Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope you’re drinking something dark and delicious today. Stout is what made Ireland into a famous beer country in the first place, but over time Ireland has slipped into also-ran status in terms of beer. The national brewing scene has become dominated by a small handful of multinationals and as [...]
The Journal of Food Science is set to publish an article testing the theory that Guinness tastes better in Ireland. The article concludes that Guinness in Ireland is better. Now, having gone over the entire article, I can say that it does seem a little bit tongue in cheek (is this for the April 1st [...]
According to this news report, Lost Abbey is suing Moylan’s over some tap handles. Not surprisingly, this has caused consternation in the beer geek world, and for a couple of reasons. When small brewers get into legal battles with one another, beer geeks shudder. Really, we hate to see it. Then, they start to take [...]
This August marked my return to England after an 8-year absence, just in time to take in what appears to be something of a resurgence in the UK brewing scene. The first stop, of course, was London, and it didn’t take long to notice that the capital has a number of new breweries, and more [...]
South Asia and Central Asia are not exactly beer hotspots. There are good reasons for this, but also some reasons for optimism that the situation could change. I think for beer geeks Sri Lanka is the most attractive country in the region, not just for Lion Stout but for all of the other different stouts [...]
Japan has long been Asia’s beer powerhouse. When I first got into good beer, there might not have been a single craft brewer in all of Asia. When Japan legalized microbrewing, that changed. I have heard criticisms of Japan’s scene as being stagnant, with few new breweries, but since most of us haven’t been there, [...]
Southeast Asia outside of Singapore and Vietnam is not entirely a wasteland, but it can often resemble one. Drinking in the region is often relegated to tourist-oriented bars or to karaoke bars, KTVs, corner restaurants and other Asian drinking establishments not normally frequented by Westerners. Most of the latter group serve very little of interest, [...]
Chinese culture – drinking culture included – extends far beyond the strict borders of the PRC. Although Hong Kong can be accessed via the subway from Shenzhen, it requires customs clearance and operates very much like an independent nation. The city-state should be home to a healthy beer culture. Where Chinese and English colonial influences [...]
China is the world’s largest beer market, but that means little when it is considered that most Chinese beer is pale, weak and cheap, and that individually Chinese people don’t really drink that much at all. The growth in China’s wealth has, however, attracted a fledgling craft beer industry, albeit a struggling one. Craft beer [...]
Perhaps one of the most surprising beer scenes in Asia right now is that of Vietnam. When word first began trickling out – I believe via Tim Webb – that Vietnam was home to a multitude of brewpubs the beer world began to take notice. The numbers are actually pretty impressive. By my count, there [...]
