Katie_H

A few of us chatted in the U.S. forum yesterday about our favorite U.S. breweries---naturally, our neighbors across the Atlantic were mentioned briefly---seems one can find good beer in Europe as well.
Here's the thread:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35122616

In the spirit of spring and lovely beer gardens, what are your favorite breweries in Europe?

GSteed

Should the question be: What are your favorite beers? Kipers of Poland makes different beers and each of different alcohol content. One is with a honey content. Some canned beers come off better than the tap ones...Often the bottled beer is different than the canned Should we consider 10% beers beer? Another question could concern price. Schlitz of Milwaukee beer was considered better than the stuff from Los Angeles. Was it a better brewery? Does the beer or brewery have to sell nationwide?

Bitter

We enjoyed Straffe Hendrik in Bruges. We did not go on the tour, because the view over the canal from the tasting room was just so peaceful. We've been to a number of pubs, but only that brewery. I think there have been a number of good "beer" threads over the years, but a quick search didn't reveal them (b/c "beer" must be used in many many threads!).

Katie_H

Well...we started talking mostly about breweries we had visited or wanted to visit...it then stretched out from there to American domestic beers folks liked.

Cholmondley_Warner

seems one can find good beer in Europe as well. >>>

Where to start. Must Resist.

bobthenavigator

Pilsner Urquell was always my favorite. I had more than my share in Prague.

beanweb24

My favorite **breweries** in Europe are mostly located in Bamberg, Germany.

I loved the beer (and the apple pie) at Klosterbrau.

My favorite experience, though, was the beer and Sunday roast at Griefenklau. At Griefenklau, we were the only tourists there (November) for the Sunday roast, so we communicated with a lot of hand waving and smiling and high school German 101. After lunch, our waitress took us out back to show the beer garden that is open in warmer months, and it had an unbelievable view from it.

And although I love the atmosphere (and the wooden kegs) at Schlenkerla, I do not care for the smoked beer (or meat beer as I like to call it).

Bamberg is a brewery heaven!!!

Now...ask me about my favorite place for a beer (or even my favorite European beer) and you'll get completely different answers.

Jay_G

Shepherd Neame in Kent in the U.K. has been known for quite a while now (since 1698 in fact) to knock out some very drinkable Ales.

My personal favourite would have to be (the slightly jingoistically named) Spitfire.

Orlando_Vic

Agree with bobthenavigator about Pilsner Urquell, although Budvar (marketed in the US as Czechvar) is equally good, IMO.

Ingo

My favourite is a microbrewery near my home town:

http://www.weesenstein.de/brauerei.htm
(only in German, alas)

VERY micro! Anyway, even my Czech friends from Prague were enthusiastic and they usually drink the famous Pilsner Urquell.

I.

wolfmisc

>seems one can find good beer in Europe as well<
Maybe this was a typing error!
Should be instead of as well *only*.
Try Budva (being the real Bud) and then Budweiser made in the States and you know what I mean. And Bud is one of the best and still drinkable. What you cant say of Millers and Coors for instance.
Without insulting the Dutch (Heineken is the no. 1 in the world and good middle class) and the Belgians (Stella Artois is nothing but there are some fair ones) I would consider the Czech/Slovakians and the Germans brewing the best stuff. Exceptions maybe first class Carlsberg and Tuborg from Denmark (2nd and 3rd class is lousy) and as a special brew Guinness.
Dont ask for breweries. There are several big ones, but hundreds of small ones in the Czech/Slovakian area and thousands of them in Germany.

hetismij

Brouwerij 't Ij in Amsterdam.
www.brouwerijhetij.nl/ Beats the produce of the more famous Amsterdam brewery hands down. Amersfoort has de Drie Ringen, but I haven't tried any of their beers (yet).

In the UK many of the smaller breweries have sadly been taken over and have lost their uniqueness. Oldham brewery was always good when visiting husbands old stomping grounds, Morland brewery (I always enjoyed a pint of Old Speckled Hen), along with Henley brewery were the favourites when we lived in Oxfordshire . All taken over now.
Shepherd Neame is OK. Based in Faversham in Kent they have many pubs and is what we tend to drink when visiting my SIL near Faversham.
I also like Black Sheep brewery beers.
When in Scotland we visited Fyne Ales micro brewery, at the head of Loch Fyne, and brought home a fair few bottles of their brew. Excellent.
There was also a micro-brewery pub on the Isle of Wight we liked, but the name escapes me now.

WannabeinaMontserrat

I'm listing beers here, not necessarily breweries)The REAL Budweiser, brewed in Ceske Budovice is one of my favorites. The others are mostly Kolsch style beers from Cologne, such as Gaffel, Fruh, Sion & Dom (in that order). Here in the US I tend to drink a lot of the beers already mentioned, Stella, Pilsner Urquell, Kronenburg 1664 & Spaten.

Zeus

Just about any German brew will do. Since I'm a wheat beer fan I find Franziskaner quire adequate. But my absolute favorite mini-keg to bring home always comes from the Ettal Monastery. The stuff is hard to get - they only sell small quantities and I usually have to go to the monastery or one of the souvenir shops across the street to buy it. Even then, if you don't get there early in the day, they'll be sold out.

I've also greatly enjoyed beer from the Andechs monastery. Sometime I will make a pilgrimmage up the slope to their brewery.

I was a tad disappointed by the Czech beers. The price was right, but they were a little bitter for my taste.

Any beer, even an American one, tastes great on a sticky hot day. The Greek "Mythos" and "Alfa" are awesome on a hot summer night while you're jamming a sloppy stuffed gyro in your mouth. A cold Nastro Azzuro (which tastes like %#@& back here in the States) reinvigorates me after trudging through the Forum's dust in 100 degree heat.

WannabeinaMontserrat

It may be because I had so many of them while in Venice, but Sans Souci is a nice little beer, as is Peroni.

Katie_H

wolf, Chol--- I was kidding! Thought that might pull some of you in... Imagine the gall!

I have a soft spot for Leffe Blond, but I realize that's a huge brand in Europe.

jonesie

DH has quite the passion for good beer, so we have tasted a few along the way.

Munich-- I think Augustiner was our favorite, both for the beer and the atmosphere. We also really enjoyed Paulaner, though since it was the new restaurant and beer garden, it did not have quite the same atmosphere we were hoping for.

Belgium-- there was a brewery we toured in Bruges, though I can't remember the name, and that was a nice tour. But really, good beer is everywhere in Belgium.

UK-- I think my favorite "tour" in Europe was at Youngs.....mmmmm...Oatmeal Stout. We were the only ones there that day, and they still ran the tour for us. You actually get to go on the original brewing floor--- it's all still brewed only in that one place--- and you get to even see the horses that still deliver locally. Good times, and WONDERFUL beer (probably helped that this is one of my all time favorites anyway.)

Cheers~

WannabeinaMontserrat

ttt

CarolJean

The last two years in December I have greatly enjoyed Koestritzer Schwartz bier. Plan to do it again this year. Ingo, I will be trying your favorite brewery. Cheers! CJ

Robespierre

Kölsch lovers: don't overlook www.Gilden-Brauhaus.de in north Cologne (and across the river). Their main course dishes are to die for, and washing it all down with their kölsch is far from unpleasant. www.gilden.de is second on my list of favorites (after Gaffel).