#291. Spiers Bar, 10 Bowhill Terr, Edinburgh

McEwan's 70/-.

#281. Dom im Stapelhaus, Frankenwerft 35, Köln

We are now in Cologne, or as they say in Germany, Köln. The parts of it that survived the bombing raids in WW II are quite pretty.

Most importantly, their cathedral survived. (Possibly because the allied bombers used its twin spires as navigation aids, so they didn't want to destroy it.) It is amazingly tall. At one point in the 1880s it was the tallest building in the world.

Anyway, here we are in this brewpub.

Germany is playing football against Denmark today. The entire town is ghostly quiet except for the tense play-by-play eminating from the patio bars as seemingly the entire populous has gathered to drink kölsch (what the locals call beer) and cheer on their beloved motherland's soccer team.

Here is my beer and the system used by the servers (tick marks on your coaster) to keep track of how many of the 200 ml glasses of Domkölsch I have consumed.

#220. Helvecia, 23/b Eötvös, Budapest

Helvecia was just a little further down the street from our hotel. It is a great big basement bar with water polo on the flat-screen, billiards, and music posters all over the curved, cavern-like walls. There were only two beers on tap, but that did not bother me as I was here to sample my first pint of Dreher Classic.

Yes, I said water polo was on the television.

 

Hungary has a long history of interest and success in the sport, including a famous 1956 Olympic victory over the Soviet Union. This particular match featured two club teams from cities I wish I could recall.

#191. Sports Bar, Teviot House, Edinburgh

It was the end of semester for the LL.M. students! Meghan handed in her last essay at 4:00pm, had a quick nap, then it was off to the Teviot House to meet Tobi and Santosh at the Sports Bar.

The bar was packed with testosterone and teeth-gnashing as Barcelona was busy losing to Chelsea in the semi-final of the Champions League. I drank a John Smiths Extra Smooth and Meghan had a cider of some sort as we moved to the hallway where it was less crowded.



After finishing our drinks, we moved on to the Library Bar, where I drank two 500 ml bottles of Stewart's Cauld Reekie, then wondered why I was drunk. We enjoyed a great celebration with some of Meghan's classmates, finally ending up at the Brass Monkey, another of my favourites.

#156. Corky's Irish Pub, 45844 Yale Road West, Chilliwack

This pub used to be a nightclub called The Blue Unicorn back in the early '80s. I spent most of the summer of '84 hanging out here when I was dating Karen Murray. The Blue Unicorn was the first place I ever heard Blue Monday by New Order. Good times. Apparently the building is still owned by former legendary Stampede Wrestler Robert Harms, aka The Magnificent Mennonite.

Today Corky's is a rather crass attempt at an Irish pub. I guess it's kind of like Malone's Irish Bar of Edinburgh in the layout, decor, and focus on sports. But the completely half-assed attempt renders it more like a cafeteria than a cozy pub, I'm afraid. Still, that didn't stop the place from being nearly full with the locals all sporting ball caps and cheering on the Canucks vs. the Jets.

I drank their own signature ale, brewed for them by Old Yale Brewing.

The building itself seemed smaller than I remember, too.

#140. Malone's Irish Bar, 14 Forrest Rd, Edinburgh

Malone's Irish Bar probably holds over 500 people. It was at 1/500th capacity while I enjoyed my pint of Tetley's Smooth Flow.

Despite its size, the pub is reasonably charming. There is booth seating that reminds me of a pew, and the ceiling is not unlike a church. A balcony rings around beneath the steeple, completing the sense of worshiping before Guinness and Celtic.

#115. Three Sisters, 139 Cowgate, Edinburgh

Reputed to be the largest pub in Edinburgh, Three Sisters has a massive patio that alone is licensed to seat 1,000 patrons.

Coupled with the two indoor floors that each hold 1,000, you have room for 3,000 douchebags on any given Friday night while the uni is in session.

Primarily responsible for the rejuvenation of Cowgate as an entertainment destination, the Three Sisters must be applauded for running a very successful business. This pub could be amazing, but with nary a cask ale on tap (I had to settle for an extra cold Guinness), it seems to only care about the bottom line.

Rugby was on the telly, which strangely enough was the first time I had ever encountered that in an Edinburgh pub. Glasgow Warriors were playing, and "despite their heroics" lost to the team from Leinster (Dublin). There seems something particularly Scottish about the idea of losing heroically.

#17. The Globe Bar, 30 Niddry Street, Edinburgh

With the NHL season just around the corner, I google searched "NHL Edinburgh where?" The google machine told me that when in Edinburgh, The Globe is the place to watch not just hockey, but all North American sports.

Sure enough, The Globe had several televisions tuned to MLB. It also featured two rooms with massive screens that looked like a fun place to watch a game.

Being part of a hostel, the beer selection was "international." That is to say, very corporate, lager-heavy, and lowest-common denominator. However, they did have Belhaven's Best on tap, and Crabbies ginger beer by the bottle.

#5. The Standard, 24 Howe Street, Edinburgh

Today we finally hit up our local. The Standard is the closest pub to our home on Heriot Row. It is also very nice. It calls itself a "bar", which seems to mean "slightly more upscale than a simple pub". The decor is consistent, the lighting is soft, and it has big screen TVs that were showing tennis. The Brits are still big on tennis, it would seem. The menu featured a couple of edible vegetarian options, including a delicious sounding vegetarian breakfast served until 5:00 PM on weekends. How very civilized.

Svea enjoyed a half-pint of Stowford Pressed Cider (brewed by Westons), whereas I resorted to what is quickly becoming old reliable: Belhavens Best. While The Standard gets full marks for its convenient location and decor, it loses points for its inadequate tap selection.