Petroleum-refinery-external-enzymefacilitated- platform-high gravity-brewed beers

I am not saying that ‘petroleum-refinery-external-enzymefacilitated- platform-high gravity-brewed beers’ are bad, nor that it is an unethical way to brew them. All I’m asking is: can you still sell them as something entirely different? And can we still, as the globally united community of beer professionals and beer lovers, in honesty tell our consumers that [...]

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Busy days at Ægir

Lots of new stuff from the Norwegian micros now, particularly from Ægir. Seems like the contract brewing of some of their bottled beers has freed the capacity for a broader range of beers on keg and cask, which was just the intention of brewer Evan Lewis.  Currently doing the rounds is the Ægir Saison, which used [...]

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Domus Birrae, Rome

My last post about Italy was perhaps a bit pessimistic, but I think the comments show that it is an issue worth considering. Anyway, I have positive things to report as well. On my visit to Rome last year, I had the pleasure of visiting both branches of Johnny’s Off Licence and brought home all I [...]

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Hotels in Bamberg?

Or Gasthäuser, inns, pubs with a few rooms to let. Any recommendations?

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Italian beers – basic commodity or luxury item?

I promised you some reflections from Italy, didn’t I? So, there I was, in Terracina, midway between Rome and Naples, a place not picked for any beery connection. I had searched the web beforehand for Birra Artiginale and so on, without much success. I found a cafe/restaurant on Facebook which boasted of the ‘na birretta beers from [...]

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50 new pale lagers and a Pepsi

Ole Petter Wie, the manager of Carlsberg-owned Ringnes brewery, by far the biggest actor on the Norwegian beer market, has ambitions. Big ambitions. He wants the profits margins to increase from 10 per cent today to 15 per cent in a few years.  He boldly proclaims in an interview with Dagens Næringsliv (not online) that he aims to [...]

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Spinning replacing drinking?

There is no lack of articles about the decline and fall of the English pub, but there are changes in other countries, too. I have written about the positive developments in Oslo concerning the ability of craft beer, but at the same time, obviously, the volume of standard pale lager is declining. The Norwegian journalist trade [...]

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Oslo Beer and Food Festival

I assume most of my Norwegian readers know about this, but for the record: As last year, there is an open air beer festival in Oslo this week, Wednesday-Sunday. It takes place in Kubaparken, within walking distance from the city centre. A good seminar programme, put together by Gustav Jørgensen, though I find the pricing [...]

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Oslo: Two new brewpubs on the same street

I’ve been claiming for a long time that there is a market for at least two more brewpubs in Oslo. The current Oslo Mikrobryggeri is west of the city centre, I’d say it is more of a community pub for people who work or live in the area. It seems to be quite full every evening, the [...]

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Vintage Americana

Some splendid color photos from 1939-1943 showing the depression and preparation for war.   They were taken by photographers of the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information and belong to the Library of Congress. There are lots more, though few of the beer related, at the Denver Post’s photo blog.

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