QUICKIE’S BEER BLOG

Welcome to Quickie’s Beer Blog. A journal of one man’s quest to sample European beers over a long period of time. (I may from time to time sneak in a non-European beer…)

What this blog is about

So, to be clear: I am not a beer connoisseur, my view about beer is the equivalent of the person talking about art: “I don’t know much about it, but I know what I like”. So this is just my record of the many beers that I have tried in my travels in Europe over a number of years. Some are very well-known, others are more localised, and a few are boutique beers, although I have tried to avoid them as there are too many, and most have very limited distribution. Having said that, I have included a few here.

If you are looking for a blog that describes in great detail the ingredients and taste of beers, this blog will disappoint. It’s really to tell a story about the beers I’ve tried, where they come from etc: in a number of cases, the beers are not widely known - especially the German ones - and so would be news to many beer drinkers. As I describe where each beer comes from, if you were travelling in that part of Europe you might think to try them.

Some of the beers I have only ever had in bottles or cans, most though have been on tap, which is obviously the preferred way to drink beer.

Like many things, beer is a personal taste; so to talk about the best beer in the world, or in a particular country, is pointless because people’s tastes vary greatly. So, for example, I don’t like a number of styles of beer, being mainly a pilsner / lager drinker. I dislike dark beers or any of the Guinness-type beers / stouts. Also don’t like wheat beers, what the French call blanche and the Germans, weissbier. Don’t like the style called saison. Don’t like high-alcohol beers, what are sometimes called elephant beers. So, this removes quite a lot of styles of beer, and if you think it’s too limited a range, this blog may not be of interest to you.

On a slightly different note: some beers are good to drink one of: they may have a complex flavour that is interesting, but only for one glass or bottle. They might taste good but are high in alcohol, so again, maybe only the one. Or maybe they’re fine but they fill you up (as many of the Belgian beers do to me) and so, again, not for drinking several. I like a beer that is refreshing and which you can drink several of.

If you’re still interested, read on……

To navigate through the site, click on Beers and chose the flag of the country whose beers you want to check on, and it will take you there.