| It should come as no surprise to regular Fast Forward readers that I am a little bit passionate about beer. I even plan my vacations around it. You'd be surprised at how much more interesting a museum can be after a stop at the local pub. Whether you've got a small or big budget, a beer-related vacation is a great way to see the world.
· Small budget road trip – Saskatchewan boasts more brewpubs than any other province. If you dare visit all 18, Saskatchewan will be the Land of Living Skies indeed. However, be wary. Most of the brewpubs have been established merely to receive the accompanying off-sale liquor store licences (all other liquor stores in Saskatchewan are government-owned) and the beer itself is often an afterthought.
That said, in Regina, be sure to stop by Bushwakker's (www.bushwakker.com), which is not only Saskatchewan's best brewpub, but is internationally recognized for its award-winning beers. And in Saskatoon, a must-see pub is Clark's Crossing on Diefenbaker Drive, which features a bar in the shape of, uh, let's just say the bar gives new meaning to the phrase "sitting at the head of the table." To be frank, the beer isn't very good, but they definitely won't give you the shaft.
Also in Saskatoon is Paddock Wood, Canada's smallest microbrewery. Located in Sutherland, Paddock Wood can brew a batch of beer as small as 50 litres (by comparison, Big Rock's capacity is 900,000 times bigger).
· Medium-budget festival trip – Canada's best microbreweries are in Quebec, so it's fitting that Canada's biggest beer festival is there, too. Montreal's Mondial de la Bière (www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca) takes place at the beginning of June and features hundreds of beers not only from Quebec, but also hard-to-find beers from Belgium and northern France.
The five-day festival isn't long enough to try all of the beers, but admission to the festival is free, so you can come and go as you please. Check out Montreal's famous churches, fine art galleries and the seven brewpubs. Montreal is now virtually Celine-Dion-free, so you can wander around without fear of excessive vocal drama.
· Big-budget international tour – The best beer festival in the world for my money is the Great British Beer Festival (www.camra.org.uk), held each August in London, England. Unfortunately, August is peak tourist season, so you can expect to pay around $1,400 for airfare alone. However, London is the only place in the world to simultaneously host 700 real ales, 45,000 knowledgeable beer drinkers, free art galleries and the famous British Museum.
Of course, the entire country of Belgium is a year-round beer festival. Direct flights don't exist from Calgary, so you can add this to your London trip with a cheap train ride through the Chunnel. Hundreds-of-years-old breweries dot the entire country as do incredible Gothic cathedrals untouched by war. With over 400 different beers, you can stay in Belgium a long time without trying the same beer twice.
· Breaking the bank for beer – Calgary-based Bohemia Custom Tours (www.bohemiatours.com) regularly offers two-week-long beer-lover tours to the Czech Republic. Packages include all transportation, accommodation and meals. Spa treatments and brewery tours are all arranged and included in the price, which is typically in the range of $4,500 per person. Sure, it's not cheap, but unique Czech beers, including the original Budweiser (which is not made by Anheuser-Busch) and the original Pilsner (which is not made in Lethbridge) are worth it. Oh, and I hear the castles are nice, too, if you're into that sort of thing. |
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