Intellectual Ferment of a Different Kind
It was my last day in Bamberg, and the sun had finally dispersed all the clouds, gloriously illuminating the fall foliage. I had just spent the late morning hours at Greifenklau and still had a few hours before my train. The gravitational pull of Aecht …
Munich’s Beer Seasons You have to admire a city where the rhythms of life revolve around excuses to tap a keg and raise a mug of good cheer. Munich is one such city where the seasons are marked by festivities that involve a healthy …
Not a cloud in the sky and the streets are starting to radiate the heat of the late afternoon. So much to see in Vienna. But I could use a cool drink right about now. Perfect time to head to a beer garden. “A …
~German Beer Day, the Feast of St. George, and the Reinheitsgebot~ German Beer Day is almost upon us, which means it’s time to stock up on your lagers so you can celebrate in style. The 23rd of April is a big day in German …
The Alps of Southeastern Bavaria Berchtesgadener Land was once coveted for the wealth of its salt. As the salt trade waned over the course of the nineteenth century, interest in southeastern Bavaria’s spectacular scenery grew. It was a time when Europeans discovered a new …
If you’ve spent any time at all in Germany, chances are you’ve been to Munich. And you may even have visited Salzburg in neighbouring Austria, either on your way to Munich from points east like Vienna or Budapest, or as a day trip from …
Starkbierzeit and the “Fifth Season” You’re rarely at a loss for an excuse to have a beer in Bavaria. You’ve got beer garden season in the warmer months, and Oktoberfest in the fall. You’ve got Maibock season in the spring and a slew of …
On the Old Antique and Second-Hand Market The Trödelstuben’s very name hints at what’s in store inside while also gesturing to the city’s past. It’s a warren of discrete nooks and crannies with wrought iron, coloured glass depicting motifs of Old Nürnberg, wood reliefs …
Prague is among my favourite cities in Europe. I visited for the first time in 1992, never once thinking it’d take nearly twenty-five years to return. And after visiting Prague for a few extended visits in the 2010s, I never thought it would take …
Guiding Lights A few years back I wrote a series that began with a post called Accounting for My Tastes in Beer and ended with a list of twenty-five beers that had caught my attention over the previous year. Last year I did something …
Every year of beer travel is special in its own way, and 2025 was no different. The past year is a mosaic of beloved places I hadn’t visited for decades, like Japan. Old friends like Munich for Oktoberfest or Bamberg for Bock. Cities I …
Bruges is of a piece with those other mid-sized European cities I hold dear, places like Bamberg and Salzburg. There’s something about these mid-sized towns. Grand as their architecture is, and as illustrious their histories, their winding streets and quiet plazas are still human-scale. …
How cool is this? A few weeks back, the good folks at Big Friendly, one of my absolute favourite Oklahoma breweries, emailed me with a pleasant surprise. They’d be releasing a Märzen in early November, the first one they’ve ever brewed. And not just …
