The most famous drinking session in the world – Munich’s Oktoberfest – is just around the corner. But Munich isn’t the only city in the world where beer is revered as some kind of god. There are some other hotspots on the global ale trail, and we’ve tracked down five of the best. Get your glasses ready for a top class round-the-world pub crawl…
Best beer cities: Munich
Where: Germany
The world’s biggest piss up is, understandably, something of a magnet for beer-lovers. Around six million attend the two-and-a-half week long boozeathon, which takes place in Munich’s Theresienwiese. The large public space is filled with tents, which in turn contain simple bench tables crammed with drinkers from all over the world.
It’s all very Bavarian, with oompah bands playing and sausages being the alcohol-soaker of choice.
But, contrary to popular belief, Oktoberfest isn’t the only time that Munich is good for beer. Its beer halls are justifiably famous (and not just for Hitler giving speeches in them), while the city has a noble brewing tradition.
Awesome beers that come from the city include Paulaner, Erdinger, Löwenbräu, Ayingerbräu, Hofbräu and Franziskaner. And they’re just the ones that have made a name for themselves overseas.
Most of Munich’s beers are pilsner-style, but wheat beers are becoming increasingly popular. Meanwhile, there’s a whole host of brewery tours available for those wanting to get into the dull technical details rather than just slug the good stuff down their neck.
Best beer cities: Brussels
Where: Belgium
Many Belgian cities can lay justifiable claim to being Belgium’s beer capital, but all of the good stuff ends up in Brussels anyway.
Belgium is almost unquestionably the best country in the world for beer drinkers. There are so many different varieties, from Trappist monk-brewed efforts to special lambics and fruit beers. The range of flavours is unparalleled.
Brussels hosts a couple of brewery tours and The Museum of the Belgian Brewers. But more importantly, it also is the home of the greatest pub in the universe. The Delirium Café holds the Guinness World Record for having the most beers available at any one time. It has at least 2004 on offer at any given moment, with hundreds from different Belgian brewers and obscure bottles sourced from the likes of Tuvalu, the Faroe Islands and Angola.
Best beer cities: Dublin
Where: Republic of Ireland
Yes, there’s Caffrey’s and Kilkenny, but we all know the one reason why beer drinkers make the pilgrimage to the Irish capital. Dublin is pretty much synonymous with Guinness and in a city that has surprisingly few things to do for tourists except drink, a tour of the Guinness factory at St James’ Gate is almost obligatory.
The tour is heavy on the Guinness promotion, but the adverts have always been pretty cool so it’s not as irritating as it is in other breweries. The tour is also undoubtedly well done and tells a fascinating story of how the black stuff marched on its road to world domination.
Best beer cities: Sheffield
Where: England
Real ale is making a huge comeback in the UK at the moment after years of being suppressed by the lager drinking masses. Most cities have a selection of good pubs serving traditional beers, but Sheffield is arguably at the forefront of the revival.
The old industrial steelworks area around Kelham Island has gentrified somewhat and has become renowned for its real ale trail. There are some awesome pubs in an easily crawlable circuit. These include the brilliant Fat Cat, which is attached to the Kelham Island Brewery (one of many that has sprung up around the city in recent years).
The Kelham Island pubs are very no nonsense affairs, but still get packed with drinkers of all ages. For a more stylish night out on the beers, try Division Street area in the city centre. It has a series of cool bars, all stocking a variety of real ales as well as continental beers from Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic. The Old House, The Devonshire Cat, The Forum and Bungalows and Bears are the best bets.
Best beer cities: Portland
Where: Oregon, United States
Rather quietly to those who haven’t been paying attention, Portland has become a world beer capital in the last couple of decades. Portland has more breweries and brewpubs per capita than any other city in the United States and it has arguably been the driving force behind the world’s microbrewing revolution.
It all stems back to the 1980s, when local law was changed to allow beer to be consumed on a brewery’s premises. Suddenly everyone wanted to try brewing their own and selling it on site, and now brewery crawls, beer festivals and boozy bus tours are commonplace.
Some seriously experimental brewing goes on in Portland, and the city has ever adopted the nickname of ‘BeerTown’.
Amongst the best to visit are McMenamin’s, New Old Lompoc, Tugboat and Widmer Brothers.
This article was originally written for Ninemsn.
Copyright David Whitley
