beer, soft, with a little hoppiness in the finish. Decent, too, but forgettable.

My food arrives, a "beer plate" which is a kind of stew with chicken and bacon in a thick paprika sauce. Some stewed potatoes have a liberal sprinkling of dill. Nice.

They have a red beer, too, which seems to be a regular offering, also from larger brewers. This is an unfiltered, muddy red color. There is a dominateing cherry-like flravour. It is on the sweet side, but not extremely sweet.

The red beer gets more agreeable as it warms up, but my verdict is that is too perfumed.

Their last beer is the Kmetsko Pivo Dark, a porter-like brew. Unfortunately the staff don't speak much English, so there is not much information to be had when the brewer is not around. But this is a fine beer. Coffee, liquorice, molasses and rasted malt are packed in. There is a fine balance between bitterness and sweetness. Smooth, but with a complex flavour that many macro brewers cannot reach.

The brewing vessels dominate a corner of the premises. They are made by an Austrian company, and I have a feeling they sell some pre-made malt mixes, too.

Friendly service, if not very attentive. A good selection for beer food, salads etc, rather loud music. There are open brewing days once in a while where you can take part in the process.

I was up at four that morning, so I feel that I need a nap before exploring the 25 cent beers. The prices at Pre Kmeta are a fair bit higher, but still a bargain for any foreigner.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 17:58 | link | comments
brewers, pubs, bayer, bulgaria

100 Easter beers

Yes, that is one hundred different Easter beers. In Denmark.

The question is: Are there enough Danes to drink them? What will they do with the unsold bottles after Easter, when there is, presumably, a similar number of Spring beers and Summer beers waiting to crowd the shelves?

I think there will be some bankrupcies among the brewers in the kingdom of Denmark.

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

A Bulgarian beer report

At least some first impressions.

I was in Sofia for a few days this week, my first real visit to the Balkans. A new member of the European Union, they are doing what they can to adjust, but the sociaty has a long way to go before they reach something resembling a European average.

A compact airport and a cheap taxi ride towards the city. There is spring in the air, with the sun shining both on the rather grim rows of Communist era apartment buildings and on the lovely snowcapped mountain guarding Sofia.

I check in at my hotel and go for a stroll in the sun. It is Sunday afternoon, and I guess I'm in the neighbourhood of a major fotball stadium when the streets are filled with supporters with caps, scarves and jackets, I fins some more quiet streets, where the signs are clear that economic prosperity has not reached everyone. Some people are peddling food, clothes etc, but there are no signs of a brisk trade. Alcohol, both beer, wine and stronger stuff, is widely available from kiosks, with the price of half a litre of beer starting at about 25 cents (Euro or US). If you are is search of cheap booze, this seems to be a good option. For a beer in an ordinary bar, you'd have to pay twice that price, but you could easily have an evening out for a few dollars!

Next: I find a brewpub and discuss the quality of the 25 cent beers.

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 15:13 | link | comments (2)
beer, brewers, microbreweries, eu , pubs, bulgaria

The check-in blues again

I tried to check in my suitcase at the Scandinavian Airlines counter in Brussels yesterday. The lady didn't even smile as she told me that 38 kilos was way above the limit. She claimed that there are scanners which stop suitcases above 32 kilos.

Some hasty rearrangements, and I amanged to squeeze a few books, some cheese and a pair of jeans into my hand luggage. I considered leaving my shoes behaind, but I figured they are still good for a few kilometers. 32,8 kilos led to a short discussion behind the counter, but I was finally given an OK.

Now, if only De Dolle brewers find a way of making their bottle caps stay in place.  But one beer soaked t-shirt isn't too bad. I got through customs with the load as well.

But what should I do? Two brewery visits plus the amazing Beer Mania shop! I don't think there will be as many temptations in Sofia next week....

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:34 | link | comments