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Good
beers are available throughout Europe, the trick is finding
them
I've been to
all but a handful of countries in Europe, and happily there
was beer to be found in all of them.
 Albania
In 1994, Amy and I visited the only working brewery in the
country (in Tirana) and another in Korce that was about to
re-open. The golden lager in Tirana was surprisingly good,
especially when sampled straight from the lagering tanks in
the cellar.
 Norway
The highlight of my 1985 visit to Bergen was a tour of the
Hansa brewery, personally guided by a company bigwig. Out
back was a transplanted old farmhouse brewery, and the story
that Norwegian landowners once were required by law to brew
beer for their workers.
 Spain
Cerveza is everywhere, but the choice usually is restricted
to one of the major national golden lager brands: San
Miguel, Mahou, Keler, Cruzcampo and Aguila. However, Spanish
bars are marvelous institutions with a specialized etiquette
all their own and often great bar munchies (tapas) to match.
 Carlsberg's
"Fosterization" leads to its omission
As of November, 1997, Carlsberg ceased to be imported
directly to America from Denmark. Instead, it is being
brewed in Canada by Labatt's, which puts it into the same
fraudulent class as Foster's Lager. By brewing the beer in
Canada, costs are kept down, but the "imported" imagery can
still be marketed; a retailer pays less for the beer, but
can still charge a price on a par with genuine imported
brands. I hate this practice, which is largely responsible
for the continued watering-down of beer quality worldwide,
and so Carlsberg is outta here.
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