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Knut Albert's beer blog (22 unread)

A Danish micro brewery – in Mexico!

Posted: November 29th, 2009, 6:49pm CET by knutalbert

They would have to be Danes, wouldn’t they? According to Henrik Papsø on ratebeer, there are two friends from engineering school behind this, who now also are brothers-in-law. Right now Cervecería Calavera west of Mexico City is only a tiny setup but they have a 2500 liter brewhouse waiting in Canada ready to ship once they have the building ready. Seems [...]
The pub smoking ban again

Posted: November 27th, 2009, 7:31pm CET by knutalbert

I seldom think about the smoking ban in pubs and restaurants across Europe. It’s mostly when I’ve spent some time in a smoky pub in Prague that I look back and feel pretty pleased that I usually can drink my beer without the nicotine. Sure, I understand the arguments against, and libertarian reflexes tell me that [...]
Everywhere it’s Christmas

Posted: November 24th, 2009, 6:16pm CET by knutalbert

… at the end of every year. This was the title of one of the few Beatles songs that never had any official re-release. (Since you asked, it’s on their Christmas album, distributed to their fan club members only.) Well, one country where they have started celebrating is Sweden, with an impressive list of Christmas beers at the [...]
Pig’s Ear again

Posted: November 23rd, 2009, 5:16pm CET by knutalbert

My more loyal readers will know that I have a habit of turning up at a Christmas beer festival in East London in early December. In addition to the beers, there is also an assorted crowd of tickers and bloggers that I tend to hang out with, and a splendid time is guaranteed – if [...]
For new readers

Posted: November 20th, 2009, 12:02pm CET by knutalbert

Lots of new readers from the link at VGs juleøltest. I you wonder why I write in English, it is because most of my readers are outside Scandinavia. I try, however, to cover the Norwegian beers scene as well. For daglige oppdateringer om det norske ølmiljøet, se nyhetssider og diskusjonsforum hos Venner av Nøgne Ø. If you want to explore the best Norwegian beers, the Holy Trinity [...]
Judging by the cover

Posted: November 20th, 2009, 6:22am CET by knutalbert

I have no plans of going to Munich, if so I would consider if this book was worth buying or not. But the cover is almost enough to make me order a copy right away!
More than a wee dram

Posted: November 19th, 2009, 8:32pm CET by knutalbert

The BrewDog guys have been messing up the beer scene again – this time not even on their own turf. They sent a few used whisky barrels across the North Sea to their colleagues in Grimstad, Norway. And it looks like they inspired them to be a bit bold and boasting on their label, too. The beers used [...]
VGs Christmas beer test

Posted: November 19th, 2009, 3:49pm CET by knutalbert

The VG Christmas beer test, where I was on one of the judging panels, is now online. No photos of the juries, though – but a nice plug for my blog. Here is the jury judging the stronger beers:
Three kings

Posted: November 18th, 2009, 5:32pm CET by knutalbert

As I’ve mentioned before, the good people at Nøgne Ø have been busy this year, lining up seasonal goodies for their fans at home and abroad. One beer is a collaboration project between Nøgne Ø, Stone and Jolly Pumpkin, I assume they are the three camel riding kings on the label. The idea behind this beer is to use the same recipe [...]
Small world

Posted: November 17th, 2009, 8:02pm CET by knutalbert

Someone has used Google to translate my blog into Vietnamese. Wow.
A wasted opportunity

Posted: November 17th, 2009, 4:48pm CET by knutalbert

Vifilfell is an Icelandic brewery, with a range of beers boasting of viking heritage and pure Icelandic water. They have made a gift box of five of their canned beers, sensibly available in the Keflavik Duty Free shop, presumably doing a brisk trade with jet lagged customers in transit from North America. I found a similar box [...]
Romanian beer blog

Posted: November 16th, 2009, 6:10pm CET by knutalbert

While I am happy about the dozens of British beer bloggers and amazed by the Irish Craft Brewers, who seem to blog more than they brew, there is always room for more voices in the European Union of beer bloggers. Say welcome to a new member of the family, Slaven in Romania. As he points out, (thanks to [...]
Before the Wall fell down

Posted: November 14th, 2009, 3:01pm CET by knutalbert

A bit of history documented over at DDR Brauwesen, the breweries and soft drinks of the DDR all lined up. Beer mats, bottle labels and a history of the various companies. I’m sorry to say I only tried one East German brew. It was not particularly tasty, and the gloomy Kneipe somewhere in East Berlin did [...]
Mikkeller again

Posted: November 13th, 2009, 3:54pm CET by knutalbert

Just now my shelves are filled with the new offerings from Nøgne ø, so it is perhaps lucky that I don’t have access to the most interesting brews from Denmark. (But if any readers are curious about what to buy me for Christmas, please read on..) Last month saw the release of a range of bottles of [...]
Going blind II

Posted: November 12th, 2009, 5:15pm CET by knutalbert

Mystery glasses Don’t worry, it was mostly to get your attention. As I told you, I was invited to be a part of a beer tasting panel for the biggest Norwegian newspaper, VG. The results, a ranking of all the Norwegian Christmas beers, will be published later this month, and I will not reveal any of the results. I [...]
Going blind I

Posted: November 11th, 2009, 7:48am CET by knutalbert

.., or things that go chug-a-lug in the dark. AP tells us about some new legislation in Maine, an effort to keep children from having to witness adults drinking the alcoholic beverages has had the unintended consequence of making it difficult for the stores to hold the tastings. The last-minute amendment said the events “must be conducted [...]
Special order

Posted: November 10th, 2009, 3:53pm CET by knutalbert

When news got out that Nøgne ø had received some whisky casks from their Scottish friends at BrewDog, the expectations were high in the Norwegian beer community. I won’t bore you with details about the Norwegian state monopoly for alcohol once more, but there is a kind of loophole. If you know that there is a [...]
100 nay no nevers

Posted: November 6th, 2009, 3:31pm CET by knutalbert

Bruce Buschel is starting a restaurant, and he has a column in the NYT about the concept and his progress. I particularly fell for his 100 things restaurant staffers should never do. Part 1 Part 2 No time to point to my favourites or discuss which are more or less appropriate for a beer place today. Have a nice [...]
Pivovarský dům, Prague

Posted: November 5th, 2009, 5:46pm CET by knutalbert

I had time for a lunchtime session, and I had to pick one of the brew pubs on my list. Pivovarský dům was conveniently situated, reachable on foot from my hotel – and with a tram stop with direct connection back to my hotel. The facade is very impressive, you don’t seem to pay much for window [...]
BrewDog interview

Posted: November 4th, 2009, 4:26pm CET by knutalbert

A good interview with BrewDog founder James Watt at the Full Pint.
Opens eight bottles at once

Posted: November 3rd, 2009, 3:49pm CET by knutalbert

How do we define intelligence? Problems in adjusting IQ tests to avoid bias across linguistic and cultural barriers has been a topic for decades. And in some countries there are very concrete measures establishing a certain level of intelligence. At Denmarks Aquarium (yes, Beer Nut, that’s how they spell it!), they used to have a Pacific octopus that was [...]
A star is born

Posted: November 2nd, 2009, 5:29pm CET by knutalbert

The biggest tabloid here in Norway has an annual test of Christmas beers. This used to feature a number of graying celebrities, but they may have run out of them. On the recommendation of my drinking buddy Rune, they have invited me to be in the jury this year. I promise a report from the proceedings. Even [...]