I will be going to the OOW again this year with a bunch of my Miracle colleagues and our fearless leader Mogens Nørgaard.
I am hoping to learn a few things about WebLogic and Oracle Service Bus, which are my current favorite topics.
I will also be hooking up with the great people from the OakTable network - I might actually learn more from them than from all the OOW sessions.
Stay tuned for updates from San Francisco!
torsdag, september 16, 2010
lørdag, april 03, 2010
A long Good Friday in Stockholm
After reading about Stockholm being portrayed as the Beer Capital of Scandinavia, I was looking for an opportunity to see for myself. As it happened a Swedish friend was going on vacation to Thailand at Easter, and she graciously offered the use of her appartment just outside Stockholm to our little family.
The long Good Friday started early as the youngest family member forced the rest of us out of bed at 5:30 am. A few cartoons later we decided to go into the city in search of a playground and some shopping. I was planning to let my wife go shopping in the morning and then leave the family in the afternoon in pursuit of quality beer.
The plan suffered an early setback when we discovered that Akkurat had closed for the entire Easter holiday, probably for some remodelling. When Oliver Twist was closed too, I was slightly disspirited, but eventually we wandered over the bridge into Gamla Stan where I previously had found the Glenfiddich Warehouse No. 68.
No 68 has a fine selection of Swedish microbrew on tap, and today it was the Nynäshamn (http://www.nyab.se) and Wisby, Gotland breweries that were especially well represented. My wife had the Pumpviken Påsköl (Easter Beer), a dark seasonal ale with a bit of sweetness to it. I (obviously) chose the IPA: Indianviken Pale Ale, which was perfect in it’s bitterness with sufficient maltiness to balance it out. A very good start!
The wife and daughter were happy to leave me there to ponder the rest of the afternoon and evening. I did so while sipping first the Bedarö Bitter, which (unfortunately for me) is brewed with a bit of wheat. Still it was a nice, slightly lighter beer than the IPA. Apparently it is the best selling Nynäshamn brew.
Now it was time for the last beer at no. 68: The Smörpundet Porter, a thick and dark porter just as I like it. By now I had been joined by a crowd of Finns, who were drinking everything but good beer. I showed them my copy of the Danish Beer Enthusiasts’ magazine, but alas to no avail.
I had found out that the Oliver Twist was now open, and I decided to walk there. Fortunately I made a small detour and walked into the Järnet (the Iron) pub. A small local pub connected to a restaurant. They only have a few (but good) taps, but carry a very decent amount of bottles. I decided to stay with draught beers.
I started out at the light end: Three Towns Premium Lager. Recently I have started looking for good lagers. I love the heavy IPAs, stouts, and Belgians, but once in a while a lager is needed. This one is not bad, but also not exceptional in any way. In the meantime the English bartender was spinning a cd by Beach House, which I ended up buying the next day.
The next beer of the day was Skebo BXEKG, a bitter (or pale ale) that I liked because of its drinkability. I have no idea what BXEKG means. Now Broken Bells were on the stereo – bought that one too.
The last beer at Järnet was Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel, a Belgian IPA, which was absolutely brilliant. I was talking to the other people at the bar (mostly about music), and the whole visit at Järnet was very cozy .
Now it was time to walk back across the bridge to Södermalm where Oliver Twist and Akkurat are located. Since the latter was still closed (I checked), I decided on OT. It turned out to be a brilliant choice. The place looks like an American bar (in a good way), with beer, food and music.
I started talking to the bartender, and when I asked for an IPA, he suggested Nils Oscar Hop Yard. Wonderful stuff, malty and bittersweet. By then I had noticed a poster for North Coast Brewing Co Brother Thelonius. I have been to the brew pub in Fort Bragg a few times, but I had never tasted this before, so now I did.
I suggested putting Monk on the stereo, but it was not the right time for that, unfortunately. The beer is the best American Belgian beer I have tasted. I ordered another to go with my Chevre Mussels with fries. Fantastic combination.
I had now been joined in the bar by Jon, whom I was also talking to at Järnet – small world. He was not really into the great beers at OT, but nevertheless we found things to talk about.
I now asked the bartender for a Swedish extreme beer, and he brought me Närke Stormaktsporter 2007! Not the barrelaged version (Kaggen!), but still a formidable beer. At 289 Swedish Kronor it better be good. This was simply brilliant – I was in Heaven.
I finished the night at OT with another Swedish heavyweight: Nils Oscar Barley Wine. That did it for me. The next morning I would have to get up early to go to a playground with my daughter, so I had to call it a night.
I got on the train, and even with the mandatory missing of my stop the first time, I managed to get to bed before midnight. A long Good Friday in Stockholm had come to the end.
Cheers,
Morten Tangaa-Andersen
Beer Lover
The long Good Friday started early as the youngest family member forced the rest of us out of bed at 5:30 am. A few cartoons later we decided to go into the city in search of a playground and some shopping. I was planning to let my wife go shopping in the morning and then leave the family in the afternoon in pursuit of quality beer.
The plan suffered an early setback when we discovered that Akkurat had closed for the entire Easter holiday, probably for some remodelling. When Oliver Twist was closed too, I was slightly disspirited, but eventually we wandered over the bridge into Gamla Stan where I previously had found the Glenfiddich Warehouse No. 68.
No 68 has a fine selection of Swedish microbrew on tap, and today it was the Nynäshamn (http://www.nyab.se) and Wisby, Gotland breweries that were especially well represented. My wife had the Pumpviken Påsköl (Easter Beer), a dark seasonal ale with a bit of sweetness to it. I (obviously) chose the IPA: Indianviken Pale Ale, which was perfect in it’s bitterness with sufficient maltiness to balance it out. A very good start!
The wife and daughter were happy to leave me there to ponder the rest of the afternoon and evening. I did so while sipping first the Bedarö Bitter, which (unfortunately for me) is brewed with a bit of wheat. Still it was a nice, slightly lighter beer than the IPA. Apparently it is the best selling Nynäshamn brew.
Now it was time for the last beer at no. 68: The Smörpundet Porter, a thick and dark porter just as I like it. By now I had been joined by a crowd of Finns, who were drinking everything but good beer. I showed them my copy of the Danish Beer Enthusiasts’ magazine, but alas to no avail.
I had found out that the Oliver Twist was now open, and I decided to walk there. Fortunately I made a small detour and walked into the Järnet (the Iron) pub. A small local pub connected to a restaurant. They only have a few (but good) taps, but carry a very decent amount of bottles. I decided to stay with draught beers.
I started out at the light end: Three Towns Premium Lager. Recently I have started looking for good lagers. I love the heavy IPAs, stouts, and Belgians, but once in a while a lager is needed. This one is not bad, but also not exceptional in any way. In the meantime the English bartender was spinning a cd by Beach House, which I ended up buying the next day.
The next beer of the day was Skebo BXEKG, a bitter (or pale ale) that I liked because of its drinkability. I have no idea what BXEKG means. Now Broken Bells were on the stereo – bought that one too.
The last beer at Järnet was Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel, a Belgian IPA, which was absolutely brilliant. I was talking to the other people at the bar (mostly about music), and the whole visit at Järnet was very cozy .
Now it was time to walk back across the bridge to Södermalm where Oliver Twist and Akkurat are located. Since the latter was still closed (I checked), I decided on OT. It turned out to be a brilliant choice. The place looks like an American bar (in a good way), with beer, food and music.
I started talking to the bartender, and when I asked for an IPA, he suggested Nils Oscar Hop Yard. Wonderful stuff, malty and bittersweet. By then I had noticed a poster for North Coast Brewing Co Brother Thelonius. I have been to the brew pub in Fort Bragg a few times, but I had never tasted this before, so now I did.
I suggested putting Monk on the stereo, but it was not the right time for that, unfortunately. The beer is the best American Belgian beer I have tasted. I ordered another to go with my Chevre Mussels with fries. Fantastic combination.
I had now been joined in the bar by Jon, whom I was also talking to at Järnet – small world. He was not really into the great beers at OT, but nevertheless we found things to talk about.
I now asked the bartender for a Swedish extreme beer, and he brought me Närke Stormaktsporter 2007! Not the barrelaged version (Kaggen!), but still a formidable beer. At 289 Swedish Kronor it better be good. This was simply brilliant – I was in Heaven.
I finished the night at OT with another Swedish heavyweight: Nils Oscar Barley Wine. That did it for me. The next morning I would have to get up early to go to a playground with my daughter, so I had to call it a night.
I got on the train, and even with the mandatory missing of my stop the first time, I managed to get to bed before midnight. A long Good Friday in Stockholm had come to the end.
Cheers,
Morten Tangaa-Andersen
Beer Lover
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