Of Martyrs and Moby Dick: Weihenstephan’s Vitus Weizenbock

Of Martyrs and Moby Dick: Weihenstephan’s Vitus Weizenbock

  ~Or, what do Melville’s white whale, a cathedral in Prague, and Weihenstephan’s Vitus have in common?~   I’ve been drinking Weihenstephan’s lush and expansive Vitus for years now, especially when the weather turns cool. I can’t get enough of that subtly spiced honey and 

Christmas Markets in Vienna and Munich

Christmas Markets in Vienna and Munich

  ‘Tis the Season   If you’ve spent even a few days in Germany or Austria around this time of year, you’ll have developed an opinion about the weather. Rain, sleet, mist. Steel-grey skies you could reach up and touch. What daylight there is fades 

A Pint of Prose and a Dram of Poetry in Edinburgh’s Old-Style Pubs

A Pint of Prose and a Dram of Poetry in Edinburgh’s Old-Style Pubs

  ~This is the first in an occasional series about my ale and whisky adventures in Scotland. Enjoy!~   Pubs and the Scottish Literary Tradition Edinburgh’s classic pubs are legion, and most have a lyrical quality about them — hardly surprising given that Edinburgh was 

Cooking with Beer: Aged Gouda and Doppelbock Fondue

Cooking with Beer: Aged Gouda and Doppelbock Fondue

Not long ago I went on one of the more stellar culinary journeys of my life. Mortadella and bowls of tagliatelle di ragù in Bologna. Mounds of culatello and Parmigiano Reggiano in Parma. Vitello tonnato and carne cruda all’Albese in Alba. Every kind of snail