Subjective ramblings about beer, pubs and associated topics

Flagship ale houses

Andrew Jefford in the British pub trade journal The Morning Advertiser har a welcome initiative in an editorial comment published on their web site. He pays tribute to Mark Dorber the former licencee of the White Horse in Parsons Green, London, who has moved on to a presumably more quiet life. Dorber has done an amazing job over the years to promote beer culture, and Jefford wishes for more pubs like the White Horse: 

This is why we need, in my view, a system of flagship ale houses. I would love to see these as the centrepieces of a properly-funded generic campaign for real ale, run by all of those whose livelihood and future is squarely founded on living beer dispensed from a carefully-tended cask. The aim? That every major city and districts of London would have their own flagship ale house whose role was educative as much as profit-generating. The houses would not be fronted by particular brewers or pubcos, but would be the highly visible face of the generic campaign itself, funded by the stakeholders. That pub would have its own leaflets in every tourist office and be a landmark for every ale lover; it would run tasting evenings teaching the curious about the joys of real ale, and have cellars that the staff were always happy to show and explain to visitors; the quality of its ales would be impeccable.

I am happy to endorse those words, in fact the thinking is on the same line as something Alan and I discussed a year or so ago about the need for a British pub museum - a living museum devoted to pub culture. The keey word here is generic, there are lots of breweries doing their own thing, but these would be a boost and a benchmark for the whole industry.

You can say a lot about the British contributions to world cuisine, but cask ale is certainly one of their culinary contributions to the good of mankind.

The Port producers have a place based on this idea, the Port Wine Institute in Lisbon. A civilized place.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:59 | link | comments
beer, england, pubs

The passing of a giant

There are people who are important to you at various stages of your life. Some are teachers or mentors. Some are poets and singers. Some are pilosophers and thinkers. And some are enthusiasts in a field you are interested in yourself, and, if you are lucky, they will open doors for you to be able to pursue your interests way beyond your expectations.

For a beer enthisiast, it is a sad day when we mark the passing of English beer writer Michael Jackson. For decades his writings have been an inspiration to many of us, across the globe. I bought the Swedish edition of his World Guide to Beer in the early eighties, and if I have to pinpoint one single reason why I am blogging about beer today, it is  this book. The combination of broad knowledge and a good pen has spread the beer gospel to millions. I think that applies to brewers as well as beer drinkers. Lew calls him the first rock star of beer, and that is an accurate description.

All about beer magazine has published his last (and his first) column. It is, appropriately, about death. The rest of us raise our glasses to a pioneer.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 09:18 | link | comments
beer, england

A wee heavy session

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 09:42 | link | comments (2)
beer, sweden, microbreweries, scotland, dugges

I'll take the high road

Busy this week, at work and at home. Then I am following class 6D on an overnight excursion to Bolærne in the Oslo Fjord, before going directly from there to Torp airport.

If the Good Lord is willing and the creeks don't rise, I will be in Glasgow on Friday afternoon, ready for The ratebeer European Summer Gathering, including a pub crawl and a grand tasting. Puh.

But there are other things to read:

Another splendid English beer blog, The Reluctant Scooper, with good writing and fine photos, too.

An article in the Helsinki Sanomat (don't worry, it's in English!) on the beer scene in the city, including a handy map.

And an article, including tasting notes, on Belgian beer by Eric Asimov in the New York Times.

Thanks for all the recent feedback on the blog, I really appreciate it. 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:05 | link | comments
beer, scotland, belgium, finland

A good conversation

I spent a few hours on Friday afternoon with an American journalist who was in Oslo and contacted me after reaqding my blog. Christopher is a bona fide freelance journalist, not just a spare time blogger like myself, so I am flattered that he found my writings of interest and wanted a chat to get some background on Norwegian food for a magazine article. He even bought me a beer!

The interactvity of the web and the possibility to meet and discuss, both virtually and when you are passing throug a city still amazes an old-timer like me. Some people you get to know, some you meet just once for a glass and a friendly conversation. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay in Norway, Christopher!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 21:00 | link | comments
beer, usa

An unlikely success story

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 14:06 | link | comments (3)
beer, norway, microbreweries, nøgne ø

Helsinki III - Kaisla

Before my memory gets too hazy - a few words about my favourite beer pub in Helsinki, Oluthuone Kaisla.

A few metres away from the buzy bus terminal and central railway staion, this seems to draw both expats and locals. A broad range of beer on cask, on tap and bottles. There are a large number of Finnish beers, including micros, as well as Belgian, German, British and American beers. The list includes hundreds of fine beers. There are quite a few ciders, too, they seem to be the big thing at the moment.

Fast and friendly service, and the guy behind the bar was proud of their range.  I had a Stadin APA and a Huuvila ESB, both from Finnish micro brewers. Both were splendid beers.

And, in addition, the airport bus is very close. But, beware, most shops and bars at Helsinki airport close at eight in the evening!

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 13:03 | link | comments
beer, microbreweries, finland

The best in London?

The Rake in Borough Market has been shortlisted as best London bar by Time Out in their Eating and Drinking awards 2007.

Nice to have a pub with a total dedication to beer on such a list. I have blogged about this establishment previously.

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 09:27 | link | comments
london

Will you be blogging about his?

My old friend Helge asked the question as we sat talking with some of the other old-timers at the pub of the Oslo Science Fiction Convention this weekend. It seems quite a few of these people read my blog on occation, so it's nice to know it is not only spammers trying to get int the comment field.

The selection of beer at the festival was really bad on the Friday evening, with discount brand Tuborg being the only beer on offer. There were obviously some complaints, because on Saturday, there was an improved, if not spectacular, range.

Soem Swedish guests pointed out that it is hardly possible to hav a SF convention in Sweden without an ample supply of good beer. There is a clear overlap of the two interests, I think this especially applies to the more graying part of the crowd.

It was spontanously agreed to try to arrange a miniature convention devoted to Science Fiction and beer, either this year or next. I seem to be one of the people in the organizing committee, although if there is one thing I do not really have the spare time for, it is running this type of activity. It remains to be seen if this will be an open event or by invitation, if this will be hald at someone's flat or we find other premises. Watch this space for updates!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 11:37 | link | comments
beer, norway

A Swedish beer blog

Magnus blogs in Swedish about beer, food, pubs etc. And his pictures are much better than mine. Strongly recommended for those you who understand Scandinavian.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 12:50 | link | comments
beer, sweden

Back from the desert

Beer desert, that is. Apart from that it was very fine indeed. Northern Norway is a good place to be during Summer if the weather is fine, and this year it was. Long blonde evenings, boat trips and hikes in the mountains. Mackerel and salmon, strawberries, raspberries, and, if you are lucky, the elusive golden cloudberries. The kids even went swimming in the sea.

A few good books, family and friends. Excursions to smaller islands. Some have houses that have been lovingly restored, some are being taken back by nature, with seagulls and eagles ruling the ground that was used for grazing and growing potatoes.

And the regional lager seems appropriate. Mind you, it is not brewed in the region any longer, it's just the can that evokes local patriotism. The beer is made by Carlsberg in Oslo or Trondheim in case you wondered. The population is so scattered here, there is no chance for a new brewery to enter the market, either.

 

 

 

 

And late at night you see a cruise ship through the light haze, looking as a ghost ship in the distance. But I'd rather stay here than to be aboard tonight. That being said, to take the modern equivalent of the coastal stamer along this coast is one of the most amazing voayages in the world. But bring a sweater and a raincoat!

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 09:08 | link | comments
beer, norway

An overlooked pub blog

Greg has a purpose in life.

Hello, I'm on a mission to visit and rate every pub, club and bar in the UK.

And he is documenting it for us in his UK BarBlog. I don't know if you have visited the one in the picture, Greg?

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 08:38 | link | comments
beer, england, scotland, northern ireland, wales

Hobson's Mild Champion Beer of Britain

Hobsons Mild has been named Champion Beer of Britain at Camra's Great British Beer Festival.

Other Gold winners included:
Bitter - Harvest Pale from Castle Rock
Best bitter - Glastyn Ale from Purple Moose
Golden ale - Maldon Gold by Mighty Oak
Strong bitter - Centurian's Ghost by York
Speciality Beer - Umbel Magna by Nethergate.

I've only tried a few of these. Many of the British cask ales have only local or regional distibution, and you are unlikely to find them on an occational visit.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 08:28 | link | comments

All this and the Midnight Sun, too!

The Tromsø beer Festival, in the far North of Norway, is taking place next week, and they offer a range of beers not regularly available in Norway. The theme this year is Scandinavian Micro Breweries, and theyoffer the following range:

Norway: Atna Bryggeri, Haandbryggeriet and Nøgne Ø

Sweden: Nils Oscar, Slottskällans Bryggeri and Jämtlands bryggeri

Denmark: Brøckhouse, Mikkeller and Ølfabrikken

If you asked me to set up a list, it would be very similar. The most positive aspect of this is that the Mack brewery in Tromsø is opneing the festival for those beers, depsite them being the main sponsor of the festival.

I hope that the turnover of the imported beers is big enough to encourage someone to start importing them to the rest of the country as well. For me it is easier to get to Sweden or Denmark to get the beers than to make the journey to Tromsø!

Come to think of it, it is probably too late in the Summer for the midnight sun.

Posted by: KnutAlbert at 15:21 | link | comments
beer, sweden, denmark, microbreweries, mack, haandbryggeriet, nøgne ø