January 31st, 2010 by Nate

In one of my many visits to Poland I partook in the local tradition of the “Bison Grass Vodka” drink. Which is simply the Bison Grass Vodka, otherwise known as Żubrówkaand sparkling apple juice. Man this is quite an impressive, yet simple mixed drink and one that I highly recommend to anyone visiting Poland.

Anyway, we are here to talk about Piwo. The above is from the Tyskie brewery in Poznań. It is their Książęce pale lager, which in all honesty was nothing special by it itself, but as part of the drinking adventure with the Bison Grass Vodka, it was truly a fantastic experience.

Bison Grass Vodka, Lager, Piwo, Poland, Polish piwo

January 29th, 2010 by Nate

Over at Stephen Beaumont’s World of Beer there has been an interesting development. It seems he has managed to not only create the idea (in a pub perhaps?), devise, document and plan a dedicated 13 days to “Brew on the Rhine” Tour.

Yes you read that right, a summer cruise of the Rhine River, solely for the purpose of drinking beer.

Now I know we, the interested and dedicated beer drinkers of the world, have probably proposed the idea many a time over a few glasses of the good stuff, but seriously Cheers to Stephen for his efforts to actually get such an awesome idea off the ground.

Now I’ve got to recycle all of my glass bottles and get back my 5-8 cents per bottle so that I can afford this trip!

2010, Beer Tour, Brew Cruise, Brew on the Rhine, Stephen Beaumont

January 26th, 2010 by Nate

As an Aussie living in a foreign land, there aren’t to many men from Brussels handing out Vegimite Sandwiches.
None the less, when you do find a little bit of your homeland it is relieving and exciting.

Today is my nation’s day of celebration. Similar to that of Bastille Day or the 4th of July, it is essentially a day to celebrate being a country.

Cheers!

Consequently due to the history of Australia, there are some beliefs that this is also ‘invasion day’, as the 26th of January commemorates the landing of the First Fleet on this day in 1788. I am in a little of both minds, yes it was the day the native Australia was invaded. There should not be any argument on that. I also have grown up with this day being a celebration of being Australian, whatever creed, colour, background, religion that you may be. Maybe both issues should be dealt with together, hand-in-hand.

Anyway, that is enough of the history lesson. If you’d like to know more, please check out the Wikipedia article on the day.

The photo above is of the Coopers Pale Ale, my favourite ‘mass-produced’ Australian beer (taken with my phone’s camera). Anyone who’s visited this site previously will have probably seen my older posts about it. So today I’m not reviewing the beer, I’m just sharing it with you. If we could all have a beer and chill out, I think things everywhere could be better.

Oh and I did find this beer at the Drinks of the World store at the Basel Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) and the photo taken a small amount of time after, whilst waiting for my train.

2010, Ale, Aussie Beer, Australia Day, Australian Beer, Beer, Coopers, Coopers Pale Ale

January 26th, 2010 by Nate

A buddy of mine shard this with me today. If you are a man who enjoys a pot, pint or just a good old beer at the pub, you will appreciate this:

Cheers to the inventive fellas over at Cerveza Andes for the entertainment.

Ad, Advertisment, Argentina Cerveza, Beer

January 26th, 2010 by Nate

I’ve reviewed a few of the Birra Moretti brews over the last couple of years. The Birra is usually quite good for the region and the time. For example, a super cold, crisp and ligh can of lager on the beach is a good example of what can be enjoyed.

However what I’ve noticed with most Italian Birra is unfortunately the same downfall facing most mass-produced Australian Beers, which is that they are all the same. It reminds me of that scene in the Simpsons where Homer visits the Duff Brewery to see 3 separate pipe pumping “Duff Beer”, “Duff Light” and “Duff Draft”, but then the camera angle pulls out to show all 3 pipes are being fed form one single pipe.

Now that is exactly how I felt when I tried the above Birra Moretti Baffo dOro. Much like all other Birra Moretti Birra’s that I have tried, this is yet again another lager. Now before I rate the birra, I should state my beliefs on why warm countries tend to only brew lager. Simply, I beleive, it is based on the fact that in warmer countries more beer is consumed in a quicker, colder method in order to refresh the drinker, thus the importance of flavour was not as high as they simplicity and drink ability of the beer. This fact coupled with the invention of Continuous Fermentation, where beer can be brewed in much lager quantities albeit at a reduced level of flavour, is in my opinion why lager is so popular in warmer climates.

Anyway, to the review of the birra. This is actually quite a nice Lager with a typically sharp, crisp finish. The aroma is almost of a whiskey, which I found humourous as such a smell almost implies strength and depth of taste. However this was yet again just another lager with nothing distinctive to report on.

Baffo dOro, Birra Moretti Baffo dOro, Duff Beer, Italian Birra, Lager

January 25th, 2010 by Nate

Above is an empty bottle of the Krug Bräu Pilsner that I tried whilst visiting the North Bavarian Region of Franconia. Actually the Brewery is located in what is called, ironically for me, “Little Switzerland” or locally Fränkische Schweiz, because it apparently looks like Switzerland. An interesting idea, but one that I can sort of understand. Anyway, this family owned Brewery has been sharing their wares with the world since 1834. And typically, they do produce a number of German biers; Pilsner, Hefe Weisse, Festbier, etc.

I actually tried this Pilsner over the Christmas break whilst visiting friends in Nürnberg. I neglected to drink out of a glass as, well, drinking out of the bottle means there is one less thing to clean. Anyway I digress. So back to the bier itself. It is actually quite a nice Pils which is to be expected due to the proximity of Franconia to the Czech Republic, and the home of Pils. The bier has a very nice gold colour, almost typical Pils, but this is a little more yellow. It is nicely hoppy, almost floral and yet has a nice subtle bitter kick. I think this sweeter/floral taste is what could define this Pils when compared to it’s mother style from Plzen. It’s not as good as the originals, but I did enjoy this Pils.

Oh and on a side note, I’ve recently come into possession of a collection of Franconian Bier that I am going to spend sometime analysing and sharing with you. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it

Bavaria, Bayer, Czech Republic, Franconia, Fränkische Schweiz, German Bier, Krug Bräu, Little Switzerland, Nürnberg, Pilsen, Pilsner, Pilz

January 23rd, 2010 by Nate

Last night I was attempting to clean out my photo collection when I came across the above and below pictures. These were taken in on the Northern Coast of Italy in an area called Imperia. This location is actually ‘English Pub’ that has been squeezed into an old Olive Oil mill. The Pub is called the Water Wheel, because the place has been since 1537 a functioning Olive Oil press… the water from the nearby mountains would wash down into the valley, spin the water wheels that in turn spun the Olive Presses.

Today it is operated by a lovely South African couple whom run it like a typical English Pub. Many English and Irish Ales and Stouts are available on tap, amongst other beers to be had. Not to mention the AWESOME pizza cooked up in the brick oven.

So if you are ever in the Imperia area of Italy, be sure to swing by and have a bite and a pint at the Water Wheel:

Website: http://www.thewaterwheel.com/
Address: Via Trinita’ 6, Diano San Pietro – Imperia
Phone: 0183 429123

Ale, Beer, Diano San Pietro, Imperia, Italian Birra, Italy, Water Wheel

January 22nd, 2010 by Nate

Being an Aussie and one that has been around the land, I can say that the lack of standardisation through the states on beer glasses can be bloody confusing. The above photo which I believe is quite old, yet something that I’ve only just managed to stumble upon puts it all in perspective.

Note: I am not a supporter of VB beer or Carlton and United Breweries, but they did put this graphic together so I will pay credit where credit is due.

Thanks to Alan for posting this.

Aussie Beer, Carlton and United, CUB, VB, Victoria Bitter

January 20th, 2010 by Nate

I dug up this photo out of my collection and honestly I don’t know why I had not posted it before. This photo was taken whilst having lunch at the Aying Brauerei Restaurant, right next to the Aying Brauerei thus this bier was fresh as fresh that can be. The Aying Weißbier was a pleasure to drink. The experience begins with a lovely golden cloudy pour and with a very solid head, just like a good bier should have. The first mouthful is full of carbonation and is almost alive with activity, this was a little too much for my liking. The aroma of banana is not overwhelming but distinct and perfectly matches the subtle citrus and hoppy flavours. Without a doubt this is one of my favourite Weißbiers and the experience of drinking this at the Brewery only made it more enjoayble. I can highly recommend any bier from Aying.

2010, Aying, Aying Brauerei, Bavaria, Bavarian Beer, Bayern, Bayern Bier, Bier, Brauereigasthof, German Bier, Weißbier, Weiss, weissbier

January 18th, 2010 by Nate

The first thing you notice about this beer is obviously the bottle and quite possibly the label. This Noël bière is actually a special run by the some company that gives us the Delirium Tremens (I’ve have tasted this bière a lot, unfortunately the last time was well before this site was born.. it was part of the inspiration). The small and delicate Brasserie Léon Huyghe from Melle, Belgium has a habit of producing fine bière and not to mention some cool painted-ceramic-looking-bottles.

The Noël bière is typically Belgian Ale. Stong, warming, hearty and effective. The 8.5 alcohol was initially quite strong, but after cleansing (or numbing) the taste buds I very much enjoyed this bière. It has this really interesting mix of a citrus aroma which is sort of matched by the sour like initial flavour that then blends into a lovely hops and malt flavour. It’s not my favourite of the so-far sampled winter beers, but this was good.

Ale, Belgian Bier, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgium, bière, Christmas, Melle, Noël, Noël Bière, Winter Beer