Beers of the World - Part 1

Whilst on my travels I like to try and go to a local bar to have a drink, and to speak to the locals, or If I am travelling on my own, to strike up a conversation with a fellow traveller (Solo travelling can sometimes be lonely). Inevitably I will have a beer or two - Now I am not a big drinker and am by no means an expert, but I do like to try any local drinks if I can - It's interesting to see the varieties available and try the different tastes and strengths. Listed below are a few of the beers I have sampled in the last several years of my travels, hopefully you can recognise some!

Beagle Beer

• Name: Beagle Beer
• Brewer: Cerveza Artesanal Beagle
• Location: Ushuaia, Argentina
• Type: Dark cream stout, 6.8%

In 2014 I travelled to Antarctica; the starting point for this adventure was the "Southernmost City in the World" Ushuaia. Located on the southern tip of the Argentinean side of Patagonia, Ushuaia truly was a world away and I never expected there to be a locally brewed beer available in the bars. I stayed at the Hotel Albatross for several days before setting off across the Beagle Channel for Antarctica, and when in the hotel bar I enjoyed the local "Beagle Beer". The beer is brewed in Ushuaia and there are several different varieties including the Fuegian Cream Stout and the Fuegian Golden Ale - I enjoyed the Stout which was a Dark Ale and reminded me a little of Mackeson. The beer tasted good, was not too strong, and was reasonably priced - A fine tipple to enjoy at the end of the world.

Bruges Zot

• Name: Bruges Zot
• Brewer: Halve Maan Brewery
• Location: Bruges, Belgium
• Type: Pale Ale, 6.0%

In early 2014 I embarked upon my first solo trip to Bruges in Belgium, and stayed at the Bauhaus Hostel. Bruges is known for its chocolate and beer, and I sampled both during my time there. The chocolate was simply divine (I have a major sweet tooth), and the beer was definitely an experience to say the least. On my second day there I took a tour of the Haalve Maan (Half Moon) brewery which was a really cool experience and at the end of the tour I got to sample the famous Bruges Zot beer. This beer rocks in at 8% alcohol content and you could tell! I am not a huge beer drinker and to me this beer tasted really strong and I felt a little light-headed after 1 glass! It was nice to drink, but I would not be able to consume much of this local delight unless I wanted to be under a table.

Galway Hooker

• Name: Galway Hooker
• Brewer: Galway Hooker Brewery
• Location: Letterfrack, Republic of Ireland
• Type: Pale Ale, 4.3%

The name of this Irish beer just tickles me and I can't help but snigger when saying or typing it - The Galway Hooker (lolololololololol). During my road trip down part of the West Coast of the Republic of Ireland I stopped in the small village of Letterfrack. In the evening I had a meal in the restaurant of the hotel I was staying in and also a couple of drinks. My first was the traditional pint of Guinness (free of charge!) which I supped slowly (I don't really like Guinness, shame on me!), followed by a couple of bottles of the Galway Hooker (Snigger). I quite enjoyed this beer actually, it wasn't too heavy and had a nice taste too - One of my favourite travel beers to date.

Gouden Carolus Tripel

• Name: Gouden Carolus Tripel
• Brewer: Hetanker
• Location: Bruges, Belgium
• Type: Pale Ale. 9.0%

Another sample from my short trip to Bruges was the Gouden Carolus ale brewed by Hetanker. After finding the Bauhaus Hostel and putting my case away in the secure lockers I headed down to the bar at the front of the establishment. The bartender spoke good English and I asked to sample one of the more local drinks - He gave me a glass of the Gouden Carolus Tripel which is a special variety of the famous brand and also like the Bruges Zot weighs in at 8% content! I didn't enjoy it terribly but drank it all the same and opted for a lighter option for my next drink!

Petra Beer

• Name: Petra Beer
• Brewer: Note sure!
• Location: Petra, Jordan
• Type: Beer, 8%

I definitely wasn't expecting such a potent beer from a relatively "dry" country, but Jordan and it's Petra beer came as a surprise to me. I toured around Jordan in 2015 with G Adventures and visited some amazing places including the Wadi Rum desert, Mt. Nebo and of course the ancient city of Petra. Another place we visited was the town of Madaba - We had a look around the town, saw some ancient ruins and also watched how mosaics are traditionally made. After this we had lunch in a local food establishment and I sampled a can of the Jordanian Petra Beer. This beer has three different percent ratings - 8, 10 & a whopping 13%!!!! Needless to say I only tried the 8% and that tasted like rocket fuel, I can only assume that the 13% would taste like pure alcohol! Not my favourite of beers, but definitely a unique experience for my Jordan adventure.