Beer Travel

People naturally tend to travel to places where they will find things they like.  That is why traveling around the world, looking for good beer is a logical choice for many.  Fortunately such places where one can combine great beer and great travel are abundant.  Here are some prominant examples:

Ireland – Home of Guinness and the (Irish) pub

We can not think of a pub or beer lover that will not enjoy travelling to Ireland.  Ireland offers visitors hospitability, green pastures (as far as the eye can see) and of course great pubs and beer.  In Ireland you can visit brewaries, and taste their products.  Therefore, if it is great beer you are after, Ireland just might be the bucket of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Guinness beer, Dublin, Ireland

Perhaps the most famous Irish beer is the Guinness.  The Guinness storehouse in Dublin offer beer tours.  In the past, the Guinness storehouse housed the Guinness brewary, but this has stopped as of 1988 and today they serve as a beer museum.  The museum offers seven floors of exhibitions, shows and a bar, of course…  The museum is structures similarly to a beer glass, so the visitor can not mistake it’s purpose.

You can reach the Guinness storehouse by car or public transportation.  They are open every day, except certain holidays, between 9:30 and 17:00.  Adult tickets can be found here for 13.5 Euro.

Belgian beer – Proof that Belgians are good at something other than chocolate

Any average pub dweller knows that Belgians know a thing or two about beer.  Belgium aguably has the most diverse collections of good beer in the world.  For beer lovers, Belgium offers much (much) more than just Leffe and Stella Artois (that are actually owned by the same company).  You can start your beer travel to Belgium at this site, that showcases some popular brewaries and offers visiting options.  Prices range between 5 and 6 Euros and if you are over 18 years old you can even enjoy some free samples…

Travel tip… Did you know that Leffe beer was originally manufactured in a 12th century monastery - abbey Notre Dam de Leffe?  Although the current Leffe brewary is in Leuven, you can still visit the abbey which is 70 km south of Antwerpen, in the center of Belgium.

Origin of Leffe beer, Belgium

Czech Republic – Where beer is cheaper than water

In the Czech republic beer often flows freely as water.  In some restaurants beer is actually cheaper than bottled water.  Visitors to the Czech republic will soon find out that although the famous Pilsner duely won its place, Czech beer makers have even more to offer.  As seasoned travellers we tend to try local beers as we go (this was a mistake in Egypt, a place where beer has no alcohol), so in Czechoslovakia we drank Pilsner.  English tours of the brewary and museum can be found and offer a unique peak at all beer making steps.  Prices are up to 250 kronas (around $13), depending on the type of tour you choose.

Pilsner Beer Storage Cellars, Czech Republic

Heineken experience in Amsterdam

Heineken is one of the more popular beers around.  This is just one of the reasons to visit the Heineken experience while in Amsterdam, Holland.  Tickets are not cheap (15 Euro without chance for reductions, unless you are a member of a large, pre-arranged group) and hours are not perfect (11:30 – 19:00), but in the museum Heinekenians promise an interactive experience for the whole family.  The Heiniken website is also quite nice and allows you to participate in a personalized advertisement for your favorite beer.  The museum is rather accessible, either by public transportation or even by foot from the city center.

Heineken museum, Amsterdam

A whole new wolrd of beer in… The USA

When you think of beer, you usually do not think of the US. American beers are considered to be weaker and not as tasty as European beers.  However it was in the United States, and in Philadelphia of all places, where we found Monk’s.  Monk’s pub boasts the largest collection of beers outside of Belgium.  We do not know about that, but believe us, if you happen to be in Philadelphia, stop by at Monk’s, have a cold one and eat some of their salty delicacies.

Monk's pub, Philadelphia - Great beer and great finger food