The "Beer Me" Blog

Fixed the problem with brewery updates

2009-12-07T14:29:00.002-06:00

A big problem surfaced after I updated the site a couple weeks ago. People were getting 404 errors when trying to send updates or add new breweries. (This would explain why I didn't receive many updates while I was in Germany.)

The problem was a file that didn't make the jump from the old site to the new site. I've installed that file and it looks like it's fixed now.

Thanks to Ralph Wells, Mario Kornmesser, and Robert Sizemore for letting me know!

Günzburg and Leipheim

2009-12-03T23:59:00.005-06:00

Yesterday: Augsburg again

First, this tip from the "Beer Me!" Travel Bureau...

The gates at German railroad crossings close while the train is still a long way away. Still, walking around the gates to catch a train, even when the train is a good thousand yards off, will earn you a stern lecture from the train driver when you board.

Now, back to the trip...

Günzburg used to have quite a few breweries. Some of them have closed, and some of them have moved their production either off-site or out of town altogether.

Brauereigasthof zur Münz, Günzburg

Gasthaus und Brauerei zur goldene Traube, Günzburg

The Brauereigaststätte zum Rad serves beers from Günzburg's Brauerei zum Rad, which specializes in wheat beers. They offer a tray of 100ml samples of all five of their beers, plus a glass to take home, for €7.50. Plus their Schweinehaxe is massive.

Radbrauerei Günzburger Märzen-Spezial

Radbrauerei Günzburger Hefe-Weizen

Radbrauerei Günzburger Leichtes Weizen

Radbrauerei Günzburger Ur-Weizen

Radbrauerei Günzburger Weizenbock

I walked up the hill to get a look at Münz-Brauerei, but I couldn't find any of their beer on the way down to the Bahnhof.

Münz-Brauerei, Günzburg

Leipheim is a four-minute train ride from Günzburg, and Gaissmaier Brauerei is a four-minute walk from the train station.

Gaissmaier Brauerei, Leipheim

Two half-liters and a bottle cost me just €5.90, and that included the bottle deposit.

Gaissmaier Helles

Gaissmaier Dunkles

Tomorrow: Ulm

Augsburg again

2009-12-02T23:59:00.009-06:00

Yesterday: Augsburg

(The WLAN here at the hotel is finally working, but it's mind-numbingly slow. Most of my connect-time has been used up typing beer notes and uploading pictures. The blog will follow as conditions allow.)

Knopf & Knopf Erlebnishotel in Warthausen in the rain

I got an early start today, and I paid the extra money for the faster trains. I should have an hour at Augsburg Hauptbahnhof where I can connect to the Internet.

The Öchslebahn is a narrow-gauge steam-powered "museum train" that runs from Warthausen to Ochsenhausen during the summer.

Paid nine bucks for an hour of connectivity. Dropped the connection after ten minutes, and couldn't reconnect. Bastards. Had a 1516 Weihnachtsbier in the meantime. Augsburg's "Brauhaus 1516" appears to be an actual brewery in the Hauptbahnhof, but it isn't; they're affiliated with 1516 WestParkBräu in Ingolstadt.

1516 WestParkBräu Weihnachtsbier

Thorbräu Augsburg is one of the city's oldest breweries, since 1582. They note on their menu that there were at one time 97 breweries in Augsburg. The beer wasn't bad, and the Braumeisterpfännle was very filling.

Thorbräu Augsburg

Thorbräu Celtic Bio-Bier

Thorbräu Maximilian's Schwarzbier Unfiltriert

Thorbräu Maximilian's Kellerweisse Unfiltriert

Thorbräu Maximilian's Spezialbier

Thorbräu Portator

The nearby old city gate features a sundial, which was pretty much useless this day.

My brewery list includes Wieser Brauerei at Senkelbachstraße 29a. Consulting my map while walking through the neighborhood, an old gentleman noticed my confusion; he lives in one of the apartment blocks on the street, and he pointed out that if there was a brewery there, he wouldn't have to carry this half-liter bottle of beer in his coat pocket. So my brewery list won't include Wieser Brauerei anymore.

Stick & puck at Curt-Frenzel-Stadion, Augsburg

On my way to Charly-Bräu, a streetcar stopped at the intersection where I was standing. I asked the driver if he went to Oberhausen Bahnhof, and he said yes, and he sold me a ticket for €1.20. The streetcar went all the way to the end of the line at Augsburg-Nord, turned around, and went back to the stop where I got on in the first place. Turns out that line doesn't actually go to Oberhausen Bahnhof at all.

Continuing my walk to Charly-Bräu, I ducked into Bayrischer Löwe for a couple of beers from Klosterbrauerei Scheyern and Hasen-Bräu.

Bayrischer Löwe, Augsburg

Schey'rer Export-Dunkel

Hasen-Bräu Extra

Finally arriving at Charly-Bräu, I found that it's an interesting mix of German Gaststätte and American Brewpub. They appear to have some affiliation with Hofbräuhaus Traunstein, although it's not clear what that affiliation is. There are pictures of clowns about the place, and on their logo. The Helles wasn't bad, the Dunkles and Primus were drinkable, and the Weizen was all kinds of nasty.

Charly-Bräu, Augsburg-Oberhausen

Charly-Bräu Primus Weizen-Doppelbock

Charly-Bräu Weizen

Charly-Bräu Dunkles

Charly-Bräu Helles

Tried to get out a bit early, although it wouldn't have mattered since the connection in Ulm was the same. And it turns out the ticket I bought this morning, the one that the machine said would be good on all the trains, cost me an extra €5 on the ICE from Augsburg to Ulm.

Gold Ocshen Pils at Ulm Hbf, and Meckatzer Ur-Weizen at the hotel.

Tomorrow: Günzburg & Leipheim

Augsburg

2009-12-01T23:59:00.007-06:00

(I'm having some trouble connecting to the hotel's WLAN, so this might get posted later than usual.)

There's a little snow on the ground here in Warthausen this morning. Paris and I are staying in the Safarizimmer at the Knopf & Knopf hotel. It's kind of a weird-yet-fun little place, and it's conveniently located right next to the train station. We got here about 6:00 last night after three planes, three trains, 18 hours, and a beer at Stuttgart airport and another at the hotel. (Follow along on the map.)

The Safari Room at Knopf & Knopf

Two buttons good for two free beers at Knopf & Knopf

So yeah, it's snowing and raining. I waited at Warthausen Bahnhof for the bus to take me to Biberach. Then the train to Ulm was delayed, so I had to take a different train — which stopped at Warthausen Bahnhof — to Laupheim, where I would change for Ulm. While I was waiting at Laupheim for the Ulm train (which was delayed) two more (delayed) trains stopped at Laupheim on their way to Ulm, but I couldn't get to them in time. I eventually got to Augsburg an hour and 45 minutes later than planned. I'll have to rework tomorrow's schedule, and maybe consider paying the extra €15 to take the fast trains. I did have time for a short Gold Ochsen beer at Ulm.

On the walk from Augsburg Bahnhof, I passed Brauerei Hasen. I'll look for an Ausschank tomorrow.

Brauerei Hasen, Augsburg

Augsburg's Brauerei zur Goldenen Gans serves lunch from a buffet. An all-vegetarian buffet. The spinach spätzle and curried broccoli were actually very tasty.

The former Brauerei zur Goldenen Gans, Augsburg

Apparently I was invisible. Other people got beers, water, wine, etc, but I never did. I left my money on the table and hit the road. This is the first time I've been to a Brauereigaststätte (in any language) where I didn't get a beer. But then, their sign says they serve beers from Kloster Scheyern, so I don't think they actually brew here. I'll take them out of my database, and unless you're really in the mood for vegetarian cooking, I'll recommend that you skip this place.

Augsburg's mascot is apparently a guy beating something to death with a stick

I walked right past Gasthausbrauerei König von Flandern, and I almost walked past it again before I found it. It's in the cellar of a building near the north end of the Fußgängerzone, and once inside, it does feel like you're in an old beer cellar. The brewer said he got a late start today, so he was just mashing in when I got there around 2:00pm. Except for the overly-floral Dunkel, the beers were very good indeed.

Gasthausbrauerei König von Flandern, Augsburg

On the way back to the Bahnhof, I figured I had time to stop by Der Commerzienrat for some beers from Brauhaus Riegele. It's a nice place, located in the former Riegele brewhouse, but the bartender didn't seem too happy to have a foreigner ordering small beers. I had a Dunkles and the eponymous Commerzienrat Helles, and he told me the bill was "four yuuuu-rohz and eighty pentz", and "enchoy your schtay in Chermany". According to his conversation with one of the regulars at the bar, they thought I was English.

Der Commerzienrat, Augsburg

Brauhaus Riegele, near the Augsburg Hauptbahnhof

I killed a little time at Ulm Hbf with a Gold Ochsen Pils. If I had my shit together — or at least an Internet connection — I'd know that I haven't taken notes on any Gold Ochsen beers. I should be able to rectify that tomorrow.

Paris wasn't at the hotel yet when I arrived at a quarter to seven*, so I had some Meckatzer Weizen in the bar while I tried to get the WLAN to work.

*It turns out she got to the hotel just a couple of minutes before I did, and she was up in the room during the two hours I was in the bar. Once we finally connected, we went back to the bar and had more Meckatzer Weizenbiere.

Tomorrow: Augsburg again

Ethanol Energizes Enterprise Engines

2009-11-27T13:43:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Brookston Beer Bulletin for the inside scoop on the engineering decks of the Enterprise.

If you’re like me, you love what I call “brewery porn,” which is photos of brewing equipment either installed or by themselves. So when I watched the film reboot of Star Trek, I was convinced that portions of the movie — the engineering deck — were filmed inside a large brewery. Sitting in the darkened theater back in May, I remember thinking it looked a lot like Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Fort Collins. But I forgot about it until last night, when I re-watched the film on DVD. It turns out I was half-right. It was filmed in a large Anheuser-Busch brewery, but it was the one in Van Nuys, California (which in retrospect makes sense, since it’s closer to Hollywood).

Read lots more and see the pictures at Brookston Beer Bulletin.

Oberschwaben 4

2009-11-26T10:47:00.003-06:00

We're leaving Sunday afternoon for this year's fourth trip to Oberschwaben. Here's the itinerary:

Monday, November 30: Fly into Stuttgart and take the train to Warthausen.
Tuesday, December 1: Augsburg
- Thorbräu Augsburg
- Wieser Brauerei
- Charly-Bräu
Wednesday, December 2: Augsburg
Thursday, December 3: Günzburg and Leipheim

Brauereigaststätte zum Rad
Gaissmaier Hirschbrauerei

Friday, December 4: Weißenhorn
- Brauerei-Gasthof zum Hasen
- Gasthof zum Ochsen
Saturday, December 5: Stuttgart
- Brauereiwirtshaus Sanwald
- Calwer-Eck-Bräu
Sunday, December 6: Fly home in time for my hockey game tonight.

Follow along on the Google Earth map.

A new look for the site

2009-11-26T09:47:00.000-06:00

I just uploaded a new version of Beer Me! this afternoon. (We'll call it version 3.1.) Although quite a bit of the underlying code is different, the changes are mainly cosmetic.

Anyway, let me know if you find broken links or anything that doesn't work the way it should. Thanks!

A beer a day for 10,000 days

2009-11-23T18:37:00.003-06:00

He's got a 21-year head start, but I'm catching up quick! I should reach 10,000 different beers on December 28, 2018.

The first was Dinkel Acker.

Dale Van Wieren of Lansdale, Montgomery County, cracked open the dark German lager on March 19, 1971, wrote its name in a notebook, poured himself a glass and put the bottle on a shelf.

The next was Fix, a Greek beer, then, San Miguel from the Philippines.

And so it went, year after year, shelf by shelf, from one room to the next and out into the garage - more than 7,200 bottles plus hundreds more drafts enjoyed in brewpubs and taverns, each meticulously entered into a notebook.

No. 10,000 will be tomorrow.

That's when Sly Fox Brewery & Restaurant, in Phoenixville, will honor the prolific suds-sipper with a ceremonial tapping of the specially made Dale's 10K Brew.

Congratulations to Dale! You can read his whole story at the Philadelphia Daily News.

Brass Monkeys fill the Lucky Bucket

2009-11-19T12:20:00.006-06:00

Kevin and Maria from the Brass Monkey Sports Bar organized a tour of Lucky Bucket Brewing last night, and a good time was had by all.

Lucky Bucket Brewing and Sòlas Distillery, La Vista, Nebraska

Zac Triemert explains the still

Lucky Bucket's 20-barrel brewhouse

Sòlas Distillery

Bottling Lucky Bucket Lager

Jason Payne wraps a pallet of Lucky Bucket Lager cases

Lucky Bucket Certified Evil lurks in the wood

Lucky Bucket's 120-gallon hopback

Zac explains the brewhouse

Sòlas vodka and rum labels

Lucky Bucket's brewer's office

Standing in line for some Certified Evil

Thanks to Kevin and Maria and Zac for a great time!

"Beer Me!" on Facebook

2009-11-18T10:28:00.003-06:00

The "Beer Me!" Blog is now available on Facebook. The daily list of site updates will appear there too, once I write the code.

Befriend me!

"Beer Me!" mobile app submitted to Palm

2009-11-15T13:24:00.004-06:00

A while back, I asked for volunteers to test my "Beer Me! mobile" app for the Palm Pre. Today, I submitted version 1.0.0 to the Palm App Catalog. With luck, I'll sell a few copies; in any event, I'll let you know what they say.

Hindenburg airship beer auctioned

2009-11-10T16:44:00.002-06:00

A new kind of smoked beer...?

A blackened bottle of beer found in the wreck of the Hindenburg zeppelin is expected to fetch thousands of pounds at auction.

The bottle was found by a fire-fighter cleaning up the American airfield where the German airship exploded in 1937.

The bottle will be the most expensive ever bought if it meets its estimated price of £5,000 ($8,337) on Saturday.

Read the whole story at BBC News.

4 Things H.P. Lovecraft Taught Me About Barleywines

2009-11-06T15:12:00.004-06:00

John Schuff of BrewCast.NET shares some recently-found wisdom.

4 Things H.P. Lovecraft Taught Me About Barleywines

1. Some Things Are Best Left Sleeping
2. Cold Can Take The Life Out Of Things
3. Strength Without Finesse Is A Monster
4. Strength With Finesse Is Even Scarier Than A Monster

To find out just how those points relate to beer, you'll have to read John's article.

Cthulhu fhtagn.

Home from Dublin

2009-11-01T23:59:00.004-06:00

Yesterday: Last day in Dublin

(Warning: there is virtually no beer-related information in this article.)

Hey, Delta! You suck.

Friday morning, 24 hours before our 8:20am Saturday flight, I printed our boarding passes. Exit row seats from Dublin to JFK. First class upgrade from JFK to Cincinnati. Exit row seats from Cincinnati to Omaha. Not perfect, but comfortable.

Saturday morning, checking in at the Dublin airport, the Delta agent handed us new boarding passes, saying that there had been equipment changes on the first two legs. No more exit row to JFK. No more first class to CVG. They didn't have Paris and me sitting next to each other anymore. And she said she couldn't do anything about that; we'd have to wait until we got to JFK.

We got to JFK not long before our next flight was supposed to be boarding. The agent there said there was nothing he could do. This did not sit well with Paris, who has flown 150,000 miles with Delta this year, and whose so-called "Elite" status entitles her to better treatment. After some discussion, two adjacent seats magically became available.

We boarded, a bit later than scheduled. The plane was full except for one seat. We sat at the gate for twenty minutes. We were told that we were waiting for a Delta crew member to arrive from LaGuardia, who needed to be on this flight to commute to another flight. We waited another twenty minutes. We were told that the commuting Delta crew member wasn't coming after all. We backed away from the gate.

Let me emphasize this: they held a flight full of paying customers for a Delta employee, who never actually arrived.

The airport was operating on only one runway because of high winds, and we were fifteenth in line. After thirty minutes, we reached the number one position. The pilot announced that ATC had closed our departure corridor, so we had to pull out of line and wait five or ten minutes for it to reopen. We finally took off about an hour and a half behind schedule.

Arriving in Cincinnati, we — and everybody else on the flight — found that we had missed our connection to Omaha by twenty minutes.

Let me emphasize this: they held a flight full of paying customers for a Delta employee, but they did not hold the connecting flights for those same paying customers.

Delta put us up in a hotel and gave us each $21 in meal vouchers. The gate agent was friendly and apologetic, and she told us we could go relax in the Crown Room Lounge before heading the the hotel. Upon entering the Crown Room Lounge, a phenomenally snotty woman told us that we had "no authority to be here", and she would have to track down the person who had supposedly given us that authority. After a few minutes of her attitude, we said the hell with it and went to the hotel. Besides, all they had was industrial yellow beer.

They rebooked us to Omaha via Atlanta first thing Sunday morning. Those flights ran a little late (and they didn't even bother to tell us about the available first-class upgrades) but we did make it home in the end.

Look, I understand weather delays and equipment delays. But it's damned irresponsible and insulting for them to delay the flight for one of their own, and not offer the same courtesy to us who pay the bills. And the incompetence and arrogance with which they handled the situation is inexcusable.

I'll have to look back through my past travel notes, but I don't remember Northwest ever treating us this poorly. If this is the service we can expect from "the new Delta", I'm going to have to find some other way to get around.

Hey, Delta! You suck. Thanks for fucking up our first wedding anniversary.

Last day in Dublin

2009-10-31T00:59:00.008-05:00

Yesterday: Tram Co (or not)

Just to complete yesterday's notes, I'll mention that after having dinner at Bleu Bistro (Krombacher Pils), we wandered over to Bruxelles (Guinness) for a few pints. We wanted to have one at the world's smallest pub, the Dawson Lounge, but it was packed to the rafters with a couple dozen people.

Blue Bistro, Dawson Street, Dublin

Bruxelles, Harry Street, Dublin

Dawson Lounge, Dawson Street, Dublin

Today, I wandered by the Dawson Lounge again, just in case. The sign on the door said they'd open for lunch at 12:30, but they didn't. Instead, I went to John Kehoe's for a quick pint.

John Kehoe's, 9 South Anne's Street, Dublin

Declan at the Bull & Castle had mentioned yesterday that he'd be tapping a new cask ale, so I walked over that way to have a taste.

Carlow Malty Bitches

The Bull & Castle offers a few more beers that didn't yet appear on my beer list, so I started working my way down the line.

Árainn Mhór Bán

Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay Organic Ale

Shepherd Neame 1698

About this time a real cute Irish girl, about half my age, came bouncing into the bar and sat down next to me. She apologized for being late and ordered herself a Guinness. Puzzled, I kept up my end of the conversation while she asked where I was from and how I liked Dublin and all sorts of small-talk-stuff. I ordered another beer.

BrewDog Hop Rocker

She was about halfway through her pint when she got a text message. She answered it, and then says, "Oh no, I'm sorry, I've been ignoring your texts!"

I smiled and said, "Now I have to ask. It's unusual at my age to have an attractive young woman to pull up a barstool and strike up a conversation with me, and I certainly have been enjoying your company, but...have we in fact actually met?"

Smiling still, but not quite as brightly, she said, "Sure and we have! You're Ralph, aren't you?"

"Sadly no, I'm Richard."

She turned surprisingly pale, even for an Irish girl, downed her pint, sent a text, said a quick and friendly goodbye, and ran embarrassed out the door.

Palm Steen Brugge Dubbel Brune

Duvel Moortgat Maredsous 6

We fly home early tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Home from Dublin

Tram Co (or not)

2009-10-30T00:59:00.008-05:00

Yesterday: Howth

Since we didn't manage to visit Tram Co on Monday, I thought I'd give it a try today. I got off the Luas at Cowper and walked by Slattery's, since I forgot to take a picture on Monday.

Slattery's Bar, 217 Lower Rathmines Street, Dublin

Continuing down Rathmines, I soon came across Tram Co. It was just as closed at noon today as it was at 7:00pm Monday. I couldn't find anything on their door that said when they might in fact be open.

Tram Co, 121 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin

Continuing in the same direction, I passed Anseo. Locked up tight, no hours posted. Ditto for Solas on Wexford Street.

I knew the Bull & Castle wouldn't open until 12:30, so I walked past it and around the corner to Temple Bar, where I found the Porterhouse open. After that three-mile walk, I was ready to pass some time with a couple of Oyster Stouts.

Porterhouse Temple Bar, 16-18 Parliament Street, Dublin

Thus refreshed, I went back up to the Bull & Castle to get through the rest of their Irish beer selection. And a bowl of lamb stew. As for my long beerless walk, bartender Declan explained that the bars don't open until afternoon because, unlike the English, the Irish don't do their drinking at lunch, preferring instead to make up for it after work. That means I can get a later start tomorrow.

Carlow Curim Gold

Harp Macardles

Árainn Mhór Rua

The next one turned out to be Beer #8000, and Declan meant it to be a special treat. Carlow leann folláin is a rich, creamy Irish Foreign Stout. I could tell there was a magnificent beer in there somewhere, but unfortunately, this bottle had seen better days.

Carlow leann folláin

Tomorrow: Last day in Dublin

Howth

2009-10-29T00:59:00.006-05:00

Yesterday: Messrs Maguire

Dublin's suburb Howth is a 30-minute train ride north of town. Our friend Monte recommended that I make the trip, and since today was a very nice day for a journey, I did so.

Howth Station and the Bloody Stream Restaurant

Howth has a harbor where the fishing boats come in. The whole pier is lined with seafood shops and smokers.

Howth West Pier

Ireland's Eye (Inis Mac Neasáin)

Houses on Balscadden Road

Monte heartily recommended the Ye Old Abbey Tavern located just on the hill on the opposite side of town from the pier. Yes, it really is called "Ye Old". They claim the pub dates from the 16th century, and I don't doubt that at all.

Ye Old Abbey Tavern, 28 Abbey Street, Howth

Great baked salmon here, with Guinness to wash it down.

Tomorrow: Tram Co

Messrs Maguire

2009-10-28T00:59:00.004-05:00

Yesterday: Meeting John Duffy

There really aren't many breweries here in Ireland: only 16 by my count, and that includes the contract companies and the industrial giants. I visited one of Dublin's two brewpubs on Saturday, and I visited the other one today.

Messrs Maguire is at the south end of the O'Connell Bridge over the River Liffey. It's an ancient pub with several separate ornate bars upstairs and down. I didn't eat here, but the food smelled great; oddly, it's served cafeteria-style.

Messrs Maguire, 1-2 Burgh Quay, Dublin

Messrs Maguire Haus Lager

Walking back through town, I noticed that the Irish take their alcohol very seriously. Apparently they have entire companies devoted to insuring your liver.

Royal Liver Assurance: that's something we could all use.

Tomorrow: Howth

Meeting John Duffy

2009-10-27T00:59:00.007-05:00

Yesterday: Bull & Castle, and the Guinness Storehouse

John Duffy is the Editorial Officer for the Irish Craft Brewer website, and he has also contributed lots of information to Beer Me! over the years. He took Paris and me on a Dublin pubcrawl today.

We were supposed to meet John at the Bull & Castle at 2:00pm, but we got there early and found them closed, so we went around the corner to Legends Bar to kill some time.

Passed by Dublin Castle along the way

Legends Bar, 16-18 Lord Edward Street, Dublin

Legends has tables where you can pour your own beer

Legends is a very nice bar, although the beer selection is pretty standard.

Kilkenny

Smithwick's Irish Red

We did find John at the Bull & Castle at 2:00.

Bull & Castle Pub, 5/7 Lord Edward Street, Dublin

John pointed out some of the better Irish beers that we didn't try yesterday.

Whitewater Clotworthy Dobbin

Hilden Cathedral Quarter Beer

Hilden Headless Dog

Pifko is a Czecho-Slovak bar on Ushers Quay. Along with central European beers, they serve a house Irish Red Ale.

John Duffy and Paris outside Pifko Bar, 41-43 Ushers Quay, Dublin

Barrelhead Pifko Beer

A short walk back toward Temple Bar led us to the Czech Inn. Along with a range of draft Czech beers that we can't get at home, they feature a very nice Pils called "Murray". I can't find any information on this beer, and John doesn't know where it's brewed.

Czech Inn, Essex Gate, Temple Bar, Dublin

"Murray" Beer

Šariš 11% Tmavý

Heineken Slovensko Zlatý Bažant

We meant to go to Tram Co next, and we found a cab to take us there, but it was closed. (At 7:00pm. On a Monday night. On a bank holiday.) So we walked a few blocks south on Lower Rathmines Road to Slatterys for some bottled Guinness, and John's wife Dara joined us there. John tried to teach me to order the bottles "off the shelf", but I forgot and so mine were ice-cold.

Guinness Extra Stout

Our party went our separate ways, and Paris and I walked over to the Luas for the ride back to the hotel. We finished the night with the bottles of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout that we bought at the Storehouse yesterday.

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout

Tomorrow: Messrs Maguire

Bull & Castle, and the Guinness Storehouse

2009-10-26T00:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday: Dublin

The Guinness Storehouse is a good mile and a half from St. Stephens Green (according to the tourist signs which I was dumb enough to follow). Fortunately we came across the Bull & Castle about halfway there.

Bull & Castle Pub, 5/7 Lord Edward Street, Dublin

We learned that the Bull & Castle is Dublin's best pub for craft beer selection. It's where the local beer geeks hang out, and the homebrew club holds its meetings upstairs.

Carlow Goods Store

Whitewater Belfast Black

Whitewater Belfast Blonde

Any football fans out there who can explain to me the meaning of the pint glass in the lower right corner of the screen? I've seen it on at least two networks.

There's lots more to try here, so I'm sure I'll be back.

The sun was actually shining today, so the rest of the walk was quite pleasant. The Guinness Storehouse is their tourist facility; they don't do actual brewery tours anymore. It's set up on seven levels in the old fermentation building, and the self-guided tour shows a fair bit of the history of the company and its equipment.

The Guinness Storehouse, St James's Gate, Dublin

Floor plan of the Guinness Storehouse. Note the pint-glass shape of the atrium.

This is what it's like inside a freshly-poured Guinness.

"The world drinks over 10,000,000 glasses of Guinness every day."

An old 600-barrel kettle

Our own Porter brewster poses with a quote from Arthur Guinness

The tour ends on the top level with a free pint at the Gravity Bar.

The Gravity Bar atop the Guinness Storehouse

The Guinness tank farm as seen from above

All in all it was interesting for the average tourist, but We Who Chase Beer might find it a bit lacking.

The rain had started again, and we opted for a taxi to take us back to the Luas stop.

Tomorrow: Meeting John Duffy

Dublin

2009-10-25T00:59:00.018-05:00

(Follow along on the map.)

There was some concern whether I'd make my connection in Atlanta, but in the end I arrived in Dublin about a half-hour early, at 9:30am. Paris had arranged for a taxi to take me to the hotel in Leopardstown.

My method of beating jet lag is to hit the ground running, so we were in central Dublin before noon. Our first stop was the Quays Bar.

The first Irish beer advertisement I saw was for Budweiser.

Quays Bar, 11 Temple Bar, Dublin

My first actual beer in Ireland was not Budweiser.

Just up the road is the very nice Palace Bar.

The Palace Bar, 21 Fleet Street, Dublin

Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale

All the beers in this town are served Really Fucking Cold. I blame Budweiser. It's incredibly popular here, as are MGD and Coors Light.

O'Neills has a number of beers from Franciscan Well Brewery and Carlow Brewing.

O'Neills Bar, Suffolk Street, Dublin

Franciscan Well Blarney Blonde

Franciscan Well Rebel Red

Carlow O'Hara's Traditional Red Ale

Carlow O'Hara's Celtic Stout

Franciscan Well Friar Weisse

Porterhouse Central is just a couple of blocks away. They used to brew on-site, but now they have a production brewery out in Blanchardstown that supplies their five pubs.

Porterhouse Central, 45-47 Nassau Street, Dublin

Porterhouse Chiller

Porterhouse Temple Bräu

Porterhouse Hersbrucker

Porterhouse Alt

Porterhouse Red

Porterhouse Turner's Sticklebract Bitter

Porterhouse An Brainblásta

Porterhouse Oyster Stout

Porterhouse Plain Porter

(No picture?!?)

Porterhouse Wrasslers XXXX Stout

Porterhouse Hop Head

They also offered massive three-liter glasses of Erdinger Weißbier, but I didn't partake.

Right around the corner is The Farm. I know we had a Stout here, but I don't remember whose it was. It went well with the chocolate dessert, though.

The Farm, Dawson Street, Dublin

The Luas took us from St. Stephens Green to the hotel, where we had one more pint of Guinness before turning in well past midnight.

Tomorrow: Bull & Castle and the Guinness Storehouse

Facebook

2009-10-21T17:43:00.002-05:00

After years of resisting, I finally caved and joined Facebook yesterday. Frankly, I'm not impressed; it has real "ease-of-use" issues. I'm inclined to make this a very short-lived experiment, but I invite you to try to convince me otherwise.

My Facebook Page (I think. I can't be sure.)

Trappist Ale withstands the test of time

2009-10-21T15:34:00.002-05:00

The monks are getting older, and there aren't enough young men joining the ranks to replace them. This could eventually spell doom for the wonderful Trappist beers.

The brewery at Westmalle has certainly worked up a demand for their craft; they cap production at 12 million liters, or just over three million gallons a year, not too shabby. But as the average age of monks across Europe creeps up to the late 60’s, even the monks themselves have come to admit that some communities could disappear.

“Keeping the brewery going then would not be part of our philosophy,” said Brother Bernardus, abbot of Koningshoeven Abbey. “The brewery is there to serve the community, not the other way round.”

Read the whole story at Draft Magazine.

Rock Art's Vermonster

2009-10-20T15:54:00.002-05:00

I don't know if it will have any real effect, but show your support for a small American brewery by clicking on this link to sign this petition.

This is for all people who support Rock Art in their fight against Hansen Beverage, owners of Monster Energy Drink. Recently, Monster has told Rock Art to “cease and desist” their production of Vermonster, a 10% barleywine because they fear that there could be confusion between this beer and their energy drink. The labels bare no resemblance to each other, one is a beer and one is an energy drink. The only similarity is the “Vermonster” vs “monster” part of the name.

Please help support a small brewery in VT that is up against a giant corporation. It’s not about fighting for the name, “This is a fight about principles, and to tell corporate America that our justice system is not for sale. We, the people, hold the power, and we have the tools to combat your deep pockets.” - Matt Nadeau, Owner of Rock Art Brewery LLC.

Andy Capp

2009-10-19T19:44:00.001-05:00

As seen at comics.com yesterday: