Craft “Bia” (beer) … Vietnam.

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Stumblingpiper

We had an opportunity to tour from the North of Vietnam down to the South … In my previous post I shared all the different beers we had an opportunity to sample. From my 20 days of observation (very limited, I know) I came to this conclusion: Craft is alive and well in Vietnam. I wouldn’t call it American-style craft, but Viet Nam-style.

For instance, when we were in Hanoi, I didn’t see many “craft beer” places; however, they did serve “fresh” beer (see previous post). This is “craft” in my mind … small batches, serving the style the people enjoy, as fresh as possible–all very reasonably priced as well.

I didn’t see “craft” in the smaller cities (Hue, Hoi An, Sapa, etc), but we did see it in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). In Saigon I saw several craft beer / breweries on Google maps. I sampled beers from “Heart of Darkness” and visited Gammel Bier. They were both well-crafted. The place I really enjoyed was Pasteur Street Brewing.

It was near our Hotel (across the street). It wasn’t completely obvious how to get there, but the sign pointed to the alley … once in the alley it was easy to find the tap room.

We joined the other ex-pats/Europeans upstairs … there weren’t any Vietnamese (except for the servers). The beer was excellent (and so was the music).

It was kind of strange hearing Vietnam War protest songs while there but I guess it works for them. The food was excellent as well. Overall I would rate this place very highly and would recommend it as a locale for anyone visiting Saigon and looking for great beer.

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

94. Felix in The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong (#71)

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Stumblingpiper

This is #94 on the list … over 70 places on the list now. Yes, I’m still making my way on the All About Beer Magazine’s “Growler List” 125 best places in the world to have a beer.

Some of the recent entries have seemed a little “dated.” I know they are great places, but they seem to be a little worn or have lost the “vibe” to newer places. Not The Felix. This is an exceptional bar with a fantastic view of the Hong Kong Harbor.

This bar is on the 28th floor of The Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. If you are familiar with the James Bond films, you will recognize this hotel from Roger Moore’s “The Man With the Golden Gun” movie. However, the Felix didn’t exist when that movie was filmed in 1974. The hotel is known for its fleet of courtesy cars … Rolls Royces. Unfortunately, they didn’t pick us up from our hotel … we had to walk.

The bar doesn’t open until 1730 … but once it does, you ride the elevator specifically for the bar / restaurant. You get to the top, walk into the restaurant and open your mouth to the view, just like everyone else.

I ordered a beer and sat at the bar before we had dinner. It was a special IPA, made locally, with a slang name: “gwei-lo.” It means “pale guy” (or whitey) in English … slang for foreigner. Kind of funny. It was quite tasty though!

We reserved a table by the window to watch the everyday 8pm light show across the harbor. The dinner was ok … you can just visit the bar and enjoy a beer if you’d like. I highly recommend a stop if you are in Hong Kong. Definitely deserves to be on the list!

Oh, finally, what beer goes in must come out. If you go to the men’s room, you have a fantastic view while standing at the Urinal as well. Haha.

Enjoy!

Stumblingpiper

Miscellaneous Growler List Photos …

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Stumblingpiper

As a reminder, this list is my effort to complete the All About Beer Magazine’s “Growler List.” 125 best places in the world to have a beer.

From the summary — see my earlier post for explanation:

Total (actual) places visited: 70. A few years ago, my brothers and my best friend joined me in Europe for a 2 week beer swing. Not sure I posted about that, but here are a few random photos from that trip …

3) U Fleku (Prague, Czech Rep) … great place … nice “ambience” … yeah, i was without luggage for a few days …

6) Augustiner Keller (Munich, Germany) … my brother and I hit this as one of the last places before he had to depart the country. Worth a stop in warm weather. 🙂

28) Zum Uerige (Dusseldorf, Germany). Too commercialized now … there are other Altbier locations to visit that have great beer and decent service. It was quite active though!

37) Atelier am Dom (Cologne, Germany). Views — spectacular! Beer — pretty good. Highly recommend.

41) Blues Bar (Stone Town, Zanzibar). [This place was closed so I substituted Mercury’s … you can see the old Blues Bar in the distance] I took this photo from Mercury’s patio.

61) Krcma (Ceske Krumlov, Czech Rep). The food was good … beer was Ok. locale was spectacular!

68) Gösser Bierklinik (Vienna, Austria). Hard to argue about a place that’s been there for hundreds of years.

73) Schlenkerla Brewery Tavern (Bamberg, Germany). Whoa! That smoked beer … amazing! The town is fantastic too.

77) Die Weisse (Salzburg, Austria). An interesting stop as we were passing through the country.

78) Halve Maan Brewery (Brugge, Belgium). Yep, six years ago I was there on my birthday. They almost spelled my name right! But it was a great tour, great beer, great location. Did I say it was great?

90. Cantillon Brewery and Gueuze Museum (Brussels, Belgium). Wow, wow. and wow. Highly recommend a sto here. wow.

Wow.

Beer Mentor.

Growler List: Summary Update #6 … not Final

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Stumblingpiper

Reference: All About Beer Magazine’s “Growler List.” 125 best places in the world to have a beer.

Ok, I said it was my final entry last May … but I changed my mind! Yes, I’m still scouting out new bars/places to enjoy a cold, refreshing beverage, but I will continue to work on this list because, dang it, I like to work on lists.

Summary: Total (actual) places visited: 70 (55 remain on the list). I’ve worked very hard on correcting my list, so I think I’ve visited 4 (and sub’d 2) places since my last post:

#93: Bruxellensis Festival of Characterful Beers. Unfortunately, this festival is defunct. Darn. I would have loved to go to this one! I’ve substituted an equally appropriate one: Big Beers, Belgians, and Barley Wines in Breckenridge, CO.

#10: The Great Canadian Beer Festival. This was definitely a good festival–I wouldn’t call it great. Because of the laws in Canada, you can’t just buy one ticket and drink all the beers you want (like in the US festivals). You have to purchase a token for a “sample.” The samples are larger so you won’t be able to taste several beers without stumbling back to your hotel. Oh well, if I must.

#23: Henry’s 12th Street Tavern. This was a very nice place in Portland, OR. I visited with my brother and sister … with the abundance of great places now, I would rank this one down the list … worth a stop if you are in the area, but not worth going out of your way to get there.

#36: McMenamins’ Kennedy School Hotel, Portland, OR. This one is worth a visit! The brewery, restaurant, and hotel are all in an old elementary school complex. Definitely a unique location with ample parking. Worth a detour!

Here’s the complete list of places I’ve visited … new entries in Bold. Substitutes in Italics.

1. Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2016)
2. The Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium (2010) (2012)
3. U Fleku, Prague, Czech Republic (2012)
5. Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany (1998) (2012)
6. Augustiner Keller, Munich, Germany (2012)
7. Abbaye de Notre-Dame d’Orval, Orval, Belgium (2009) (2012)
10. The Great Canadian Beer Festival, Victoria [BC] (2017)
11. Hofbrauhaus, Munich, Germany (1997, 1998, 2001, 2012)
12. The Brickskeller (now Bier Baron), Washington, DC (2005, 2011)
14. The Market Porter, Stoney Street, London, England (2010)
15. Cat’s Eye Pub, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD (2011)
16. Camden Yards (Baltimore) [Substitute] (2008, 2009)
(Original: Fenway Park)
18. Horizon’s Cafe – CN Tower (Toronto, Canada) (2016)
19. Glengarry Highland Games Beer Tent (Maxville, Ontario) (2003, 2011) [Substitute]
(Original: Saratoga Race Course)
22. German Bundesliga (Kaiserslautern) (1997) [Substitute]
(Original: Daytona Motor Speedway)
23. Henry’s 12th Street Tavern (Portland, OR) (2018)
24. Hopleaf, Chicago, IL (2014)
25. World Beer Festival, Durham/Raleigh, NC (2011)
28. Zum Uerige, Düsseldorf, Germany (2012)
29. Toronado, San Francisco (CA) (2017)
30. The Olde Mitre Tavern, Ely Court, Hatton Garden, London, England (2010)
31. Cowboys/Redskins, FedEx Field Skybox (DC) (2009) [Substitute]
(Original: Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
32. Rogue Brewery, Newport (OR) (2017)
33. The Wynkoop Brewery, Denver, CO (2011)
36. McMenamins’ Kennedy School Hotel, Portland, OR (2018)
37. Atelier am Dom, Cologne, Germany (2012)
38. Anchor Brewing, San Francisco (CA) (2017)
39. The Flying Saucer, NC, SC, TN, AR and TX (2010, 2013)
41. Blues Bar, Stone Town, Zanzibar (closed)
[substitute: Mercury’s] (2013)
42. Sandlot Brewery (seems perpetually closed)
[substitute: Great Divide Barrel Bar), Denver (CO)] (2016)
43. Clark Street Ale House, Chicago, IL (2014)
44. Tailgating Frankfurt Galaxy NFL Europe Game (1996, 1997) [Substitute]
(Original: Tailgate SEC game. Sorry, Big 12 fan)
45. Selin’s Grove Brewing, Selinsgrove, PA (2010)
47. The Map Room, Chicago, IL (2014)
48. The Blue Tusk, Syracuse, NY (2010)
51. The White Horse Pub, Parsons Green, London, England (2010)
54. Falling Rock Tap House, Denver, CO (2011)
57. Andechs Monastery, Andechs, Germany (2010) (2012)
61. Krcma, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic (2012)
66. Delirium Café, Brussels, Belgium (2010) (2012)
68. Gösser Bierklinik, Vienna, Austria (2012)
71. Brewer’s Art, Baltimore, MD (2010)
73. Schlenkerla Brewery Tavern, Bamberg, Germany (2012)
77. Die Weisse, Salzburg, Austria (2012)
78. Halve Maan Brewery, Bruges, Belgium (2012)
80. Le Bier Circus, Brussels, Belgium (2010) (2012)
82. Irseer Klosterbrauerei, Irsee, Germany (2010) (2012)
84. Goose Island Brewing, Chicago, IL (2014)
85. Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2014)
88. Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern, Monroe, WI (2014)
90. Cantillon Brewery and Gueuze Museum, Belgium (2012)
91. Dogfish Head Ale House, Rehoboth Beach, DE (2010)
92. Belgo Centraal, London, England (2010)
93. Bruxellensis Festival of Characterful Beers (defunct/closed)
(Substitute: Big Beers, Belgians, and Barley Wines (Breck’, CO) (2015, 2016, 2017)
97. Clark’s Ale House, Syracuse, NY (2010)
100. Steamworks Brewing, Vancouver, Canada (2015)
103. Kelly’s Caribbean Bar, Grill & Brewery, Key West, FL (2007, 2016)
104. Rose & Crown Pub, Epcot Center, Orlando, FL (2006)
106. Brick Store Pub, Decatur, GA (2011)
108. The Ghost Bar at the Palms Hotel, Las Vegas, NV (2015)
110. The Gingerman, Austin, TX (2010)
113. beerbistro, Toronto, Canada (2016)
114. The Dubliner, Washington, DC (2010)
115. John Barleycorn, Chicago, IL (2014)
118. Top of the Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Chapel Hill, NC (2011)
121. Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington, DC (2010)
122. 5 Seasons Brewing, Atlanta, GA (2011)
123. Tim Schafer’s at Lake Norman, Sherrills Ford, NC (closed)
(Substitute) In de Vrede (Belgium) (2010, 2012)
124. Stumbling Monk, Seattle. WA (2011)
125. The Happy Gnome, St Paul, MN (2014)

Beer Mentor

#63: Bruxellensis Festival of Characterful Beers (93) [DEFUNCT]

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Stumblingpiper

Note: Finalizing blogs on “Places on the Growler List.”

This is #93 on the list … I hit a milestone with this entry … I’m made it over halfway there on the All About Beer Magazine’s “Growler List” 125 best places in the world to have a beer.

However, this is also a substitution … if you’ve read through my blog, you will see that some of the entries I’ve modified slightly. There are two types of modifications–first, if the venue is closed, I substitute (what I feel) is an appropriate replacement. The other is a “suitable sub.” For instance, I’m not a fan of SEC football, so I substituted another “experience” entry. I did that for about 5 entries (I think). This entry, #63 for me, is a substitute for a defunct festival: Bruxellensis. I’m sad about that because the festival looked very interesting. My replacement, though, is a fantastic option (I believe).

The Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines Festival (formerly in Vail, CO but now in Breckenridge, CO is incredible. If you go to just more than the festival — you can spend the whole weekend celebrating beer at this event — all the better. Sign up for seminars, sessions, cigar tastings, etc, etc.

IMG_20170107_101627792

This event entered its 16th year in 2017 and you can really appreciate the maturity. There are scheduled activities starting even earlier in the week and continuing through Sunday. The basic format is — beer dinners/tastings/seminars/competitions early (Monday through Friday) and then the big Festival on Saturday. And this is about Big Beers! How about a 1994 Triple Bock from Boston Brewery? The Utopias at 28%?

IMG_20170107_150556669

Many of the craft industries long-time members really go all out in support of this (Dogfish Head, Avery, and the Lost Abbey to name a few (Oh, and Boston Brewery? see above)).

However, you also get the newer entrants in the industry as well — all focused on big beers or Belgians … and not just big, but great beers. If you look at the link above and walk through some of the activities, i’m sure you’ll agree … worthy of a place on the list and as a replacement for Bruxellensis.

Finally, this is also on Beermentor’s 100 Places list … now there are two officially, this Festival and Russian River Brewing. I will be adding my list soon … really. 🙂

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

Napa Alternative: Bear Republic!

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Stumblingpiper

I was recently in Napa Valley doing some “wine country” touring. Having had my wine fix and needing to chase it with a beer AND since I was heading north from there (from Calistoga) I decided to roll through Healdsburg, CA and visit Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Located right downtown they have a nice location, excellent patio, and cool staff. The beer is excellent, you can do the samplers, and the food is excellent as well. Marcin Furmankiewicz, the restaurant general manager, really takes the time to make sure you feel welcome. You can tell they like what they do!

Definitely west coast style ales! The tasters are a nice size and they will give you related flights.

Although they are in a shopping plaza (aren’t most really cool craft breweries now??) they make full use of the space. Check out the barrel room if given the opportunity … they even have some hops growing out back!

The Racer 5 IPA is their well known beer. However, drink them all and see what you think! Enjoy,

Beer Mentor

Brazil Microbrewery: Hop n’ Roll!

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Stumblingpiper

I visited Curitiba, Brazil (a city of 5 million) last week and my girlfriend and my new friends took me to a Cervejaria … Hop n’ Roll!

Who knew Brazil was starting to brew beers other than Lagers?? Actually, Brazil is the fourth largest producer of beer (recently surpassing Germany in production). Apparently there are microbreweries in all of the large cities … some notable ones are Cervejaria Colorado and Choperia Baden Baden.

This was a very cool place — great layout and decor … check the photos here. They had an outdoor beer garden and a nice indoor pub. They had parking in the rear … no problem.

Great artwork. Below pictures show the chalk board with the available beers. You could get local craft beer, American microbrews, and several Belgian options to include Trappists. Really a nice selection of beer!

Not only could you drink there, you could also brew! They had a brew your own set up … it takes about 4 hours — if we had more time I was going to brew a batch for my friend to drink later. Here’s a few photos of the setup …

I can’t say enough about how nice the folks were — great location. The food was good too. They had an interesting way of tracking your consumption (thank goodness for my Portuguese dictionary … haha). Here I am paying the tab … inexpensive too … $58 for all of us to have a bite and drink a few beers. Very nice. If you are in the area, stop in for a brew!

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

#56: Copacabana Beach (85)

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Stumblingpiper

I took the opportunity to travel to Brazil in January — you always need a break from the cold, right? Soooooo … since I’m working through The Growler List, I figured I might as well add another to my list … #56 for me … drink a beer on Copacabana Beach.

I gotta tell ya, I wouldn’t put this place on the Growler List for “best places to drink a beer in your life.” I would put it on there for “best places to drink a Caldo de Coco or a Caipirinha.”

Definitely put it on your Bucket List. Let’s be honest, Brazil is not really know for great beers … however, they do sport a wide array of Lagers/Pilsners due to a large German population the South. As a matter of fact, the Blumenau Oktoberfest is one of the largest in the world. Brazil is experiencing a small renaissance of microbreweries — we will see if they take hold. I visited one in Curitiba and will have another post about it. But back to Copacabana. Wow. What a great location and a great beach. Whatever you choose to drink here, it will be memorable! Highly recommend,

Beer Mentor.

#40: Blues Bar (Stone Town, Zanzibar) (#41)

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Stumblingpiper

This is the first of several entries to catch you lucky readers up with my Growler List visits. This is my 40th stop on the Growler List (#41 on their list). I was in Africa for most of 2012 and decided to spend my New Year’s in Zanzibar.

There were several reasons, but chief among them was the desire to visit the Blues Bar. Imagine my chagrin when I realized this place was closed… if you look closely at this photo you can see the fallen down building that used to be the Blues Bar.

Of course, I didn’t realize it was closed until I had already booked my trip. No problem! I knew it would be an awesome time anyway and it was. Fantastic even. We stopped in at Mercurys right on the beach. This place was named in honor of Freddy Mercury who was born in Zanzibar. The picture above was taken from the deck. Here’s a series of photos of the place so you can see the feel is quite awesome.

Great place to drink a beer … and even better when you are drinking a Gin and Tonic! Hey, I like other things besides beer! Although this place was spectacular, I would probably rate the sunset cruise (with beer) even better … or even the Sunset Bar at the Africa House. Both of those were awesome!

Nope, not pirates … thank goodness!

What kind of beer you ask? What everyone drinks in Africa … a lager. Haha. Another one off the Growler List … I will keep them coming!

Beer Mentor

Beer 27/Day 27 – Rochefort 10

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Stumblingpiper

Well, I said I was going to drink only fantastic beers for the next two weeks–this is an awesome start! Many beer-aficionados say that Rochefort 10 is one of the best beers in the world. Ranks in the top 20 on beeradvocate and in the top 10 on ratebeer. Of course, these websites are heavily skewed by Americans. So the rankings on these sites are like calling the American Major League Baseball Championship the “World Series.” Regardless, this Rochefort 10 is an amazing Quadrupel (Belgian Strong Ale).

Of course I am of the opinion that, if you can get them, it is appropriate to drink a beer out of the glass designed for that beer. I bought this glass at Achel Brewery (they had an amazing beer glass selection too!)

Actually I bought this case of Rochefort at Achel too–I was living in Germany at the time. I drank all of that beer. Fortunately, not 5 minutes from my house is Randalls. Awesome store. Their beer selection is amazing.

Currently I have some nice homebrew in this case ready for consumption!

I visited this brewery in 2009 and I have to say it wasn’t very inviting. It is kind of outside of a small town and there’s no real signs to guide you to any “visitor’s center.”

Both Achel, Westmalle, and Westvleteren are similar, except they each have focused visitor locations. The beer store at Achel is amazing.

The Cafes at both Westvleteren and Westmalle are exceptional. The two most inviting Trappist breweries are Chimay and Orval. Many times there is a Monk answering questions at Chimay and you can enter some of the grounds. Orval has a nice tourist setup and you can also schedule tours of the brewery. Well worth a visit.

Enjoy! Beer Mentor

Beer Mentor

A simple exploration of beer …

Category Archives: Beer Trips

Craft “Bia” (beer) … Vietnam.

94. Felix in The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong (#71)

Miscellaneous Growler List Photos …

Growler List: Summary Update #6 … not Final

#63: Bruxellensis Festival of Characterful Beers (93) [DEFUNCT]

Napa Alternative: Bear Republic!

Brazil Microbrewery: Hop n’ Roll!

#56: Copacabana Beach (85)

#40: Blues Bar (Stone Town, Zanzibar) (#41)

Beer 27/Day 27 – Rochefort 10