*This article originally appeared in the January 2022 issue of VOICES.
“Let’s travel together and get lost in beautiful places.”
Walking into the original Mikkeller Bar Viktoriagade in Copenhagen, Denmark, my wife and I felt right at home. This was not the first (nor would it be the last) beer bar we’d visited on this trip to Scandinavia, but it was definitely one of the most memorable. From the tiny location on what seemed like a side street, to the small bar where we sat near the door but still managed to strike up a good conversation with the bartender, the ambience couldn’t be beat. We knew we loved Denmark along with the other Nordic countries we visited this year.
Every year we like to visit a foreign land to try all the local cuisine, drink the local beers and just get lost in cities we’ve never been to. It is on the bucket list to visit every country in the world. On this trip we planned to visit 4 countries, but due to the pandemic we were only able to visit Iceland, Sweden and Denmark. In case you were wondering… Yes, it’s cold in Iceland. Hence the name!
We were only in Iceland for 4 days, but were able to get a feel for the culture, visit a few tourist attractions and got the chance to see the Northern Lights. Check it out!
While we didn’t get the chance to visit any breweries in Iceland, we did hit Einstök Bar and BrewDog Reykjavík. BrewDog is a multinational brewery and pub chain based in Ellon, Scotland. We’ve been to several of these locations, but this one was by far the best experience. Never mind that it was snowing outside! After Iceland, we visited Sweden on our way to Denmark drinking beer along the way. While in Copenhagen, we had lunch at Warpigs Brewpub. 3 Floyds Brewing from Indiana and Mikkeller from Denmark have built WarPigs Brewpub from scratch. My wife and I are originally from Indiana… the home to 3 Floyds and the elusive Dark Lord Russian-Style Imperial Stout.
Drink Socially – Untappd
On May 7, 2011, I downloaded Untappd, a popular beer tracking app. The app allows you to check in to the beers you are drinking. You can also connect with friends, find what beers are nearby and unlock badges for hitting certain milestones. There are badges for everything… Like drinking 5 different India Pale Ales or drinking a certain beer at a certain location on a certain day. Badges are basically digital Pogs. Remember those?!
We unlocked several badges on our trip to Scandinavia, but I will never forget a trip we once took to Chicago. We lived in Arizona at the time, and Untappd unveiled Explore Chicago with Old Style, a series of 19 badges tied to drinking Old Style Beer in the 19 different neighborhoods of the Windy City. It was such a fun trip. Our beer buddy Tom drove up from Indianapolis to share beers with us and earn the badges as well.
Breweries
It doesn’t matter where we go, Sheryl and I are always looking to visit local brewing companies. We find whatever is nearby, go and order a flight. We share flights, too. It saves money and allows us to try a wide range of beers. Sure, a West Coast IPA (we are hosting a West Coast IPA beer dinner here at VCC soon!) tastes like a West Coast IPA regardless of where you are. But Stone Brewing Co. makes a beer that doesn’t taste anything like what Russian River Brewing makes. Let alone what Dogfish Head Brewery or Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. brews. That is the fun in visiting so many different breweries around the world.
We’ve seen a shift in craft beer over the last 12-18 months. The Hazy IPA has become popular. Imagine the flavors you get from a West Coast IPA but replace that with fresh fruit flavors like mango and pineapple. They are good, too, but nothing beats the flavor, and the aftertaste, of a 10% West Coast IPA.
Sheryl and I have visited hundreds of breweries all over the world and will visit hundreds more in the years to come. At some, she will buy a shirt or a hoodie. Others, we will leave with growlers full of our favorite pours. But it doesn’t matter where in the world we go, there is always a local brewing company ready to serve us a frothy pint of their latest brew. I’ll drink to that!
Beer Festivals
Sheryl and I have been to many beer festivals over the years. In Indiana, where we are originally from, we attended Winterfest. In Arizona, we always enjoyed the Arizona Strong Beer Festival, the official start to Arizona Beer Week. In Florida, we got the chance to volunteer at Hunahpu’s Day, a beer festival to highlight Cigar City Brewing’s beer Bourbon Barrel-aged Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout. We have even attended beer festivals all over the world including Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany and Belgian BEER Weekend Grand’Place, Brussels.
Beer festivals allow us a chance to try/share several unique beers while being surrounded by friends sharing the same libations we will talk about for years to come. For example, the Hop-de-Ranged, a Quadruple IPA I sampled at the Arizona Strong Beer Festival. While a Quadruple IPA isn’t a style recognized by the Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines, the beer was delicious. I rarely visit the same beer twice, but I remember getting not one but two samples of this delicious hop juice. As a matter of fact, I remember bumping into Jim and Jean-Marie Bellington between samples… They have since opened LazyG Brewhouse and do a great job sharing their latest releases on social media.
A few weeks after relocating to Valencia Country Club, I got word Mr. Dirk Burghartz would soon be visiting. While on campus we took a tour of the clubhouse, had lunch together and then enjoyed dinner and drinks at The Oaks Club at Valencia that night. While enjoying hors d’oeuvres, he and I talked at length about my love for craft beer. He asked me to write an article about my love of this stuff, and I was excited to include my wife in this.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading more about our love for craft beer and seeing photos of our travels around the world. I hope to one day meet each of you and to share your favorite libation at your favorite local brewing company. Not sure where we go from here, but I raise a glass and thank you for all you do. Cheers!
*Drink Responsibly.
