I’ve been challenged..

Lew has raised an issue at his Seen Though a Glass blog, which has been followed up by Alan, who in turn has challenged me to come up with my thoughts. The issue at hand is how we should label ourselves. Lew feels it is time to retire the term beer geek – but what should we [...]

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More unlikely places

Even in a country like Dubai there is beer to be had, there is even a Belgian Beer Café. No doubt it is stocked by InBev, but in a region which is rather dry in all senses of the word, I suppose you are grateful for small mercies. And there are far worse beers than [...]

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More on Riga

Where do you go to find beer in Riga? I visited two supermarkets, and did not get through the beers on their shelves. The Stockman supermarket is close to the railway station, and Rimi is a few blocks away in the Old Town. I am sure there are cheaper shops if you venture into the [...]

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On Bolsheviks and beer

So how is Riga? The taxi ride from the airport does not tell much – lots of wooden houses, some being beautifully restored. Lots of traffic, with surprisingly flashy new cars. We cross a river and enter the Old Town. This is pretty. Picture postcard pretty. Some buildings go back to the late Middle Ages, [...]

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An unlikely beer destination

It’s not as if I am running out of cities to visit. In fact, I’d be happy to return to many places across Europe. When I travel with my family, there are other considerations. In the summer, there is a strong demand for somewhere sunny with accommodation close to the beach. The transport should not [...]

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Back tomorrow

Thank you for your patience. I have had an Easter break with my family – I will report on the beer scene in Riga beginning tomorrow!

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A new Italian

When I started blogging, I posted a fair number of beer reviews, but they have sort of slipped away over the years. Maybe it’s something others do better, maybe it’s because I prefer to write other stuff. It’s challenging to come up with new descriptions and expand your vocabulary, too, particularly with English as a [...]

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Some words on quality

There is a discussion over at ratebeer right now concerning the views in the beer community of the beers from Fuller’s of London. Opinions differ, but there is one argument that I tend to support – they might not be the most adventurous of brewers, but they have a consistent quality, both for their bottled [...]

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Almost like Norway

From the Los Angeles Times: Seventy-five years after Prohibition, beer aficionados in Alabama are fighting for the right to brew and chug as they please. That’s raised the ire of Southern Baptists, who frown on alcohol in any form. As they jockey for advantage in the Legislature, one side quotes Scripture. The other cites BeerAdvocate.com. [...]

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Don’t try this at home

The New York Times writes about the Beer Can House in Houston, a landmark created by John Milkovisch, an upholsterer for the Southern Pacific Railroad. From 1968 to 1988 he drank 50 000 cans of beer – and used the empties to decorate his house. It has now been restored at a cost of $400,000, [...]

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