Maine Brew Bus Tour

While in Portland we took the Maine Brew Bus and got a  tour of three of Maine's alcohol producers, a meadery, a brewery, and a cidery/ kombuchery. Got to taste their fresh brews and get a behind the scenes look at their manufacturing process.

Allagash Brewing Company

 

Here are photos from out trip to Portland, Maine this past August. Naturally we went on a brewery tour of Allagash Brewing Company and here are some photos from that.

Vermont, Part 1: Hill Farmstead

It's been a few months since our weekend in Vermont but I thought I would still share some photos from that trip and I think I am a little overdue for a post. I was busy all summer working on my thesis and once that was finished I was occupied with converting my garage into my new beer making space, so before I get started on my beer production I wanted to get some other beer related events on the blog first.

Mondial de la Biere: Beer, Food, and a Media Pass

 

 SO last week we celebrated the 21st edition of the Mondial de la Biere here in Montreal. This year, like last year, Palais des Congres reprises its role as the beer mongers haven. The event took place between the 11th and 15th of June. And I - being the responsible blogger that I am - took the Wednesday off to indulge in geographically inaccessible brews.

Vienna: BrewPubs

A surprise stop in our European beer tour. 

We arrived in Vienna not expecting much from their beer scene, we were so focused on our two main beer destinations, Munich and Prague, that Vienna kind of fell to the way side. The information online is sort of lacking, but nonetheless we found some good places to enjoy a pint. Our favorite beer site ratebeer.com always has helpful info on where to find a good beer when in a foreign land. During the day we enjoyed Vienna's famous UNESCO Heritage Viennoiseries but we made time for a  couple stop offs at local brewpubs in the evening.

Pilsner Urquell Brewery Tour!

 

You may have never heard of the town of Pilsen in the Czech Republic, but I know for sure that you are familiar with their famous export: Pilsner Urquell. They have been brewing beer here since 1842 and they are the original pale lager.  The popularity of this crystal clear beer led to the towns name being co-opted as a style moniker, Pilsner. Today, most big commercial beer brands base their recipe on the original Pilsner, but please do not compare the two.

Prague: Bars!!

 

What is there to say about Prague? Before our trip we knew that it was one of the most well preserved and beautiful medieval cities in Europe, it had a pretty good night scene, and that the Czech are the biggest beer drinkers in the world. Now we didn't go to Prague to try their everyday beer, which in itself is very good, but we went there in search of the very best they have to offer. I found this awesome site, Beer Connoisseur that is full of the best spots to get a "pivo", Czech for beer. This site is so informative that I should just stop writing now...but I'm just too excited to share my own experience with you all! 

Munich: Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall

The day after our Oktoberfest experience we spent the rainy afternoon wandering around the central parts of Munich. We landed upon the famous Hofbrauhaus, but seeing as we had spent the day before downing their wonderful litres of beer we just sneaked inside to check out the interior and the "Vominator" (if you guessed a vessel made for patrons who have overindulged, you guessed Right!).

Munich: Lowenbrau Beer Hall

Our second night in Munich we headed to Lowenbrau after a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle, an amazing work of architecture and a great day trip from Munich. But if you are thinking about going just consider the two hour train, plus short bus ride, because it will eat up most of your day. The small town, where the castle is located is called Hohenschwangau, and has the most beautiful Alpine lake I have ever seen (this being the first one I had ever seen). We would have liked to stay a while in the town of Füssen where the train station is situated, maybe find a beer garden, but seeing as we had to catch the last train to Munich we had to make a run for it!

Munich: Augustiner Beer Hall

When we arrived at the Augustiner Beer Hall we were disappointed to see the place packed with no place to sit. But, we suppose that that was to be expected only a couple short days away from the beginning of Oktoberfest. After doing the rounds a couple of times desperately looking for a spot we finally nestled up next to some travelers from Australia. They had been travelling around Europe for 6 months and on a whim made their way to Munich for the festival.

Munich Beer Gardens

Arriving in Munich from Vienna at 3 p.m. we quickly settled into our hotel room and headed straight to the Englischer Garten (English Gardens) to catch some beer drinking in the park before the sunset. I had first heard about beer gardens from Jean who had been during his first trip to Germany with high school. It seemed that people from my parent's generation all seemed to be familiar with the term, apparently they used to be popular in Montreal in the 70's. Though in Montreal today we have some good choices for enjoying a beer outdoors like the St-Ambroise Terrace situated behind their brewery along the picturesque Lachine Canal and the huge terrace behind St-Sulpice on St-Denis - just don't go there if you are expecting great beer.

OKTOBERFEST!!!!!!!

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit.
- See more at: http://www.oktoberfest-songs.com/ein-prosit-lyrics.html#sthash.IS2Y9qNq.dpuf

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit.
- See more at: http://www.oktoberfest-songs.com/ein-prosit-lyrics.html#sthash.IS2Y9qNq.dpuf

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit.
- See more at: http://www.oktoberfest-songs.com/ein-prosit-lyrics.html#sthash.IS2Y9qNq.dpuf

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit.
- See more at: http://www.oktoberfest-songs.com/ein-prosit-lyrics.html#sthash.IS2Y9qNq.dpu

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit.
- See more at: http://www.oktoberfest-songs.com/ein-prosit-lyrics.html#sthash.IS2Y9qNq.dpuf

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit.
- See more at: http://www.oktoberfest-songs.com/ein-prosit-lyrics.html#sthash.IS2Y9qNq.dpuf

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der Gemütlichkeit

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der Gemütlichkeit!

The end of September will forever bring back nostalgic memories from our time in Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest 2012. Our trip comprised of two and a half weeks visiting Budapest, Vienna, Munich, and Prague, with Oktoberfest being the main highlight. For anyone who loves beer this is the beer festival of all beer festivals, although not showcasing a great variety of beer but rather highlighting the pride that Bavarians have for their golden beverage - perfected over centuries.Truly a work of art.

Beer Festivals: Oktoberfest des Québécois 2013 edition

Another weekend pilgrimage to the outskirt's of Montreal to taste Quebec's finest craft beer. The Oktoberfest des Québécois held in Repentigny every year to pay homage to the mother of all beer festivals, Munich's own Oktoberfest. 

Beer Festivals: 12e édition Bières et Saveurs de Chambly

Off to Brouhaha on a sunny Sunday afternoon to hop on the Broue-Bus for a good ol' fashion yellow bus ride to the Bières et Saveurs de Chambly, a beer festival held to celebrate the best of Quebec micro brews. There were 33 craft beer tents, meat on a stick, and lots of fried good stuff. Most of the brewers have done a beer festival or two but there were some welcomed newcomers like Jukebox, brewed right here in Montreal.

Henlopen City Oyster House!

Rehoboth Beach Trip: Part 3 

 

This photo of Henlopen City Oyster House is courtesy of TripAdvisor

We found Henlopen City Oyster House while doing a little pre-voyage research on Tripadvisor, it was ranked #2 best restaurant in Rehoboth and the word "oyster" in the name convinced us we had to go. We knew we were in for some good oysters and other seafood but we didn't expect to find a carefully selected list of locally brewed beers and excellent imported bottles; most notably a local favorite here in Montreal, Dieu du Ciel. It seems that Delawareans take a lot of pride in the craftbeer that is being produced right in their backyards, seeing as Dogfish Head helped to put them on the North American beer map. 

Dogfish Head Brewery Tour!!

The day after we arrived in Delaware we had reservations for a tour of the Dogfish Head brewery in Milton, about a 30 minute drive from Rehoboth. We could not be more excited for this tour. Firstly, we have the chance to visit one of the most iconic breweries. Secondly, Dogfish Head!!!! 

There is no distance I wouldn't go for beer.

Last week we ventured down south to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to visit one of my favorite and most respected microbreweries (craft breweries as they are referred to in the States) Dogfish Head.

If you are already into microbrews then I don’t need to further elaborate but for those of you who may be new to the world of beer check out their website link above.They not only make some of the most creative beers out there but their corporate culture is way ahead of their time.