Who doesn’t like a good beer story?
When we travel to foreign lands we like to dive into its culture; learning about its history, its food, its religion and, of course, its local beer.
On our recent RTW adventure, we took a photo of each new beer that we enjoyed along the journey, making for a great photo album with over 300 different types and brands of beer. Because tastes and preferences are so subjective, our goal was not to find the “best beer in the world”, but rather to find “amazing beer moments” or “incredible beer drinking settings”.
This is Part One in a Series that we will be posting over the coming months as we reflect on special, “stand out” moments that include a variety of beers from around the world.
Cheers!
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| From Beer Around the World |
Microbrew – Brussels, Belgium
When it comes to crafting a delicious beer, Belgium and Germany are at the top of the class. While in Brussels, we were on a mission to find a delicious pint of microbrew (surprisingly not a hard thing to do!). We stumbled upon a great little pub in the central square that served its original brew, the perfect way to end a day of sightseeing. As you can see from the photo, we ordered sampler trays to taste each of its popular brew (sorry, we can’t recall the name of the brewery).
The beer verdict – full, flavourful and delicious! We give it 9.5 out of 10
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| From Beer Around the World |
Escudo Beer – Easter Island, Chile
After an adventurous hike to a dormant volcano crater there is nothing more rewarding than a cold beer on the beach. Though the beer is nothing special, the moment and setting will be branded in our minds forever. Local surfers caught evening waves with the sun setting behind the ancient and mysterious Moai statues. It was one of those moments when we realized just how far away from home we really were.
The beer verdict – typical lager from a can. We give it 6.5 out of 10
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| From Beer Around the World |
Gosser Beer – Venice, Italy (but from Austria)
Enjoying a tall beer while overlooking the canals of Venice was moment not easily duplicated. The Italians don’t have a reputation as elite brew masters, so the Venetian beer experience required an Austrian classic. What is it about a cold beer after a hot day of sightseeing that makes for a perfect moment?
The beer verdict – light, smooth and refreshing! We give it 8 out of 10
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| From Beer Around the World |
Bia Hoi – Hanoi, Vietnam
After hours of wandering up and down noisy, exhaust fumed streets in search of the infamous Bia Hoi, we hit the jackpot. We found an intersection with three makeshift restaurants all serving up the notorious home brew from what looked to be a steel drum. A full jug that you see in the photo cost less than US$1, providing the inspiration for an interesting, fun filled evening that we paid for dearly the next morning.
The beer verdict – bitter and sour, yet bubbly and refreshing in the muggy humidity (after the first two it started to taste great!). We give it 5 out of 10 on taste, but 10 out of 10 on value (you can’t beat $0.22 a pint!)
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| From Beer Around the World |
Alfa Beer – Mykonos Island, Greece
Searching for that fantastic Mediterranean dining experience? Look no further than the Little Venice neighbourhood on Mykonos Island in Greece. This charming restaurant balcony only seated 7 people and hung over the clear blue Aegean Sea, presenting us with spectacular seaside views of the traditional Greek windmills. It was a picture perfect pint, followed by an unforgettable meal.
The beer verdict – crisp, smooth and surprisingly delicious. We give it 7.5 out of 10
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| From Beer Around the World |
Cristal Cerveza – Aguas Calientes, Peru
After 4 days of hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, our team agreed that a cold beer was well deserved. It was a hot and muggy day, our feet hurt and our muscles ached. That cold, crisp beer will go down in history as one of the most ‘earned’ beers we’ve had the pleasure of consuming.
The beer verdict – cerveza muy bueno! We give it 7.5 out of 10
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| From Beer Around the World |
Leo Beer – Koh Chang, Thailand
It’s not hard to have brilliant beer moments while on the island beaches of Thailand, but this particular moment left a lasting impression. We were at Lonely Beach in the off season, so the beach was virtually empty. Sitting on an oceanfront patio, we watched the sun set as heavy waves crashed in harmony with the Bob Marley beats that played in the background. It was tropical peacefulness at its finest!
The beer verdict – Not bad, but very average – nothing special. We give it 6.5 out of 10
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| From Beer Around the World |
1-Litre Draft Beer in the French Alps – Tignes, France
We spent Christmas of 2009 in the French Alps, a dream holiday come true. After snowboarding awesome alpine at incredible altitudes, we indulged in 1-litre draft beers at the base lodge. The popular German Paulaner and Danish Ceres were served with complimentary meats and cheeses, but this moment was all about the drunken Santas (see the background of the photo) singing and embracing the Christmas Cheer!
The beer verdict – cold and delicious, perfect Apres brew at the lodge! We give them both 9 out of 10
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| From Beer Around the World |
Franca Especial – Huacachina, Peru
This photo pretty much sums it up. Huacachina is a unique desert oasis located off the coast of Peru. We enjoyed our large cerveza especial at a quiet waterfront restaurant and watched the evening sun slowly drop behind giant sand dunes. It was a postcard picture moment that was worthy of a few more large bottles.
The beer verdict – Light and tasty, good but not great. We give it 7.5 out of 10
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| From Beer Around the World |
Heineken Draft – Amsterdam, Holland
This wasn’t just any old pint of Heineken – this was a pint at the original Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam. After touring the brewery and learning about the history of the world famous beer, we were treated to a couple cold pints of deliciousness!
The beer verdict – the global classic, standard but somehow tasted slightly better coming directly from the source. We give it 8.5 out of 10
Do you have a memorable beer moment that you’d like to share?
Hey! I love this article. Craig and I are putting together some similar kind of articles. We love beer and have too many memories to recount. I loved the keg beer corners in Hanoi- what a cool experience. When you have moments like that it doesn’t really matter so much how bad the beer is you can enjoy it just through the pleasure of the whole experience. We loved our tube pub crawl we did in Vang Vieng- Lao beer is our favorite Asian beer. Our Thailand beer memories are just like yours except we have Jack Johnson playing in the background.
I could write all day here about beer around the world! Have you been to Ockoberfest in Munich and we just recently had our local beer fest here in Raleigh which was awesome.
Oops look at that- looks like it’s beer o’clock now!
Glad you enjoyed the post! We’ve got lots more to come in the coming weeks… stay tuned! 😉
I try as many local beers as I can when I’m traveling, but I didn’t take photos of them. That’s such a good idea. I think my favorite beer moment is when I got drink with a friend on Saigon Beer and Angkor Beer in Vietnam. If I’m going by my favorite so far, I am going with Belikin stout beer in Belize. It was really dark and smooth and hit the spot after a long day of diving.
We had good times drinking both Saigon and Angkor Beer – we’ll have to try the Belikin when were in Belize next!
Interesting post – looking forward to the next round. Hopefully next time Germany makes an appearance! 😉
Don’t worry – we’ve got plenty of beers from Germany!
Such a great idea! And this post has now led me to crack open a Leon (a nice dark Mexican beer), so thank you for that!
My odd beer story involves a large bottle of Haywards 10,000 beer that I drank in Calcutta. On the first night I had it, the beer received a 0 out of 10 in every possible category. However, the next night, a fellow traveler taught me a trick. You had to fill up a glass with water, open the bottle of beer, dump the bottle of beer upside down into the glass of water and keep it there for about thirty seconds, which is the time it takes for all of the glycerine to drip out of the beer. Apparently the excessive amount of glycerine is used to keep the beer ‘fresh’ given the weather conditions and lack of refrigeration in India.
After that trick, the beer wasn’t amazing, but at least it bumped up to a 3 out of 10!
LOL! Thanks for the story Earl. We had to do a similar thing with the Kingfisher beer in India. I guess the glycerine is a preservative of sorts, but it gives a mean hangover! We’ve got about 4 more of these posts slated for the coming months so stay tuned 😉
I did a blog post like this and do the same on photographing any new beers that I drink. I like the descriptions on yours though better. Great post and look forward to more on this!
Beers I have tried around the world:
http://www.foggodyssey.com/2009/08/24/beerits-so-good-when-it-hits-your-lips/
Thanks T-Roy! Keep checking back in, we’ll be doing a few more rounds soon.
What a great idea for a series of posts! I like how you have certain memories associated with each beer in each place. I’m not a beer drinker at all (tragic, I know), but if I were I think I’d be drooling by now.
Thanks Amanda – ironically, the idea came while drinking beer! 😉
I love beer, so hence, I love this post!!! I have tried many of these beers myself!
Hey guys,
Great blog you have here, I just found it and I’m in love with the beer tasting section!
Awesome to see Belgium beer getting a 9,5/10, it gives me a feeling of proud for my litl country. Do you remember any of the names of the beers you tasted?
Keep on the good work!