Memorable Moments Drinking Beer around the World
With summer in full swing and hitting the home stretch, we can’t think of a better time for the next installment of our popular series about memorable moments drinking beer around the world.
As lovers of beer and travel, we try our best to take a photo of every beer that we sample while on the road, making for an awesome photo collection with over 400 different types and brands of beer.
Because tastes and preferences are so subjective, our goal for this series is not to find the “best beer in the world”, but rather to reflect on memorable beer drinking moments from our travels. Keep in mind, we don’t consider ourselves professional beer connoisseurs and our beer reviews can easily be influenced by how many were consumed that day.
The beer-tastic series continues with its 13th edition, serving up ten more unforgettable moments from around the world.
Cheers!
Tuborg – Goreme, Turkey
This special beer drinking moment was captured whilst enjoying a sunset on the rooftop patio of a cave hotel in the town Goreme. If there is one place that we recommend you visit in Turkey (and the world for that matter), it’s Cappadocia and the Göreme Valley. Its famous for its peculiar rock formations, colourful canyons and magical fairy chimneys, making it one of Turkey’s biggest tourist attractions.
The beer verdict – Served flat and warm, this particular glass of beer was nothing special. However, we have enjoyed Tuborg on many other occasions. We give it 5.5 out of 10
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Baltica Cerveza & Becker Cerveza – Valparaiso, Chile
We didn’t have much luck with weather when we visited the Chilean coastal city of Valparaiso, so we found ourselves spending a few afternoons playing cards and sampling a variety of South American beer. Although we really didn’t get to experience the vibrant city and its culture, we did have a lot of fun relaxing and enjoying our time together. Sometimes the most memorable travel moments are the ones where you just sit back and let the day take you where it wants to go.
The beer verdict – Sweet and tangy with weak body. Like most beer in South America, neither were very good. We give them both 5 out of 10
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Speight’s Summer Harvest – Queenstown, New Zealand
After an epic day of outdoor adventures in Queenstown, we picked up this six-pack of seasonal beer from a local grocery store. We cracked open a couple of these beers and enjoyed them in our hostel room while reflecting on the epic helicopter tour that had us landing on a snow-capped peak in Remarkables mountain range – here is a photo from that heli-tour.
The beer verdict – Fruity and sweet with solid finish. I’m not typically a big fan of fruity beers, but this one was decent. I would probably buy it again. We give it 6.5 out of 10
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Lighthouse Race Rocks Ale – Victoria, British Columbia
Over the past few years the Pacific Northwest has really stepped up its game in the micro-brewery scene. There are dozens of great breweries producing a variety of tasty craft beers, many coming out of Victoria, British Columbia. We enjoyed this pint while on a delicious food journey at LURE Restaurant, a waterfront restaurant located in the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort in downtown Victoria.
The beer verdict – Great amber colour, hoppy with hints of caramel and malt. Flavourful with full body. We give it 7.5 out of 10
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Burger Premium Pils – Athens, Greece
While wandering through an outdoor market in Athens, we decided to load up on various meats, cheeses, olives, pickles and flat-breads and proceeded to set up a full spread in our hotel room. Of course, no impromptu hotel party can be without a selection booze, so we picked up some local wine, German beer and Ouzo (an anise-flavored aperitif that is a big part of the Greek dining experience). It was a fun evening!
The beer verdict – Standard German pilsener: light, well-hoped and bitter. We give it 6.5 out of 10
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Felsgold Premium Pils – Venice, Italy
Venice is a city like no other. Its tight river canals and historical architecture attracts millions of visitors, and for good reason – it’s a very cool city. It’s also quite expensive. Because we visited the city while backpacking around Europe, we we’re on a tight budget. So we opted to save a few Euros and drink a couple beers at our hotel room. We didn’t find a good selection of Italian beer at the store so we grabbed a couple of these German pils instead.
The beer verdict – Light with good carbonation, decent hops and slightly bitter. We give it 6.5 out of 10
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SiamSato – Bangkok, Thailand
We love Bangkok. The smells, the sounds, the flavors, the smiles, the chaos. Whenever we book a hotel in Bangkok for a few days we make sure to stay within walking distance of outdoor markets so we have easy access to street food and interesting restaurants. We enjoy most Thai beers so we assumed we’d enjoy a bottle of SiamSato. Boy, were we wrong! Although it typically sits on the beer shelf in the convenience stores (and it looks like a beer bottle), this is no beer. Far from it. It’s actually a sour rice wine, and it’s not good. Consider yourself warned…
The beer verdict – Awful. Not good – stay away if you’re looking for beer. But it is alcohol, so it at least gets one point for that. We give it 1 out of 10
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Big Swell IPA, Maui Brewing Co. – Maui, Hawaii
Cold refreshing beer is the perfect companion to sunshine and open-aired restaurant patios, so it’s no surprise that this locally crafted Hawaiian beer was a big hit on our trip to Maui. This frosty pint of deliciousness was enjoyed at the poolside bar of the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea. What more needs to be said?
The beer verdict – Refreshing, well-hopped, good carbonation, solid body with great finish. We give it 8 out of 10
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Suntory Rich Malt – Kyoto, Japan
Being Canadians, we are forced to deal with unnecessary government regulations that restrict beer sales to designated liquor stores. This means that we cannot purchase beer from a grocery store or convenience store (like the rest of the world). So you can imagine how excited we were to purchase cold beer from a vending machine in Kyoto, Japan. Yup, you heard correctly – cold beer from a street vending machine! It’s one of the many reasons why Japan is one of our favourite countries in the world.
The beer verdict – Strong malty flavour, sweet, hoppy, aromatic with clean finish. We give it 6.5 out of 10
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Red Trolley Ale – Palm Springs, California
We sampled this 6-pack of amber ale on our first international family trip with Baby B. Baby B was only 3 months old at the time, so this trip to Palm Springs was all about rest and relaxation. We spent days hanging out by the pool, sampling American beer and working on our sunburns. Mission accomplished.
The beer verdict – Full body, well hoped, sweet and malty with caramel flavours. Light drink-ability for an ale. We give it 8 out of 10
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Do you have a memorable beer moment that you’d like to share?
Share your experience in the comments section below!
Read more beer posts here – Memorable Moments Drinking Beer around the World
Siamsoto must have been one of the few beers I didn’t try while in Thailand. Guess that was a good thing! As a San Diegan I’m glad to see Karl Strauss on here. I have Red Trolley in my fridge at this very moment! 🙂 Next time you’re in the area be sure to try Stone Brewery, too, if you haven’t yet – very good.
Yeah, the SiamSato was a shocker – consider yourself lucky!
I’ve been really impressed with some the the West Coast American beer that I’ve tried lately. We tried the Stone Brewery IPA in Palm Springs earlier this year (we have a funny beer photo in Part 12)
“Burger Premium Pils,” that’s my new favorite name for a beer! Haha, I’ve seen it many times, but never had a Siamsoto!
It’s a great name, isn’t it?! 🙂
You raving alcoholics! 🙂 That’s awesome though. Its only 11 am but I’m already feel thirsty thanks to you. That burger beer looks interesting. For me, I love the 3 litter bottles they sell in Bulgaria.
Haha! We do love a good beer.
Wow – 3-litre bottles?! That’s a lot of beer… and who is the raving alcoholic?! 😉
Oh Siamsato – I saw it in the 7-11 fridge next to Chang, Leo and Singha and thought “it’s about half the price of the other beers – I wonder what the catch is?”. Then I tasted it and found out. It was so terrible, I thought I must have gotten a bad batch or something at first.
hah! Yes! That’s exactly what happened to us. We thought… wow, that’s cheap, let’s give it a go. BIG mistake. Needless to say, it went straight to the hotel sink!
Did you guys have a chance to try another of the other beers in Chile. I didn’t see the one you have in this post, but I was amazed by some of the great breweries located in Valdivia, Chile.
That Maui Big Swell IPA is looking quite tasty… especially when I imagine myself drinking it on the beach.
Do you like Austral or Kuntzmann? Those are my favorites!
We didn’t sample to many different beers while in Chile. Most of the ones we tried were from grocery stores, so I’m assuming they were the generic boring beers (like the Baltica and Becker)
I don’t like Tuborg either. Much prefer a glass of Efes
Ditto!
Been anxiously awaiting for this latest installment 🙂
Cheers! 🙂
Some other really good Chilean beers are Austral and Kuntzmann (I especially love the sweeter Kuntzmann miel). A lot of Germans settled in Chile after WWII so I think the beers from the south are actually quite delicious!
I’ll have to keep my eye out for these beers – thanks for the recommendation! 🙂
Thanks for making me thirsty. Again!! 🙂
Hah! You’re welcome! 🙂
Never saw Siamsato while in Thailand..but I guess based on your rating, that’s a good thing 🙂
Yep – you didn’t miss anything! Chang and Singha are the way to go in Thailand
So glad you guys are continuing the series. Beer and travel just need to go together.
I love the descriptions. I was surprised how many German style beers were in Greece.
Me too? But I guess most of the world sells a variety of German beer…
We’ve got #14 in the works… 🙂
This is awesome! How very Canadian of you to be writing about beer 🙂 As a fellow Canuck, I think this is such a great post. There’s nothing better than travelling the world and ending a day off at sunset, at a restaurant, on the street or in your guesthouse with an ice cold beer in hand! Well done and thanks for the info on the different types of beers. Cheers & safe travels.
A lot of people celebrate this month of beer this is the way to enjoy and relax together with a friend..Great celebration.
This sounds like the most awesome reason for traveling. Haha. I can imagine my friends asking me why I’m going someplace and then answering, “I’m want to try the beer.” 🙂
Beer which I love the most is Czech! And almost doesn’t matter which brand. 😀 For instance Plzeňský prazdroj (Pilsner Urquell), Gambrinus, Kozel.. There is a wide offer and it takes a long time to taste all… of course, you can find really bad ones too (these usually cost about €0.30). The best thing you can do is to visit brewery and try everything what they offer. Drinking beer from bottle or can just cannot guarantee you high quality of content.
There is one important spot missing – Gent! With its 250-sorts-of-beer bar just nearby the channel in the center. I love visiting Gent just for this real yummy beer from Belgian monasteries. Blonde, bruin, white and dark – amazingly good stuff, not only at this place but in Gent in general.
The beer in the vending machines in Japan almost brought a tear to my eye remembering all those great times. It’s kinda silly when you think how much this country loves to drink beer that there are so many tight restrictions on it…
Also, that Tuborg shot is amazing!
Hello all
I am in the process of seeing Cappradocia with my husband in June 2016
Please any hotel recommendations? I truly want a view that sits just behind that lovely looking beer you have on the site.
Our agent suggests the Museum Hotel $$$$$$ YIKES
Not against a totally mind blowing experience, but it is quite a bit above budget. I love a glass of wine and hubby loves his beer!
Love your Blog, so glad I have found it.
Cheers from a fellow Travelin Canuck
There are a lot hotels in Goreme (the main town in Cappadocia). I would recommend sleeping in a cave hotel just for the experience. There are a lot of mid-range options to choose from. Best to book ahead in the peak season, though I think you should be fine in June.