Murray Fergal - Beer: the ultimate world tour

The Ultimate
World Tour

Bill Yenne

With a Preface by

Fergal Murray

Master Brewer, Guinness, Dublin

The photos in the book were mostly supplied through the media galleries of the breweries as credited on the pages herein. Additional technical information, including ABV, stylistic data, etc. was acquired through the substantial database provided online by Beer Advocate.

In addition, the author would like to thank the following specific breweries and people for supplying photographs and research information: Aass Bryggeri, through the courtesy of Synnve Wislff Samuelsen; Alaskan Brewing courtesy of Luke Bauer; Alchemist Brewery courtesy of Jess Graham; Allagash Brewing Company courtesy of Mathew Trogner and Rob Tod; Asahi courtesy of Aiko Shima; August Schell Brewery courtesy of Kyle Marti; Baladin courtesy of Fabio Moz Mozzone; Bavaria (Netherlands) courtesy of Inge van der Heijden; Bear Republic courtesy of Kate Gratto-Bachman and Richard Norgrove; Big Sky Brewing photos by Loren Moulton; Birra Menabrea courtesy of Marco Grandi; Blue Mountain courtesy of Jessica Bullard; Boston Beer Company courtesy of Suzanne Pace; Brasserie Lefbvre courtesy of Ccile Fontaine; Brasserie Thiriez courtesy of Daniel Thiriez; Bruerei Aying Franz Inselkammer KG courtesy of Julia Jacob; Bruerei C&A Veltins courtesy of Julia Buchheister; Bruunion courtesy of Carina Maurer; Bryggeriet Djaevlebryg courtesy of Per Olaf Huusfeldt; Captain Lawrence Brewing courtesy of Aaron Pozit; Castlemaine Perkins courtesy of Karen McKeering; Central City courtesy of Tim Barnes; Cheval Blanc courtesy of Luc Sencal; Chimay courtesy of Manneken-Brussel Imports; Cigar City courtesy of Justin Clark and Geiger Powell; Deschutes Brewery courtesy of Marie Melsheimer; Diageo courtesy of Hazel Chu, Killian Keys and Rhonda Evans; Diamond Knot Craft Brewing courtesy of Sherry Jennings; Dinkelacker-Schwabenbru courtesy of Sebastian Gerlach; Dock Street Brewery courtesy of Marilyn Candeloro; Dogfish Head courtesy of Tim Parrott; Feldschlsschen Getrnke courtesy of Sabine Strehle; Firestone Walker courtesy of Erica Nolan; Florida Ice and Farm courtesy of Alejandra Zuniga; Flying Dog Brewery courtesy of Erin Weston; Fullers courtesy of Zoe Barb; Georgetown Brewing courtesy of Ingrid Bartels; Gritty McDuffs courtesy of Thomas Wilson; Heineken Hungria courtesy of Zita Szederknyi; Heineken Italia courtesy of Giorgia Bazurli; Hill Farmstead Brewery, Bob M. Montgomery Images; Holgate Brewhouse courtesy of Natasha Holgate; Jennings Brewery courtesy of Karen Varty; Karl Strauss Brewing Company courtesy of Melody Daversa and Chase Kauf; Kauai Island Brewing courtesy of Bret Larson; Kiuchi Brewery courtesy of Harina Katsuyama; Kompania Piwowarska courtesy of Pavel Kwiatkowski; Koningshoeven via Lanny Hoff at Artisanal Imports; Krombacher courtesy of Julia Messerschmidt; Kunstmann courtesy of Paula Benitez; Lagunitas Brewing Company courtesy of Ryan Tamborski and Jeremy Marshall; Les Brasseurs du Nord/Bire Borale courtesy of Isabelle Charest; Lone Tree courtesy of David Shire; Mad River Brewing courtesy of Tera Spohr; Marstons courtesy of Alice Holden-Brown; Meantime courtesy of Lanny Hoff at Artisanal Imports; Merchant du Vin courtesy of Charles Finkel and Craig Hartinger; Mikkeller courtesy of Robert Ureke; Moosehead courtesy of Elizabeth Harroun; Mythos Brewery courtesy of Eleni Dessipri; Nelson Brewing courtesy of Chad Hansen; New Belgium Brewing courtesy of Bryan Simpson; Nils Oscar courtesy of Karin Wikstrm at TNF Inexa AB; Ngne courtesy of Tor Jessen; Nrrebro Bryghus courtesy of Tine Pedersen; Odell Brewing Company courtesy of Amanda Johnson-King; Oettinger Bruerei courtesy of Jana Gebicke; Ottakringer Bruerei courtesy of Gabriele Grossberger; Paderborner Bruerei courtesy of Peter Bhling; Pike Brewery courtesy of Charles Finkel; Ringwood courtesy of Rachel Barnett; Rock Art Brewery courtesy of Rene Nadeau; Royal Unibrew courtesy of Louise Kapel; Russian River Brewing courtesy of Natalie Cilurzo and Vinnie Cilurzo; SABMiller courtesy of Monica Ramirez and Rebecca Spargo; SABMiller Africa courtesy of Julie Honiball; SABMiller Poland courtesy of Pavel Kwiatkowski; Sharps courtesy of Daniel Baird; Sierra Nevada courtesy of Ryan Arnold; Sinebrychoff courtesy of Timo Mikkola; Spoetzl courtesy of Eric Webber at McGarrah Jessee; Steam Whistle courtesy of Sybil Taylor; Stevens Point Brewery courtesy of Julie Birrenkott; St.. Feuillien courtesy of Sabine Friart; Stone Brewing photos by Studio Schulz; Summit Brewing courtesy of Chip Walton; Svijany courtesy of Petra Winklerova; Tennents courtesy of Vicki Byers; Tregs Brewery courtesy of Jeff Herb; Trumer Bruerei courtesy of Lars Larson and Mark Mattson; Tun Tavern courtesy of Diane Tharp; U Fleku courtesy of F. Jordak; US Beverage courtesy of Georgia Homsany and Justin Fisch; Wellington Brewery courtesy of Brad McInerney; West Brewery courtesy of Ruth Oliver; and finally, the Wye Valley Brewery courtesy of Lizzie Davidson.

I have worked in the world of beer for nearly 30 years. I was taught by the masters of their craft in a brewery where knowledge and skill were handed down through more than two centuries, but more than anything, I gained from them a sense of passion for what it takes to be a brewer.

During my career, I have brewed beer on two continents, and I have traveled to over 50 different nations on every continent. I would guess that I have had at least one beer in each of these countries. I suppose Ive probably been in more bars across more nations than most of my fellow beer lovers. Ive been in brew-houses and bottling halls all over the world and Ive witnessed a lot of passion and dedication to the brewing of great beer.

For all brewers, the four basic ingredientswater, malt, hops, and yeastare fundamentally the only way to make great beer. As I have learned, and as I advise everyone who brews, a good brewer starts with a clear and precise process, practices a recipe, and continues to practice the same recipe to be consistent and to maintain and improve the quality. As I often say, watch your hygiene, mind your yeast, and cherish the goodness that comes from the malt base. As an old brewer once told me, get it right in the brew house, and with good yeast, everything else is just time.

However, for a brewer to become a master brewer is to exude a passion for our craft, and to put heart and soul into our beer.

Ive have had some extraordinary beer experiences, made remarkable by great locations, great breweries, and unique events and situations to celebrate. Ive savored my beer in exclusive high-end bars, in street corner pubs, in beach taverns, and in jungle shacks.

I fondly remember one atrociously hot sweltering night in Lagos many years ago, just after another military coup. We got into one of those traffic jams you can only get into in Africa, where cars, buses, trucks, cows, goats, sheep, people, and all of Gods creations merge, and chaos prevails. (When this happens, you do not try to think how to solve the problemit cant be done.) This night, two colleagues and I, with our drivers, had gotten out the brewery gate and had entered the fray. I remember that when we realized we had not moved, and the air conditioning in the cars was beginning to falter, we got out of our cars to survey the scene. My colleagues and I, seasoned in Africa, realized that our situation was hopeless.

At that moment, we saw a table beneath a canvas-roofed establishment marked with a poster of a bottle of beer. Most important, we saw that they had stock in a cold bucket. We entered to the surprise of the young woman, who up until then had probably never experienced three expats attempting to sit on her makeshift bench beside the street, and asking for a beer. From that moment on, one of the great beer experiences of my life unfolded. We were an attraction. Soon the corner bar was overwhelmed with onlookers. It turned into one of those occasions when the one common desire for cold beer transcended all thoughts and concerns. The stories, the fun, the camaraderie were all amazing. Eventually the traffic subsided, and everyone went on his way, but after that, on our way home, we regularly went back to that same table and that cold bucket of beer.