Bravely I ordered chicken yakisoba. What the heck is it? The alternatives such as pulled pork, fish and chips – all the usual stuff – been there done that. Try something new. Sorry to say – it wasn’t good – nay bloody marvelous might cover the descriptor. Lunch time and my chop sticks did overtime, they must have been buzzing. Join the clean licked plate club. Only added a 1/4 inch so that’s OK – isn’t it?

This brewery claims to be employer owned so I must ask. Just did and found that full time employees earn shares. Truth in advertising. Splendid food, marvelous beers – OK – I had two IPA’s – but who wouldn’t?

To sum up – not to visit if within fifty miles makes you a world class idiot. One hundred miles – a low motivated fool.

Will I return to Full Sail? You betcha!

You know that curious period between aircraft departure and there must be time for one more brewery? Of course you do and Cascade was en-route to the airport.

Confession – the only sour beers I have tasted were at home brew meets and I’m sure they weren’t meant to be that way or if they were, ouch. Most home brewers I know can match many professional brew masters so it must be interpretation of the style.

When I saw the sign indicating that sour ales were the staple I would have driven on except by the time we find the next brewpub there wouldn’t be time to even insult the beer keep. Oh well – let’s be brave. Harriet ordered wine aged sour crap and sour aged something else. I ordered a wretched sour aged porter and an IPA sour or something. I knew the result would be evil. Oh my jumble sqeezicles. A little sip and to my astonishment flavour poured out of the samples – they were delicious. Hop bubbly citrus nose from the IPA and the Porter has nuances of citrus that made a probably pedestrian porter into a fine interesting ale.

She who must obeyed had this red wine concoction and a sip confirmed my worst nightmare and fear. I can best describe the effect as exploding with scrumptious sour flavour — yes , but sour as in grapefruit, lemon or lime.  As I don’t know this style I have even less vocabulary  to judge or evaluate these supernatural offerings from Bacchus.

To sum up –  I have now gained a  complete new beer world to explore. A world that may well have alternatives to IPA. If it was going to happen, where else but Oregon – gateway to the stars – whoops – beers?

Cascade Brewing Barrel House
939 SE Belmont Street
Portland, OR 97214
503-265-8603

Wailua Wheat Ale – Kona Brewing Co.
5.4% alcohol by volume

Wailua wheat is brewed with passionfruit and filtered, giving it a light, fruity taste. The high carbonation and subtle flavors make it perfect for the hottest of days. It has strong orange and lemon flavors and the tiniest hint of hops, with a lack of the more yeasty banana flavors that can dominate other wheat beers. The passionfruit flavor is dry rather than sweet and comes at the back of the palate, lingering as an aftertaste. The beer is so light, though, that we found it easily overwhelmed by food, seeming to take on an almost budweiser simplicity. If your using it to compliment a meal, be advised it works as well on the forehead as in the mouth.

Summerbright Ale – Breckenridge Brewery
4.5% alcohol by volume

This beer has many of the virtues of a classic american wheat. Its brewed with orange and lemon peels, and the lemon is strong on the nose. The citrus takes center stage on the palate, and the hops are bigger than in the Wailua Wheat, giving Summerbright more weight and backbone. The carbonation is creamy and light. With food it tends to take on hints of coffee and the hops grow larger.

Somersault Ale - New Belgium Brewing
5.2% alcohol by volume

This is the heaviest of the beers tasted, with a sweet malt nose and a darker more amber color than the others.  The hops are citrusy bold and become more apparent the longer you sip.  The palate gave off spicy hints of cardamon seeds, orange zest, and under ripe apricot.  The complexity of the palate made this a great beer for food or for just sitting and ruminating over.  It definitely left a strong yet refreshing impression.

Alaskan Summer – Alaskan Brewing Co.
5.3% alcohol by volume

The Alaska Summer ale is brewed in a kolsch style giving it a very light color with hints of amber.  The palate starts off with a touch of banana and a sweet malty character but gets progressively dryer and hoppier, finishing with a bitter dryness.  Low carbonation helps the taste progression move smoothly.  This beer is great with desserts or sweeter food.  It lacks the citrus found in the other beers we tried, and to me didn’t feel as summery as the others, but I suppose one needs a little more weight and dark flavor to tackle those slightly cooler Alaskan summers.

Skinny Dip – New Belgium Brewing Company
4.2% alcohol by volume

My favorite little bar, the D-Note, has had Skinny Dip on tap the last few summers.  While I respect New Belgium in many ways (for pioneering craft brewing and running an environmentally sustainable business) , I can’t say that I’m a big fan of their beers.  This one is an exception.  I quickly decided that it was the perfect thirst quencher on hot August days.    The beer owes its light and refreshing taste to a unique blend of flavors.  Cascade hops give it a refreshing, but not overpowering aroma.  The flavor is finished off with the flavor of kaffir lime leaves.  The leaves lend it a very subtle citrus flavor.  At 4.2% alcohol I rarely stop at one.

Twilight Summer Ale – Deschutes Brewery
5% alcohol by volume – 35 IBUs

I love the beers from this Oregon brewery.  When I saw they had a summer ale, I grabbed a cold six pack and prepared myself for a relaxing evening in the back yard.  I found the name “Twilight” and odd name for a summer brew (perhaps they were looking to evoke images of long summer evenings).  Oddly, it didn’t quench my thirst on a hot day.  Don’t get me wrong, I really like this beer.  It is wonderfully hoppy, and certainly lighter than the IPAs I swoon for.  But the bitterness, for which it appears to have won an award, and which I so love, is not what will help me recover from a sweltering afternoon.  Perhaps I can think of it as an autumn beer.

Audacious Apricot Ale – Pyramid Breweries
5.1% alcohol by volume

Pyramid brews several seasonal beers which are sold during parts of the summer, but they seem to be hard to find.  That’s fine by me, because in my book, there is no better summer beer than Pyramid’s Apricot Ale (painfully rebranded as “Audacious Apricot” — did somebody get paid to come up with that?!?).   As a Weizen, it is light and refreshing.  The naturally brewed flavor of apricots taste just that, natural.  This is not one of those fruity, gimmick drinks for people who don’t actually like beer.  Yes, even macho men can drink this at the backyard BBQ.

Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema – Anderson Valley Brewing Company
5.6 % Alcohol by Volume – 4 IBUs

Another one of my go-to breweries, I don’t think Anderson Valley has disappointed me yet.  I wasn’t sure about this beer after my first sip.  It is a bit sweeter than I usually drink my beers.  But the taste grew on me.  The blend of mild hops (subtle even), rich malt and some mystery spices create a deliciously complex flavor.  I understand why they call it a “Cerveza Crema”, as it reminds me of the cream sodas I drank as a child.  It’s not over the top, so I don’t think I would tire of it quickly.

Summerfest – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
5.0% Alcohol by Volume

I hadn’t tried Sierra Nevada’s Summerfest before, but since I enjoy their winter Celebration Ale, I thought it should be tasty.  I was wrong.  I’m sorry guys, but if you slapped a Budweiser label on this bottle I wouldn’t know the difference.  If Geoff Bruce were writing this, he’d use some choice explicatives. He would probably say, “it’s like making love in a canoe!” Let’s just say that if you like very light tasting beers, this one is for you. My advice for Sierra Nevada fans is to try their Kellerweiss, which is a wonderful, unfiltered wheat beer.

Copenhagen, Denmark – Despite the Nordic location, Denmark has been producing wines of its own for some time. Watch this space in future for a comprehensive guide on the most delectable tastes of Viking blood to fill the wine rack with. At this juncture, in light of the Vini di Italia 2010 wine tasting event held recently at the Tivoli amusement park, four well-stocked wine shops in the city are highlighted. Pour with pleasure; however, there is no advice on how to avoid a red wine headache or as I like to call it, the Grapes of Wrath.

Niche Vine
Rømersgade 7, 1362 CPH K – Ph. 44 95 04 07 – www.nichevine.dk
(Mon – Fri 09:00-18:30); Thurs – Fri 14:00-18:30, Sat 11:00-15:00

Owner Herluf Trolle of Niche Vin

Owner, Herluf Trolle has a deep love for wine. A well-established supplier to gourmet and casual restaurants in Copenhagen, the fundamental product range includes wines from the classic European regions such as France, Italy and Spain. However, always on the lookout for wine with ‘great personality,’ he continues to add more biodynamic and organic wine with ‘unique qualitative elements’ to the selection. As the culinary taste in Denmark continues to develop, so does the opportunity for new tantalizing wine. Currently catering mainly to Scandinavia, the website is only in Danish. If this prevents you from an inquiry, Herluf speaks English just fine, and will be able to help you over the phone or at Niche Vine. From 14:00-18:30 on the first Friday of every month, a wine tasting session is held in shop. Try his wife Katrine’s favorite, Sesti Rosso di Montalcino, it is divine!

Skjold Burne
Store Kongensgade 89, 1264 CPH K – Ph. 33 15 38 10 – www.skjold-burne.dk

It takes a good grape to produce a good wine and there are a lot of good grapes in one of the oldest wine shops in Copenhagen. On May 01st, 1928, Will Skjold Burne opened his first wine shop on Stormgade. It continued to grow over the years and now carries one of the biggest selections of wine. They will package, decorate and deliver attractive wine gifts or arrange a wine tasting for a company party or other special event. The head office is in Brøndby, but there are shops all over Denmark. Check the website to find the shop nearest you.

Kjær & Sommerfeldt
Gammel Mønt 4, 1117 CPH K – Ph. 7015 6500 – www.kogs.dk
Mon-Thurs. 10:00-17:30, Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-17:00;

Back in 1925, the shelves were mainly stocked with Bordeaux. Today, they respectfully represent vintners from many regions and have earned the title of Purveyor to the Royal Danish Court. In addition to wine, they have champagne, grappa, port, and diverse dessert wines. If you understand Danish, online gift cards can be bought and the webshop makes it easy to place orders directly. Sign up for their newsletter and enter to win six bottles of red wine from Tommasi 2008.

Juul’s Vin & Spiritus
Værnedamsvej 15 1819 Frederiksberg C – Ph. 33 31 13 29 – www.juuls.dk
Mon-Thurs 09:00-17:30, Fri 09:00-19:00, Sat 09:00-14:00

A welcoming shop with a huge range of both wine and spirits that includes an impressive amount of organically produced bottles. There is always a bottle open to taste from and a continuous flow of new products. The wine stock is endless, but just as inspiring is the choice of almost 700 single malt whiskies.

Nyhavn photo © Ra-smit.

We were greeted by a woman in the small shop.  Do we want the tour of the museum and a tasting for 10 Euros, or just a tasting for 8?  The setup feels so much more commercial and slick than the family-run vineyards we visited in Alsace.  We stuck with a tasting.

The first wine we were served was the Torre Della Sirena, a white made from a blend of the red Rossola and Pignola grapes.  Aged in French oak for 8 months, the wine has starts fruity and ends with butter.  A white wine for red-wine lovers such as ourselves.

Our next wine, the Grumello, is a full-bodied red.  It has hints of raspberry and a bit of spice.  We liked it enough to take a bottle home with us.

Next we tried the Canua Sforzato, made from Nebbulo grapes.  The grapes are left on bamboo racks to dry for three months before crushing.  It is then aged 18 months in Oak before being bottled.  The resulting wine is huge, with rich berry undertones and a bit of spice.  As our hostess told us in her limited English, it is the “top”.  We agreed.

The prices of the wines reflect the quality: they are not for the budget conscious.  We were also invited to see the cellar, which was interesting, but not worth the surprise 4 euros each on the bill.  Unlike the delicious wines, the whole transaction left a bad taste in my mouth.

Staying across the river from Moon River at some luxury hotel that served Helium Light – Lighter than light and ever Upward Fart Lite  -  I jumped every spare moment onto the cross river ferry and ended up at Moon River Brewing. It looked old and funky from the outside. It is also like that on the inside. I just love the place – its like me. Old, worn and worth every spare moment you can.  Don’t rush ladies – Harriet (my current wife) might not understand.
We all know that capitalism leads to excellence? OK – not in health care but in other spheres, must be. We all know this or it’s been reported so many times – we belief it.

The only show on the road in Savanna is Moon River – so why should the beers in this wood paneled comfortable bar and brewery keep on improving? Not competition for sure. They don’t have any within many, many miles or who knows – states?  But they do have John Pinkerton and Chris Lady. Both fanatic – fanatics  who are competing with themselves. Forgetting the light Coors or Bud look alike’s – which I never try anyway, each time I visit – just a tad more hop in the Swamp River IPA, a little more chocolate malt overtone in the porter or stout. What is the difference between Porter and Stout?

Piss all but brewers are emotional so don’t challenge. It’s a Porter because he or she says so.  There being no competition for excellence – I don’t need to say much about Moon River Brewing other than if you don’t travel out of your way to visit this proof that individuals make great beers – not to compete – but because they can, it will be your loss.

Moon River Brewing
21 West bay Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912 447 0943

For me this restaurant and Biergarten combines all the right ingredients: the passion for microbrewing, fabulous styles of beer, wonderful food and the perfect location.  Having consumed many pints of Ganter and Fürstenberg Hefeweizen in Freiburg over the past couple of weeks (both respectable beers), I still found the Neckarmüller Hefeweizen to be the best I’ve ever tasted.  It is less sweet than the others, and goes down so smoothly on a hot Summer day.  Sarah ordered the dark version, which turned out to be equally as tasty.  It was slightly smoother, with the dark malt flavor coming through.

There seems to be a trend in Germany to reach back to older beer recipes.  Like the Ganter Urtyp, the Neckarmüller’s Kellerbier is an unfiltered bier which reigns in the hops.  So far we haven’t seen any brews made with gruit: in Germany it could not be called beer.

At the moment they are also serving a Kristalweizen, which we did not try.

For those who are interested in the brewing process, and knowing more about beer in general, the restaurant organizes beer lectures.

Gasthausbrauerei Neckarmüller
Gartenstraße 4
D-72074 Tübingen
Telefon: +49 7071 27848

We explored many of the local establishments.  Of all of them we found ourselves returning over and over to Café Légère.  With a combination of charming atmosphere and good, inexpensive food and drinks, it was the perfect place for relaxing in the evening.  While we stuck mostly to beer, Légère does offer a tantalizing alternative: absinthe.  This near-mythical drink made with wormwood, was popular in the late 19th Century.  It became illegal due to the reportedly adverse effects of the active compound thujone.  For some time now it has been legal here in Europe, and here at Legere there are 18 varieties to choose from.

Absinthe is an aromatic liquor flavored with anis and fennel.  It is not drunk straight but rather mixed with water and sometimes sugar.  Upon mixing, the clear liquid becomes cloudy.  Not being a fan of anise, I won’t become addicted to this green liquid any time soon.  Still, there is a bit of a naughty thrill in the ritual of preparing the drink at your table.  We did not manage any hallucinations, and happily returned to quaffing beer.

If you stick to beer, as we did for the most part, Légère has three offerings on tap.  Fürstenburg Pils and Hefeweizen are both respectable, if commonplace here in Freiburg.  There is also Felsen Pils, which we did not enjoy, and only ordered the once.

Prost!

Café Légère
Niemensstr.8
79098 Freiburg
Tel: 0761/32800

Freiburg, Germany – As a service to our readers, we visited three prominent local brewing establishments.  The large brewery in town, Ganter supplies the beer on-tap in may of the local pubs.  It also has a large Biergarten of its own.  Here a broad cross-section of the local community come to drink delicious beer in an unpretentious atmosphere.

There are three beers on tap at Ganter: Pilsner, Hefeweizen and Urtrunk.  We found the Pilsner to be a bit boring, without the real dry-hopped finish that we love.  The Hefeweizen, the specialty here in southern Germany, is well constructed: being neither overly sweet or yeasty.  We were pleasantly surprised by the Urtrunk.  Roughly translated as “ancient drink”, this was an unfiltered ale with less hops than modern beers.

Tucked away in the cellar in the Altstadt, lies another of our favorite watering holes.  Martin’s Bräu has been brewing delicious beer since the 1980s.  Again they offer a Hefeweizen and a Pilsner.  The Pilsner is a bit dryer than the Ganther, which is more to our liking.  The Hefeweizen is one of the best in town.

We were intrigued by another item on the menu, Picon beer, a mixture of the Pilsner and an orange liquor.  While I’m not one for the odd mixtures of syrups and sodas that get mixed with beer here in Germany, but we decided to try it.  We were expecting something sweet, but the liquor was more an orange bitters.  The resulting mixture was surprisingly good, though neither of us felt we would want to drink a whole one ourselves.

The final spot we tried was the Feierling Biergarten.  This is a shady, leafy oasis in the heart of the old town.  On hot Summer afternoons it is packed to capacity and has a wonderful festive atmosphere.  While we loved the setting, we were less impressed with the beer.  There was only one self-brewed beer on offer.  This was unfiltered, and a bit too sweet for our tastes.  Of all the beer we tried here in Freiburg, our least favorite.

This was by no means an exhaustive study of Freiburger Biergärten, but was all our livers could manage in our short stay here.  We’ll have to come back.

Prost!