Category: TravALEogues

As I write this, Poppy and I are three months into our trip, just about the half-way point before we head back to Sheffield for the festival in October. Everything sounds like it’s coming along nicely and it should be another fantastic event this year! We arrived in Lithuania, the last of the three Baltic states, to an unprecedented heatwave. The sun was blazing as our bus pulled into Klaipėda, a picturesque seaside city at the northern end of the Curonian Spit. The city is home to one of Lithuania’s oldest and largest breweries, Švyturys (“Lighthouse”), so of course we had to check them out. They actually moved into a shiny new brewery just last year complete with a bottle shop and tap room, called the BHouse, which offered all of the brewery’s core beers. Like some of the bigger brewers back home, they also had a craft range under the name Raudonų Plytų (“Red Bricks”). These were definitely more interesting than the core selection – highlights included the generously-hopped Bocmano Ūsai (6% IPA), and Bėganti Kopa (4.5% witbier). Back in Klaipeda’s old town we came across Herkus Kantas, a classic cellar bar beneath a row of townhouses with whitewashed walls and sturdy wooden furniture. Nestled among the local beers on tap we spotted a very familiar sight, Thornbridge AM:PM. I couldn’t resist a taste of home and can confirm it’s a beer that travels well.

Leaving Klaipėda, we took a two-hour ride on a standard of train we can only dream of back in the UK to the town of Šiauliai. Like most, if not all, other visitors we were really there for the Hill of Crosses, but as it was a Friday night we decided to check out the local beer scene too. We came across Cask 215, where we had our first introduction to Genys (“Woodpecker”) Brewery. The brewery offered the full range of styles from pilsners to porters and soon became one of our go-tos around Lithuania. Poppy was particularly enamoured with their tart but refreshing Raspberry Milkshake Ale (3.5%). Next up we arrived in Panevėžys, the country’s fifth-largest city. Apparently they don’t get many tourists here, but as there were two breweries in town (Kalnapilis and Dundulis) we opted to stay for a couple of nights. There was actually one excellent place in town, just around the corner from the bus station. Špunka Old Barrel Pub offered 8 beers from Dundulis on tap, and we duly tried most of them. More “interesting”, however, were the numerous anonymous bars dotted around Panevėžys offering some of the cheapest beer we’d ever seen, some less than 60p per pint! Unsurprisingly, these places were very popular with the locals. We didn’t exactly fit in with the clientele but we couldn’t resist popping in to try one out – as you can imagine, the beer wasn’t the best quality but the people-watching was second-to-none.

Much of Lithuania’s brewing heritage belongs to the north of the country, centred around the small town of Biržai. In fact, when the town was destroyed by the Swedes in 1704, the brewery was rebuilt before the castle and the market! The brewery, Biržų Alus, still exists today but unfortunately tours were only available to groups of 15 or more people. Instead, we decided to visit Rinkuškiai Brewery about half-an-hour’s walk out from town, where we sampled an exquisitely presented nine-beer tasting flight. Highlights included the dark lager Juodasis (“Black”, 4.2%), and Naminis (“Homemade”, 7%), a traditional Biržai-style beer with plenty of malty flavour and hop bitterness. From Biržai, a rather hot and uncomfortable three-hour journey on a bus from the 1970s brought us to the capital, Vilnius. This was easily the most touristy place we visited in Lithuania and many bars had prices to match. The locals seemed to have a peculiar penchant for Newcastle Brown Ale (it was available in a surprising number of places) but there were plenty of pubs for the more discerning drinker to enjoy too. Just like in Tallinn and Riga, we did our research before we arrived and marked a few “must visits” on our free city map. Up near the cathedral, we came across Nisha Craft Capital, a proper craft pub offering 20 taps plus fridges full of bottles from around the world. It was here that I had my first pint of what turned out to be my favourite Lithuanian beer, Apynys Brewery’s Yellow Camper, a 3% session IPA that packed plenty of flavour and body despite its low ABV. In the Old Town we found Prohibicija tucked away in a small courtyard, which offered plenty of To Øl on tap, plus bottled beers from all of Lithuania’s best microbreweries.

By now we only had one city left to visit before our three weeks in Lithuania came to an end. Kaunas was actually the country’s capital between 1920 and 1939, but nowadays is better known as a university town. It’s set to be the European Capital of Culture in 2022 and there was plenty of building work going on in preparation, but that didn’t spoil the vibe of this fascinating and lively city. In terms of beer culture, the city was also home to two of our favourite breweries of the trip, Genys and Apynys. The former had recently opened a tap room on the main street (the longest pedestrian thoroughfare in Europe, no less), a BrewDog-esque bar with the full range of Genys beers on tap. Meanwhile, we found the best selection of Apynys just around the corner in Vingiu Dubingiu alongside the likes of Kuro Aparatūra and Bear and Boar. It’s Poland next for us and having visited a few times before, we’re very excited for the beers in store. Remember, if you’d like to keep up to speed with our latest adventures (it’s not all beer!), you can find our blog at hoppingaround.co.uk. Dominic Nelson

First up I’d like to thank everyone who has managed to check out our blog so far, we really appreciate it and hope you’ve been enjoying reading! If you haven’t managed to have a look yet, you can find it at hoppingaround.co.uk. So, after three weeks exploring Estonia we headed down towards Latvia. After successfully navigating the somewhat antiquated local railway system we arrived in Valmiera in the north-east of the country. One thing we noticed straight away was the number of people around compared to Estonia, which apart from the capital, Tallinn, had been extremely quiet.  Valmiera is best known among Latvians for the Valmiermuiža brewery on the outskirts of the town. The brewery offers tours and tasting sessions, but booking in advance is essential if you want an English-speaking guide.

On the day we visited, the only English tour was taking place at 10am, so we dragged ourselves out of bed and started off on the half-hour walk out to the brewery. Our friendly guide, Ieva, explained that the 6 other people supposed to be on our tour hadn’t turned up, so we were getting a private showing! The brewery itself is based in the grounds of an old manor house, but while the logo and branding ooze tradition, they actually only started brewing in 2008. Ieva showed us round the fairly typical modern brewery set-up which was interesting enough, but we were really here for the tasting session. We were given five beers each, including the brewery’s core light and dark lagers, plus various other styles such as hoppy APAs, rich Baltic porters, and refreshing elderflower radlers.

Our next stop was Cēsis, an ancient town nestled in the middle of the Gauja National Park. We weren’t expecting to find much in the way of craft beer here; in fact, we were somewhat hoping for a couple of days off before Riga. But, with some online sleuthing, Poppy discovered there was indeed a microbrewery in town, Trimpus. It would have been rude not to visit while we were there, and what we found was a classic whitewashed basement bar with a tiny brewery in the back room. There were only two taps pouring while during our visit (they were still on winter opening times despite the 30° heat), but both were very enjoyable: Rietumcēsu (5.6% West Coast IPA) and Māmiņa (5% hefeweizen). After a couple of days exploring the town and the National Park, it was time to get back on the train and head to Latvia’s capital city, Riga. We’d originally planned to explore some of the bars around the Old Town, but on the walk from the station to our hotel, Poppy spotted an advert for the Latvia Beer Fest which just happened to be taking place that very weekend! Of course, we immediately dropped our plans and went to check it out.

The festival is held in the Vērmanes Gardens, just outside the Old Town, and has apparently been going since 2011. Usually outdoor drinking is strictly prohibited in Latvia, but for a few days each May the park is granted a special license so that the thousands of festival-goers can enjoy their beers in the spring sunshine. More than 30 breweries big and small, mostly from around Latvia but also a couple from further afield, descend on the park to showcase their wares. Each brewery brings their own kit and sets their own prices, so it’s similar to festivals like Sheffield’s own Indie Beer Feast. All of Latvia’s best craft breweries were in attendance; we sampled beers from the likes of Malduguns, Labietis, Indie Jānis and Viedi. I was particularly impressed with Viedi – my personal favourite of theirs was Piena Ceļš (“Milky Way”), a flavourful 6.9% mango milkshake IPA. Meanwhile, Poppy was a fan of the Iļģuciems Brewery range of honey beers, particularly their festival special infused with cherry and hemp. The festival was a really pleasant surprise, and now we know it’s there it’s well worth another visit in the future! Another item on our Riga to-do list was the Beer District, which we’d first heard about back at Valmiermuiža. This was a 10-bar stroll around Riga’s New Town which began from the brewery’s “embassy” in the capital. From there, the route took us to some really interesting places: the Labietis tap room showcased all their latest specials, Zobens un Lemess combined Latvia’s finest heavy metal music with some pretty robust beers, while Riga’s hipsters flocked to the trendy Kaņepes Cultural Centre. Probably our favourite place on the route though was Taka, a seriously comfortable bar offering the finest craft beers from all over the Baltics. The DDH Mosaic Pale (6%) from Ārpus Brewery was one of the best single-hopped beers I’ve had in a long time.

Our time in Riga at an end, we headed to the coast, passing through the seaside resorts of Jūrmala and Ventspils. Unfortunately, neither had anything to offer in the way of decent beer so we made our way to Liepāja, our last stop in Latvia. We arrived on a Saturday evening and found a town offering something for drinkers of all persuasions, from beach bars open until 6AM to sports pubs and late-night cafes. From a beer point of view though, the highlight was easily Miezis & Kompānija, an industrial basement bar with 10 taps and more than 100 bottles. We’ve now arrived in a very sunny Lithuania, so we’ll be back next month with all of our beery adventures from the last of the Baltic states! Dominic Nelson

Today’s day out again made use of the Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket. A leisurely train ride to Derby, bus into the bus station and then the Trent Barton 6.2 service deposited me in Belper in time for the 11am opening of the George & Dragon on the main road through Belper for their St. Georges Beer Festival. Seven hand pumps were on the bar but only 3 were in use today as another 20 had been separately stillaged for the weekend.  This is a well-positioned friendly road side ale house with a garden out back, parking and letting rooms. From the list I had halves from Falstaff, Froth Blowers, Rufford Abbey and Leatherbritches. From Belper it was another Trent Barton 6.2 to Ripley and then the 1A to Waingroves for the festival at the Thorn Tree on Church Street.  Although the pub is advertised as not opening until 4pm in the week I was optimistic that common sense would have prevailed during their Easter Bank Holiday Beer Festival as it had plenty of beer to sell, but alas, it had not. The pub was shut and the sign at the side said “Beer Festival open at 4pm”.  This in my view was very short-sighted given that it was Easter Weekend and the weather was set fair. Anyway, I was now ahead of schedule and a short(ish) walk took me to a bus stop to catch the Rainbow One Service towards Langley Mill rail station. I had about 15 minutes before my train to Chesterfield. Walking into the centre then catching the 82 service to Sutton-cum-Duckmanton took about 30 mins and I arrived at the Arkwright Arms (CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2019 listed), which had also opened at 11am (as normal) for their Easter Beer Festival. This large imposing pub stands at a crossroads and offers plenty of outdoor seating, a play area, food and parking as well as a vast array of handpulled ale and traditional cider.  Sampled here were beers from Ashover, Great Heck and a couple from Intrepid. Back on the bus in to Chesterfield and a walk through the marketplace to catch the Stagecoach service 90 to Brampton. The 9^th St. George’s Festival at the Rose & Crown (GBG 2019 entry) was very busy with a full garden in front. The main bar selection was supplemented by a separate stillage.  From the festival list I sampled beers from Nomadic, Bad Seed and Neepsend before another Service 90 took me back into Chesterfield for the short walk to the Chesterfield Arms for their North v South Beer Festival.  The numerous beers on the main bars were enhanced by a further selection in the rear festival bar. Beers from Bristol Beer Factory, London Beer Lab, Pig & Porter, Pentrich and another from Bad Seed were enjoyed.  I decided against any further imbibing in Chesterfield and instead had a pleasant Thwaites Nutty Black back in the Old Queens Head in Sheffield Interchange. It was good to see a number of pubs having festivals over the weekend. It’s just a shame that I couldn’t have visited all 5! Andy Morton

It only seems like yesterday that I wrote my letter stepping down as editor of Beer Matters but here I am having spent the last few weeks in Estonia with Poppy, making a great start to our journey through Europe. In Estonia we have discovered a country with a burgeoning craft beer scene, from macro-breweries trying their hand at more niche beers to the new kids on the block creating some really interesting experimental styles. We flew into Riga in Latvia (the flights were much more reasonable than going directly to Estonia) and spent a couple of days there acclimatising to the more relaxed travelling way of life before getting the coach up to Pärnu in Estonia. A beach resort known as Estonia’s “summer capital”, Pärnu was quiet in late April but its streets are lined with restaurants, cafes and bars. Most of these served the big Estonian brand-name lagers such as A. Le Coq and Saku, but some had a selection of Belgian beers in bottles too. The main attraction for beer lovers in the town was undoubtedly a little bottle shop called Õllepood Nr.2 Gambrinus, which looks unassuming from the outside but within stocked well over 300 Estonian beers as well as a (yes, one) table where you could sit and sample them. We left the shop with a few breweries to look out for on the rest of our trip: I was really impressed with Pühaste who had a good range of all styles, while Poppy was a big fan of Sori Brewing and their milkshake DIPAs. Having made a full recovery, we headed off to the ferry to spend a few days exploring Saaremaa, Estonia’s largest island (about the size of Luxembourg apparently). We stayed in the island’s main town, Kuressaare, which allegedly has a population of 14,000 – they must have been hiding while we were there as the place was deserted! We had hoped to spend one of our days on the island visiting a local brewery, Pihtla, who specialise in a beer style called taluõlu (Estonian for “farmstead beer”), not dissimilar from the Belgian saison.

Unfortunately, we discovered the brewery only opens to visitors during the summer months so we couldn’t go, but luckily we found a place just around the corner from our apartment called Saaremaa Veski that sold their beers. I tried their Pihtla Õlu (7.6%) and was pretty impressed. It had the yeasty flavour you might expect from a farmhouse-style ale but apparently the beer is bittered using juniper rather than hops, which gives it an interesting twist. It was also very obviously unfiltered and unfined – I think back home they would call this a real ale! We tried out a couple more of the bars in Kuressaare, but actually the place with the largest selection of local craft beer was the Coop supermarket – they had Pihtla and another Saaremaa brewery, Pöide, as well as beers from the neighbouring islands of Muhu and Vormsi. I can’t say any of them were particularly outstanding, but it was great for ticking off some new breweries. Next up was Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn. We arrived here knowing exactly what we were looking for on the beer front having done our research online, so the first port of call was the tourist information office. Poppy, always a fan of a free city map, picked one up and we marked on the best-rated beer bars so we could work out how to fit them in with our sightseeing. After visiting them all, our favourite was an underground bar called Põrgu, which translates into English as “Hell”! Despite the name, it was a really comfortable and friendly place with a huge range of beers and some excellent food too. Our beer highlights were again from Sori Brewing and Pühaste, but we also sampled beers from the likes of Lehe, Põhjala and Kolk during our three visits.

No beer trip to Tallinn would be complete without a visit to the Põhjala tap room, so one Saturday afternoon we headed to the trendy Kalamaja district where the brewery is located to try it out. We were already aware of Põhjala having seen their bottles around Sheffield, but there’s nothing quite like trying beer at its source. We were very impressed by the tap room, a large modern bar with a vibrant atmosphere and 20-odd beer fonts, 80% of them serving the brewery’s own beers. The tasting flights were pretty reasonably priced too, giving us chance to try as many as possible. The final destination on our Estonian beer tour was Tartu, a university city in the south of the country. It seemed common sense that where there were students there would be beer, and so it proved! The city is home to the country’s largest beer manufacturer, A. Le Coq, which offered an enjoyable brewery tour for €10 per person, although the tasting at the end was limited to one beer each, which seemed a little stingy. Tartu is also the location of Pühaste brewery, and while the brewery itself only opens for special events, their flagship bar in the city centre is open all year round and was well worth a visit. Our highlight though had to be the deTolly Õllebaar, hidden downstairs under a building that looked like a public toilet but was actually a cafe. The bar itself was small but stocked a good range of beers, all presided over by a friendly (and very tall) owner. As I write this we’re about to head into Latvia to see what we can find there. If you’d like to keep up to date with our adventures you can go to our blog, hoppingaround.co.uk – thanks to everyone who’s already been reading! As well as beer, Poppy’s also been writing up some of the other interesting places we’ve been and she’s been keeping a daily photo gallery, so there’s something for everyone. Dominic Nelson

In the company of the two best available Belgian beer books, the Good Beer Guide Belgium and Around Bruges in 80 Beers, two of us recently used a BeerJunkets Bruges Beer Festival package to visit Belgium for a long-weekend. We first visited Bruges in 2009, finding an earlier edition of Around Bruges an essential companion. Ten years later brought this, my third visit. The latest edition includes many changes from the version utilised a decade ago. At that time, Bruges had the single brewery, Halve Maan. There are now an additional two, both offering visits, shop and bar. Fort Lapin, over a mile from the Belfort, is normally only open to the public on Saturdays. On my early-morning visit, I was given a personal guided tour by the brewer and co-owner, Kristoff Vandenbussche. A range of high-quality bottle conditioned beers are available, all bottled on-site. There is also a small cosy on-site sampling room. Hoplapin, a 6% hibiscus-infused hoppy blonde, proved an excellent way to start the day. By contrast, Bourgogne des Flandres Brewery, opened in 2016, part of the long-established Timmermans (Martins) empire, is very tourist-orientated. There is both a large shop and café, lots of staff, upmarket food options (for example, Black Tiger Scampi at €16.60) and a large range of beer, the latter including a tasting tray of 12 cl of six different beers at €14. Adjacent to a canal and close to the Belfort, the brewery tour includes technological assistance and many links to historical references. Their main brew is the base for the 5% Bourgogne des Flandres red ale. This base is later blended with a Timmermans lambic. They also brew experimental beers, some of which were available in both the café and at Bruges Beer Festival: at the latter, one Primeur was Nikita, a 9.5% imperial porter. The 2019 festival utilised three adjacent venues: two large marquees (in the Burg and the Markt) and part of the Belfort building. Opening from 12:00 until 22:00 on the Saturday and 11:00 until 20:00 on the Sunday, over 70 brewery bars provided well over 500 beers. These ranged from the well-known to more than 70 which were described as either ‘niew’ or ‘primeur’. Among many others, Dominator’s Potion II, a 12% whisky-barrelled stout from D’Oude Maalderij was appreciated. The rumour for 2020 is that the festival will be moving across town to t’Zand. On the Sunday, the sun came out, so we made use of the train to Ostend and then the coast tram, the kussttram. The 67 km route runs from Knokke in the north to De Panne, on the border with France. A day ticket (€7) took us to Middelkerke, De Haan, Blankenberge and the new Jus de Mer Brewery. Recommendations include: Herman (Blankenberge), Zeeduif (De Haan) and Iceberg (Middelkerke). The latter had both Val-Dieu Tripel (9.0%) and background music which included an excellent Flemish cover of ‘Ride a White Swan’ (remember T.Rex). We also visited several bars in Bruges, including, an old favourite, t’Brugs Beertje. Here, a new house beer, Hazy Daisy (8.0%) brewed by Belgian micro, Siphon was available. This is named after Daisy Claeys, the long-time owner, who retired at the end of 2016. It was created in 2018 to celebrate the 35^th anniversary of this internationally-known institution. Other Bruges bars visited included De Garre (10.5% house tripel from Van Steenberge), Rose Red (lots of red roses and possibly the best lambic selection in the city, also De Dolle Dulle Teve Tripel at 10.0%) and Zandloper, the first bar off the train: Sint-Bernardus Abt12 (10.5%). In short, Belgium never disappoints – just don’t forget the essential reference material! Dave Pickersgill ​Pollard, C. and McGinn, S. (3rd edition, 2013) Around Bruges in 80 Beers. Cogan & Mater Strange, J. and Webb, T. (8th edition, 2018) CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide Belgium. CAMRA Books.

After an early morning shopping trip to Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre, the plan was to catch the 09:36 non-stop Stagecoach service 72 from there back to Sheffield Interchange ready for 10:24 train service to Derby. However, the bus made such good time that I was able to get the earlier 10:00 departure to Derby, allowing time for a quick, unplanned visit to the Babington Arms (GBG 2019), an excellent Wetherspoon establishment, and a half of Heritage Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (4.4%) was enjoyed before the bus to Heanor.

The first pub visited here at opening time was the Crooked Cask micro pub in the town centre, which had four tables on entering, a couple of steps leading up to the bar area which contained some stools and a small room beyond the bar with more seating. Of the four beers available on hand pump I chose Grasshopper Cricket (4.8%). Almost across the road is the Redemption Ale House. A one-roomed micro pub with eight or nine tables, a wood burning stove and seven hand pumps. My choice was a half of Little Star Brewery Shipstones Nut Brown Ale (4.0%).

Back through the marketplace and past the bus stop was the Crown Inn, a traditional pub with seating around a horseshoe-shaped bar. Six hand pumps dispense three cask ales and one cider and I had Dancing Duck Duck Berry (4.1%). Two Falstaff beers were also available. I was greeted in this pub by the barking of an oversized poodle which not only yapped at me but also at passers-by on the pavement. Not the best of welcomes, although the beer was fine!

It was then time for the hourly number 21 bus service to Ilkeston.  The first call here was to the Burnt Pig Ale ‘Ouse (GBG 2019), a bustling and friendly micro pub with the bar located in the cosy front room. Two further rooms stretched beyond this making it larger than it looked from the outside. Large cheeses and pies were being sold from the well-stocked fridge. The five pumps dispense a range of beers and styles and I selected Coastal Relentless Sea (4.2%) and Castle Rock SIPA V1 (4.2%). Not too far away is the Spanish Bar. A spacious open bar area greets you leading through to another seated area and beyond that there is a covered conservatory and then a garden. Five of the seven hand pumps were in operation and I had a half of Oakham Bishop’s Farewell (4.6%).

Onward by bus now to the Horse & Jockey in Stapleford (GBG 2019 entry). Although located just over the border in Nottinghamshire, it is accessible on a Derbyshire Wayfarer on the My15 Trent Barton service. This is a well-established split level pub and is easily identifiable as it is painted white.  From the 13 hand pumps I had two from Three Castles Brewery, Tiddly Dyke (4.8%) and Barbury Castle (3.9%) plus Turning Point Wavelength (4.5%). A chance encounter here with Malcolm from Long Eaton offered the opportunity to visit the York Chambers (GBG 2019) in that town, which is only a short bus ride from Stapleford using the My15. Situated in the Market Place in an old bank it had about five tables with six beers served straight from the cask in a room behind the bar and no lager. I selected Amber Chocolate Orange Stout (4.0%).

It was then back on to the My15 to Stapleford for the Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren. By now this was a very busy Wetherspoon’s and I tried two beers from Newby Wyke: WisKy rye ale (5.2%) and Distant Grounds Extra IPA (5.5%). Just round the corner from here is a micropub called the Millipede. Its eight tables were also very busy, partly due to the imminent Nottingham CAMRA Branch Meeting in the Horse & Jockey. Here I sampled Old Sawley Two Rivers IPA (4.8%).

Using the My15 bus again I went back through Long Eaton to Long Eaton station and the nearby Sawley Junction micro bar. This was nicely busy with all six tables occupied and people standing at the bar. I sampled Brewster Goatee (4.2%) and Scribblers Rubecca (4.8%).  A train from Long Eaton to Derby allowed a few minutes to visit the nearby Brunswick Inn (GBG 2019). My selection was Irving Intrepid (4.9%), a red rye ale, before catching the next train back to Sheffield and the bus home. I had never drunk in Heanor, Ilkeston, Stapleford nor Long Eaton before and there are more pubs to visit in these places with all being accessible by virtue of the excellent value Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket. Cheers, Andy Morton

Having spent Christmas at different ends of the country, myself and Dom decided a few nights away before New Year would be the perfect opportunity to visit a city we had both heard great things about, but never properly visited. Although admittedly a little far for a day trip, our pre-booked returns from Crewe to Glasgow were £30, and the hotel not much more so it was a perfectly affordable couple of days away.

Less than a five minute walk from the station, Shilling Brewing Company provided a warm welcome to a rather nippy Glasgow. The brewpub sits in an imposing building on the corner of West George Street. Alongside an excellent range of guest beers, four of the brewery’s beers were on the pumps, all brewed a couple of meters away. The full series could be purchased in a stylish flight deck and included Brew Tang Clan (5% coffee porter), Unicorn IPA (5.2% IPA) and Glasgow Red (4.4% red ale).

Throughout the evening we also visited a number of pubs and bars down Argyle Street on our walk into the city centre, sampling Magic Rock Dairyfreak (5.2% ice cream porter) in the Taphouse, Drygate Chimera (5.9% India pale lager) and ending in the CAMRA award-winning Bon Accord drinking Black Iris Snake Eyes (3.8% pale) and a couple of single malts. A highlight of the evening was being served Leffe on ice in a champagne bucket at a local Indian restaurant.

The following morning spent at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum listening to the free Organ Concert and learning a little more about Scottish History, before setting off for the West End. The first stop was at BrewDog directly opposite the Museum, where my drink of choice was admittedly something mulled in an attempt to combat the chill.

Lunch was enjoyed at the Kimchi Cult, a tripadvisor recommendation that certainly didn’t disappoint, and after that a five minute walk up Byres Road led us to the Curlers Rest where we enjoyed a pint of 2018’s Champion Beer of Britain, Siren Broken Dream.

Following this we headed to an unassuming little lane which all the locals kept telling us was a must visit on our trip. Ashton Lane had whisky bars, Belgian beer bars an Irish pub and everything in-between. Our first stop was the Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen where we settled in for a couple of hours, with Dom trying most of their tap beers and a couple of bottles (Blood Red Sky, a 6.8% rum-barrel aged red ale, and Don’s Choice, a 6.2% coconut and rhubarb black IPA, stand out as highlights), and me repeatedly ordering Magic Rock Stiggy Pop (7.3%), a brilliant example of the NEIPA style.

Popping over the road our next stop was Brel, famed for its impressive beer menu incorporating everything from Belgian to Scottish beers, and its beautiful beer garden. Favourites sampled here were the classics including Leffe, St Bernardus, Boon, and a wee Drambuie too! A notice in the beer garden did make me smile noting no hill climbing or head dives – a subtle nod to the 45% angle that the tables were perched upon. By this time we decided to have a break from beer and try some more whiskies in the wonderfully-named Ubiquitous Chip – we were in Scotland after all.

A full Scottish breakfast and surprisingly clear heads rounded off a much-enjoyed weekend in Glasgow, a trip we will definitely be making again.

Poppy

I arrived in Leeds with the intention of having breakfast in the Wetherspoons at Leeds Station before getting an onward train. However, as the pub was heaving I decided to forego breakfast and take the train to Todmorden and have a pizza at the Wetherspoons adjacent to the station. This was much quieter even though it was now gone midday. Unfortunately pizzas were off the menu today and as the beer selection was somewhat mundane I opted for a sandwich and pasty from a nearby bakers. My first drink in Todmorden was at The Pub (Good Beer Guide 2019) near the indoor market.  Quite a small affair with four tables and six hand pumps, and I selected a half of Northern Whisper Soft Mick.

Not far away was the wonderfully named Polished Knob.  On entering you are greeted with an abundance of colour from the walls, furniture and stage – in fact, everywhere you looked. Many rugby league shirts adorned the walls. There were six hand pumps but only three were in action and I chose Three Valleys EPA. Next up was the Alehouse.  More modern in appearance, this micro pub has four tables of varying shapes and sizes and there was some patio seating outside at the front. There were six beers on hand pump and one cider. I chose beers from Doghouse and Rossendale breweries

A short train ride on the line back towards Leeds is Hebden Bridge. It was a few minutes’ walk from the station into the town centre and the first pub that I visited was Nightjar, which is the tap for Nightjar Brewery. Three of their beers were available on hand pump and I chose Picture House at 3.9%. From here it is a short walk to the Old Gate Bar & Restaurant (GBG 2019). This is a larger establishment combining gastro dining with nine hand-pulled ales and one cider. I chose Oakham ABV and Kirkstall Brewery De Abdij & The Mill which was a very rich oatmeal stout at 6%. I could have stayed for another in here but there was still a lot to do. Next, a walk up the hill to the Fox & Goose (GBG 2019 entry), a community-run pub with an old-world feel and several different seating areas including a garden perched above the road. I chose halves of Bingley Korito and Serious Russet.  Back down the hill now to Drink? (GBG 2019) where Northern Whisper Yammerhouse was sampled.  Two beers were available on the small bar to the rear but this is also a bottle shop with an extensive range of both cans and bottles.

Heading back towards the station I called in Vocation & Co, another brewery tap offering four cask beers and 16 keg. All the beers were served from taps behind the bar. From the cask list I chose Vocation Vermont Table IPA at 2.5%.  This was quite a modern looking bar and was getting quite busy now. The train beckoned but there was just time for a quick half of Nightjar Klondike back in the Nightjar tap. Another short train ride to Sowerby Bridge and the Turks Head. More of a local feel to this pub which had six hand pumps with four in operation and I chose Newby Wyke Orsino. A short walk away is the Hogs Head Brew House (GBG 2019) which offered six of their own beers and two guests. From their own range I had 6 to 8 Weeks bitter, White Hog pale ale and Smash Mosaic, all at 4%.  This seemed to be a very popular destination for people and was a hive of activity.

Back to Leeds now and the Scarbrough Hotel (GBG 2019), just down the steps from the station. There were nine hand pumps and I had Black Sheep Choc & Orange Stout and Siren Suspended In Mosaic.  On arrival back in Sheffield there was just time for a swift half of Roosters Parts & Labour American Pale Ale in the Sheffield Tap (GBG 2019).  There were other pubs I could have visited but those chosen certainly made for a Grand Day Out! Cheers, Andy Morton

A visit to Munich’s annual Oktoberfest is on the bucket list of many beer lovers around the world and this year we were lucky enough to be able to make the pilgrimage. This is the world’s largest beer festival, with more than six million people attending every year and around 13.5 million pints of beer being consumed over the 16 days it is open. Munich’s biggest breweries each create their own special festival beer called Märzen, which at around 6% ABV is somewhat stronger than the usual lager-style beers Bavaria is known for. We set off early on Saturday morning to Manchester Airport for our first flight of the day to Düsseldorf (direct flights to Munich are extortionately expensive during Oktoberfest), where we enjoyed a couple of hours with a nice wheat beer before heading on to Munich. Once in the city, we quickly dropped our belongings off at our hotel and caught one of Munich’s very efficient local trains for the 20-minute ride to the festival grounds. Alighting at Hackerbrüсke station, the short walk to the Theresienwiese gave us a good idea of what was to come, as we passed revellers in various stages of horizontalness having presumably been drinking since early morning. It was quite a spectacle with locals and visitors alike sporting lederhosen, dirndls and other local garb. Once we arrived once we arrived the sheer scale of the festival struck us – even though we had heard and read how big it was, it’s impossible to comprehend without seeing it for yourself. At Oktoberfest there are no bars and no drinking outdoors, so in order to get some beer you have to make your way into one of the 14 large (some of them seating up to 9,000 people at a time) and 21 small tents in order to get a seat and be attended to. With so many tents to choose from, we’d naively assumed that we would have little problem finding five seats. How wrong we were though, as every tent we passed had queues trailing out of the doors, a one-in-one-out system firmly in place. After a short confabulation, we resolved to abandon the festival grounds for the evening. The new plan was to head into the city centre and come back first thing on Sunday morning. We headed to the Hofbräu beer house, but on finding that to also be full we settled for some of the smaller bars nearby and sampled local beers from breweries such as Ayinger and Tegernsee, traditional Bavarian wheat beers and dark lagers the order of the day. The local food too is exactly what you would expect, with sausages, pretzels and schnitzels abounding. There’s a reason these are so popular though – they’re delicious! Sunday morning came around and we arose bright and early to make sure we arrived at Oktoberfest in time for the opening at 9 am. We were by no means the first people there, but our plan to get in line early enough to secure seats was successful and within 20 minutes we had taken root in the Löwenbrau tent. The tent was wonderfully decorated in traditional Bavarian style, with long wooden benches and a bandstand in the middle. Less traditional was the 15-foot high animatronic lion statue which sporadically raised a stein to its roaring mouth. Soon enough, our waitress for the day took our first order and within minutes she returned, impressively carrying nine one-litre steins filled to the brim without spilling a drop. It makes you wonder how much training it must take before the festival, and it really is a sight to behold! The beer itself was very good too – not cask beer of course, but like all proper German beer it was clean and crisp and extremely refreshing, with a nice malty sweetness. The festival organisers have done a great job of keeping the atmosphere of the festival intact; during the day only brass bands are allowed to play (some tents do have electronic music later in the evening) and the doormen are very quick to spot and deal with any unruly behaviour. Standing and dancing on the benches is allowed and even encouraged, but taking that second step up onto the table will see you out the door before you can say auf wiedersehen. After spending a few hours in the Löwenbrau tent, we decided to head just next door to Hacker-Pschorr. There were none of the brewery’s distinctive swing-top bottles to be seen today; the beer came instead from a huge hose hanging from the ceiling. Again, this was a really enjoyable, slightly hoppier beer than the last – the perfect tonic for an increasingly warm day. We found a friendly German couple with some spare seats on their table and tried our best to converse in the local language – a couple of beers always helps in that regard! Eventually though it was time to head back to our hotel and get some rest before the journey home began on Monday morning. The famous purity of German beer meant there were no sore heads and we all agreed that we would definitely return in the future. Our one tip for anyone visiting would definitely be to get there early, especially on the busier days. Dominic Nelson