Not quite wrecked in Reykjavik

A fortnight ago, I wrote a short piece about Iceland, following the brief stop-over I made in the country on my way to the Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference in Virginia, USA. 

Although my stay in Iceland was a short one, the country made a lasting impression on me, and I am determined to return for a longer break, which will take in much more of the island, apart from the capital Reykjavik.

At only three hours flying from southern England, Iceland is far closer than many people think and although there is much to see, including some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, in this article I want to concentrate on the capital Reykjavik, and its drinking scene in particular.

Before going any further it is worth noting that virtually all drinking establishments, in Reykjavik, and I include restaurants and cafés here, offer a "Happy Hour." This is often for an extended period of between 2-3 hours, but typically this will only apply during the late afternoon/early evening (4-7pm or 5-8pm is quite typical).

I strongly recommend you take advantage of "Happy Hour", as there will be a significant reduction in the price of your drinks (up to half-price). Some clubs and bars will also offer reductions after midnight, but unless you are a serious night-owl, I wouldn't go for these as you just know that any reductions will be starting from prices that are already on the high side.

Typical prices during "Happy Hour" will be  around the 700 - 900 ISK mark, (about £5.50- £7.00) for a half-litre glass. The price varies according to the strength of the beer - pretty much like it used to, and still should be in the UK.

The other thing to note is that central Reykjavik is quite compact and easy to get around on foot. It is also a clean and very safe city, although in parts there are examples of that scourge of modern city life - Graffiti. Fortunately the mindless scribbles are at quite a low level, but this need to deface buildings in the name of "art," which seems to possess certain people, is beyond me.

So where to go, baring in mind I was governed by the strictures of  Happy Hour? I'd already downloaded a list of possibilities, but in my rush to get my desk clear and everything up to date before I finished at work, I forgot to print it off! I therefore ended up wasting half an hour or so looking up suitable sites and then writing them down.

My rather basic apartment was less than 10 minutes walk from the centre of Reykjavik, so with my research fresh in my mind, I set off to enjoy a few of Iceland's finest beers.

Just before I reached Reykjavik's main shopping area, I passed the iconic Kaffibarinn. With its frontage of red, corrugated iron and a large London Underground symbol set over the entrance, this is one of the bars which helped secure Reykjavík's reputation as a party city back in the 1990's.

Unfortunately for me, Kaffibarinn's reputation meant that even on a Wednesday evening the bar was packed out. A brief look through the window confirmed it was standing room only, so reluctantly I gave the place a miss and headed for the next place on my list.

This was a bar called Bravo, and it is one of the most popular bars in Reykjavík, due  to its location on the Laugavegur shopping street. According to my guide, Bravo also boasts the longest Happy Hour in the city, but to my chagrin, this honour no longer applied.

On the plus side there was room inside and whilst all the tables were spoken for, there were a couple of free seats at the bar. I made a beeline towards these and plonked myself down on one of the available bar stools. There were taps for five different draught beers; four from Viking and once from Einstök.

I went straight in at the deep end and opted for a Viking Stout. This was an excellent, full-bodied stout brewed in a typically Irish dry style. At 5.8% it packed quite a punch and was by far the best of the three beers I sampled in Reykjavik that evening.

It was a mistake going for this one first, as the Viking Lager, which was the next beer I tried, paled into insignificance in comparison to the stout. This is despite Viking Lager being Iceland's best known and highest selling beer.

I enjoyed sitting at the bar, observing the comings and goings. There were quite a few Americans amongst the mainly young crowd, but with Happy Hour fast drawing to an end, I decided something to eat might be a good idea. A basket of nachos with a bowl of hot and spicy dipping cheese to accompany them.

The bar itself is cosy and atmospheric, helped by gentle lighting and soft-furnishings. I was tempted to stay for a further pint, despite Happy Hour being over, but the sun was still shining outside and I wanted to see a bit more of Reykjavik whilst it was still light.

I took a walk down towards the harbour, in order to get a view of the mountains on the other side of the sound. There was a chilly wind blowing off the sea, but the view of the mountains, lit against the backdrop of the setting sun, was worth feeling a little cold.

By the time I climbed the hill back into the city centre I was feeling more than a little peckish. I tried a couple of cafés first, but they were full to bursting point with all tables and chairs occupied. Instead I found space at the Lebowski Bar, an American-themed establishment designed around a cult film, that I've never heard of, called the Big Lebowski.

The bar seemed to be thinning out, so I had a whole table to myself. I ordered a cheeseburger (without fries), which was really tasty, but cooked a little too rare for my liking. Apparently that is how Icelanders like their meat.  Fortunately it didn't have any after-effects. I ordered a pint of Gull Lager, brewed by the Egill Skallagrímsson Brewery, to go with my burger, and sat there enjoying the food and drink and just being there in the moment.

I left Lebowski's at around 10.30pm, to make my way back to my apartment. The sun was just sinking below the skyline and when I turned in 30 minutes or so later, there was still a twilight glow in the sky. The educated amongst you will know that due to Iceland's northerly position, close to the Arctic Circle, the sun sets quite late in the evening during the summer months. The opposite applies during winter, of course, but it was good to have experienced this effect for myself.

After breakfast, I spent the morning doing tourist stuff. Amongst the highlights, was a look in side the world famous Hallgrimskirkja Church, which is the city's main landmark. Its tower can be seen from almost everywhere in the city, and at 74.5 metres high, it is the largest church in Iceland and one of the tallest structures in the country. I also had a good look around the shopping area of central Reykjavik, which occupies the flat land close to the harbour.

I had to vacate the apartment at midday, so I returned to collect my suitcase and to drop off the keys. I then walked along to the bus station and took the bus back to Keflavik Airport. I had a couple of hours before my flight to Washington was due to leave, so I had some lunch and did a bit of shopping as well. Amongst other things were three bottles of beer from Borg Brugghus

Brewery, which include a Porter and an IPA,

I haven't opened them yet, but I will do before too long. I will then be able to report on a few more Icelandic beers.

Post Conference Excursion - Richmond, Virginia

The post Beer Bloggers Conference excursion to Richmond was one of the highlights of the first part of my North American adventure. The excursion took place on the Sunday and involved a short coach journey from the conference hotel, to the city which formed the capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

Our coach departed at 9.30am sharp, for a journey which should have taken around two hours, but as it was heavy traffic on the four-lane freeway, reminiscent of rush hour on the M25, added an extra 45 minutes to the journey. Our coach was only half full, as many of the conference attendees were driving down to Richmond, as they would be travelling back to their respective homes the following morning.

The trip gave me the chance to enjoy the countryside, which was heavily wooded in places, and more open in others. The afore-mentioned traffic problems occurred around the town of Fredericksburg where there was some quite heavy congestion, but even so we were only 20 minutes behind our scheduled arrival in Richmond.

The coach dropped us off at the well-appointed Omni Hotel, right in the heart of the city, and after an "express" credit card check-in, we left our bags to be dropped off at our  respective rooms later in the day. It was then back on the coach, and off to our first brewery off the day.

As with previous Beer Bloggers excursions I have been on, we were looked after by representatives from the local tourist board; in this case Visit Richmond VA. Our two guides were to remain with us, for the duration of the day. It was very hot and incredibly humid outside; a portent of the thunderstorms which arrived later, but it was nice and cool on the coach, as we journeyed through the historic heart of downtown Richmond, heading in a southerly direction.

I won't go into detail regarding all six breweries we visited that day, but one underlying theme emerged, which rather carried on from what we'd experienced on the two previous days. Over the course of the weekend it became abundantly clear that the North American Craft Beer movement has a current fixation with sour and barrel-aged beers; and with one major exception, all the breweries we visited over the three-day period, were intent on showing us their barrel-aging, and foeder-style maturation facilities.

Now whilst I find these beers interesting, they are not the type I want to drink on a regular basis; and there lies the rub, as again, with few exceptions, there were very few pale ales or IPA's below 6% for us to try. To my mind this was "extreme beer" and I was honest enough to say so to my hosts, when asked. I won't dispute the fact that the USA has some amazing beers available for people to try, but by the end of the weekend I'd pretty much had my fill of high-octane, hop-monsters.

There are two breweries in particular that stand out from the Richmond excursion, plus a couple of others which are worth  writing a few lines about. First on the list, and our first port of call, was Triple Cross Brewing whose brew-house and restaurant is situated on a hillside, at Fulton, on the edge of downtown Richmond. As well as nicely appointed premises the company also have their own wood-fired pizza oven and, after being ushered into the main public area, we were treated to some pretty mean and pretty amazing pizza.

We also got to sample several Triple Cross beers, including Falcon Smash American IPA, Proximity Project March Hare American "Wild Ale" and Salinity Sour Gose with Lime. We had a brief tour of the brewery, which included the obligatory barrel-ageing facility, but tucked away in the corner was the company's "piece de resistance," in the form of their own, shallow, open-tray cooling vessel. Also known as a "cool-ship," I have seen these vessels before, most noticeably at Elgood's |Brewery, at Wisbech, deep in the heart of the East Anglian fens.

The next stop was Stone Brewing, whose massive plant, located in a former industrial facility, over-looking a creek, opened in 2016. Many beer lovers will be familiar with this highly respected brewery, who are based in Escondido, California, and are now the largest brewery in the state.

 Following on from this success with the opening of a plant in Berlin, Stone Brewing looked to build a brewery on the East Coast of the United States. In the face of stiff competition from other east-coast cities, Richmond was chosen, and having now visited and toured the plant, I have to say it is a place of real superlatives. I started taking notes during the tour, but couldn't keep up with the amount of facts our guide - the site's Brewing Process Manager, was trotting out.

What I did manage to jot down is that Stone's Richmond Brewery is a 250 barrel Steinecker plant, capable of mashing four times a day. It is the dog's b*ll*cks in terms of energy efficiency, and is fully automated. Each one of the umpteen stainless-steel fermenters can hold a full 250 barrel brew, and the plant is designed so that there are no hoses. Instead, electronically-controlled, in-line cleaning systems, take care of all the post-brewing, clear-up work.

Seven fully-qualified brewers, supervise the brewing operations which take place across two shifts. Of particular interest to someone with my background, were the four quality control labs; although we didn't get to see inside them. Richmond is responsible for just over a third of Stone's total production, and whilst beers from the two North American sites are carefully taste-matched, containers are coded to indicate point of origin.

The sheer size of the plant, combined with all those facts and figures was making us thirsty, so when a member of our party asked "when can we have a beer?" in response to the guide's request for any more questions, we were led back into the tap-room and restaurant area at the front of the brewery, over-looking the creek outside.

We got to sample four beers, but my notes only record two of them: Scorpion Bowl IPA 7.5% and VirtuAle IPA 7.7%. Both beers were excellent and very quaffable, despite their high strength and the comments I made earlier. Before leaving, we were also given a "goody bag," which included a pint glass  (left behind at the hotel) and a 16oz can of Fear Movie Lions - Double IPA 8.5% which survived two train journeys and three flights, and is currently sitting in my fridge.

Our visit to Stone Brewing’s Richmond plant was, for me, the highlight of both the excursion and the conference, as the sheer scale of the site and the massive investment which must have gone into it, could not fail to impress. Apparently, there is more to come with the green area, over-looking the creek, destined to become a landscaped outdoor patio where customers can enjoy some alfresco drinking and dining. There is also scope for further expansion of the brewery itself, with ample room for more equipment and storage facilities behind the current plant.

So, much as it pains me to use that over-worked adjective, so beloved by our cousins across the Atlantic, I have to say that amongst an afternoon of superlatives, Stone Brewing’s Richmond site was well and truly AWESOME!

This then is probably as good a place as any to take a break, as the second part of the day didn't go according to plan - thanks to a combination of the aforementioned thunderstorms and quite a lot of free beer, so more about that next time.

Amtrak across the USA. Part One - Richmond V.A. - Washington D.C.

In one of my previous posts I wrote of my plans to undertake a "railroad trip" whilst over in the United States for the Beer Blogger's Conference, and as I write I'm on the final leg of my long haul train ride from Washington to Chicago.

It's been quite a journey, but all things considered a favourable one. As many people know, long-distance rail travel in the US is run by Amtrak, and despite the fairly drastic pruning of passenger services within America, the organisation still operates quite an extensive network.  There is a catch though, as most of the long-distance routes only operate one train a day.

My journey started in Richmond Virginia, where I'd spent a very enjoyable, but rather hectic day in the company of my fellow bloggers, visiting some of some of the city's many breweries, and sampling a few of their wares. The following morning I took the courtesy bus from my hotel, along to Richmond's recently restored Main Street Station.

I arrived early, so wasn't particularly surprised to find only a handful of fellow passengers sitting in the waiting area. The train pulled in more or less on time and I boarded the rear Business Class coach, where I had a pre-booked seat. Quite a few more passengers boarded at the next stop - Richmond Staple Mill Road Station, but it wasn't until the next station that the train started to pick up speed. With a journey time of just over three hours, this was  more of a commuter service than a long distance one, which was probably why Wi-Fi was available  on the train.

We had a pleasant ride into Washington Union Station and before the train disappeared underground, there was a view across to the Capitol Building and other associated landmark government structures. I disembarked, and with two and a half hours before my connecting train to Chicago was due to depart, I had a bit of time to kill.

As I was travelling all the way to the "Windy City," I discovered it was possible to check my baggage in - rather like on an airline. This was a relief as I was travelling  with a bulky and quite heavy suitcase. Free of my burden, I had time to look around  the magnificent station concourse, now fully restored to its former glory.

I took a look outside too, where I had another  view of the Capitol Building,  but as it was rather hot and humid out, and also looked a lengthy walk away, I decided to stay put. I bought some water and nibbles for the journey and waited for my train to be called.

The Amtrak service between Washington D.C. and Chicago is called the "Capitol Limited" and given the length of the queue which  emerged when the gate and platform were announced, I was glad I'd decided to stay put. There was a 15 minute delay in boarding, which was frustrating, but once the gate was opened I found my way to the right car and waited to climb onto the train.

Amtrak have it all organised, with staff  stationed at the entrance to each coach. Your bar-coded ticket is scanned and your name is ticked off the list. I had booked a "roomette" in the sleeper section of the train, so found my compact little room, which had two facing seats, which when the time came could be converted into a bed for the night. There were pillows and bed-linen, stowed away in an upper fold-down section, which can be used if there are two persons travelling together.

Personally I think that would be pushing it, as whilst everything in the compartment was ergonomically laid out, it was still quite a squeeze accommodating one person. Each roomette is well-equipped with a folding table, power socket and adjustable lighting and heating/air conditioning controls, and I have to take my hat off to the designers for their ingenuity.

So with the train pulling out of Union Station, on a very hot and humid Monday evening, and passing the commuters waiting for their homeward bound Metro trains, it's time to take a break from my Amtrak journey for a short while, and reconvene next time.

Beer Bloggers Conference 2018 - some initial thoughts

I'm now into my second week away from home and also, following my brief stop-over in Iceland, my second week in the USA. I am writing this post sitting in the front room of my sister's attractive, weatherboard house in an equally attractive small town, about 40 minutes drive from Cleveland, Ohio, having travelled here across country, initially by Amtrak train from Washington D.C. to Chicago and then a short flight across to Cleveland.

I found time for plenty of writing whilst on the train, but most of the articles I've written are still in draft form and have not been posted yet. Consequently I thought I'd better get something more definite posted, whilst things are still relatively fresh in my mind.

As well as affording the opportunity of visiting my sister and her family, I was primarily over in the United States to attend the 2018 Beer Bloggers& Writer's Conference. This was held at a hotel in Sterling, Virginia, which was a conveniently short hop from Washington Dulles airport.

The conference took place over two days, although there were both pre and post conference excursions either side of the main event. I was only around for the post conference jaunt, and I have written about that separately.

I had an amazing time at the conference and am pleased to say it fulfilled all my expectations. It was good to learn about the craft-brewing scene in America today, which appears to be in a strong and healthy place. Certainly there is far more beer and loads more breweries in the country now, than there was when I was last over here, 10 years ago.

What I have found is there are a lot of what I'd call "extreme beers" - more about that later, but there is certainly a very vibrant scene when it comes to beer and it is especially pleasing to see that craft beer has reached out to the American public at large, helped by an explosion in the number of local breweries.

I met some really nice people at the conference, and it was nice to have been welcomed to the event, as one of only two attendees from outside North America. There were some interesting talks and presentations, some of which I will cover at a later date.

We also had two evening excursions, the first of which was a coach ride deep into the heart of rural Virginia. Here Vanish Farmwoods Brewery acted as our hosts for the evening, showcasing not just their own craft beers, but also brews from some of the other Virginia based breweries.

In pleasant rural surroundings Vanish had laid on an amazing barbeque for us, which included some of the most delicious and tender roast beef it has been my pleasure to have experienced. What I liked about the place was it was very family oriented, with a large outdoor play area for the kids, plus a large off-sales section where visitors could load up with bottles and cans to take away, as well as filling up their "growlers" with freshly-brewed craft beer.

The second evening event was a dinner hosted by Lost Rhino Brewing, who were situated much closer to the conference hotel. We got to enjoy yet more beer and another great selection of excellent food to help soak it all up. This was a good session to just chill out at, and mingle and chat with fellow delegates. I did make a whole series of "rough" notes, as to which beers I enjoyed and those I was not quite so keen on.

The notes, together with a host of other beer and conference-related stuff, are buried somewhere in my luggage, so I will wait until I'm back in Blighty before I go hunting for it. In the meantime, I just wanted to get something about the conference posted, so read, enjoy and let me know what you think.

A stepping stone across the pond

Iceland was always one of those countries that I wanted to visit, but from the reports I'd read it seemed rather expensive.

It was whilst planning out my North American trip that I saw the potential for a brief visit to the country, as what I didn't realise at the time is that Iceland has positioned itself in the market (if you'll pardon the pun), as the ideal place for a stopover whilst travelling between Europe and North America.

Looking at where the country is situated, right in the middle of the North Atlantic, it makes perfect sense for travellers to break their journey there and, if their plans allow, take a bit of time to get to know the place.

This is exactly what I did, and what made this route over to the USA even better was the fact that instead of  booking a through ticket, it was massively cheaper to buy separate two tickets covering each half of the journey. It's something to do with the Air Tax introduced back when Gordon Brown was Chancellor, and this way of getting round the tax, by only having to pay it for the first leg of one's journey, isn't something the airlines or the travel industry publicise particularly well.

So last Wednesday I took the 13.10 Icelandair flight from Gatwick to Reykjavik - a civilised departure time from a conveniently situated airport (for me), and three hours later  my plane was touching down in Iceland.

A quick word about Icelandair, as this was the first time I have flown with them. The flight was on time, the seats were comfortable and with plenty of legroom - unlike British Airways who seem to have gone down the economy route, by aping the likes of Ryanair. There was also in-flight entertainment, with films, various TV shows, music and promotional videos about Iceland to keep passengers occupied during the flight.

I had a window seat, so could sea the Icelandic coast as we approached from the south-east. This gives an insight into just how mountainous the country is, with precious little in the way of flat land in order to site a major airport. This means that whilst there is a small airport on the edge of Reykjavik, this is used solely for domestic flights to other parts of Iceland, and the country's international airport is sited at Keflavik, a distance of roughly 40 kilometres from the capital.

Keflavik is surprisingly large and stylishly modern, but given its role as a midway hub between two continents, this is not particularly surprising. It operates with typical Scandinavian efficiency, and i found it a pleasure to fly  in and out of.

Flybus operate a fast and comfortable coach-shuttle to and from the airport on a half hourly basis. The coach drops passengers off at Reykjavik's  main bus station, from where they can transfer onto various pre-booked mini-buses which will take them to their respective hotels.

I chose to walk to the small apartment I'd booked, as it was only 20 minutes away on foot. After sitting on a plane for three hours, I was glad of the chance to stretch my legs and take some exercise. I was also glad to be breathing the fresh cool air, blowing in from the North Atlantic, especially after the stiflingly hot temperatures the UK has been experiencing of late. Even so, with the mercury around half what it had been when I departed, it was a bit of a shock to the system.

My accommodation was, shall we say, basic, consisting of a single room with an adjoining toilet and wash-basin. It did at least have its own toilet, as many rooms at the cheaper end of the scale, offer only shared facilities. if you want to go really low-budget, then you can opt for a hostel, which is what many young people do; Iceland being particularly popular with back-packers.

Arni's Place

Arni's Place, as my accommodation was called, suited my purpose although Mrs PBT's would not have been amused! Still, any port in a storm and it was only a 10 minute walk into the centre of Reykjavik, from the "apartment." The price of accommodation is something to keep in mind when visiting Iceland's capital, as room rates are not cheap.

So that's a bit of background to Iceland and Reykjavik, and how to use it at a convenient stepping stone on a journey across to North America. It is well worth spending a lot more time in the country though, particularly if you enjoy outdoor activities and want to see some spectacular sights. I certainly intend doing so, but I will use this as a convenient point to break the narrative, before taking a brief look next time at the beer scene in Reykjavik.

In with the new

This year’s CAMRA Great British Beer Festival kicked off yesterday with the, by now traditional, Trade Session. With Tuesday being my final day of work before flying of to the US later today, I couldn’t spare the time, but after making a point of not going last year, I found myself being strangely drawn towards this year’s event.

The advertising this year definitely seems designed to appeal to a younger audience, and if it succeeds in attracting a younger crowd, then this surely is a good thing. It might only be a small example, but two of the younger members of my team at work will be going along for the first time; and what’s more this is without any persuasion from me!

I was a little surprised when earlier this summer they both decided to join CAMRA, and whilst this may have had more than a little to do with a desire to spend some time in the CAMRA Tent at this year’s Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week, their enthusiasm is to be applauded.

With CAMRA’s flagship event in full swing this week, the pair of them have booked Friday afternoon off and having persuaded a female friend who works in another department, to join them, are travelling up straight from work. I must admit that I got a little caught up in their enthusiasm, and was more than a little sad that I wouldn’t be joining them.

It’s silly of me really, as I don’t suppose they’d particularly appreciate my company, but all the same it’s good to see youngsters (Well they’ve both recently turned 30), taking an interest in decent beer.

Like many their age, the pair include a wide variety of different beers amongst their regular pub drinks, with certain brands of premium lager (Moretti seems to be a favourite at the moment), featuring quite highly. On the opposite side of the spectrum, local brewer Larkin’s, is another favourite, probably because of their involvement and support of village events.

I’ve told them I expect to see a full report on social media, as I shall be keeping an eye on things whilst I am away. I expect their friend from the Operations Department will be rather bemused by the whole event, as she comes from a part of the world where wine, rather than beer is the usual tipple.

She told me yesterday that if the boys think she’s going to drink five pints, they’ve another think coming. Without wishing to sound sexist, I informed her that here would be plenty of ciders and perries to sample, if she didn’t fancy the beers. I strongly suspect though, that she will be the one who makes sure they all get home safely!

Footnote: As first time GBBF attendees, I will be interested in my colleagues' feedback, what they thought of the festival, what they liked or dis-liked. CAMRA's flagship event has obviously changed and evolved over the years, and it appears to b continuing to do so, so what newcomers think of the festival will be important for CAMRA, going forward.

A quick one

So with the bulk of the packing done, the travel and transfer arrangements all sown up, and just  one more day left at work before setting off on my big adventure, I’m thinking that I might not be posting  for a while.

I’ll be taking a lap-top with me, but as I’ve found before, much depends on how much “down time” will be available over the course of the next of the next fortnight. I will obviously be making notes, not just about the Beer Bloggers & Writers’ Conference I am attending, but also of my travels, as I journey half-way across the USA from the east coast, up to the mid-west.

I will try and commit as much of these experiences to paper/keyboard as is humanly possible, but don’t expect miracles; unlike some nameless bloggers who never seem to rest, and for whom life is a never ending pub crawl. Having said that, I will endeavour to detail as many of the pubs and bars I visit, along with the enjoyment of  the various beers sold therein. That’s if I find sufficient time to type everything up, as this trip after all, is supposed to be a holiday.

My first stop will be a brief overnight stay in Reykjavik, before flying on to Washington the following afternoon. The temperatures in Iceland are forecast to be a positively cool 12º C, which will mean a brief and very welcome break for the high temperatures we’ve been experiencing lately. Then once I reach the US, it’s more of the heat again!

 So in the absence of any other photos at present, here are a few taken on Sunday morning, as part of our quest to find the perfect pub breakfast.