Recent Posts

Brown Beers (Still) Get No Luvin’

Brown Beers (Still) Get No Luvin’

Brown beer has an image problem. Joe Tindall over at The Fatal Glass of Beer (host of this month’s “The Session: Beer Blogging Friday”) sums it up well: “The unglamorous brown middle ground is consistently neglected.” I wrote about this very same topic a few 

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 

The Lost Abbey’s 10 Commandments: A Warming Beer for Winter Evenings

The Lost Abbey’s 10 Commandments: A Warming Beer for Winter Evenings

The last autumn leaves cling to the trees, holding out against the onslaught of wind and the first snowflakes of the season. A dense fog shrouds Vienna’s church spires in mystery. Night has descended, and the last faint warmth of the day has long since 

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