This collection of essays, sub-titled, "the unexamined beer isn’t worth drinking", interprets its remit in a variety of ways. The great philosophers had very little to say on the subject of beer and there’s only so many times one can make a pun about alcohol measured in degrees Plato — here it’s done early to […]
It should be a matter for public outcry that the complete guide to beer and cider in Ireland is pocket-sized. Neither is the completeness a publisher’s idle boast: this densely packed little book covers everything from the extinct micros like Balbriggan and DBC, to those just getting going, like Shelta and Bluestack. You can find […]
My plane touched down in Heathrow bumpily at 11.20 in the morning as another disgruntled Aer Lingus pilot took out his frustrations on the tarmac. My mission for the day was to drink a pint in each of London’s seven brewpubs, and with the first opening its doors at noon I set off at speed […]
"Day return to Hilden, please." The girl at the ticket window looked confused. "Where?" "Hilden. It’s near Lisburn." "To Lisburn?" "No. Hilden." "One moment please" and she scurried off into a back office. I became intensely aware of the queue behind me, the membership wondering why they always joined the one with the nutter at […]
"Forty-five bucks!? This better be the best tasting beer in the world. [Drinks] You got lucky." — Barney Gumble Let’s face it: Oslo is not the obvious choice for a beer-hunting weekend. Two contributing factors spring immediately to mind: the state monopoly on selling booze, and the ferocious price of the stuff. Armed with these […]
I hadn’t planned it this way, it just happened. A friend had organised for a few of us to go to the NoFitState Circus in Dublin’s Docklands on a Friday night. Like any reasonable and civilised man, I suggested we meet up beforehand for a couple of pints. Since most of us were coming straight […]
