European Beer Guide
Brewery Guides - Pub Guides - Beer Articles
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This site replaces my old one http://www.xs4all.nl/~patto1ro/index.htm.

Introduction
Latest updates
Shut up about Barlay Perkins - my blog

The Price of Beer Yesterday
Beer Book Reviews

Brewery guides
The breweries of Rheinland-Pfalz
The breweries of Saarland
The breweries of Hessen
Bamberg breweries 1818
The breweries of Ireland
The breweries of Luxemburg
The breweries of Slovakia
The breweries of the Czech Republic
An Introduction to Czech Beer
The breweries of Cologne (Köln)

Pub guides
Dutch Pub Guide
Dortmund Pub Guide
Frankfurt Pub Guide
Zürich Pub Guide
Klagenfurt Pub Guide
Innsbruck Pub Guide
Graz Pub Guide
Vienna (Wien) Pub Guide
Bayreuth Pub Guide
Ratingen Pub Guide
Hannover Pub Guide
Amsterdam Pub Guide - Utrechtsestraat
Goslar Pub Guide

Pub reviews
Boulevard
Engelbewaarder
Scharrebier
Schuim
Loosje
Sarphaat

Articles
Brouwerij Het Ij
Brouwerij De Prael
19th Century Lager Styles
Beer, beer, beer, beer. That should satisfy search engines. I can now get on with my page about wine.

Beer, beer, beer - what more can I say about beer. You'll find out in the following hundred web pages. Just in case - beer, bier, birra bière - yep, this page is about beer, ale, lager, porter and stout. And beer.

This is the index page to the site I have constructed to celebrate my beer obsession. I'm lunatic enough to attempt assembling a beer guide to Europe single handed.

The pub guides attempt to present, in a manner as useful as possible for the traveller, the information which I have picked up in the course of various journeys around Europe. I hope that it will spare others some of the frustrations I have endured. Nothing is more infuriating than searching vainly for somewhere half-decent to drink, only to discover later that the pub of your dreams had been hiding around the corner.

The listings include all the information essential when organising a serious pubcrawl: pub name, location, opening times and, vitally important, the range of beer on sale.

While I have tried to be as objective and fair as possible in my observations, I feel myself under no obligation to be polite when I encounter a beer I consider below standard.

For pubs, my approach is different, since I don't bother including the dismal ones. I see little demand for details of pubs worth avoiding, even in the desperate few minutes before closing time. (I have contemplated throwing in the occasional outstanding example of a classic crap pub, just to add an element of Russian roulette. If I held the human race in higher regard, I might have depended upon your ability to decypher my true intentions. This - and the fact that it's awfully unfair to expect any non-native English speaker to recognise my poor attempts at humour - decided me against this strategy, worried that you could be misled into thinking that I genuinely like karaoke machines, surly barstaff, short measures or music played at a volume intended to permit an airliner to land unnoticed in the carpark.)

Even the best pubs have been known to sell beers more suited to pouring down the sink than the throat. Such odd behaviour can occur amongst even the best landlords, when a brewery has a firn grip on a their financial bollocks. It's only fair to alert the unsuspecting stranger to the horrors lurking in wait and save them from a vicious assault on their tastebuds. Should you choose to ignore the warnings, my conscience is clear.

An individual's preference for certain pubs above others is an idiosyncratic and often deeply mysterious affair. I can't always explain why some attract me like a sackful of black holes, while others have the appeal of the Eurovision Song Contest on ice (though that doesn't sound so bad, now that I think about it). Inevitably, not everyone (quite possibly no-one at all) will agree with what I write.
Index
Pub & Brewery guides
Holland
Belgium
Ireland
Luxemburg
France
Sweden
Denmark
Norway
Finland
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Eastern Europe
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Poland
Russia
Hungary
Estonia
Lithuania
Latvia
Spain
Portugal
Italy
Malta

Other Beer Topics
Beer articles
Beer Statistics
Beer Query Service
Some beer-related links
Miscellaneous pages


Hopefully, my aproach is consistent enough for it to be of some practical use, nonetheless; once you realise how big a prat I am, you may be able to work yourself into my twisted world view. Feel free to use me as a torch of ignorance, prejudice and dissimulation with which to light your way through the murk of an alien beer landscape.

Shut up about Barctlay Perkins - my blog
Why is your blog called that? Hello. I'm Ronald. This is my new blog. I hope you like it.

What is a blog? I see it as a way of saying everything that my friends, family, acquaintances, blokes in pubs, my children, fellow tram passengers and the homeless guy outside the supermarket don't want to hear. Hence the title.

My interest in beer has - I like to think - both breadth and depth. And heightth. I would name more dimensions, but sadly most don't have names. If I knew what they were all called, I would claim my mind-thingy was big in their way. If you see what I mean. (If you find the next to last last sentence confusing, vague or just plain bollocky, don't waste your time on this blog; it's unlikely to get much more coherent.)

The internet. That's where sad loners, their heads full of words no-one wants to hear, feel at home. Hi! Great to be here. I'm sure we're going to get on really well.

Barclay Perkins. Barclay Perkins. How liberating it feels to say those two forbidden words out loud. It isn't allowed here. How many times have I heard Andrew or Alexei say: "Shut up about your stupid Barclay Perkins."

It's weird. My kids have no interest in the changes in Mild grists between 1880 and 1890. What's wrong with them? Have I taught them nothing?

Books. I have piles of books. I can provide photographic proof if necessary, but believe me, the piles are just about up to my elbow. I blame the interent. It's just too easy to buy the most obscure publications. Once I have them, I have to read them. A compulsion, you could call it. "Dad. Can you please stop reading that old crap." That's a view from the kids.

But, once you've plucked out the juiciest sweetmeat of knowledge, where's the fun if there's no-one in whose mouth to drop it? The solution is obvious: join with the unemployed and unemployable in the blogsphere. Share with my peers the weird bits up crap I've unearthed.

I hope you like it. I really do. I promise many clumsy attempts at humour. And lots of numbers. I like numbers. They are my friends. And I want to share my friends with everyone.




Questions ? Suggestions? E-mail me (Ron Pattinson).


Let me know what you think of my site:

European Pub and Beer Guide
Pub Guides


The Netherlands - Dutch Beer Pages
Dutch Pub Guides
Amsterdam: A list detailing most of the serious beer pubs in my home city of Amsterdam. I try to keep it pretty well up to date and add any new pubs I discover worthy of inclusion.
Updated ! I've now added an nineth page - the Rivierenbuurt.
Haarlem: A few good pubs in the historic city of Haarlem. (The Haarlem 25 km west of Amsterdam not the bombsite on Manhattan.)
The Hague (Den Haag): Two brewpubs and a couple of other beer places in The Hague, the home of Holland's government and current European city of crap municipal architecture.
Rotterdam: A few selected beer pubs in Rotterdam (mostly Delfshaven, if I'm honest), including the city's only brewpub.
Utrecht: Utrecht is lucky enough to be home to a couple of excellent beer bars. Utrecht has a highly unusual brewpub, too.
Dutch Pub Guide: Beer pubs across Holland. Grouped by province, I've listed dozens of interesting locations for a beer. Here are just a few of the towns covered - Alphen a/d Rijn, Amstelveen, Arnhem, Den Bosch, Breda, Delft, Enschede, Groningen, Oosterhout, Maastricht, Middelburg, Nijmegen and Tilburg.
Dutch Brewery and Beer Guides
Dutch Breweries: All the breweries in Holland, the beers they brew plus my comments on how they taste. Not forgetting scanned images of many of the labels.
Be warned: I am brutally honest in my flavour descriptions. In my defence, I will point out that the vast majority of the beers were tasted "blind" to avoid any personal prejudices clouding my judgement. I've only had two breweries complain so far. Perhaps I haven't been truthful enough.
The Dutch Brewing Industry: Everything you'll ever need to know about brewing in The Netherlands:
  • Dutch beer styles today
  • Dutch beer styles in 1900
  • Dutch beer styles in 1950
  • brewing industry structure
  • beer organisations
  • historical statistics
Bokbier Tasting 2003: Yes, after a gap of several years, I'm attempting to taste as many bockbiers as I can from the 2003 vintage. Not always a pleasurable task. These are my - as usual - highly opinionated results
Dutch beer tastings: Tasting notes and ratings for Dutch beers. My aim is to sample most of those regularly brewed, whatever personal suffering I have to endure in the process.
Brouwerij De Prael: A report of my visit to Amsterdam's smallest brewery, Brouwerij De Prael.
Brouwerij Het Ij: A report of my visit to Amsterdam's oldest brewery, Brouwerij Het Ij.
Bokbier Tasting 2004: I've managed to force myself to try as many Dutch Bokbiers as possible for two years in a row. Will I make it a hat-trick in 2005?
Heineken Experience: something strange is brewing. New !


Belgium - Belgian Beer Pages
Belgian Pub Guides
Antwerp Pub Guide A guide to beer pubs in Antwerp and the city's brewpub.
Belgian Beer Pub Map Someone once asked me why my website doesn't have very much about Belgium. Here's why: others have already done a much better job than I ever could. I stopped taking notes when I saw this bloke's page. This is an excellent, comprehensive guide to Belgium's beer pubs compiled by Filip Geerts.
Essen Kerstbierfestival 2006 Andrew Pattinson's report of a visit to the Essen Kerstbierfestival on December 16th, 2006..
Belgian Brewery and Beer Guides
Belgian Brewery Guide A list of certain Belgian breweries and the beers they brew. (See above for a full explanation of its lack of completeness.)

Lambiek Beers

 

An introduction to the joys of the world's weirdest beer style and the Belgian beer festival that celebrates it, Opstal's Weekend Der Spontane Gisting ("Spontaneous Fermentation Weekend") . I have to own up that I didn't write the bulk of the article myself. Perhaps the fact that it's mostly in Dutch might have given the game away. When I have time (I love this vaguest of promises), I'll translate it into English. For those who can't read Dutch, there is some information in English and I expect most of you can cope with the listings of breweries and their beers.


Spain - Spanish Beer Pages
Spain Brewery and Beer Guides
Madrid Pub Guide A guide to beer pubs in Madrid. New !
Barcelona Pub Guide A pub guide to Barcelona. New !
Spanish breweries All the Spanish breweries and their beers.
Costapub A pub guide to the Costa Blanca.
Torremolinos Pub Guide A pub guide to Torremolinos.


Portugal - Portuguese Beer Pages
Portugal Brewery and Beer Guides
Portuguese breweries All Portuguese breweries and their beers.New !


Ireland - Irish Beer Pages
Ireland Brewery and Beer Guides
The breweries of Ireland A list of all the breweries in Ireland and the beers they brew.
Irish Pub Guide My pathetically thin guide to beer pubs in Ireland. I want it to be better, but I've got no money to go there myself. Who can help me out?
Pubs that stock Irish Craft Beer A list of, well, pubs that stock Irish craft beer. From the Irish Craft Brewer site..


Luxemburg - Luxemburg Beer Pages
Luxemburg Brewery and Beer Guides
Luxemburg Brewery Guide A list of all the breweries in Luxemburg and the beers they brew. New !


France - French Beer Pages
French Pub Guides
Lille Pub Guide A short guide to pubs and beer shops in the northern French city of Lille.
French Brewery and Beer Guides
Biere France All the breweries in France and the beers they brew.
French brewery map A clickable map listing French breweries by departement.
Brasseries Franciases details of all the breweries currently active in France. Very up to date. In French only.
French Beer Statistics not much at the moment, just breweries by departement in 1889 and 2006.


Sweden - Swedish Beer Pages
Swedish Pub Guides
Stockholm Pub Guide A short guide to pubs in Stockholm.
Stockholm Pub Guide A guide to pubs in Stockholm made by the Swedish newspaper "Aftonbladet". (In Swedish only)
Gothenburg (Göteborg) Pub Guide A short guide to pubs in Gothenburg.
Malmö Pub Guide A short guide to pubs in Malmö.
Swedish Pub Guide A short guide to pubs in some other Swedish towns: Östersund, Uppsala, Västerĺs.
Swedish Brewery and Beer Guides
Swedish Breweries All the breweries in Sweden and the beers they brew.
Swedish beer: a short history An introduction to Swedish beer, with a brief history of its development over the last 100 years.


Denmark - Danish Beer Pages
Danish Pub Guides
Copenhagen Pub Guide My guide to some interesting beer pubs in Denmark's capital. It includes a couple of outlets for British cask-conditioned beer.
Danish Pub Guide My guide to a selection of beer bars across Denmark.
Danish Beer Pubs A guide to beer pubs in all parts of Denmark. Asssembled by Danske Ølentusiaster. (In Danish only)
Danish Brewery and Beer Guides
Danish Breweries A guide to all the breweries in Denmark (and the Faroes), including lists of all their beers.
Danish Breweries A guide to all the breweries in Denmark, including lists of all their beers. Asssembled by Danske Ølentusiaster. (In Danish only)
Danish Brewing Industry An analysis of the Danish brewing industry with lots of statistics and other handy background information.


Norway - Norwegian Beer Pages
Norwegian Pub Guides
Oslo Pub Guide My guide to some beer pubs in Norway's capital.
Oslo Pubs The pub guide of a British resident of Oslo.
Norwegian Brewery and Beer Guides
Norwegian Breweries A guide to all the breweries in Norway, including lists of all their beers.


Finland - Finnish Beer Pages
Finnish Pub Guides
Helsinki Pub Guide My guide to some beer pubs in Finland's capital.
Finnish Brewery and Beer Guides
Finnish Breweries A guide to all the breweries in Finland, including lists of all their beers.


Germany- German Beer Pages
German Pub Guides
Forchheim A brief guide to the pubs of the Forchheim.
Bamberg Pub Guide Nine breweries and many more pubs in the beautiful city of Bamberg.
Nürnberg (Nuremberg) A brief guide to the pubs of the Franconian capital.
Stuttgart Pub Guide My guide to pubs in the fair city of Stuttgart.
Berlin Pub Guide This is a list of brewpubs, beer pubs and commercial breweries in Berlin.
East Berlin Pub Guide An article I wrote in 1989 about the pubs on the other side of the Berlin wall.
Düsseldorf Pub Guide A guide to the altbier brewpubs, traditional beer houses and a few other interesting bars in Düsseldorf.
Duisburg Pub Guide A guide to a few brewpubs and beer pubs in Duisburg.
Cologne (Köln) Pub Guide A guide to some of the kölsch houses in the centre of Cologne.
Hamburg Pub Guide A couple of boozers and a brewpub in Hamburg.
Leipzig Pub Guide Leipzig - home to the elusive Leipziger Gose. Here are a couple of pubs and the world's only outlets for Gose.
Eisenach Pub Guide home to Wartburg castle, Wartburg pils and a few quite nice pubs.
Munich Pub Guide beerhalls and beer pubs in the centre of the Munich.
Augsburg Pub Guide Brewery taps and brewpubs in this Bavarian city.
Hannover Pub Guide Beerhalls and beer pubs in the centre of the Hannover.
Ratingen Pub Guide Pubs offering the altbiers of Düsseldorf.
Goslar Pub Guide Pubs in the home town of Gose.
Bayreuth Pub Guide Pubs in Wagner's hometown.
Frankfurt Pub Guide Pubs in the beautiful city of Frankurt am Main.
Dortmund Pub Guide Beerhalls and beer gardens in the centre of the Dortmund. As a bonus, I throw in a short essay on the rise and fall of Dortmund's brewing industry. Even if I say so myself, it's pretty groovy.
Kaiserslautern Pub Guide Pubs, beer gardens and a brewpub in the World Cup city of Kaiserslautern.
Gelsenkirchen Pub Guide Beerhalls and beer gardens in Gelsenkirchen, another city hosting World Cup games in 2006.
Münster Pub Guide Pubs and beer gardens in Münster, home of Pinkus-Müller.
Kiel Pub Guide Beerhalls and beer gardens in the Baltic port of Kiel.
Rostock Pub Guide Pubs, beer gardens and two brewpubs in the former principal port of the DDR.
Bremen Pub Guide Beerhalls and beer gardens in the Baltic city state Bremen.
Erfurt Pub Guide Pubs, beer gardens and five brewpubs in Thüringen's capital, Erfurt.
Freiburg (im Breisgau) Pub Guide Beerhalls, brewpubs beer gardens in Freiburg, on the edge of the Black Forest.
Ulm/Neu-Ulm Pub Guide Brewpubs, beerhalls and beer gardens in Ulm and Neu-Ulm.
Aachen Pub Guide Beerhalls, brewpubs beer gardens in Aachen.
Dresden Pub Guide Brewpubs, beerhalls and beer gardens in Dresden.
Lübeck Pub Guide Beerhalls, brewpubs beer gardens in Lübeck. New !
Koblenz Pub Guide Brewpubs, beerhalls and beer gardens in Koblenz. New !
Karlsruhe Pub Guide Beerhalls, brewpubs beer gardens in Karlsruhe. New !
Regensburg Pub Guide Brewpubs, beerhalls and beer gardens in Regensburg. New !
Würzburg Pub Guide Beerhalls, brewpubs beer gardens in Würzburg. New !
Kassel Pub Guide Brewpubs, beerhalls and beer gardens in Kassel. New !
Saarbrücken Pub Guide Beerhalls, brewpubs beer gardens in Saarbrücken. New !
Chemnitz Pub Guide Brewpubs, beerhalls and beer gardens in Karl-Marx-Stadt, sorry, Chemnitz. New !
Osnabrück Pub Guide Beerhalls, brewpubs beer gardens in Osnabrück. New !
German Brewery and Beer Guides
The breweries of Baden-Württemberg The breweries of Baden-Württemberg and their beers.
The breweries of Bamberg The breweries in and around Bamberg and the beers they brew.
The breweries of Berlin The breweries in and around Berlin and the beers they brew.
The breweries of the Former DDR A list of the breweries currently operating in what was the DDR. It covers the German states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thüringen, Sachsen and Sachsen-Anhalt. All the breweries and all their beers.
The breweries of Düsseldorf The breweries in and around Düsseldorf.
The breweries of Munich The breweries in and around Munich.
The breweries of Cologne (Köln) The breweries in and around Cologne (Köln).
The breweries of Bamberg in 1818 All 65 breweries that were in Bamberg in 1818.
The breweries of Hessen The breweries in the German state of Hessen.
The breweries of Saarland The breweries in the German state of Saarland. New !
The breweries of Rheinland-Pfalz The breweries in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. New !
The breweries of Niedersachsen The breweries in the German state of Niedersachsen. New !
The breweries of Bremen The breweries in the German state of Bremen. New !
The breweries of Schleswig-Holstein The breweries in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. New !
The breweries of Hamburg The breweries in the German state of Hamburg. New !
Other German Beer Pages
On a German Beer Trail Evan Rail travels in search of Germany's local heroes. "I wanted to try those German brews that had maintained a sense of local flavor, beers that were produced in their hometowns and, more or less, nowhere else."
Why the Reinheitsgebot is a load of old bollocks My personal view on the German beer purity law. As you may be able to guess from the title, I'm not one of its greatest fans. I present a series of detailed, reasoned arguments why it works against the interests of the real beer lover. Well, that's what I say - there is, as usual, a fair amount of frothing at the mouth inbetween the odd rational outburst. I attempt to analyse and expose brewing's greatest myth. I don't expect that it will please everyone who reads it.
The Trouble with German Beer Do you think that Germany is the beer-drinker's paradise on earth? Do you believe that the Reinheitsgebot guarantees that only beer of the highest quality is produced in Germany? Do you think that the 1200 or so breweries in the country provide unparalleled diversity? Do you think that the moon is made of blue cheese? Well I certainly don't. I'll explain why.
Old German Beer Styles A quick glance at the Germany's lost (and forgotten) beer tradition. Or, when Germans brewed like Belgians.
German Beer Statistics A few figures concerning the German brewing industry - total annual production,number of breweries - the type of thing to set obsessives like me polishing their shoes with their tongue.
Braunschweiger Mumme An article on Braunschweiger Mumme from the "Oeconomischen Encyclopädie“ of 1773. In German.
Buying German Beer in the USA An extremely useful page for those of you resident in the USA who want to know where to find German beer to buy. This page is part of The British Guide to German Beer, a very informative site.


Austria - Austrian Beer Pages
Austrian Pub Guides
Salzburg Pub Guide A guide to pubs, beerhalls and beer gardens in Salzburg. Including my favourite beerhall - the Augustiner monastary. And don't forget the two brewpubs, one brewing classic wheat beers.
Linz Pub Guide A guide to beer pubs in Linz. And some other bars, too.
Vienna (Wien) Pub Guide Mostly brewpubs, of which Vienna has more than its fair share. New !
Graz Pub Guide A guide to beer pubs in Graz. Including a few brewpubs. New !
Innsbruck Pub Guide A few brewpubs and beer bars in Innsbruck. New !
Klagenfurt Pub Guide A brewpub and some other beer bars in Klagenfurt. New !
Austrian Brewery and Beer Guides
Austrian Beer These pages include general information about Austrian beer.
Austrian Breweries Lists every brewery in Austria and the beers they brew. Oh, and a whole pile of statistics, a description of all the Austrian beer styles and an overview of the structure of the Austrian brewing industry. I really spoil you lot, I do.


Switzerland - Swiss Beer Pages
Swiss Pub Guides
Geneva Pub Guide A couple of brewpubs and some other beer pubs in Geneva.
Lausanne Pub Guide A couple of brewpubs in Lausanne.
Zürich Pub Guide A couple of brewpubs and some other beer pubs in Zürich.
Swiss Brewery and Beer Guides
Swiss Brewing Industry A general introduction to the Swiss brewing industry - brewery companies, beer styles.
Swiss Breweries Lists every brewery in Switzerland and every Swiss beer. (Well, all ones I could find out about. If I've missed any, let me know.)
Swiss Brewing Statistics Some useful statistics relating to Swiss beer. Beer consumption, beer production, production by type, that sort of thing.


Czech Republic- Czech Beer Pages
Czech Pub Guides
Prague Pub Guide This is a list of lesser-known pubs in Prague. The emphasis is on the few unspoilt bars left in the city centre and some gems off the normal tourist track. For those in search of real Czech pub culture. It also includes details every brewery in Prague.
Brno Pub Guide A guide to pubs in the Czech Republic's second city, the Moravian capital Brno
Pilsen Pub Guide A guide to pubs in the birthplace of pale lager.
Budweis Pub Guide A guide to pubs in Ceske Budejovice. Or Budweis, as the Germans call it. New !
Czech Brewery and Beer Guides
Czech breweries All the breweries of the Czech Republic and all the beers that they brew.
An Introduction to Czech beer An extensive essay on the history of Czech beer and the development of bottom-fermenting beer styles.
Czech brewing Industry An overview of the structure of the Czech brewing industry.
Czech beer statistics Czech brewing industry statistics.
Pivovarsky Dvur Chyne Report A report of a visit to the brewpub Pivovarsky Dvur Chyne
Zámecký pivovar Oslavany Report A report of a visit to the Oslavany Chateau brewery in South Moravia.


Eastern Europe - Eastern European Beer Pages
Eastern European Pub Guides
Budapest Pub Guide A few pubs in Budapest, including a pub brewery.
Banská Bystrica Pub Guide An excellent guide in Slovak to the pubs of Banská Bystrica, in Slovakia. It very handily lists the beers on sale in each pub.
Bratislava Pub Guide A Slovak guide to Slovakia's capital, Bratislava. Again, it lists the beers on sale. This part is for Braitslava's Old Town, but they cover other areas of the city, too.
Kosice Pub Guide A Slovak to the pubs of Kosice, in Slovakia. It very handily lists the beers on sale in each pub.
Eastern European Brewery and Beer Guides
Slovakian breweries All the breweries of Slovakia and all the beers that they brew.
Estonian breweries A guide to the breweries of Estonia.
Tallinn Pub Guide A guide to beer bars and brewpubs in Tallinn.
Latvian breweries A guide to the breweries of Latvia.
Riga Pub Guide A guide to beer bars and brewpubs in Riga.
Estonian breweries A guide to the breweries of Estonia. In Estonian, but if you can't understand terms like "Spetsiaal Pilsner", you're beyond my help.
Lithuanian breweries All the breweries of Lithuania. In Lithuanian.


Poland - Polish Beer Pages
Polish Pub Guides
Cracow Pub Guide: A selection of pubs in the beautiful Polish city of Cracow (Kraków).
Lublin Pub Guide: The best pubs that I could find in Lublin.
Warsaw Pub Guide: Yes, there are some decent pubs in Warsaw, even if they are cleverly spaced out.
Polish Brewery and Beer Guides
Polish Beer A general introduction to Polish beer and pubs.
Polish Breweries A list of Poland's breweries and all Polish beers.
Polish Beer: Background and Statistics Everything you need to know about the Polish brewing industry.


Russia - Russian Beer Pages
Russian Pub Guides
Moscow Pub Guide: A guide to beer bars in Moscow. New !


Italy - Italian Beer Pages
Italian Brewery and Beer Guides
Milan Pub Guide A guide to brewpubs and beer bars in Italy's nothern metrpolis.
Italian Breweries Some of Italy's brewpubs and microbreweroes and their beers.
Microbirrerie e i locali da segnalare in Italia A list of all the microbreweries in Italy and the beers they brew. In Italian only.
Assobirra Associazione degli Industriali della Birra e del Malto. The Italiab brewers' organisation. Has lots of statistics.


Malta - Maltese Beer Pages
Maltese Brewery and Beer Guides
Maltese Breweries Maltese breweries and their beers. New !

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European Pub and Beer Guide
General Beer Articles

General Beer Articles
These are the articles I've found the energy to write up until now. To preserve the thematic integrity of my site, they are all on beer-related topics. Feel free to experience righteous indignation when you disagree with my opinions. If you have any facts to support your anger, I welcome your feedback.
Obadiah Poundage One of the few contemporary sources that discuss the origin of Porter, Obadiah Pundage's letter has unfortunately been much misinterpreted. Yet analysed correctly, it's a goldmine of invaluable information, As an insider in the brewing trade, he certainly knew what he was talking about.NEW !
London pubs in the 1890's The sociologist Charles Booth undertook a wide-ranging survey into life in London during the 1890's. I've transcribed some of the interviews with brewers and publicans from his original notebooks.NEW !
Beer and WW II What happens when beer and war collide. New !
The Price of Beer Yesterday A series of newspaper articles from 1917 recounting what happened when the price of beer went up almost 50% Complete with background information on the beer styles, legislataion, beer strengths and pub opening times during World War One .NEW !
19th Century Lager Styles A look at the lager styles of the late 1800's and how they developed into the beers of today. Lots of tables and lots of technical data. Perhaps I should try adding a few more words. I hope that you like it. New !
Beer, ale and Malt Liquor: old British beer terminology There are two main obstacles to understanding brewing in the past: changes in the langauge and changes in the methods of classification. To help us around them, I will explain how British beers were classified by brewers, governors and drinkers in centuries past. I will also provide precise definitions of the words they used. I will consider here only the 18th and 19th centuries. New !
The Paradox of Highgate Musings on Highgate, Whitbread, Bass and the irrational, economically unsound tendencies of large breweries.
Why the Reinheitsgebot is a load of old bollocks My personal view on the German beer purity law. As you may be able to guess from the title, I'm not one of its greatest fans. I present a series of detailed, reasoned arguments why it works against the interests of the real beer lover. I expose brewing's greatest myth. I don't expect that it will please everyone who reads it.

In German

En Francais
Was 18th century porter smoked? There are many who are convinced that the original porters had a smoky taste. I examine the evidence.
The Trouble with German Beer Do you think that German is the beer-drinker's paradise on earth? Do you believe that the Reinheitsgebot guarantees that only high quality beer is produced in Germany ? Do you think that the 1200 or so breweries in the country provide unparalleled diversity? Well I certainly don't. I'll explain why.
Lambiek Beers An introduction to the joys of the world's weirdest beer style and the Belgian beer festival that celebrates it, Opstal's Weekend Der Spontane Gisting ("Spontaneous Fermentation Weekend") . I have to own up that I didn't write the bulk of the article myself. Perhaps the fact that it's mostly in Dutch might have given the game away. When I have time (I love this vaguest of promises), I'll translate it into English. For those who can't read Dutch, there is some information in English and I expect most of you can cope with the listings of breweries and their beers.
The big chill Is cold beer good beer? A few critical thoughts on the correct temperature for serving beer. I have a feeling most of you are going to disagree with me, but I'll be satisfied if I provoke just one person turning their back on the fridge (or at least reseting the thermostat).
Where have all the Bokbiers Gone? An overview of the Dutch bokbiers of 1997. Which was the best and which the worst? Well, only religious nutcases, dictators and modernist architects claim exclusive access to absolute truth, so you'll have to make do with my opinion rather than a definitive answer.
McDonnells or the 'Irish' Pub Plague Has anyone else noticed how many 'Irish' pubs are springing up? As genuine as a plastic shamrock and half as appetising. Just why are there so many of these things and how can we get rid of them?


European Pub and Beer Guide
Beer Statistics

Beer Statistics
This is the index to a series of pages containing brewing industry statistics. I've assembled them from a variety of sources: books, magazines and web pages. My aim is to have figures of greater scope - in terms of both geography and time - than those I have been able to find elsewhere. I hope that they will prove of as interesting and useful to others as they have been to me.

One area on which I intend to concentrate is historical information, which I would loosely define as that which is more than 40 years old. These are the figures which are not easily found. I aim to provide information which is not available on any single existing site (at least not as far as I am aware).

I intend to update and extend these pages as, or perhaps rather if, I have the opportunity. It remains to be seen if my children will allow me the time to do so.
The Price of Beer Yesterday A series of newspaper articles from 1917 recounting what happened when the price of beer went up almost 50% Complete with background information on the beer styles, legislataion, beer strengths and pub opening times during World War One .NEW !
Beer Book Reviews Me being annoying again. Well, not always. I do like some of the books I read.NEW !
European beer tax Statistics Details of the beer taxes in different Euopean countries.NEW !
European brewing industry Statistics Tables of European beer statistics, including:
  • number of breweries
  • annual consumption per head
  • annual production
  • beer exports by country
  • beer imports by country
  • beer sales by package type
  • draught beer %age
  • home beer consumption %age
  • beer production by strength
  • beer tax by country
  • world's largest breweries
  • largest European breweries
German brewing industry Statistics Tables of German beer statistics, including:
  • number of breweries
  • annual consumption per head
  • annual production
UK Beer Statistics Tables of UK beer statistics, including:
  • number of breweries in the UK (1985 - 1999)
Historical UK Beer Statistics Figures on the UK industry from the 1850's to 1927, including:
  • number of brewing licences (i.e number of breweries)
  • average strength and price of a pint of beer
  • annual production
  • beer imports and exports



European Pub and Beer Guide
Beer Query Service

Any questions?
Beer Questions? A new feature of the site is a beer query service. I'll do my best to answer any question you might have (as long as it's connected with beer, of course).
E-mail me (Ron Pattinson) with your question and leave the rest to me. Using my extensive library of beer books, magazines and newspaper clippings I'll see if I can lay my hands on the information you're after.
While I promise (honest) to be as speedy with reply as possible, don't stay at home waiting for my email. I have both a full-time job and a family who make demands (I think totally unreasonable) on my time.. Consequently, you should allow for a week or two delay, especially if the query needs extensive research.
We all know that there's no such thing as a free lunch, so I will be asking for something in return. But don't despair, I'm not trying to empty your wallet. All I want, should I come up with a satisfactory answer, are half a dozen beer labels from one of your local breweries. The email I send in reply will include my postal address. All you need to do is soak off a couple of labels, stick them in the post and we'll be quits. Your pocket will only be lightened by the cost of a stamp. I've no guarantee that, once you have what you were after, that you'll bother to go to even this slight effort. But, look, trust is my middle name. Don't shatter my illusions about the nobility of the human spirit, please.
Please note that there is one type of beer question which I am sadly unable to answer: "Where can I buy <Crudgington's 6X>".

If you aren't sure of the correct name of a beer or which brewery makes, I will be happy to oblige (if I can) with any information I can find.

Providing lists of retail outlets for a particular beer is, however, beyond my capabilities.

If beer distribution informarion is what you're after, try Buying German Beer in the USA , the International Beverage Network, or Buy Beer Online.

For those living in the UK, the aptly-named "Links to Online Beer Sellers" page should help. There's also BestBeer, which will deliver Belgian beer to your door.

The German site appeti sells a small range of Polish beers online.


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I would like to dedicate these pages to Leo van den Berge and Hans Calis, without whose aid I could not have compiled them. Thanks for giving me all that fully-paid time off work, guys! Not many managers would be so understanding. I've really appreciated your help, Leo and Hans. I hope to do the same for both of you, one day.




© Ron Pattinson 1996 - 2017



All articles and photos on these pages are property of Ron Pattinson. If you would like permission to reproduce either on your own site or in a book, please contact me first.