Ten for the Road: My Favorite Beer Cities
Now that summer is around the corner, it's time to hit the road! And to put you in the mood, I've put together a virtual tour of my 10 favorite cities on the planet for drinking beer. Without any further ado, here they are, in the obligatory David Letterman order:
10. Boston. Where beer and history meet. Jim Koch gave craft brewing--and the city--a lift when he dusted off his great-great grandfather's beer recipe and brought out Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Boston is also the home of Harpoon Brewing, one of the East’s and best biggest micros; and Doyle’s Café, one of a handful of establishments to earn top honors in The Beer Drinker's Guide to the U.S.A. There's no shortage of brewpubs, either, and most are reachable by public transportation.
9. Dublin. Guinness is the national tipple, and Dubliners insist it's best enjoyed close to "the source"--namely, the brewery at St. James’s Gate. Discover the two things which make an Irish pub special: the ability to "pull a good pint"; and craic, which means a good time with friends. If you like a good book, pay a Visit to the Writer's Museum, then hit the pubs where authors like Flann O'Brien and Brendan Behan once hung out. Before you leave, put in an appearance at The Porterhouse, Dublin's first brewpub. Its Wrasslers 4X Stout is said to be the same recipe that rebel leader Michael Collins enjoyed.
8. Denver. In recent years, the Mile High City has made it into brewing's big leagues. Coors Field completed the revitalization of Lower Downtown, where Wynkoop Brewing's John Hickenlooper and other craft brewers were already hard at work. Make Wynkoop's front patio your first stop; on sunny days (and most are), it provides a breathtaking view of the Rocky Mountains. And don't miss the Falling Rock Tap House, which has more than 60 beers and promises "no crap on tap." Even the folks at Coors have joined the party, launching Sandlot Brewing, the major leagues' first inside-the-park brewery.
7. Seattle. Red Hook Ale is now brewed in the suburbs, but you can still get it on draft at the Trolleyman Pub, the site of the original brewery. The Trolleyman, and many other pubs, are in the funky Fremont district, one of America's best beer neighborhoods: bring your walking shoes--and a sense of humor--and spend the day there. Worth visiting downtown: Pyramid Ales, across from Safeco Field; F.X. McRory’s Steak, Chop and Oyster House, a sports bar with plenty of Northwest micros on tap; and Pike Brewing Corporation, an oasis close to the city's famous market.
6. Brussels. Whoever called Belgium dull wasn't a beer fan. Hundreds of Belgian beers, many hard to find at home, are available right in the center of town. Famous bars like Le Bier Circus, Le Falstaff, and Le Cirio offer Belgian dubbels, tripels, abbey ales, and offbeat styles like Flanders brown ale. While you're in town, get to know lambic, a tart beer that's spontaneously fermented by wild yeasts. Enjoy it in one of Brussels' many cafés, or, better still, visit the Cantillon Brewery for a first-hand look at the 500-year-old process of brewing lambic.
5. Prague. The Czech Republic is the birthplace of Pilsner, and claims to be home to the world's most stalwart lager drinkers. If you're in Prague and "here for the beer," a good place to start your tour is the 500-plus-year-old U Fleku, the city's answer to the Hofbräuhaus. But try to visit in the afternoon, before the busloads of tourists descend. After a mug or two of rich, dark U Fleku beer, you're ready to rub elbows with Praguers in the Old Town's ancient--and smoky--beer halls. Czech beer, malty and low in alcohol, is perfect for an evening out. It's a bargain, too; a liter will cost you around a buck, and the house tap is likely to be heavenly stuff like Pilsner Urquell or, better still, Budweiser Budvar.
4. San Francisco. The craft brewing revival began here in the Sixties, when Fritz Maytag bought the Anchor Brewing Company and saved California common beer, or "steam," from extinction. This city has been a great bar town since Mark Twain's heyday, and one of its best establishments is Toronado, a beer bar in Haight-Ashbury, once the nation's flower child capital. Nearby is the Magnolia Pub and Brewery, which serves up traditional English ales. While Twenty Tank Brewing fell victim to high rents during the dot-com era, plenty of brewpubs remain, including Thirsty Bear, Gordon Biersch, and the Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant. While you're in town, take the ferry to Larkspur; the terminal is just a short hop from the Marin Brewing Company.
3. Portland, Oregon. Depending on who’s counting, the Rose City has more breweries per capita than any city in America. There are lots of reasons why: abundant water, hops, and barley; a friendly state legislature; and sophisticated beer drinkers. The city took its first step toward becoming "Beervana" in 1976, when the Horse Brass Pub opened its doors. The pub introduced Portlanders to classic English ales, and whetted their appetite for long-lost beer styles. In short order, Mike and Brian McMenamin opened Oregon's first brewpubs since Prohibition. Before long, a cadre of brewers, inspired by the beers of Europe, began firing up their kettles. The best time to visit is late July, when the area celebrates its beer heritage at the Oregon Brewers Festival.
2. London. The pub is a venerable institution, and the British capital offers more than 6,000 to choose from. The best "locals" still serve ale the old-fashioned way: fermented in wooden casks and carbonated by yeasts which are still alive when you drink it. Real Ale, as it's called, will banish forever those myths about warm, flat British beer. You can find Real Ale at the J.D. Weatherspoons pub chain; at establishments owned by London's two breweries, Young and Company and Fuller, Smith and Turner; at the hundreds of pubs recommended by the Campaign for Real Ale; and every summer at The Great British Beer Festival.
1. Munich. It's the city that gave
the world Oktoberfest, the Beer Purity Law of 1516, and
lager. If you've always wanted to drink here, start
making plans: there's no bad time to visit. At the first
sign of spring, Münchners head for the beer gardens,
which stay open until Oktoberfest gets under way.
There's plenty to celebrate in the colder months as
well: Fasching is the local version of Mardi
Gras; March is time for Starkbierzeit, a
celebration of Bavarian culture and powerful
doppelbocks; and April ushers in Volksfest, a
mini-carnival staged on the Oktoberfest grounds. Between
celebrations, beer halls like the Löwenbräu Keller and
Paulaner am Nockherberg offer a warm wilkommen to
one and all.