the session

Session #29: 5 essential beer destinations

The SessionThis is my contribution to The Session #29 hosted by Gail and Steve from Beer by BART. The theme is “Will Travel for Beer.” Visit them for the recap of what others have to write on this topic.

Our family loves travel — even in the years we don’t visit 49 states, 9 Canadian provinces and territories, and 15 countries in Europe — and think pretty highly of beer, but there a few times we travel for beer. Because we don’t have to. If a good beer experience isn’t always available right around the corner then it’s usually not too long a drive. This ain’t 1994. Thus my real advice to you is travel a lot, visit national parks, brake for good pie, and the beer will take care of itself.

But that’s a bit short for a Session post, isn’t it? So here are five destinations to consider if you intend to combine travel and beer.

1. Neuhaus in a bit of northern Bavaria known as the Oberfplaz on German Reunification Day, the only day of the year all the Zoigl breweries in town serve their beer. By chance I wrote about this for Session #20.

2. Poperinge in the West Flanders region of Belgium for its Hop Festival, held on the third Sunday of September every three years (next one in 2011). This is not a beer festival (though an afternoon of Poperings Hommel Bier works fine), but you can go beer hunting the rest of your time in Belgium. So get there early to visit the hops museum, then find a place to enjoy the parade.

Parade at Poperinge Hops Festival

Residents from throughout the region, and as far away at Germany, dress up to participate the lengthy celebration that weaves through the town. Including a stunning number of children, such as those in the photo above, many in hop costumes.

3. The English countryside, on foot, “rambling” from town to town, sleeping, eating and drinking in pubs. We did this in 1994 and really need to go back.

4. Pelican Pub & Brewery in Pacific City, Oregon. The most beautiful setting for a brewpub in America. Great beer and food almost seems like a lucky bonus.

5. The National Homebrewers Conference. The June 2010 gathering will be in Minneapolis-St. Paul (the public parks capital of the world). Greg Noonan of Vermont Pub & Brewery said this back in 1998, but it remains true:

“When the homebrewers stop entering the profession, and the backyard breweries are squeezed out, then it will become stagnant. You gotta keep getting the guys who say, ‘Cool, I can sell the beer I make. I can do it.’ ”

The NHC is one look at the future of American beer. You don’t need to be a homebrewer to appreciate the week. Top-flight commercial brewers will be there to share secrets and serve beer.

 

Session #29 announced: Will Travel for Beer

The SessionGail and Steve from Beer by BART have announced the theme for The Session #29: Will Travel for Beer. They present plenty of options about how to approach this topic.

We’ll be in Colorado then, I think, and will have in the past year visited 17 countries, 9 Canadian provinces and territories, and 46 states — so far, three to go after that and then heading home (without driving to Hawaii).

As I am fond of writing, this is not a beer trip — even though I know full well you can sleep in an RV park in Newport, Oregon, that has space almost adjacent to Rogue’s House of Spirits and within crawling distance of the Rogue Ales brewry — but I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to find something to write about.

 

Session #28 roundup posted

The SessionBrian Yaeger has posted the roundup for The Session #28. Since Brian asked for it he got a nice collection of beers from far away, far away being subjective, of course.

Several first time Session participant — go make them feel welcome by leaving a comment — while some “regulars” turned up missing. I think, and I’m not making this up, it may have been because they were traveling.

 

Session #28: Handpumps and hops around the world

The SessionThis is my contribution to The Session #28, hosted by Brian Yaeger. I’m posting early because we’ll be amongst tall trees on Friday, a canopy the Internet cannot penetrate. Visit Brian’s blog on Friday for links to more posts.

For The Session this month Brian asks us to write about the brewery whose beer we’ve enjoyed the longest distance from our home. I figured from the outset that hops would be involved, because I thought this would be an opportunity to tell another story about drinking hoppy pilsners in small towns in the Czech Republic or hoppy ales in Vienna (I would have written about the HopDevil Ale at the 1516 brewpub while consuming Victory’s HopDevil here.) But when I did the math using two different online mapping services, two because the results surprised me, I discovered the south of Italy is farther from our Corrales home.

Not that I had to quit thinking about hops.

Although we didn’t visit Birra del Borgo west of Rome, we had several of the brewery’s beers at Bir & Fud in Rome, the restaurant del Borgo founder/brewer Leonardo di Vincenzo co-owns. I interviewed him for a story in the current DRAFT magazine at Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa’, a wonderful pub across the street that features Italian craft beers on tap along with rarities from Franconia and Belgium.

The options that evening included del Borgo’s Re Ale from a handpump, a rather easy choice for both Daria and I. It’s an American Pale Ale even if it is brewed in Italy, rich in Northwest American hop flavor and aroma. I took one deep whiff and told di Vincenzo, “Smells like home.”

By “home” I meant the United States in general, but sure as hell could have said “California,” where we’ve been for going on a month. Since we’re off to Oregon next there’s little doubt that when we return to New Mexico some of our clothes may still smell of grapefruit and pine.

Although B. United imports some of del Borgo’s beers Re Ale is not to be found anywhere we’ve been recently. So, back to Brian’s instructions and alternative #3: “find a local beer of the same style and do a little compare and contrast.”

Cask-conditioned North Coast Red Seal

That beer is North Coast Red Seal Ale. The bonus being I also had it from a handpump, in this case at North Coast’s pub across the street from the brewery in Fort Bragg. Sorry, no real compare and contrast here. I will simply suggest you too should find a place serving Red Seal cask-conditioned. The hops are delightfully floral and packed with grapefruity aromas, but softer on the palate than when you pour a glass from the bottle. The texture in the mouth is a pure delight, and the finish just as dry and bitter as from the bottle.

How was it like Re Ale, how was it different? I was too busy enjoying Red Seal to consider that, just like I ultimately enjoyed Re Ale last October more because of the flavor than because of any memories of home.

Is there a takeaway message? You decide.

 

Session #28 revealed: Drink globally

The SessionBrian Yaeger of Red, White and Brew has set the top for the 28th round of the Session: Think/Drink Globally. Should I, in the midst of an adventure where our goal is to eat and drink local products, think this is a good idea?

No need to panic, because here’s part of Brian’s directive:

[I]n honor of Global Craft Beer Forever, I pose everyone writes about the farthest brewery (including brewpubs) you have visited and specifically the best beer you had there. Again, not your favorite or any old brewery you’ve been to, but the one that is the longest haul away.

So this does not have to be about buying some beer from far, far away and drinking it at home. At least that’s the way I am approaching it. Brian, in fact, writes you may want to go out and buy a bottle that’s been shipped from wherever. Or you could “find a local beer of the same style and do a little compare and contrast.” I like that better.

I’m sure I’ll figure something out once I determine a) where we’ll be June 5 (maybe Oregon) and b) the most far flung brewery we’ve visited.