Intellectual Ferment of a Different Kind
Prague, Pilsen, and beyond
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 …
Back in January I sat down with All About Beer Podcast hosts Don Tse and Em Sauter to talk about beer travel with co-guest Chris O’Leary of Brew York. The timing was fitting: I had just arrived back in Oklahoma after a 24-hour journey …
My Kind of Beer Around this time last year I penned a series that began with an account of my tastes in beer, followed by an exploration of the kinds of beers I like. The series ended with a list of twenty-five beers that …
~Some of Prague’s Best Beer Spots~ Prague is justly famous for its Old Town Square, its Castle District dominated by St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Charles Bridge, majestic despite the throngs of tourists. Beyond that, Prague is famous for the Defenestration of Prague. (Defenestration: …
You’ve just arrived in Prague and have had a look at “Beer in Prague: A List to Get You Started” during your train ride. You’re thirsty after that long journey and need to fortify yourself before you brave the crowds of the Castle District, Charles …
Prague. Beer. Two words that go well together. Welcome to my series on Prague. In contrast to other series I’ve compiled or other city/regional spotlights I’ve written, I’m going to start at the end, as it were, with a rough-and-ready list of beers that you …
Grab your favourite beer steins, folks! We’re heading to the source for a pilsener. To many a beer drinker, the city of Plzeň (Pilsen) is virtually synonymous with its storied brewery and famous beer style. But beer in this western Bohemian town wasn’t always the …
Wooded hillsides, a hundred lakes mirroring the fleeting afternoon sunlight, emerald green pastures with the occasional dusting of snow. Stately Renaissance facades watching over magnificent squares and Gothic spires reaching skyward. Dimly lit train stations redolent of times past. Castle towns that drew artists like …