Category Archives: Gypsy Beer Experience

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I’ve now lived in the Okanagan Valley longer than I’ve lived anywhere else since the 1970s. Haha. What does that mean? I’ve actually started getting involved in my local beer scene … moving every two or three years made it difficult.

Here are a few ways I’ve started to get involved …

  • I’m contributing articles to the local published beer guide … you can find it in local bars, breweries, and pubs. Here’s the link to it: The Okanagan Craft Beer Guide
  • If you want to follow them on Instagram, here it is: OkBeerGuide
  • I’ve started a blog about Beer in the Okanagan Valley (and a little more) — covering from Osoyoos in the South to Salmon Arm in the North … Here’s the link: okanaganbeer.ca

My Okanagan Beer blog will definitely cover the local scene while I continue to use beermentor.me to cover all my beer adventures!

I continue to Judge competitions internationally and will try to cover the BC Beer Awards again. This year I’m judging at the Prairie Beer awards in Saskatchewan (while proctoring exams as well).

I continue to brew on my new system with a definite focus on German and Belgian-style beers. I hope I can keep this up (haha) and you’ll continue the journey with me!

Enjoy a cold one!

Beer Mentor

Miscellaneous Growler List Photos …

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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 …
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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. 🙂

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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! 
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37) Atelier am Dom (Cologne, Germany).  Views — spectacular!  Beer — pretty good.  Highly recommend. 
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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.
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61) Krcma (Ceske Krumlov, Czech Rep).  The food was good … beer was Ok.  locale was spectacular!
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68) Gösser Bierklinik (Vienna, Austria).  Hard to argue about a place that’s been there for hundreds of years. 
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73) Schlenkerla Brewery Tavern (Bamberg, Germany).  Whoa!  That smoked beer … amazing!  The town is fantastic too.
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77) Die Weisse (Salzburg, Austria).  An interesting stop as we were passing through the country. 
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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?
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90. Cantillon Brewery and Gueuze Museum (Brussels, Belgium). Wow, wow. and wow.  Highly recommend a sto here. wow.


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Wow.

Beer Mentor.

#43: Krcma v Satlavske (Český Krumlov) #61

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I apologize in advance for the tardiness of this post!  As part of “The Gypsy Beer Experience” in October 2012 I visited #61 on All About Beer’s Growler List, Krcma v Satlavske (Český Krumlov).

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This was my 43rd place on the list.  It is located in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic.  What a beautiful locale … check on google maps here.

It was an awesome place to eat AND drink beer.  Really quaint, down a narrow alley.

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The beer was excellent and the food was quite tasty!  We had just visited Pivovar Eggenberg (taken the tour actually … really cool).

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After we enjoyed our lunch, we went over to Budějovický Budvar Brewery, Karolíny Světlé, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.  Wow. This was an awesome day … two brewery tours and two places on the All About Beer Growler List: U Fleku was our final stop.

I will add posts for these other stops soon.  Again, apologize for my delinquency in posting.

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

#42: Gösser Bierklinik (68)

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Third entry in the “Catch Up” series.  Continuation of the report on our two-week European Beer Excursion we titled The Gypsy Beer Experience.  This link will take you to a copy of the Itinerary:The Gypsy Beer Experience

This is #4 of 18 places on the All About Beer Magazine’s Growler List we visited.  The first three were: 1) Oktoberfest (#5), 2) Hofbrau Haus (#11), and 3) Die Weisse.

This is #68 on All About Beers Growler list: Goesser Bierklinik.  You can’t go wrong with a place that’s been doing the same thing since 1683.  haha.  This was actually our last stop of the day … we started in Munich, drove through Salzburg (visited Die Weisse), visited Melk Abbey (stunning), and then attended the Mozart Concert at the Music Hall in Vienna.  It only made sense to us that we stop here for our nightcap(s).

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Although their beer list is short (see menu below), they were served with gusto and a lot of fun.  The food, beer, and atmosphere were all great.

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Definitely a worthy entry on the Growler List.  Stay tuned for more updates from The Gypsy Beer Experience.

Beer Mentor