Beer and Wine Around the World

We have always been advocates for eating local foods when traveling, but we equally believe in trying the local wines and beers. Wine tastings are a great way to try a variety of wines and get a true sense of what the region has to offer. Likewise, many cities have their own beer varieties which are specific to that location or are brewed just for the season. Some places are obvious locations to try certain things, like beer in Germany or wine in France, but you can find local varieties in places that might surprise you, such as Iceland or Egypt.

Local Beer in Egypt
Wine Tasting in Ronda, Spain
Wine Purchased from a Wine Tasting in Strasbourg, France

It isn’t just about trying different varieties of beer and wine, it is also about going to the places where locals like to gather with friends and family to relax and have a drink or two. There is something special about the atmosphere of a historic pub that is just warm and welcoming. Going to places like the Brazen Head in Dublin, Ireland’s oldest pub, can be as interesting of an experience as visiting the famous sights in a city. If you take the time to chat with the owners, you just might find yourself having a drink with them while learning more about the city and the best of the local wine and beer to try.

Brazen Head Pub in Dublin
Drinking Games in Reykjavik, Iceland
Wine and Food in Italy

We don’t believe that there are set rules about what pairs well with certain types of food as we think that it all depends upon your taste. As long as you choose something that you enjoy, it will likely taste good with your meal. There isn’t anything wrong with having a red wine or beer with fish or white wine with something with a robust flavor such as duck. The one exception might be for desserts where a sweeter wine certainly makes some sense, but on the rare occasions that we eat dessert, we usually just have a normal glass of wine.

Beer in Kilkenny, Ireland
Obvious Where We had This Beer
Dark Beer in Romania

If you add in the different festivals that happen throughout the year, but especially around the holidays, there are even more opportunities to taste local favorites. You don’t have to be in Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest and you can probably find someplace close to you to enjoy this annual celebration. Wherever you travel, you should take advantage of the local libations, including specialty drinks in addition to the local beers and wines. We enjoyed so many different drinks during our travels, but Apfelwein in Frankfurt might be close to the top of our list. Do you have a favorite beer, wine, or drink experience?

Apfelwein in Frankfurt
Beer in Iceland
Local Beer in Quito, Ecuador

 

The Beer of Vietnam and Laos

During our recent trip to Vietnam, we had the opportunity to try a variety of different beers. Most of them were lagers that were brewed in different cities throughout Vietnam. There were also several pubs in Hanoi that served locally brewed craft beers. While beer was readily available and relatively inexpensive every place that we visited, wine was pretty expensive. We assume that it most likely due to the fact that Vietnam doesn’t produce much of its own wine. We only spent a couple of days in Laos, but we did have the opportunity to try several of their national beers during our time there as well.

Beerlao Dark Lager
Hanoi Beer
Halong Beer from Halong Bay
Beerlao Lager with Ice in Vientiane

Vietnam and especially Laos are very hot countries, so after a long day of exploring the country, having a nice cold beer is a nice way to help cool off. It was so hot in Vientiane, Laos that they actually served the beer with ice to actually put into your glass of beer because it would get warm before you could finish it. Even at night, the temperatures are still very warm and beer certainly paired well with most of the meals that we ate during our trip.

Tiger Beer was Popular Throughout Vietnam
Saigon Beer
333 is Another Popular Beer in Vietnam
Beerlao Gold or Amber Beer

Each city in Vietnam seemed to have its own brand of beer while Laos had a national brand of beer that was offered in a variety of styles including dark, amber, and lager. Most of the beers that we tried were not particularly hoppy or malty and were relatively mild. The mild flavor adds to the refreshing nature of drinking an ice cold beer. We definitely enjoyed the variety of beers that we tried throughout our time in the region.

 

The Denver Oktoberfest

It is the 50th anniversary of the Denver Oktoberfest and we decided to go to the opening weekend of this popular event. The Oktoberfest festival takes place over two weekends and draws very large crowds enjoying German beer, food, and folk music. Many of the people who attend Oktoberfest dress in traditional German clothing making it even more festive. In addition to the beer and food, there are also a variety of games available to play, such as keg bowling.

People Getting into the Spirit of Oktoberfest
Bratwurst and Latkes
Listening to Folk Musi
Keg Bowling

There are several types of tickets that you can purchase at the event or in advance, but we’d definitely recommend purchasing tickets in advance as the lines can be quite long. Other than for crafts and merchandise, you must have tickets to get beer, food, and play certain games as cash is not accepted. We chose a ticket option that included a 34 oz souvenir mug with a couple of refills. We had both a hefeweisen and darker Oktoberfest from Spaten. It is definitely important to pace yourself in order not to overdrink and turn a good time into a bad time.

Crowds at the Stein Hoisting Contest
Apple Strudel
Traditional Clothing and Beer Steins
Stein Hoisting

Obviously there is plenty of German food available including different types of bratwurst, currywurst, schnitzle, pretzels, latkes, and apple strudel. We had bratwurst with sauerkraut accompanied with potato pancakes, called latkes, one with sour cream and the other with apple sauce. Later we got a chicken, paprika schnitzel with spätzle as well as apple strudel. With drinking 68 ounces of beer, eating food was an absolute must. The food was really good and definitely reminded us of our time living in Germany.

Bratwurst on the Grill
Getting Our Stein Filled
Crowds Gathering
Paprika Chicken

One of the most popular games was the stein hoisting contest, where people attempt to hold two steins straight out for as long as possible. It was certainly popular for people to watch as well as to participate and having done it in the past, we know that it is extremely difficult. Keg bowling was another popular game with lots of people cheering on those who attempted to knock over kegs with another keg on wheels.

Pretzels to Feed a Crowd
Souvenir Steins
Giant Bobblehead
Beer Hall Tent

Different musicians play throughout the day, all of them playing festive German folk music. People dance and sing along with the various bands that play, obviously participating more and more as the beer continued to flow. In addition to the people dressing up in traditional clothing, there were also plenty of dogs dressed up as well. Going to the Denver Oktoberfest is certainly a fun experience that we would highly recommend. We had a wonderful time enjoying everything that the festival had to offer.

Busier as the Day Went Along
Crashing Kegs