Category Archives: International

North, South, East, and West

August 5, 2022 The Beer Professor 2 Comments

As a Professor of Geography at the University of Toledo one of the classes that I teach is called People, Places, and Society. Ostensibly it is an introduction to Human Geography course. During the first few weeks of the semester I spend quite a bit of time introducing the students to basic geographic concepts – things like absolute and relative location, spatial distribution, spatial interaction, spatial diffusion, distance-decay, etc. Of all the basic geographic concepts. absolute location is probably the most straightforward and easiest to understand.

Absolute location is the location that something occupies according to some agreed upon system. One of the most common methods that we use to measure the location of a place is by using lines of latitude and longitude. – think of these as “imaginary” lines drawn on the surface of the Earth.

Lines of latitude (also called parallels) run in an East-West direction. The Equator is 0 degrees latitude. All lines of latitude are numbered between 0 degrees and 90 degrees latitude and are designated as either North or South, depending upon how far they are north or south of the Prime Meridian. The North Pole is 90 degrees North, while the South Pole is 90 degrees South.

Each place on the surface of the Earth can be precisely located according to how far (north or south) they are from the Equator. So for example, New York City, NY is 40 degrees north of the Equator, while Sydney, Australia is 33 degrees south of the Equator. Toledo, OH, where I live, is 41 degrees north of the Equator (just a tad further north than New York City).

Lines of longitude (also called meridians) run in a North-South direction and connect the North and South Pole. All meridians designated as either East or West are numbered between 0 degrees and 180 degrees, depending upon how far they are either east or west of the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is the internationally agreed upon starting point for numbering meridians. It runs through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich in the United Kingdom and is labeled 0 degrees longitude. The meridian on the opposite side of the globe from Prime Meridian is 180 degrees longitude.

The Prime Meridian in Greenwich, United Kingdom

Each place on the surface of the Earth can be precisely located according to how far (east or west) they are from the Prime Meridian. The aforementioned New York City, NY is 74 degrees west of the Prime Meridian, while Sydney, Australia is 151 degrees east of the Prime Meridian. Toledo, OH, is 83 degrees west of the Prime Meridian.

So now we have all the information we need to identify the absolute location of these three cities:

New York City, NY – 40 degrees north, 74 degrees west
Sydney, Australia – 33 degrees south, 115 degrees east
Toledo, OH – 41 degrees north, 83 degrees west

The last time that I was teaching this material to my students, I started to wonder about the furthest north, south, east, and west that I had travelled to visit a brewery. So I pulled up a map on my computer screen, and here is what I came up with:

Nya Carnegiebryggeriet (New Carnegie Brewery), Stockholm, Sweden (59 degrees north)

At 59 degrees north, Nya Carnegiebryggeriet (New Carnegie Brewery) in Stockholm, Sweden is the most northerly brewery I have visited. My visit occurred in January 2016. I was in Stockholm attending a conference at the Royal Institute of Technology. Opened in 2014, the brewery is a joint venture between New York’s Brooklyn Brewery and Danish brewing giant Carlsberg. The brewery is housed in an old 1930s lightbulb factory in the Hammarby Sjöstad district of the city. Hammarby Sjöstad (translated as Hammarby Lake City) is an area of Stockholm that has gained fame as an exemplar of eco-friendly urban redevelopment. The brewery has contributed to the redevelopment of the neighborhood. The brewery’s name, Nya Carnegie, is a nod to Carnegie Porter, a classic Swedish beer. Carnegie Porter traces its origins to 1836 when Scottish businessman David Carnegie Jr. (1813-1890) purchased the Lorent sugar refinery and brewery in the Klippan neighborhood of Gothenburg.

Al old lightbulb factory is home to Nya Carnegiebryggeriet

Nya Carnegiebryggeriet has contributed to the redevelopment of the the Hammarby Sjöstad district of Stockholm

A ferry arrives and docks close to Nya Carnegiebryggeriet

Monteith’s Brewery, Greytown, New Zealand (41 degrees south, 175 degrees east)

At 41 degrees south and 175 degrees east, Montheith’s Brewery in Greymouth, New Zealand qualifies as both the most southerly and the most easterly brewery that I have visited. I traveled to Greymouth on December 2014. I had been in Christchurch, New Zealand attending the annual conference of the Australia-New Zealand Regional Science Association. I had a couple of days after the conference was finished, so decided to visit Greymouth. Christchurch and Greymouth are on opposite coasts of New Zealand’s South Island. With a population of ~8,300, it is the largest town on New Zealand’s west coast. Rather than drive or travel by bus, I decided to take the TranzAlpine train. Identified by Lonely Planet as one of the world’s most amazing train journeys I was keen to take it. I was not disappointed. The 139 mile (223 kilometer) journey, which takes four and a half hours one way took me through the fertile Canterbury Plains and the spectacular southern Alps.

Greymouth is the largest city of the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island

Some of the scenery enjoyed from the TranzAlpine Train

Established during the West Coast Gold Rush of the 1860s, Greymouth, transitioned into a major coal mining and forestry center. Most of the jobs in these two sectors have disappeared and for a number of decades the town has been struggling to revitalize its struggling economy .

After checking into my overnight accommodation I headed for Monteith’s Brewery. I would be one of the 35,000 visitors who visit the brewery annually. Founded in 1868, the brewery was originally family-owned, and is named after the founder Stewart Monteith . In 1970, the brewery became part of Dominion Breweries Group, who were acquited by Heineken in 2013.

It is a brewery with something of a tumultuous history. Two times in past, the owners of the brewery have announced the cessation of brewing operations in Greymouth. The first was in 2001, when closure of the brewery was announced. Such was the public outcry, the brewery was re-opened four days later. The second occasion was in November 2020, when, DB Breweries announced that it would cease brewing operations in Greymouth, citing the uncertainty created by COVID-19 as well as the high cost of transporting raw materials to and the finished product from the brewery. The brewery’s onsite restaurant would remain open. Despite the closure, beer drinkers could still buy Monteith’s beer as it is brewed at two other locations (Auckland and Timaru) in New Zealand. Not surprisingly, the local council were not happy when hearing DB’s plans for the brewery. Indeed Mayor Tania Gibson of asked DB to consider handing over the brewery to the people of Grey District. In January of 2021, DB and the local council reached an agreement whereby the brewery’s bottling plant would be given to the district.

Kona Brewing Company, Hawaii, USA (155 degrees west)

At 155 degrees west, Kona Brewing Company in Kailua Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island is the most westerly brewery I have visited. I visited Kona Brewing in February 2016, while in Hawaii attending the annual conference of the Western Regional Science Association. Kona Brewing Company was founded in 1994. When I visited the brewery in 2016, Kona Brewing Company was a member of the Craft Brew Alliance family of craft breweries. Craft Brew Alliance, established in 2008 with the merger of Redhook Ale Brewery and Widmer Brothers, acquired Kona Brewing Company from its original owners (Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa) in October 2010. In December 2010, AB InBev purchased a 32.2% share of Craft Brew Alliance . In 2020, AB InBev purchased the outstanding 67.8% share of Craft Brew Alliance. In order to not be in violation of Federal Anti-Trust laws, Kona Brewing had to be sold, with the brewery being purchased by PV Brewing Partners, a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in Kansas.

As a brewery, Kona is probably best known for its Big Wave Golden Ale, Longboard Island Lager, and Firerock Pale Ale. You may have seen a number of Kona Brewing’s beers for sale at your local liquor or grocery store. If you live on the mainland, however, the Kona beer that you purchase was not brewed in Hawaii. Partly to save on the costs of transporting beer from Hawaii, Kona beer is brewed on the mainland United States. I recently enjoyed a bottle of Kona’s Longboard Lager and on the label it indicated that this particular bottle was brewed in one of three locations – Fort Collins, CO, Portland, OR, or Portsmouth, NH. The listing of mainland brewing locations is an outcome of a 2017 class action lawsuit brought against Kona’s then owners, Craft Brew Alliance, for deceiving customers on the mainland into thinking their beer was produced in Hawaii. In 2022, Kona opened a new 30,000-square-foot brewery that can produce 100,000 barrels of beer annually This is ten times the production capacity of the brewery that I visited.

Some of the beers on tap when I visited Kona Brewing in 2016

Further Reading

Walton, Sara, Shane Grice and Bevan Catley. 2003. The Monteith’s affair: Bitter to the loyal end. Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management, Voulme 9, Issue 2, pages 69-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5172/jmo.2003.9.2.69

Community, Culture, Diversity, Food, International, Pubs

Britain’s Desi Pubs

July 8, 2022 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

Last month I participated in an online webinar on “Public House: The Culture and Society of the London Pub“. It was organized and hosted by the The Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain, an organization which brings together academics, architects, heritage experts, and others with an interest in the history of the built environment. The presentation on London pubs was made by Dr David Knight of the Royal College of Art in London. During his presentation, Dr Knight identified over a dozen different types of London pub. Some types, such as Coaching Inns, no longer exist, while others such as the Community Pub are alive and well. Of the different types of pub that Dr Knight mentioned during his presentation, one in particular peaked my curiosity – Desi Pubs. When I first saw the term I thought that perhaps “Desi” was short for “Destination” and that a Desi Pub was a type of pub that was a destination for visitors to a city – for example, The Temple Bar in Dublin, Ireland. As it turns out, I was wrong in my assumption. A Desi Pub is, in fact, a colloquial term for a pub which is owned or managed by a landlord of Indian origin. In a Desi Pub, along with traditional English Ale, you can enjoy a lunch comprising traditional Indian cuisine. This got me curious, so I thought I’d do some research into the origins and current status of Britain’s Desi pubs.

Desi Pubs have their origins in the 1960s, and were primarily a response to racism experienced by British Asians. Desi Pubs provided a “safe space” where British Asians could enjoy a couple of pints of beer, and some traditional (primarily Punjabi) cuisine, without fear of harassment. This harassment was experienced first hand by the American civil rights activist, Malcom X, who visited the Blue Gate pub in Smeth

The term “Desi” means “local“, “home”, or “from the country” and is geographically linked to the south Asian countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. There are over 4.3 million individuals of Asian ancestry living in the UK. This constitutes 7% of the U.K. population, making them the second largest ethnic/racial group after Whites. Most of Britain’s Asian residents have their family roots in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. British residents of Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi origin constitute 2.3%, 1.9%, and 0.7% of Britain’s population respectively. India’s Punjab region, Pakistan’s Mirpur District, and Bangladesh’s Sylhet region, in particular, were the main sources of Asian migrants to Britain in the post-1947 period. Britain, of course, developed strong ties with the Indian sub-continent as a result of both trading and its colonial exploits. Post World War II labor shortages in the United Kingdom provided an opportunity for Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis who sought a better life outside of their country of birth.

As a student at the University of Glasgow, Scotland between 1981 and 1985, I was well aware of the presence of the city’s Pakistani and Indian populations. Indian restaurants were (and still are) numerous and hugely popular and were often my restaurant of choice before heading our for an evening of drinking beer with friends. Newsagents and convenience stores, many owned by Pakistanis, were equally ubiquitous. Every Wednesday, I’d pop into the same one and purchase a copy of The Celtic View, the weekly newspaper of the soccer team I supported. It was only after doing this for a couple of months that I discovered that the owner of the store, Hassan, supported Celtic’s arch enemies, Rangers. After that discovery there was a lot of friendly banter back and forth between myself and Hassan every time I frequented his store. But I digress.

Curry is an enormously popular dish in the United Kingdom, so much so that so that it has been dubbed the “UK’s adopted national dish”. In 2001, the then British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, referred to Chicken Tikka Massala (chunks of chicken in a spiced curry sauce) as “a true British national dish“. There are an estimated 12,000 curry restaurants (often referred to as curry houses) in the United Kingdom, employing somewhere in the region of 100,000 people. Such is the importance of curry to British culture that in 2015, the British Parliament established a British Curry Catering Industry All-Party Parliamentary Group, whose purpose is to “provide a forum for parliamentarians to consider and discuss the role and contribution of the British curry catering industry”.

While many curry houses are branded as “Indian” restaurants, most are in fact owned by immigrants and/or their descendants from Bangladesh. Indeed, between 80% and 90% of British curry-house owners can trace their roots back to the Bangladeshi city of Sylhet. The Red Lion is one example of a Desi Pub. Located in Birmingham, England it has been in the hands of the Purewal family since 1997. The Red Lion website emphasize the quality of their food, noting that “the standard of food matches that of high end Indian restaurants”. The Red Lion also boasts that “our chefs are well experienced, coming from some of the top restaurants in India”.

While the clientele of Britain’s original Desi Pubs were primarily from Britain’s Asian community, today they function as integrated, multi-ethnic, spaces. One observer notes that Desi Pubs are “a celebration of multiculturalism . . . offering Indian food to white and brown customers alike”, while another suggests that they are an “East meets West story, where the classic English pub with its ale, darts and dominoes meets Punjabi food and Bhangra”. According to Bera Mahli, who runs the Red Cow and Grill in Smethwick (just outside Birmingham) with his brother Gamy, “the curries served up in old boozers are now bringing people together in a positive way – rather than be used as a negative marker to highlight racial differences.”

Some Desi Pubs have become what are termed Third Places (community gathering places). The aforementioned Bera Mahli observes that, “the pub is more a community centre than anything else – for everyone. One of the big changes is seeing Asian families in the pubs. Back when I was younger, pubs in the Indian community were just for men only. These days as they are no longer places just to drink, we have Asian girls, aunties and grandmas”. The aforementioned Red Lion pub in Birmingham promotes itself as “an easy going and family friendly pub“

For several decades, the United Kingdom has seen a decrease in the number of pubs, as closures have outnumbered openings. A 2014 report showed that the United Kingdom had lost around 21,000 pubs since 1980, with most closures having occurred since 2006. Reasons for this decline include the smoking ban, increased taxation on alcohol, and a reduction in alcohol consumption. Many of Britain’s Desi Pubs are former pubs that had closed and have, in fact, been resurrected by their Asian owners. In addition to saving some old British pubs, the owners of the Desi Pubs may become one of the last bastions of authentic Indian cuisine. The authenticity of the great British curry is under attack.

Craft Beer, Craft Breweries, International, Names, Philanthropy

Hello. My Name Is Vladimir

June 17, 2022 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

In a previous blog entry I wrote about Pravda Brewery, a craft brewery in the Ukrainian city of Lviv. Faced with an invasion by the Russian military the brewery transformed at least part of its production space into a Molotov Cocktail factory. It was the brewery’s contribution to local resistance efforts. The bottles that were used in the assembly of the Molotov Cocktails were those that, under normal circumstances, would be filled with a Dry-hopped Golden Ale (ABV 8.0%) called “Putin Huilo”, which translates as “Putin is a Dickhead“. The label has a picture of a naked Putin sitting on a throne.

The label from Putin Huilo beer from Pravda Brewery

Putin is not the only political figure to appear on the label of one of Pravda’s beers. The brewery also produces an American-style Stout called Obama Hope, a Belgian-style Wit called Frau Ribbentrop, and a Mexican Imperial Lager called Trump. The labels of these three beers have pictures of former U.S. President Barack Obama, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former U.S. President Donald Trump on them respectively. All the labels carry political messages.

The label on Obama Hope refers to President Obama as “a symbol of democracy and a guarantor of the global justice” As such. one of the President’s main tasks is to “safeguard peace and to prevent a new aggressor from starting World War III”. The message on the label goes on to reference Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Pravda was clearly hoping (the beer is named Obama Hope after all) that the American President would step in and assist Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggressor. Referencing the aforementioned invasion, the label states, “Obama is still hesitating to provide real help to the Ukrainians in fighting it”. In what could perhaps be interpreted as some words of warning to President Obama, the label concludes its message with the statement that Obama “has all the chances to go down in history as the one who got it all wrong”

The label from Obama Hope beer from Pravda Brewery

The political message on the Frau Ribbentrop label is clear. The brewery is critical on Chancellor Merkel’s stance on the the 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine’s Donbas Region, particularly her refusal to supply Ukraine with weapons to fight the Russian invaders and her insistence that the Ukrainian government hold direct talks with Donbas separatists, with a view to a negotiated settlement. Many Ukrainians were irked by Merkel’s position and inundated her Facebook page with comments, including some that suggested she was a modern-day von Ribbentrop. The name Ribbentrop is a reference to Joachim von Ribbentrop who was the German Foreign Minister between 1938 and 1945, and who played a key role in the negotiation, on behalf of Germany, of a number of key treaties. These included the “Pact of Steel” that was signed between Germany and Italy on May 22, 1939 and established a formal alliance between the two countries and linked them politically and militarily. Von Ribbentrop also negotiated the German-Soviet Non-aggression Pact of August 23, 1939, which according to one source “cleared the way for Hitler’s attack on Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, thus beginning World War II”. As far as Pravda is concerned, both Merkel and von Ribbentrop were ut from the same cloth and were complicit in facilitating conflict in Europe.

The label from Frau Ribbentrop beer from Pravda Brewery

Not surprisingly, Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States also has a Pravda beer named after him. The beer is, appropriately, a Mexican Imperial Lager with an ABV of 7.2%. The label refers to Mr. Trump as “President of the Divided States of America” (a characterization borrowed from Time Magazine when they named Mr. Trump as their Person of the Year in 2016). The label calls President Trump “the symbol for the final era of true politicians” (not quite sure what is meant by that), while also labeling him as both a “sexist” and an “ideal family man”. In the background, an individual holds “Free Melania: placard.

The label from Putin Trump beer from Pravda Brewery

Pravda is not the only brewery to have brewed a beer inspired by President Putin. In 2014, the irreverent Scottish brewery, BrewDog brewed a double IPA which it named, Hello, My Name Is Vladimir. 2014 was the year that the Russian city of Sochi hosted the Winter Olympic Games. In 2013, a new Russian law that banned the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to minors came into effect. The passage of this law was the catalyst for a number of gay rights protests across the world. Many of these protests occurred a few before the start of the Sochi Olympics. BrewDog chose to join the protests by brewing a beer. The label on the beer had four images of President Putin, all showing the Russian President wearing lipstick. The messaging on the label pokes further fun at President Putin, with statements such as “I am 100% hetero and will pass laws to prove it”. The bottom of the label contains the warning that the beer is “not for gays”. James Watt, co-owner of BrewDog, sent a case of the beer to President Putin at the Kremlin. No one is quite sure what President Putin thought of the beer.

The label from Hello. My Name is Vladimir beer from BrewDog

BrewDog sent President Putin a case of their Hello. My Name is Vladimir beer to President Putin

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine a number of American craft breweries produced beers that featured the Russian President. Rogue Ales & Spirits of Newport, OR brewed a Double IPA (ABV 8.4%) called F*#K PUTIN. The one-pint cans were adorned with the colors of the Ukrainian flag, with all the profits going to the Global Giving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. Intuition Ale Works of Jacksonville, FL brewed a Belgian-style Tripel (ABV 8%) which it named Hey Putin, Go F*ck Yourself!. Intuition’s beer was brewed as part of a larger global initiative called “Brew for Ukraine“. The money raised by breweries participating in the Brew for Ukraine project supports aid agencies assisting Ukraine refugees displaced by the war.

F*#C Putin, brewed by Rogue Brewing of Newport, OR

Hey Putin, Go F*ck Yourself!, brewed by Intuition Ale Works of Jacksonville, FL

In 2018, the small Finnish craft brewery, Rock Paper Scissors Brewing, produced a beer to coincide with a 2018 meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin in Helsinki, Finland. The beer was called “Let’s Settle This Like Adults”. The beer’s label, which had cartoon versions of Trump and Putin fist-bumping, included the tagline “Making Lager Great Again”. The brewery sent samples of the beer to both the US and Russian Embassies in Helsinki.

Let’s Settle This Like Adults was brewed to coincide with a 2018 meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin in Helsinki , Finland

Politics can be a divisive topic of conversation. Americans are warned not to raise political issues over the dinner table at family gatherings such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe we should try to take our cue from Rock Paper Scissors Brewing and start to behave like adults when it comes to engaging in political dialog with family and friends (and strangers).

Craft Beer, Craft Breweries, International, Philanthropy

Brew For Ukraine

April 29, 2022 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2020 captured the attention of the world. The pictures and videos emerging from Russian aggression are heartbreaking. Excluding Crimea, Ukraine has a population of just over 41 million people. In the first week of the conflict over a million Ukrainians ( mainly women, children, and the elderly) crossed international borders as the fled they horrors. By the end of April, 2022 that number had swelled to over 5.7 million. Most of these went to neighboring Poland. No one knows how many refugees this conflict will ultimately generate.

While looking on in horror, the international community has mobilized in efforts to provide assistance to both those who have fled Ukraine and those who remain. These include the U.S. Government, relief agencies such as the American Red Cross, and churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In communities across the United States, individuals and groups are also doing their part to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees. In Portland. OR, The Slavic Community Center of the Northwest held a fundraiser, while Jackson Henning, a 12 year old boy opened a Lemonade Stand in his hometown of Westmont, PA. In addition to these and other fundraising efforts, many craft breweries across the United States have also stepped up and are doing their part to support Ukrainian refugees.

Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, WI was the first American craft brewery to export their beer to Ukraine. Since 2016, Andy Jungwirth, Export Manager at Lakefront, has visited Ukraine on six occasions. During these visits he got to know the folks at Pravda Brewery pretty well. I wrote about Pravda Brewery in my last blog entry. Located in the city of Lviv, Pravda has shifted from brewing beer to producing Molotov Cocktails which are being used against the Russian invaders.

Such was the warmth of the relationship between Jungwirth and Pravda Brewery that Lakefront and Pravda collaborated on brewing a couple of beers, including an India Pale Lager, which they named Lviv-Milwaukee”. Given this close relationship between the two breweries, it is not surprising that news of the Russian invasion sparked a response from the American brewery. Walk into Lakefront today and purchase a 32 ounce crowler and you will find it wrapped in a specially designed blue label emblazoned with a caricature of Vladimir Putin with the words “Putin is a Dick” across his forehead. Funds raised from sale of these crowlers will be deposited with the National Bank of Ukraine, who will use them to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians impacted by the Russian invasion. Lakefront hopes to raise at least $10,000 from the sale of its crowlers.

Specially wrapped “Putin is a Dick” crowlers from Lakefront Brewery. Source: LakefrontBrewery.com.

As noted above, Pravda Brewery has been very hands-on in its efforts to fight back against the Russian military. In addition to producing Molotov Cocktails, the brewery has made available the recipes for five of their beers. The beer recipes have been released as part of the “Brew for Ukraine Crisis Relief Project“. Participating in the project involves brewing at least one of the five beers and making a voluntary contribution to Pravda’s relief fund. Donations to the fund will be directed to the appropriate non-profits operating in Ukraine. The five beers, for which recipes have been made available are Putin Huylo (Dry Hopped Strong Ale), Syla (Belgian Tripel), Red Eyes (American Red Ale), and Frau Ribbentrtop (Belgian Witbier), and From San to Don (Ukrainian Imperial Stout). The beers are being branded as comprising the Victory Series. To date, breweries in Australasia, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America are participating in the initiative and are brewing at least one of these beers.

Breweries from five continents are participating in the Brew For Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.brewforukraine.beer/)

Breweries across the United States are participating in the Brew For Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.brewforukraine.beer/)

Catawba Island Brewing Company in Port Clinton, OH is one of the American breweries participating in the Brew for Ukraine initiative (Source: https://www.facebook.com/CatawbaIslandBrewingCo)

One aspect of the craft brewing industry that has always impressed me is its collaborative nature, and the willingness of breweries to rally around and step up to support a worthy cause. The Brewing for Ukraine initiative is an excellent example of this. But it is not the first. Other examples abound. in 2018, over 1,400 breweries in the United States participated in the Camp Fire initiative. Organized by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., this effort raised millions of dollars to support those impacted by northern California wildfires. Participating breweries were invited to brew Resilience Butte County Proud IPA. In 2020, Other Half Brewing rallied brewers around the world to raise money for the hospitality industry that had been impacted by COVID-19. They did so by creating a recipe for a beer called All Together IPA. The recipe, as is common in such projects was open source and so was available to all breweries who wanted to participate.

Of course, the Brewing for Ukraine initiative will not change the course of the war in Ukraine. But it will provide vital relief to some Ukrainians who have been impacted the Russian invasion. As individuals, who watch in disgust and horror at the pictures/videos emerging from Ukraine, we can feel helpless. However, there are myriad opportunities to donate some money to help both those who have fled Ukraine and those who remain there. Next time you pop along to your local brewery, you might just find another way in which you can donate.

Community, Craft Breweries, International, Names

Putin Is A Dickhead

March 9, 2022 The Beer Professor 6 Comments

As I write this blog entry the world watches on in horror at the atrocities committed by the Russian military as their invasion of Ukraine continues unabated. The images flashing across our television screen (and the screens of our smart phones and other smart devices) are heart-wrenching. The man behind these atrocities, of course, is the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

All of us follow the events in Ukraine with varying degrees of intensity. For me, I read and see enough to keep up with general contours of the conflict. As The Beer Professor, a lot of my time on the internet is spent looking for interesting stories about the brewing industry. But in one of my recent searches I came across a story where my interest in the brewing industry intersected with events in Ukraine. The headline varied from news outlet to news outlet, but they generally read something like this: “Brewer Swaps Making Craft Beer for Molotov Cocktails”. The brewery in question is Pravda Brewery in western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

For the uninitiated, a Moltotov Cocktail is a handheld petrol bomb that is “emblematic of civil unrest and revolution“. Somewhat ironically, Molotov cocktails take their name from the Russian politician Vyacheslav Molotov, who served as the Soviet Union’s foreign minister during World War II. The name is Finnish in origin (Molotovin Koktaili) and first appeared in our lexicon during the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939. The actual device, however, pre-dates this event. The first use of Molotov Cocktails dates back to Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), where they were used by Franco’s Nationalists as a weapon to demobilize the Republican’s Soviet-supplied T-26 tanks.

Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Yuriy Zastavny, owner of Pravda Brewery decided to repurpose its production space to supply his fellow Ukrainians with Molotov Cocktails. Molotov Cocktails are very simple to manufacture. All that is needed is a glass bottle, gasoline, kerosene, or alcohol, and a piece of cloth (to function as a wick).

Molotov Cocktails produced by Pravda Brewery in Lviv, Ukraine

This short video tells the story of Pravda Brewery converting its production space to produce Molotov Cocktails

The labels on the bottles used for Pravda’s Molotov Cocktails have a picture of a naked Putin sitting on a throne. Also on the label are the words “Putin Huilo”, which translates as “Putin is a Dickhead“. When I first saw the label on the Molotov Cocktail, I thought that the label had been specially designed with its new function as an incendiary device in mind. I was wrong. Putin Huilo is a Dry-hopped Golden Ale (ABV 8.0%) that is part of the brewery’s regular portfolio of beers, and has been brewed for a number of years. The label provides some additional background about the beer and the surrounding political context. The label, for instance, mentions Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 (which coincidentally was the year that Pravda Brewery was established). The label also notes that “Putin Huilo” is a worldwide nickname for the President Putin and also an “international chant first performed during a common march by FC Metalist and FC Shakhtar in March 30, 2014”. That got me curious – so I did a bit of googling.

The label on Putin Huilo provides the political context for the beer’s name

FC Metalist Kharkiv and FC Shakhtar are Ukranian soccer teams. Of the two, I am most familiar with Shakhtar Donestsk. Shakhtar play in the top flight of Ukranian soccer and in recent recent years have been regular participants in the Champions League – Europe’s premier and most prestigious soccer competition. In contrast, Metalist Kharkiv play in the second tier of Ukrainian soccer. They have an interesting history in that that they ceased operations in 2016, as a result of financial insolvency (they owed their playing staff 32 million Euros in back pay). The club was re-established in 2020. According to Wikipedia, the first recorded public performance of the chant (and the song that grew from it) occurred in March 2014 in Kharkiv when Metalist fans chanted in a march through the city’s streets. The chant was partly in response to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Several Ukrainian rock bands have included the chant in some of their music. According to journalist Alex Luhn, writing in Britain’s Guardian newspaper, the chant quickly became “a nationwide cultural meme“. Rival soccer fans came together, put their rivalries to one side, and chanted the chant in street marches in various Ukraininan cities. In a soccer match between Belarus and Ukraine in October 2014, fans from both country’s joined together in the chant during the game. A number of fans were arrested. Eight Ukrainian fans were given a jail sentence by a court in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, while some Belarus fans were fined. The video of fans chanting has been removed from the YouTube platform.

The video of soccer fans from Ukraine and Belarus chanting “Putin is a Dickhead” is no longer available on the YouTube platform

As I read about Pravda Brewery and the decision to produce Molotov Cocktails, I could not help but smile and think to myself about how typical this action was. Craft breweries all over the world try to be good citizens and strive to make a positive difference to the vibrancy and quality of life in their respective communities. In doing so, many try to respond to the needs of their patrons and neighbors, whether that be donating some profits to a local charity or transforming part of their space into a temporary yoga studio for a local yoga group. In turning their brewery into a production space for Molotov Cocktails, Pravda Brewery are providing a community service and are responding to the needs of the local community. To Pravda I say Будьмо (Cheers).

History, International, People

Reid’s Brewery

May 4, 2021 The Beer Professor 2 Comments

A few weeks ago I was on the Internet and decided to Google my surname – Reid. According to Ancestry.com the name Reid means:

“nickname for a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion, from Older Scots reid ‘red’. topographic name for someone who lived in a clearing, from Old English r¯d ‘woodland clearing’.”

Ancestry.com also informed me that between 1841 and 1921, there were more Reids in Scotland than in any other country. I remember reading, many years ago, that it was one of the most common surnames in Scotland. Again, a little Googling confirmed this. In 2014, it was the 11th most common surname in Scotland.

Even more interesting was the fact that in 1840, according to Ancestry.com, there were 51 Reid families living in Ohio (for those of you that do not know me, I was born in and grew up in Scotland, but now live in Ohio). This represented approximately 10% of all the recorded Reid’s living in the United States. Indeed, in 1840, Ohio had the highest population of families named Reid in the US.

Number of Reids by State in 1840 (Source: Ancestry.com)

What does any of the above have to do with beer? Nothing actually, except it was while I was down this Google rabbit hole searching the Reid name that I discovered that in 19th century London, UK there was a brewery called Reid Brewery Co. Ltd. My attention peaked and I did a little internet sleuthing to see what I could discover about the brewery that bore my name.

I begin the story of the Reid Brewery in 1775, when Richard Meux and Mungo Murray formed a partnership and purchased Jackson’s Brewery in London’s Mercer Street. The purchase price was £15,000. Coincidentally, Mercer happens to be my late-Mother’s maiden name. The brewery suffered a major fire in 1763 Rather than rebuild in the same location, Meux and Murray decided to build a new new brewery on the somewhat appropriately named Liquorpond Street (now Clerkenwell Street). A new name, Griffin Brewery, was also agreed upon by the two business partners. In 1790, Murray made the decision to leave the partnership.

In 1787, Griffin Brewery produced an impressive 49,651 barrels of beer. In 1793, Andrew Reid, a distiller and wine and spirit merchant, became a partner with Meux, and formed what then became Meux, Reid & Co. The brewery’s annual output continued to grow and reached an excess of 100,000 barrels for the first time in 1795.

In 1797, Richard Meux Jr. and Andrew Reid’s brother, John, became partners in the brewery. In 1816 Thomas Meux resigned from the partnership, which then became Reid & Co. At the time of Meux’s resignation the brewery’s annual production was 190,000 barrels. In the years following Meux’s resignation Reid & Co. purchased several smaller breweries in both London and its environs. John Reid died in 1821 and his brother, Andrew, died in 1840. William Reid, son of Andrew Reid, maintained the Reid family’s interest in the brewery.

By 1853, Reid’s was London fourth largest brewery – there were somewhere in the region of 160 breweries n London at this time. The primary style of beer brewed by Reid’s was Porter. In all likelihood, some of that beer made its way to India to supply the British army there. In 1898 Reid & Co merged with the large London brewer Watney and another brewer, Combe and Co. This is considered the first big merger to take place in the British brewing industry. After the merger, Griffin Brewery on Liquidpond Street (owned by Reid) was closed. Production was concentrated in Watney’s Stag Brewery in the Pimlico district of London. The merged entity, Watney, Combe, Reid, became a major force in London brewing.

The Reid brand name continued to be used until the 1950s. In the early 1950s Watney’s was brewing and bottling three variants of their Reid’s Stout – Reid’s Stout, Reid’s Family Stout, and Reid’s Special Stout. Two versions of the Reid’s Stout was available – one with an ABV of 4.39% and the other with an ABV of 6.75%. The Family and Special Stout had ABVs of 3.21 and 4.72% respectively.

While the original brewing company bearing the Reid name is long gone, there is at least one craft brewery in the United Kingdom bearing the name – Reids Gold Brewing Company in Stonehaven, Scotland, which was established by Barry Reid in 2018.

Beer Styles, International, Rice

The Rice is Right

February 20, 2021 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I received an email from Lindsay Campbell, a journalist for the magazine Modern Farmer. Lindsay was writing a story about rice-based beers, specifically Japanese style lagers, that had been trending in craft breweries in recent years. From reading my blog, Lindsay knew that I have visited a lot of breweries across the United States and so she was wondering if I had sampled any rice lagers and what my opinion was of them as a style. I told Lindsay that I had never sampled any rice lagers made by an American craft brewery. I did have plenty of experience with rice lagers, thanks to four trips to Japan, plus visits to China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan. Some of the better known Japanese Rice Lagers include Asahi Super Dry, Kirin Classic Lager, and Sapporo Original Draft Beer. The best selling beer in the world is a Rice Lager – Snow Beer, brewed by China Resources Breweries Limited. And, of course, there is Bud Light which prominently displays its ingredients – hops, barley, water, and rice – on its packaging. Indeed, rice has been a part of the Budweiser recipe since 1876. Impressively, Anheuser Busch is the largest end user of rice in the United States. In 2018, Anheuser Busch purchased more than $120 million of rice; all of it from farms in the United States. Incidentally, worldwide twice as much Snow Beer as Budweiser is consumed annually. Within the United States, four regions are responsible for producing almost all the rice grown. These are:

Arkansas Grand Prairie
Mississippi Delta, (parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Louisiana);
Gulf Coast (Texas and Southwest Louisiana); and
Sacramento Valley of California.

Snow Beer, a Rice Lager from China Resources Breweries Limited is the best selling beer in the world

Geographic Distribution of Rice Production in the United States

On a global scale, rice is an important crop. It plays a critical role in feeding the world’s population, and is a primary staple for more than half the people living on Earth. China and India are the world’s leading rice producers, with the United States not making the top ten.

Rice Lagers are generally on the lower end of the ABV spectrum, with most coming in at around 5%. They are a highly highly drinkable, light bodied, beer with a crisp, dry, finish. The rice can also provide the beer with a slight sweetness. They are a perfect warm weather beer, that not only pairs well with Asian cuisine, but also with summer favorites such as burgers. In many respects, Rice Lagers can serve as gateway beers and are a nice introduction to craft beers for someone whose palate is used to macro-Lagers. Rice Lager also has the advantage that it is gluten free.

In the craft brewing world, rice is what is considered an adjunct. An adjunct is anything outside of the beer’s four traditional ingredients of malt, hops, water, and yeast. Rice, as an ingredient in beer, has a bad reputation among some craft beer drinkers due to its association with macro brews such as Budweiser and Bud Light. In her 2006 book Ambitious Brew, Maureen Ogle made the statement that “craft brewers treat rice almost as if it’s rat poison.” A little tongue-in-cheek perhaps, but you get the idea that rice might have a reputation problem. In a 2009 video titled “I am a Craft Brewer” several dozen craft brewers from across the county extol the virtues of craft beer and the people that make it. At one point in the video a craft brewer disparagingly notes that corporate breweries put rice in their beer. This is followed a few seconds later by anothet craft brewer proudly stating that “I don’t put rice in my beer”.

For some years now, however, some craft breweries have been putting rice in their beer – it has not been every brewery and those that do are doing so very selectively. So we see headlines like Craft Brewers Rethink Rice in Beer and The Rice Renaissance. Breweries that are utilizing rice as an ingredient in their beer appear to be in places that were at the forefront of the craft beer revolution back in the 1980s – places in states such as California, Colorado, and Washington. Could it be that the initial innovators are still leading innovation today? Fieldwork Brewing in Berkeley, CA brew a Citra Rice Lager that they have named Sushi Beer. Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA brew a Japanese Rice Lager called Hanamachi. And it’s not all Rice Lagers that craft breweries are producing. As far back as 2007, Great Divide Brewing Co. in Denver, CO released Samurai, an unfiltered rice and barley ale. Great Divide is still brewing Samurai today, and includes it in its year-round portfolio of beers. Some breweries are using locally grown rice to produce their rice beer. Crying Eagle Brewing Company in Lake Charles, LA used Louisiana-grown rice in its Louisiana Lager.

Samurai Rice Ale from Great Divide Brewing Co., in Denver, CO

Hanamachi is a Japanese Rice Lager Brewed by Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, CA

Crying Eagle Brewing Company use Louisiana-grown rice in its Louisiana Lager

The piece that I was interviewed for in The Modern Farmer was titled The Rice Renaissance. It is a title that suggests that rice is making something of a comeback in American brewing. On the one hand, you could argue that it has never really fell out of favor with American brewers. Rice has been a key ingredient in the Budweiser recipe since 1876. However, the article is really about the use of rice in craft brewing. Despite the negative reputation surrounding rice as an ingredient in beer, there are some craft brewers who are experimenting with it. This should come as no surprise. Craft brewers are highly creative and, one might argue, sufficiently secure in their own skin to utilize an ingredient that others might shun. The website Beeradvocate.com lists only 245 distinct entries in the category “Lager – Japanese Rice” – not a large number. Many, not surprisingly, are brewed by Japanese breweries. So, “renaissance” is perhaps too strong a word, but if you see a rice beer on the menu at a brewery be sure to check it out.

Holidays, International

A Beer a Day

December 26, 2020 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

When I was a child growing up in Scotland my mom always bought an Advent Calendar. They were very simple. Made of card stock, behind each door was a picture – Santa Claus, a snowman, Rudolph, a candle, a holly wreath etc. Despite, or perhaps because of, their simplicity I loved them and would look forward to opening a door each day.

The concept of Advent Calendars has it origins with early 19th century German Protestants. Initially there was no physical calendar. Rather, the days of Advent were recognized by the daily act of either burning a candle or marking either doors or walls with a line of chalk. The first physical Advent Calendars made their appearance in 1851 and were made of wood. It was not until the first decade of the 20th century that printed Advent Calendars appeared. These early printed calendars did not have doors. Doors, which opened to reveal a picture, were not added until the 1920s – a German by the name of Gerhard Lang being credited with this innovation.

While Advent Calendars are designed with children in mind, there are a growing number of such calendars that target adults. For example, alcohol-focused Advent Calendars seem to be increasingly popular. The concept is simple. You purchase what is effectively a 24-pack of alcohol disguised as an Advent Calendar. There are doors to be opened, and behind each door is a can of beer, bottle of wine, whiskey, hard seltzer etc.

This year I purchased my first beer advent calendar. I picked it up at Costco. The calendar I purchased was one produced by the Kalea, a company who were established, according to their website, in 2010 in Salzburg, Austria, but are now, according to their Advent Calendar packaging, based in a Germany. In producing their advent calendars Kalea work with privately-owned independent breweries. The calendar cost $59.99, which means each can of beer costs $2.50, which is quite reasonable given that each can contained 16.9 oz of beer. The beers in the calendar were archetypal German. There were lots of Pilsners, Helles, and other beers from the Lager side of the beer family tree. The calendar contained very few Ales – there was one Stout, one Pale Ale, and one IPA among the 24 beers. So, while the calendar was sold during the lead-up to Christmas, none of the beers were winter seasonal Ales that are typically associated with the colder weather. This is a time of year when I do not consume many Pilsners or Hefeweizens so there was something of a disconnect between the beer I was drinking and the lower temperatures outside.

There is a Facebook group devoted to the calendar, which I joined. Activity in the group primarily comprised of folks posting photographs of the beer of the day. A few people provided descriptions of the beer they were drinking, along with their assessment of how good they thought it was. Kalea also has an app to accompany the calendar. I downloaded the app and found it both interesting and useful, as it provided some additional information about the brewery and the beer. Also included in the app was a short video about each day’s beer.

The Kalea app included some additional information about each day’s beer and brewery.

The Kalea calendars do seem to sell out fast. There is a Costco the about a mile from my house. It was sold out when I went there to purchase a calendar. This meant a trip to the Costco on the other side of town. A few members of the calendar Facebook group also mentioned the fact that the calendars appear to be in high demand – in other words, if you want one, get it as soon as you see it available for sale.

Based on postings in the Facebook group there did appear to be some issues regarding the beers. For example, people reported identical cans containing two different beers. There were occasional reports of individuals getting a beer that was different from what others got on the same day. Another issue were some calendars containing more than one of the same beer. Calendars that were sold in Texas had a completely different complement of beers than calendars sold elsewhere in the United States. The reason for this anomaly was never definitively explained, although some people suggested that it was due to some restrictions associated with the Lone Star state’s regulatory environment for alcohol. Whether this is the case, I have no idea.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience of the Kalea Advent calendar. I tried 24 beers that I had never tried before. Will I purchase this calendar again next year? I am not sure. I imagine I will do some advance research and determine which other beer advent calendars there are on the market.

Craft Beer, Festivals, International

The Gift of Beer

November 30, 2019 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

When people learn that you enjoy craft beer, it is not unusual for them to give you some as a gift. Nowadays, it is common for my oldest daughter to give me craft beer as a birthday or Christmas gift. But every now and then I receive a gift of beer on occasions when I do not expect it. Such was the case last week when I was in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (colloquially known as Den Bosch) in the Netherlands. I was there to attend a workshop on Cities4People: Towards Smart, Safe and Sound Cities. The workshop was held at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (JADS). On the first afternoon of the workshop I made a presentation on craft breweries as a neighborhood amenity, and their role in contributing to the quality of urban life.

Presenting on craft breweries as a neighborhood amenity at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science in Den Bosch, the Netherlands

After the afternoon presentations were complete there was a beer and wine reception, where workshop participants could network before dinner. Halfway through the meeting, Caroline Crevels, one of the organizers of the conference presented me with a gift. It was a gift of craft beer. What impressed me the most about this particular gift, however, was the effort and thoughtfulness that had went into selecting it. Caroline had visited a local bottle shop (Bottle Shop Den Bosch), and told the individual on duty that she was looking for a gift for a visiting craft beer lover and scholar. That individual then curated a selection of four beers, explaining to Caroline the significance of each one. Caroline took notes, and referred to these when presenting the gift to me. I was extremely touched with the care that she had taken.

Caroline Crevels (left) presented me with a gift of craft beer at a reception held at the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science in Den Bosch, the Netherlands.

The four beers that Caroline presented me with were:

De Cam Oude Geuze: a Lambic-Gueuze brewed by Geuzestekerij De Cam Brewery in Gooik, Belgium. It has an ABV of 6.5%.
Imperial Stout: a Russian Imperial Stout brewed by Samuel Smith Old Brewery in Tadcaster, England. It has an ABV of 7%.
Oeteldonker: a Dry Hopped Amber Ale brewers by D’N Draok Brewery in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. It has an ABV of 6.1%.
Odravein: a Barley Wine beer brewed by Põhjala Brewery in Tallin, Estonia. It has an ABV of 12%.

The four beers I received as a gift while in Den Bosch, the Netherlands

Of the four beers, the one that peaked my interest the most was Oeteldonker. As Caroline explained, the Oeteldonker is brewed once a year, and the beer and the timing of its release is connected with the Carnaval season in Den Bosch. Carnaval is a celebration that takes place on the three days preceding Ash Wednesday. Although connected to the religious observances of Lent, Carnaval’s origins can be traced to pagan spring festivals. Carnaval was a time to feast. During Medieval and posted-Medieval periods, food remaining from the winter had to consumed, lest it would soon start to rot and decay.

Oeteldonker Beer, which is released on 11/11 each year

While I was familiar with Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA and the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I have to admit I never knew that there was a similar event the southern Netherlands. It does, however, have a long history. Indeed Carnaval has been the subject for a number of 16th century artists, including Dutch artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder. His 1559 painting The Fight between Carnival and Lent shows the juxtaposition of the religious (see the church on the right hand side of the painting) and the secular (the inn/tavern on the left hand side). The abstinence associated with Lent was preceded by a period of feasting. Beer features in Bruegel’s painting. At the bottom center-left of the painting is a large man riding a beer barrel. All indications (meat pie on head, pork chop attached to barrel, butcher knives in his belt etc.) are that he is a butcher. As butchers provided meat for Caranaval, his appearance in the painting is appropriate

The Fight between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Source: Wikipedia Commons

A close up of the butcher riding the beer barrel in Bruegel the Elderr’s painting

While the real spectacle of Carnaval does not begin until the three days before Ash Wednesday, preparations start on November 11 (11/11) each year. On that date, city councils vote for a Prince of Carnaval for their town. When the first day of Carnaval arrives, the Mayor of the town nominally transfers his or her authority to the Prince. Once this happens, normal daily life is suspended and the party begins. In Den Bosch, the city temporarily changes its name for the three days of Carnaval, and is re-named Oeteldonk. The name Oeteldonk has its genesis in Den Bosch’s geographical setting . According to my research “donk” refers to either a sandy hill or a low lying swamp (or perhaps a sandy hill in a low lying swamp). The word “oetel“ is thought refer refer to a Bishop Adrianus Godschalk who, in the late 19th century, wanted to ban carnival. The bishop was from the village of Den Dungen, where Van den Oetelaar was a common last name. Oetel is, therefore, a playful reference to the bishop. A symbol of Den Bosch’s Carnaval is the frog. Frogs were common in the swampy land surrounding Den Bosch. A defining characteristic of Carnaval is the reversal of social roles and the suspension of norms about desired behavior. The color and spectacle that is Carnaval can be seen in this video.

Oeteldonker beer, brewed by Brouwerij D’n Draok in Den Bosch, is inspired by Carnaval. It is brewed once a year, and is released on 11/11. Only 1,111 bottles of Oeteldonker are bottled each year; so I feel privileged to have one. In Germanic folklore, the number 11 is considered the “fool’s number”, and much of Carnaval involves playful, yet foolish, behavior.

The four beers were given to me just before the American Thanksgiving holiday. My oldest daughter, Kirsty, was visiting my wife and I from Cincinnati for that holiday. And, as Kirsty is also a craft beer aficionado, I thought it would be nice to share them with her. So before we sat down for our Thanksgiving meal, her and I opened and shared each of the four beers. As we did so I reflected on the generosity of Caroline and my other Dutch friends, and gave thanks for their wonderful generosity and friendship.

International

Hungary For Beer

October 11, 2019 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

I just returned from four days in Budapest, Hungary. I was there attending the annual conference of the International Geographic Union Commission on the Dynamics of Economic Spaces. I served as Chair of the Commission between 2010 and 2014, and so enjoy going to their annual conference to catch up with old friends, and even perhaps make some new ones. Trips such as this also provide me with an opportunity to explore the local beer scene. I had last visited Budapest in 2015, so I was curious to see how the craft beer scene there had evolved since then.

The first written record of brewing in Hungary dates to the twelfth century. During the sixteenth-century, manor houses and monasteries had their own on-site breweries; but it was not until the seventeenth century that what might be considered the first industrial scale breweries were established. By 1910 four brewing companies (Dreher Antal Brewery, First Hungarian Brewery, Kobánya Civil Brewery, and Haggenmacher Breweries) produced over ninety percent of beer consumed domestically. Despite the dominance of the Big Four, the Hungarian market supported an additional eighty-six smaller breweries. In 1948, the Hungarian brewing industry was nationalized. It remained that way until 1983. Between 1948 and 1983, a single state-owned brewing company (the Hungary Brewery, and its successor the Trust of Hungarian Beer Breweries) was responsible for producing all of the beer brewed in Hungary. Budapest was the main center of production during this period, – producing seventy-six percent of the country’s Beer.

Hungarians consume approximately sixty-three liters of beer per capita annually (2017 data). This placed them sixteenth out of twenty-eight European countries listed in a Brewers of Europe report. Like many other European countries, Lager is the most popular type of beer in Hungary, accounting for between eighty and ninety percent of beer consumed. Most Hungarian beer is produced by three breweries – Dreher Breweries (owned by Asahai Breweries of Japan), Borsodi Brewery (owned by Molson Coors) and Heineken Hungaria.

I enjoyed some Dreher Lager (and a shot of Jägermeister) while in Budapest

In recent years, craft beer has grown in popularity in Hungary. Modern day microbreweries made their appearance starting in the 1990s. According to a report by The Brewers of Europe the country was home to sixty microbreweries in 2017, up from twenty in 2011.

In addition to craft breweries, craft beer bars are also becoming increasingly common, particularly In Budapest. Indeed in an August 2019 piece CNN listed Budapest among the fifteen best beer cities in the world. While wandering around the center of Hungary’s capital city, I came across Beer Brothers Craft Beer Bar. It had fourteen Hungarian craft beers on tap. I visited Brothers twice during my short four-day stay in Budapest, trying a total of three different beers. The first was Stroman, a New England IPA from Ugar Brewery. Ugar is located in the town of Törökszentmiklós (population 23,000), eighty miles southwest of Budapest The second and third were both from Mad Scientist Brewery – Madhouse, a New England IPA and Lumber Sexual, a Brut IPA. Mad Scientist Brewery is located in Budapest.

Beer Brothers Craft Beer Bar has 14 Hungarian craft beers on tap

Madhouse, a New England IPA, brewed by Mad Scientist Brewery

The second craft beer bar I visited was Neked Csak Dezso!. Although the sign on the outside said that it was a Brewpub and bistro, there was no brewing done on site. It was, quite simply, a craft beer bar. Although the service left a lot to be desired, this is a really impressive craft beer bar. First it is quite large. Second it has thirty-two craft beers on draft, over twenty-five of which were from Hungarian breweries. There were also a nice selection of craft beers that could be purchased to go. I arrived at the bar near closing time, so I only had time for one brew. I opted for Fruit Works, a Raspberry Gose from Brew Your Mind Brewery. The brewery is located in Szekszárd, a town of thirty-two thousand people, ninety miles south of Budapest.

*Neked Csak Dezso!* had a fine selection of craft beers to go

*Fruit Works, a Raspberry Gose from Brew Your Mind Brewery*

The third and final craft beer bar I visited was First Craft Beer & BBQ, located in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter. The brewery has two locations in Budapest – a brewery/taproom and taproom/restaurant. It was the latter I visited. There were twenty beers on tap, nine of which were their own creations. I opted for their Belgian Cherry Fruit Beer.

This was my second visit to Budapest. My last visit was in 2015. My sense is that the craft beer scene has grown since then. There are certainly more craft breweries in the country. As noted above, there were sixty in craft breweries in 2017 (the most recent year for which I have data), compared to forty-six in 2015. From casual observation, it seems to me that the craft beer scene in Budapest is more vibrant than it was four years ago. There do appear to be more craft beer bars, and craft beer does seem more readily available in cafes and regular bars. I like Budapest. It is a vibrant city. I look forward to returning some day.

TheBeerProfessor