On Tap: Beer Travel and Beer Culture in the Year Ahead

Of Lemons and Lemonade

It was almost two years ago to the day that I wrote an upbeat post about what 2020 had in store. I was starting work on a book project, and had a number of other writing ideas on the go.

And then the pandemic hit. I shelved the search for an agent and publisher. Who’d even be interested in a beer travel book in the midst of all this uncertainty, I thought? — And then wondered, in those early months of the pandemic, whether it was even a little perverse to write about travel. There was so much more at stake.

But I kept on with my weekly Photo Series posts on Facebook, initially as a means of keeping myself sane in the midst of all that uncertainty. Eventually, I started to notice that other folks seemed to be enjoying these travel posts as much as I took solace in writing them. The comments became more plentiful, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know some of you virtually over these past few years. In retrospect, I think the photos and vignettes represented a ray of hope that we’d one day be able to return to exploring new places.

So here we are at a crossroads of sorts. Omicron is breaking records, but there’s a sense of palpable optimism that things are getting better. To that end, I’ll press pause on regular programming for a look ahead.

Before that, though, here’s a quick recap of recent highlights.

Zoigl Article

First up, Zoigl. Regular readers know how much I love visiting the Oberpfalz in northeastern Bavaria. Nowhere have I found such a combination of beer tradition (coolships and wood-fired kettles), primeval forests perfect for hiking, and taverns exuding warm conviviality. It’s an oft-repeated truism in Zoigl Land: You’ll never drink alone.

I’m overjoyed that Zymurgy published an article I wrote about Zoigl in their January/February 2022 issue! Hopefully this link will get you behind the paywall so that you can read the article.

Beerscapes Newsletter

I started my quarterly Beerscapes Newsletter back in April 2021. It’s mainly about beer, but it’s also a place where I allow myself a bit of latitude to write about things that might not find their way into blog or social media posts.

Here’s the link to sign up. (Be sure to check your spam folder in case the signup confirmation ends up there. Those things happen sometimes with email newsletter programs.)

https://tempestinatankard.com/sign-up-here-for-my-quarterly-beerscapes-newsletter/

I’d absolutely love it if you’d share this signup link with friends and acquaintances who might enjoy the kinds of topics I write about.

On the Horizon

Photo Series on Facebook

My ongoing Photo Series is a good point of entry into what’s in store for the coming year. Though I’m no fan of Facebook, it’s where most of the action has been over the past few years.

For those of you who don’t (yet) follow my page, here’s a link to my Facebook page. Follow along!

https://www.facebook.com/tempestinatankard

I managed to keep up a weekly posting regimen right up until October 2021, when teaching and travel eventually trumped the weekly posts. Now that the semester is in the rearview mirror, I’ll be back posting my Photo Series more regularly.

Photo Series Meets Blog

Here are a few travel adventures I’ll sketch out in more detail in the coming months:

• New beer garden discoveries in Munich, including one that’s connected with an apiary in an allotment garden area.
• Brauerei Maisach and its small museum (and beer!) dedicated to Räuber Kneisl, an infamous local bandit. This is one of those “under the radar” places that anyone with a longer sojourn in Munich should visit.
• Upper Bavaria I: Mittenwald, Murnau, Oberammergau, Ettal. All of these places are close enough to Munich that you can reach them as part of a (long) daytrip. You could also base yourself in any of these places, which are also near Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
• Upper Bavaria II: Bad Reichenhall and the Chiemsee region, including a beautiful bike ride. Seriously, the scenery on that bike ride … .
• Bamberger Land: This region just doesn’t quit. I gained a new appreciation Heller Bock this past December, along with a deeper appreciation of the styles and seasons encompassed by Festbier.

Other Writing Projects: The Reinheitsgebot

One project that has consumed the better part of two years (and about which I have not yet written a single word) revolves around the “Reinheitsgebot” (German beer purity law). As I roll out pieces that approach the “Reinheitsgebot” from different angles, you’ll eventually see why I usually write this word in quotes. You’ll also hopefully get a sense of why I find the tradition that animates the “Reinheitsgebot” both fascinating and compelling, even if I’m sympathetic to many of the critiques leveled against this potent cultural phenomenon (for that’s what it is).

Along the way, I’ll write about a few events and dynamics that have shaped the “Reinheitsgebot” and our understanding of it.

• The Brewer/Baker Dispute of the late 1400s and early 1500s (which also sheds much light on what brewers knew about yeast and when).
• The prohibition of summer brewing (Sommersudverbot) and how the various ordinances that fed into and stemmed from the 1516 ordinance (“Reinheitsgebot”) contributed to the development of bottom-fermented Lagerbier.
• The “enemies” at the gates: the EC/EU and the consolidation of German sentiment surrounding the Reinheitsgebot in the 1970s and 1980s; the craft beer challenge and the reaffirmation of the Reinheitsgebot in the 2010s. Chemiebier and Industriebier (chemical beer and industrial beer) are key characters in these dramas.

Whatever anyone thinks about the various ordinances that fed into the twentieth-century concept we now call the “Reinheitsgebot,” it’s not going away anytime soon. Why? It’s a living tradition, however “invented” it may be.

Contrary to the state of affairs that some beer writers or pundits have attempted to conjure into being by force of mere assertion (adieu Reihneitsgebot), the Reinheitsgebot is not destined for the dustbin of beer history. Far from it. In short, you can’t talk about the contemporary German beer scene without the Reinheitsgebot, whether you’re a supporter, a detractor, or someone with no horses in the race.

Last But Not Least, the Book!

Yes, that book I mentioned at the beginning. (That’s one reason why I’ve been wrangling with the Reinheitsgebot.) I made plenty of headway with the writing during the pandemic, but (due to the pandemic, of course) I still have a few cities and to visit to round things out. Stay tuned. I’ll have more info as the year unfolds.

One Last Sip

Whether you’re a new visitor to my site or a regular, I raise my glass to you in the hopes that we get to share a beer in person someday. It’s all of you — long-time readers and new readers alike — who keep me inspired to write about my experiences with the history and culture of beer.

Prost, and cheers!

Related Articles

Traunstein: Beer in the Foothills of the Bavarian Alps

The Fünf-Seidla-Steig: Beer Hiking in Bavaria’s Franconian Switzerland

Kloster Reutberg: Magnificent Alpine Views and Beers Worth the Hike

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