Bangkok takes pride in the soubriquet of consistently hottest city in the world. Walking the traffic-choked streets, as the mercury nudges 35ºC, with the afternoon humidity rising like a runaway sauna, it’s difficult to disagree. This is one very steamy town indeed. It’s the kind of place where even die-hard Read more…
In a land best known for sheep and strangulated vowels, when you see a sign for ‘Real Ale – 1000 litres Ahead,’ you know you are in for a treat. White Cliffs Brewery in New Zealand’s bucolic North Island is on the west coast, squeezed between a snow-capped volcano, Mount Read more…
Beer culture in Japan is relatively young, only dating back to the late 19th century, but is firmly entrenched with the Japanese being comfortably the biggest per-capita drinkers in Asia. The fact that it can be purchased and drunk virtually anywhere, including from vending machines, while most bars open until Read more…
A glass of San Miguel and a bag of chips please. Or maybe a bottle of Peroni to go with the pizza… Oh and do you have any ketchup? Until recently that was the lot of the intrepid beer traveller, whether baking beneath the Iberian sun or recreating the conditions Read more…
If it didn’t have such negative connotations, you’d say that Guinness hangs over Ireland’s food and drink industry like a great black cloud. Guinness has so dominated its market that not only has the beer it produces become synonymous with all things Irish but the company name has almost become Read more…
Several brewers will tell you that yeast is the unsung hero of the brew-house. Malt is the soul of beer, hops the grapes, while even the liquor, especially in the old Burton breweries, has its halo. Poor old yeast is the workhorse, though without it what would tease out alcohol Read more…
It’s a sunny morning in the Czech town of Náchod, close to the Polish border. The blue skies above the old castle make you feel glad to be alive but they’re deceptive. There’s an autumnal chill in the air. As I’m led through the streets to the local brewery, we Read more…
Belgium is the cornucopia of the beer world. It froths and foams with a vast and diverse offering of the fruits of barley and wheat. A small country rent by political and linguistic antagonisms, united by its passion for beer. This passion is not confined to connoisseurs and brewers. It Read more…
They say Australian men love a cold beer on a warm day – and if the day’s not warm enough they’ll put on a heavy coat. In fact, Aussies down about 110 litres of beer each a year, according to figures released by Japan’s Kirin beer company, which means they Read more…