#362. Cloisters, 26 Brougham St, Edinburgh

Throw me in jail with Pussy Riot if you must, but I think the world would be a better place if every house of worship was converted to a pub.

Note the chalk board that details the cask selection. They are serious about their ales here at Cloisters. On the advice of the bartender, I went with the Navigator Ale, but I can't recall who the brewery was. (And my eyesight is shiite, so I couldn't read the chalk board from my seat at the bar.)

This beautiful wrought-iron staircase leads downstairs to the toilets.

#359. Dagda Bar, 93-95 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh

Wow, what an unexpected surprise. A fantastic beer selection, friendly staff, and no unnecessary music. The Dagda is a cozy, quaint, first-rate neighbourhood pub. There were at least four local cask ales on tap, and I sampled three quarters of them: an Alechemy IPA, Tempest blonde ale, and Citra from Tryst Brewery of Falkirk.

#348. The Rowantree, 8-12 Niddry St, Edinburgh

Part of the Caves, this pub that you enter off Cowgate (hence the cow, I suppose) feels subterranean. In fact, there are stalactites dripping from the walls and ceiling! The lighting perfectly compliments the surroundings, and leaves one feeling warmly embraced. The beer selection could have been better - I had a bottle of Innis & Gunn as none of the taps impressed - but for a quiet, intimate place to enjoy the company of some friends over a drink, the Rowantree is hard to beat.

#339. Innis & Gunn, 32 Potterrow, Edinburgh

Officially called Innis & Gunn at 32 Potterrow, this welcome replacement for the underwhelming Room @ 34 has perhaps the best taste and local beer selection in all of the capital. Under the same ownership as 56 North, this pub is not owned by the brewery that bears its name. Rather, the proprietors recognize a good brand and a great beer when they see one and have entered into a licensing agreement with the local brewery.

I had just enjoyed an Innis & Gunn at their other pub down the road, so I opted for the delicious Black Ball Stout, the Williams Bros. Scottish answer to Guinness. Just in time for the Festival, this popup bar (i.e., they are testing the market to see whether or not it will become permanent) will likely do a very good business all month long.

#332. Leslie's Bar, 47 Ratcliffe Terr, Edinburgh

This pub is amazing. It must be seen to be fully appreciated, as I'm afraid my photos do not do it justice. The beer selection was good, too. I had an Alechemy 5isters, and Liney-boy had a Coulsons Edinburgh Pale Ale.

Here is something you'd never see back home:

I think the fundamental difference between the UK and Canada is that the UK doesn't let a few bad apples spoil the fun for everyone else. Instead, they hold the bad apples accountable by revoking their privileges and publicly naming and shaming them. Whether it be for riding the train without a fare, trying to pass bad cheques at Tesco, or acting like a fucktard at the local, the Brits simply arrest those who are unable to handle the responsibility of adulthood. Closed circuit television cameras are everywhere in public and used to identify and apprehend those who choose to engage in so-called anti-social behaviour. Alternatively, our approach in Canada seems predicated on the notion that nobody can be trusted to behave, so we must clamp down on any freedoms that could possibly result in unwanted noise or behaviour. In other words, as soon as a bad apple emerges, the solution is to enact a new bylaw that restricts the environment that led to the anti-social behaviour in the first place. Canadians also seem to have some rather bizarre notions regarding their right to privacy, and often confuse rights with privileges.

Please don't extrapolate what I'm saying here as support for your own Libertarian anarchist nut-job ideals. I firmly believe that the role of government is to promote equality and desired social outcomes through taxation and incentives. I think it should be possible to achieve those goals while still trusting each other to have some fun.

#327. The Southern, 22-26 South Clerk St, Edinburgh

Fuller Thomson can do no wrong.

My choice was third from the right: Hit the Lip from Cromarty Brewery from up north of Inverness. My second beer of the day from these upstarts, and both were fantastic. Also fantastic was the falafel burger. It was nice to see a choice of veggie options on the menu.

Beer Mecca.

#316. Regent Bar, 2 Montrose Terr, Edinburgh

A self-proclaimed gay real ale bar, the Regent featured a beautiful interior and coasters recommending you always use lube with a condom.

I drank a Westons Old Rosie scrumpy, which at 7.3% abv is a wee bit of a panty remover. I kept mine on, and struggled with an attack of acid reflux for the rest of the evening.

This is a first-rate pub.

#300. Elbow, 133 East Claremont St, Edinburgh

Elbow is straight out of Portlandia. This is the pub where young people go to retire.

Put a bird on it!

I drank a Hoegaarden wheat beer with a slice of orange. This reminded me of home! I think this was my first Hoegaarden of the blog... let me check. Yep, first one. I always thought Hoegaarden came from Germany, but it's actually Belgian.

Meghan loved the tabletop arcade game.

#297. Blue Blazer, 2 Spittal St, Edinburgh

The bartender was from Sooke, BC, a suburb of our hometown. The selection of beers on tap was exceptional, but I started with a bottle of Innis & Gunn.

I am not exactly sure why I enjoyed this pub so much, but there's something about a well-run pub on a Friday evening, with good friends, after a good meal.

#294. Out House, 12A Broughton Street Lane, Edinburgh

This hidden gem is the place where the hipsters meet to listen to Grimes and smoke on the patio. I drank half pints of Innis and Gunn on tap.

#278. David-Quelle, Davidstraße 23, Hamburg

Time for another Duckstein Original.


There was something about this pub... despite its location right in the middle of the Reeperbahn, it seemed warm and friendly and full of a tight-knit community of folks who have lived their lives within a free kick of its doorstep. I quite loved it, as we ducked inside to catch the rest of the football. Outside a parade of gorgeous German girls paced under transparent umbrellas and layers of makeup.

Me watching Euro 2012 football.

#276. Oma's Apotheke, Schanzenstrasse 87, Hamburg

We are back in Germany, trying out some other cities that don't claim to be as world-class as Berlin.

We are staying in a very stylish yet inexpensive hotel in an extremely hip neighbourhood in the northern part of the St. Pauli area of Hamburg. The Guardian newspaper named St. Pauli one of the five best places in the world to live. I couldn't find any reason to disagree.

Oma's features a great location right on a corner, and an awesome softwood bar set on old desk drawers. I ordered a Duckstein Weizen, but had to settle for a Duckstein Original. A nice beer. A great pub in a very interesting neighbourhood.

Highly recommended.

#270. Metro, Angelholmsgatan 14, Malmö

Home to Mats & Motesplats and all things hipsterrific, Metro has a great balcony and a very, very impressive beer and cider selection

I had a Nils Oscar Imperial Stout, while Meghan enjoyed a Hannas organic apple cider from Galatea Spirits. Both from Sverige, and both delicious. The guy from Hurt Locker was there, and Björk was our waitress. 

When in Malmö, Jeremy Renner drinks at Metro.

#262. 't Smalle, Egelantiersgracht 12, Amsterdam

We liked this place a lot. Even without that awesome doggie out front, 't Smalle would still make my list of favourites.



It was getting cold, so we moved inside, where it turned out Tim and Beth were waiting for us upstairs. Worst case of stair-blocking ever was going on by a group of oblivious, local, baby-boomers.





I drank a De Koninck, an amber from Belgium. There were three little boys sitting at a table nearby, which we thought was pretty cool. We couldn't tell if they were waiting for their parents downstairs, or were related to the owners.

#248. Hillhead Bookclub, 17 Vinicombe Street, Glasgow

Totally awesome.

#243. Òran Mór, 731-735 Great Western Rd, Glasgow

A converted church that stays open until 2:00AM! The place was packed with customers even though it was a Wednesday night. The selection of ales was great, but I can't recall exactly what I drank. But with its elegant decor, outdoor patio, and location at the top of Byres Road, Òran Mór - Gaelic for "great melody of life" - officially makes my favourites list. A great pub indeed!

#230. Beer Museum, Dlouhá 720/46, Prague

It's my birthday, so I'm going to the Beer Museum. Which is not actually a museum, but a pub that features 30 or 40 local micro-brewed beers. In Prague. This is fantastic. Thanks to Naomi for the suggestion.

I am loving the dark lager, so I ordered a sampler of the first four I found on their extensive list: Opat Chocolate; Platan Merlin; Bernard Cerny Lezak; and Kout Tmavy 18.

Prague is quite the city of foreigners. I sat next to a local Czech, but he was the only one nearby. Next to him was a guy from England, then a guy from Palo Alto. The bartender was from D.C. But the TV had a game from the Hockey World Championships on, of course.

While I was enjoying my time sampling the micro darks, Meghan and her mom were off buying souvenirs on Charles Bridge and sampling the sights.