A Season for Strong Beer

A Season for Strong Beer

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 amount of imbibing. Most 

Beer for a Day: Living the Good Life in Salzburg

Beer for a Day: Living the Good Life in Salzburg

It’s been awhile. Blame Vienna. It’s not the first time I’ve done so over the course of the past eighteen months. Rather than sit here and tell you about all the cool stuff I’ve got in the works, I thought I’d dash off a quick 

A Pivo Pilgrimage to Pilsen

A Pivo Pilgrimage to Pilsen

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 

Autumn in a Glass: Märzen, Oktoberfest Beer, and Vienna Lager

Autumn in a Glass: Märzen, Oktoberfest Beer, and Vienna Lager

  ~Confused about the difference between a Märzen, a Festbier, an Oktoberfest Märzen, and a Vienna Lager? “Autumn in a Glass” has you covered.~   As the leaves in the beer gardens begin to don their autumnal attire and the evenings hint of the harvest, 

The Colour of Fall Leaves: Tasting Notes on Märzen, Oktoberfestbier, and Vienna Lager

The Colour of Fall Leaves: Tasting Notes on Märzen, Oktoberfestbier, and Vienna Lager

Wondering about the differences between Märzen, Oktoberfest Beer, and Vienna Lager? Check out “Autumn in a Glass: Märzen, Oktoberfest Beer, and Vienna Lager” before cracking open your first beer in this four-pack of Central European beers. a) Märzen Märzen is a malt-lover’s dream. Depending on 

From Horse Races to Beer Steins: Oktoberfest Since 1810

From Horse Races to Beer Steins: Oktoberfest Since 1810

  ~A History of Oktoberfest~   On 17 October 1810, 40,000 people converged on a field beyond Munich’s Sedlinger Gate to watch a horse race staged by the Citizens’ Militia (Bürgermilitär) in honour of Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. (The two 

O’ zafpt is! Oktoberfest!

O’ zafpt is! Oktoberfest!

Most every beer enthusiast I know has his or her mythical geography of the beer world, a mental landscape dotted with legendary breweries and drink-before-you-die beers. This topography might also consist of wild yeasts residing in the rafters of old farmhouses, or historic hop kilns