It seems like everyone has a “Best of” list these days. VH1 has the top 100 celebrity scandals. People magazine has the 25 most beautiful people. And All About Beer recently listed the top 125 beer places to go before you die. To me, these lists invoke fervent disagreement, as well as bewilderment about inclusions on the list, exclusions from the list, and the order in which things are ranked. Chris, however, believes that these lists spur lively discussion and healthy debate. Jumping on the keg wagon, we decided that we should create thebeergeek.com’s Top 10 Beer Experiences. However, that was much easier said than done.
Judging by our own attempt to develop a list, I think we were both right. First, the disagreements. We could not decide on whether the list would involve places, events, or activities. Chris felt that they could not be mixed. To him, it’s like mixing hefeweizens and stouts. I disagreed and cited a black and tan as a way to combine differing things into one great whole.
Disagreement number two, should the list be personal beer experiences or ones that other people could recreate. Chris fell on the side of creating a list of experiences that other people could do themselves. I opted for events that meant something to me in terms of my own growth as a craft beer appreciator.
Our not yet developed list did create lively discussion and healthy debate about our favorite places, our most memorable events, and the beer activities we enjoy most. In the end, however, we could not decide on the criteria for one list, so we decided to each have our own. Look for Chris to post his list soon.
So here are my Top 10 Beer Experiences:
10. Oregon Brewer’s Festival – Each of the 8 times we have attended, something fun has happened. Whether it was going on a Rogue cruise, being part of the kazoo parade, or meeting new friends. It has never disappointed.
9. The Black Rose in Boston on St. Patrick’s Day – There is nothing like getting there early in the day and staying on into the night. It’s festive, you never get bored, and unless you are more of a wallflower than we used to be, you can’t help but meet someone new.
8. Oktoberfest – I know that this is probably blasphemy, since Oktoberfest is #1 for most people. Don’t get me wrong, Oktoberfest is a must see, but it just feels a little touristy to me. Having said that, I will say that walking into our first tent within the first few hours of the festival on the first day of our first ever visit as a guy was being wheeled out on a gurney is pretty darn close to a #1 beer experience.
7. Weisses Brauhaus in Munich – Now this is a true German beer experience. It’s busy and the matronly waitresses are very sassy and somewhat intimidating. I love it! Well, after multiple trips, I now love it. I used to dread ordering a beer, but I get less and less afraid of the waitresses each time I go.
6. The Bergkirchweih – This is the “real” Bavarian beer festival in my book. It has a true neighborhood feel and few tourists. Plus, it is just as festive, but much more manageable than Oktoberfest.
5. Gus O’Connor’s Pub in Doolin, County Clare, Ireland during the Gaelic Athletic Association finals 2002- This was being in the right place at the right time. County Clare was in the finals and the atmosphere was lively. We met cool people, learned about the sport of hurling, and danced a few jigs (me, not Chris).
4. Brauerei Ayinger Aying, Germany- Meeting members of the family really brought the Bavarian brewing tradition home to me. We see several hundred year old breweries frequently and hear about how they have been run by the same family for all that time. But here I got to actually meet the family and hear their history. For the first time, I truly understood the meaning of brewing pride and tradition.
3. La Baladin, Piozzo, Italy – Finding this brewery is one of my favorite tales of beer travel. Winding through the narrow stereotypically Italian streets and coming out onto the town piazza was a very cool experience. When we arrived, there were few people, but in no time it seemed like the whole town was there.
2. Ferme Brasserie la Chapelle in La Chapelle St. Ouen, France- This is another great beer travel experience for me. We weren’t sure we would be able to find it and if we did, would it even be open for tasting. We did find it and we arrived a mere 1/2 hour late for the one day a week that they offer tours and tasting. The tour was in French, a language we don’t understand, and I think we were the butt of some friendly joking about our complete lack of understanding of what was being said. That made it all the more fun.
1. Alpine hiking – This, in my opinion, is the best experience I have ever had in my life. The Alps are flippin’ incredible and I am in complete awe every time I see them. Then to actually hike the mountains is a labor of love in heaven. To top it off, there are huts that serve beer and food. Alpine hiking combines all the best things in life and I highly recommend it to anyone.
So that’s my list and I’m stickin’ to it. It was a difficult list to compile and ranking them was even harder. There are some of you out there who will disagree with my choices, but Chris will be posting his soon and I’m sure that between the two lists, there will be something to satisfy everyone.
Buddha spent his life contemplating questions with the aim of achieving true enlightenment. And, in a sense, you could say that is the quest Chris and I have embarked upon.
Not a brewpub, but a simple warehouse with a small retail space. Chris thought their beer was the best of the trip thus far. I would have to agree. They do four beers (pilsner, pale ale, red, & porter), all very well. The major downside was that they only do kegs and growlers, no bottles. Despite the most excellent beer, this couldn’t possibly be the end of the quest. I still didn’t feel that I had reached a state of utter bliss. Plus, I don’t think Buddha ever stopped. He continued to contemplate life’s big questions throughout his whole life.
A few more moments of doubt, but we eventually found ourselves at Laughing Buddha Brewing Company. There we learned two things:
We pressed on and went around the corner to Baron Brewing. I was lovin’ it because they brew only German style lagers. Surely this had to be the enlightenment I was looking for. We chatted with a group of locals, who seemed to be regulars at the cozy tasting room. Luckily, they had bottles, so we bought the schwarzbier.
As with all our trips, we like to hit the ground running. And for us, that means beer, beer and more beer.
We then hit a few highly recommended beer bars/ale houses. We walked and bussed it from Northgate to Duck Island, “The Duck”, somewhat of a dive bar with an awesome beer selection. We then moved the party a few doors down to Uber Tavern. A bit more upscale and swanky little place with another excellent beer selection. They also had a beautiful looking bottled beer case, which made it more like a bottle shop. You can even buy draft beer by the ounce, as well as buy bottles for off sale.
So we finished our day’s trek at Big Time, after stopping in at the video store to drop off Chris D’s latest rentals. Oh, yea, I also used their bathroom. Lots of beers, with long walks in between. A girl needs a toilet!
You hear so much about the Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade and the first time I came I was expecting something along the lines of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Nope. This is an honest to God neighborhood affair that about half million people attend.
The other highlight was an accordion band that came all the way from County Donegal. A bunch of teenagers dressed in purple outfits with their accordions. It was a sight to behold. They were followed by the mayor of some town in Donegal. All I got was that his name was Paul. Chris very proudly introduced himself as having great grandparents from Donegal “City”. He was politely corrected that they consider it a “town”. I don’t know the city (or town) that Mayor Paul came from, but it was pretty cool nonetheless.
After the parade, we made it out to Brookline and The Publick House. Now this might be a record…our first beers of the day were not until 5:30pm! But good ones they were. We saw our new friend Harry (and, yes, he is in fact an opera singer) and he recommended some great beers. I had the Brownstone from Sixpoint Brewing in New York. It was a very drinkable 5% unfiltered brown. Chris also took one of Harry’s suggestions and had the Avec Les Bon Voeux, a saison from Brasserie Dupont. At 9.5%, it also was very drinkable. Besides the amazing beer selection at The Publick House, they also serve great food. So, we played a game of Scrabble (I won 296-251), and had some dinner.
We finished up the night at a bar a few doors down from the hotel. Bukowski’s is recommended by the Dropkick Murphy’s as a “must drink in” bar, so we decided to check it out. We were a little unsure, though, so Chris tried to send me in first. It was a very cool place, with a great beer selection (even if they were charging $25 for a bottle of Lost Abbey’s Devotion). We had one beer each and were in bed by 10:30pm.
It got to be 10am and Chris was jonesin’ for a beer. So, we headed to Cape Ann Brewing in Gloucester. They were very cool guys. Jeremy (on the left) may look familiar to some of you. He and his friends filmed “American Beer”. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It documents this cross country beer trip they took. While at the brewery, we also met a nice guy named Nick who lives in Sacramento. He was very curious about how to get into beer journalism and asked us about it. Does that mean we really are beer journalists now?
For our third brewery of the day, we went to Portsmouth Brewing, which is the sister brewery of Smuttynose. We met an interesting woman at the Smuttynose tour, who we saw again at Portsmouth. Telling the story in print doesn’t do it justice. So, if you see us somewhere be sure to ask about the Portsmouth story. Suffice it to say that Chris took one for the team and I owe him big! We also planned a reunion with Chris’ cousin Kerrie with her husband Andy. We hadn’t seen her in years and I think Kerrie and I talked non-stop. Poor Andy must have been bored stiff as we all reminisced about high school! I guess Andy took one for the team…way to go Andy!