Daring to Make the Leap: Switzerland Jumps into the Global Beer Revolution

Discussion in 'Article Comments' started by BeerAdvocate, Aug 7, 2018.

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  1. BeerAdvocate

    BeerAdvocate Admin (4,017) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
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    AZBeerDude72, tobelerone and ovaltine like this.
  2. NeroFiddled

    NeroFiddled Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,122) Jul 8, 2002 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Good article. There's a lot going on in Germany as well. And Italy. And Spain... ... ...
     
  3. baumgrenze

    baumgrenze Initiate (98) Jul 18, 2018 California

    The revolution was well underway when I was in Basel for most of 1985. Certainly My apartment was in Kleinbasel (north side of the Rhine) across from Basel. I have fond memories of the Fischerstube, both for food and for Uelibier. I have Stange glasses and a growler as mementos. Have a look at:
    http://uelibier.ch/?lang=en
    My daily go-to beer from the COOP was Feldschlossen Hopfenperle. I frequently walked past the Alte Warteck am Claraplatz. Now what is left of all that is held by Carlsberg. It is good to have read that good beer is being made.
    baumgrenze
     
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  4. Squire

    Squire Grand Pooh-Bah (4,081) Jul 16, 2015 Mississippi
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    I must admit, when it comes to beer Switzerland does not immediately spring to mind. More for the list.
     
  5. JBogan

    JBogan Pooh-Bah (1,837) Jul 15, 2007 California
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    Last time I was in Switzerland was about 10 years ago, and couldn't find any interesting beers then. Good to hear that things are looking better these days.
     
  6. maximum12

    maximum12 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,662) Jan 21, 2008 Minnesota
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    Bookmarked. Will be visiting Switzerland this fall & The International is very close to where we're staying. Might become our nightly hangout!
     
  7. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,330) Aug 17, 2013 California
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    Interesting. I have been to Zurich several times over the past year, and there has definitely been some fantastic (and quite expensive) places to drink beer (The Alehouse being my favorite). However, most of the beers are foreign. I don't remember seeing more than one Swiss beer on tap.
     
  8. bartlebierle

    bartlebierle Initiate (0) Apr 16, 2014 Germany

    That's a bit of a shame, as BFM and Trois Dames do world class original beers. great quality usually also from Storm&Anchor and Unser Bier.
    Ironic: some of the D-Freiburg beer scene is more easily found on tap in CH across the border than at home, at a steep surcharge...
     
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  9. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,330) Aug 17, 2013 California
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    Yeah, the prices are a bit crazy...
     
  10. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
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    I'd say Switzerland was part of the global beer revolution by the early 1980s, with the release of Hürlimann's Samichlaus Bier - at the time proclaimed the "strongest beer in the world" (and one of the few lagers ever on that list). I do recall that much of the Samichlaus, both the "regular" (aka "Dark") and the lighter "Hell" versions, was for export, so likely not a lot of Swiss drinkers ever had it.

    Before that, so-called "Swiss Löwenbräu" (aka "Löwenbräu Zurich") was an easily found import in the US, during the 1970-80s, taking advance of the fact that Miller brewed an adjunct-version of German Löwenbräu under license for the US market.
    [​IMG]
     
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  11. TwoTrees

    TwoTrees Pundit (895) Oct 31, 2012 Washington

    As someone with Swiss roots, it's exciting to see some good 'ol fashioned entrepreneurialism taking shape. Must visit!
     
  12. ManBearPat

    ManBearPat Pooh-Bah (1,813) Dec 2, 2014 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Wondering what their NE-style IPA scene is like. Do they even haze, broah?
     
  13. bartlebierle

    bartlebierle Initiate (0) Apr 16, 2014 Germany

    Only thing that hazes in CH is bankers' eyes when you come to talk about banking secrets.
     
  14. grilledsquid

    grilledsquid Initiate (0) Jul 10, 2009 California
    Trader

    I had the pleasure of drinking at the International Beer Bar recently and enjoyed some haze. I forget who the brewer was, but it was quite good. Having travelled through several northern European countries recently, I can firmly say that there's a lot more going on than expected. Prior to travel, I had this misconception that Europe's deep tradition of brewing was holding them back from exploring the same territories that American craft brewers have been developing. What I found was that each country had varying levels of exploration, but in general, there's just as much creativity being expressed as there is here in the US. Furthermore, the best beer bars that I visited were incredibly fun to drink at because of the diverse mix of traditional and European craft (some even had American craft available). Looking forward to my next trip.
     
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  15. ManBearPat

    ManBearPat Pooh-Bah (1,813) Dec 2, 2014 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Happened to be in Prague for the Prague Beer Fest and was blown away. So much great craft being produced in that country... some was definitely not good, but you can sense they’re in their infancy with regard to craft beers.

    Had a few really good examples of haze there along with all sorts of other interesting things... they didn’t seem to have any pastry stouts, but I find them grossly sweet in general anyway.

    The most interesting thing about that festival was the insane amount of different glassware being used at the event!
     
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  16. detgfrsh

    detgfrsh Maven (1,423) Jun 20, 2014 Texas

    Cool, hope the beer scene there continues to grow! There really wasn't much when I lived there from 2012-2014. The only good Swiss beer I found then was from Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes.
     
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