My wife and I took a wonderful trip to Europe for our 11th wedding anniversary back in May and I was able to grab some pretty good beer along the way.
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While waiting for our international flight out of Chicago we had time to check out Revolution Brewing just
a few EL stops south of O'Hare Airport.I had the Anti-Hero IPA (left above) and their Eugene Porter while Ashlee tried their Black Power Oatmeal Stout (right. above). Afterwards, we moved onto another great beer bar
called The Map Room where I had the Bear RepublicHOP Rod Rye out of Sonoma, California. |
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| Our first stop in Europe was Warsaw, Poland, a vibrant and growing city now out from under the boot of Communism. Browarmia was on the first (and one of the few) microbreweries to spring up in the city after the dawn of capitalism found Poland. Their house stout pictured above was excellent. Ashlee really enjoyed their cherry wheat beer. |
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| This photo is a bit blurry, but it's worth posting just to see the "beer tubes" used at Browarmia in Warsaw, Poland. Instead of ordering pitchers of beer, larger groups can have tall glass tubes of beer (3 to 5 liters) installed at their table that everyone can tap into. We should have made friends with these folks! |
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| I found this pint can beauty in a little corner market just around the corner from our hotel in Warsaw. Tyskie is one of the oldest-produced and most popular beer brands in Poland. This one is their pale lager. |
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| Our next stop was Italy and while it's a country not really known for great beer (the wine was awesome!), if I have to have a Peroni, then I would much rather it be on a warm day in the lovely seaaide village of Portofino on the Italian Riveria than at some Olive Garden in the U.S. |
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| My favorite beer of the trip was found in The Netherlands and most of it was found in a supermarket around the corner from the houseboat we rented on a quiet canal in Amsterdam. The store had a large selectionnof tasty (and high gravity) beers from not only The Netherlands but nearby Belgium as well. And the view and ambiance while enjoying these beers could not be beat. |
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| On a sightseeing day-trip out from Amsterdam we stopped for lunch in the town square of Delft, South Holland. We chose this restaurant from several on the square because of its view and the fact that they were advertising craft beer. I had the Monk's Stout from Dupont Brewing in Belgium (left)while Ashlee tried one of their ales. Both were delicious. |
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| More canal beer in Amsterdam! |
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| Even more canal beer! |
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| And even more canal beer! |
Great trip. Great beer. Great memories.
