Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, United States. These four countries are generally agreed to have the most exciting beer cultures in the world. But which country would you consider to be #5? Many countries today have a more respectable (craft) beer scene than in years past. Some of us have had experiences with the beers from elsewhere, and others are unaware of what remains to be unhidden. Brazil? Has come a long way with its quality and exposure within the country, closer to American standards today, but lacks exposure to the rest of the world. Canada? Quebec especially is exciting on its own. Czechia? Famous to outsiders for its traditional scene, biggest beer drinkers in the world. Italy? Overlooked scene, more than a few brands making their way to the rest of the world. Japan? Probably my choice at #5. Healthy and mature craft beer scene, decent selection of exports to the world. Netherlands? Heavier influence from Belgium with its beer cafes but with some Americana mixed in. Some craft brands like Rooie Dop and De Molen were being exported at one point. I could name other countries with respectable scenes as well. Which one would you list at #5, and which ones would contend?
I’d go with Canada. Their beer scene is basically parallel to ours. Lots of good options. Cheers to the 51st state! P.S. do you still have the option to edit this and insert a poll?
I thought about a poll, but I feel that there are so many different opinions BA’s will have, so I left it out.
Czech for me by a long shot, I’m not a dark lager fan, so there’s really only one style of Czech beer that I appreciate, but it’s the style that changed the beer world more than any other. I agree that Canada & the US are basically the same, a big variety of high quality beers, without any original or unique that you can only get in Canada. Are Canadians as obsessed with IPAs and flavored stouts as Americans?
I would probably go with either Canada or Brazil, then followed by Japan but they are all pretty similar to each other in their beer scenes and selection.
“…the most exciting beer cultures in the world.” This should make for a ‘spirited’ thread since the term “exciting” is very subjective. Permit me to respond to this query as if it was posed: “the foremost beer culture in the world”. The answer is simple/plain for me: Czech Republic. I had the pleasure of vising the Czech Republic for two weeks in 2019, mostly in Prague, but I also visited other cities/towns: · Plzeň (and I took a tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery) · Kutná Hora · Český Krumlov · Únětice (and I took a tour of the Únětický brewery) The Czech Republic has the distinction of having the highest per capita consumption of beer in the world and they have a wonderful pub culture. I did not keep track of the number of pubs I visited in the various cities/towns I listed above but it had to be a couple dozen. And beyond drinking excellent beer the food served was always very good – excellent. My wife will occasionally ‘ask’ me: “Let’s go back to Prague!”. Below is a link to an article where I discussed some of my beer experiences during that beercation to the Czech Republic. Na Zdravi https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Czech_Beers
I'm not sure how the answer isn't a definitive Czechia, and then just call it the Big 5. I say you can sort of lump USA/Canada together beer-wise, no, not because of controversial meritless political rhetoric. I say this because it seems we have both grown similar beer scenes, I say this based on my close and valuable interactions with @Coronaeus (miss you, come back!!). We have variety across the board and breweries all focusing on different beers of the other countries that you listed.
Likewise. Wife and I will be back in Prague this coming July and I'm pretty excited about it. Great lagers to found there all over town.
And as you may already know, in the city of Prague there are lots of non-lager choices as well. My wife is a hop-head and we were able to find a number of pubs that served both ‘traditional’ beers (i.e., lagers) but also some craft beer as well. Some examples: · The Beer Spot: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaur...424-Reviews-The_Beer_Spot-Prague_Bohemia.html · Zlý Časy: https://zlycasy.eu/ · Prague Beer Museum (a pub not a museum): https://praguebeermuseum.cz/en/ · Beertime: https://www.beertime.pub/ There are more I could list but I think this gives you a good idea. I enjoyed drinking the ‘traditional’ beers (i.e., Czech Pale Lagers) while my wife enjoyed the Pale Ales and IPAs. The Czech brewed hoppy beers were very good! Na Zdravi
Quite right Jack. However, I can find good pale ales and IPAs pretty readily back in the states. While good lagers also abound, it's pretty hard to beat the stuff available in the Czech Republic. So that's what I tend to drink there.
John, you and I are simpatico here! During the two weeks I was drinking nothing but lagers (e.g., Czech Pale Lager, Czech Dark Lagers)! With the 'extra' bonus that none of those beers were insipid!! I did taste the hoppy beers that my wife ordered and I was quite impressed with how they tasted. Below is a story about one of those beers from our visit to Zlý Časy: "My wife's first beer at Zlý Časy was Nedomiel Tomahawk IPA. She took a sip and stated "this tastes just like your first batch of Spruce beer". I was incredulous here so I requested a sip. To my amazement she was correct here, this beer did indeed taste just like my first batch of Spruce beer." Na Zdravi P.S. For completeness my favorite lagers from the 2019 visit: Pale Lagers Bernard Světlé Ležák 12° Kamenice Světlé Ležák 12° Pilsner Urquell Nefiltrovaný (unfiltered) Únětický Světlé – both 10° and 12° Dark Lagers Bernard Tmavý Ležák U Fleků Tmavý Ležák Cerna Svine 13° Tmavý Speciál Matuška Tmavé special
Me too! A visit to Prague is incomplete without a visit to the Beer Garden of the U Fleků brewpub: Na Zdravi P.S. On a somewhat related note I will adding my homebrewed Czech Dark Lager to my lagering chamber tomorrow.
Technically the Czech Republic has many styles depending on original gravity and color. Czech Pale Lager (Světlé Výčepní Pivo) Czech Premium Pale Lager (Světlý Ležák) Czech Amber Lager (Polotmavé Pivo) Czech Dark Lager (Tmavé Pivo) And then there's even higher strength beers that are called Speciální at 13 Plato O.G. And so on and so forth...
On the topic of wives and U Fleků: “For lunch we went to U Fleků. We both ordered the sausage platter for lunch (159 Crowns/$7.20) and we had a couple of beers. U Fleků only serves one beer and it is of the style Tmavý Ležák (Dark Lager) and for a 0.4 liter pour is was 69 Crowns (about 3 bucks). This beer was very good; much better than the two Dark Lagers I had yesterday at the Staropramen brewery’s tasting room (pub). After a number of sips the conversation went: Me: So, is this beer as good as my homebrewed Tmavý Ležák? Wife: Oh no, but the ambiance is much nicer. Yeah, she is right about the ambiance – the beer garden was indeed idyllic with the plus of good Polka type music played by an accordion player.” The above is from 2019; U Fleků now also serves a Czech Pale Lager as well. Na Zdravi
The Netherlands because I haven’t been to Czech Republic, but yeah… if I ever make it to Prague or Pilsen… I could change my mind. Japan off the great craft I could try too, and Canada is as the OP said essentially USA 2.0 in regards to beers and breweries… TL;DR: I can’t make up my mind.
