Imagine you’re planning a beer vacation to Europe, or you’ve just arrived in a beer mecca like Munich, Bamberg, Brussels, or Prague. The internet these days reverberates with so much noise that it’s hard to get a sense of what’s worth a visit and what’s not. Untappd will only get you so far.
That’s where A Tempest in a Tankard comes in. I’ve been writing this blog more than a decade now. I’m an avid homebrewer, BJCP beer judge, and an award-winning beer writer who has written for publications like Zymurgy, VinePair, Brew Your Own, and Brewery History. What’s more, I spend half of every year in Europe. That means I know the vast majority of Europe’s historic beer cities and regions up close and personal.
Beer blogs sometimes meander in different directions over the course of their existence. Trends come and go, interests change. When I first started A Tempest in a Tankard, I focused my energies on the wonderful world of craft beer in North America. Dig way back in the archives and you’ll find posts about beers and breweries in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, the Great Lakes area, and New York. I also wrote more pieces with a critical perspective. (If you’re interested, here’s a taste of what still informs my thinking on topics like beer and place.)
Despite the twists and turns over the decade, my interest in beer culture — beer as culture — is as strong as it ever has been, and pervades just about every post I write. What’s shifted since I landed the postdoc that brought me back to Central Europe in 2015 is the focus: more beer travel adventures, more beer gardens, more beer hiking, more beer history, more Europe — and, as you might have noticed, more Germany.
If you have a question or comment, or perhaps a puzzle piece (fact or source) that could strengthen something I wrote, feel free to contact me here. You can also keep track of what’s going on by following along on Facebook, where I post vignettes and anecdotes roughly weekly. I’m also on Instagram and occasionally on Twitter.
Better yet, subscribe to my Beerscapes Newsletter, which explores paths I don’t always travel down with my blog. Doing so will also get you on my mailing list* for updates about the book on Germany’s beer scene that I have in the works.
And new for 2024: If you’ve enjoyed my writing or found it useful in helping you plan your travels, please consider supporting my work with a donation at Ko-fi.
If that schnitzel’s too expensive, there’s always beer.
Cheers, everyone!
Franz Hofer
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Here’s another way to sign up for my Beerscapes Newsletter.
Franz, you are the most erudite beer gentlemen I have met in print in a long time! You know your brews and your writing is positively elegant. I am impressed. Horst
Horst,
Very pleased to “meet” such a fine advocate for German beer in this virtual world. Thanks so much for the kind words! I have enjoyed reading your various articles and books over the years, and have learned an immense amount from them. Here’s to being able to sit down to a Stange or Stein somewhere some day.
Franz
Hello – love your posts! We are planning a beer/hiking trip from Phoenix once the covid restrictions loosen up. Do you have a travel book or guide book for the beer traveler? With all your knowledge of the subject, this would be an excellent resource for us Americans here back in the states. THANK YOU for your excellent content, Greg M
Hi Greg,
Thanks for the kind words! Glad you’re enjoying what I’ve been writing. I myself don’t have a book out yet, but I’m working on one about the German beer scene. Covid slowed that down significantly, but hopefully I can throw myself into my remaining research in 2022. There are still a few regions and cities I need to visit so I have the entire country covered. I also have a few adventures I’d like to map out, like cycling through the Altmühltal and a hiking/cycling tour that takes in the hop harvest in the Hallertau. I’ll have more posts coming out in the new year with hiking and travel tips in Upper Bavaria, where I managed to spend a fair amount of time this fall before Covid cases spiked again.
In the meantime, I can recommend Rich Carbonara’s book, Beer Hiking Bavaria. It’s got plenty of great suggestions for walks and hikes in Upper Bavaria, Franconia, and the Oberpfalz. We’ve hiked together a few times now. He really knows these regions. Rich writes a blog, too (Beerwanderers). Kevin Holsapple’s Prime Passages blog also has quite a few ideas for beer hiking and beer travel in Germany.
Have fun planning, and keep me posted!
Prost,
Franz
Also, I think you should setup a Patreon account so we can help fund your beer adventures and keep your site alive and growing! I appreciate all your effort, Greg M
Hi Greg, somehow I missed this one in the crush of getting myself back to Vienna for the fall semester. Patreon has crossed my mind a few times, as has the “buy me a beer/coffee” button you can add. I’ll have to see how that all pans out once the semester’s over and I’m back Stateside. Thanks so much for the words of support!! Much appreciated.
Hi Franz, this is Tracy Fowler (Mark Baxter’s sister). Not sure where you are thise days, but we are arriving in Vienna on the 11th, and will doing a Christmas Markets tour. It would be great to connect if you’re in the area!
Hi Franz! I enjoy your posts on Facebook, so now that I just found out you have a newsletter, I signed up. I’ve got a newsletter myself with occasional travel writing, so feel free to sign up yourself if you are so inclined: https://stricklandia.substack.com/
You’ll even find some travel journals from our trip to Germany last year (which is how I found your page on Facebook in the first place).
Hi Mike, thanks for getting in touch! (And apologies for the belated response — I’ve been on the road these past several weeks, including six in Germany.) I subscribed to your newsletter back in April, and will dig into it more deeply once my travels wind down. Best of luck with the MFA!
Our accidental meeting in Bamberg has proven to be a moment of opportunity.
Apologies for the belated reply, Albert! I got back from Germany last week, but I’m still on the road — this time in British Columbia (where I’m from). I met a few folks in Bamberg and forgot to write down everyone’s names. Are you the person I met at Mahrs and then bumped into again at Schlenkerla?
Dear Franz, may I ask you something on a historic fact check? You seek to be an expert on this special field of research. I would like to correspond via mail, if possible. My mail is below. Look forward to hear from you. Cheers from Austria. Günther Thömmes
Dear Günther, thanks for getting in touch, and apologies that it has taken a while to get back to you. (Busy time of the year!) I’ll respond more in the email you sent me. Prost!