So I’m planning my trip to the Czech Republic. I decide that I will stay a couple of days in Prague and a couple of days in Plzen. Plzen can also be written Pilsen, and is the birthplace of Pilsner Beer. And yes I do plan to tour the Pilsner Urquell Brewery. I am also going to send a day in Leipzig, Germany before heading to Prague. Leipzig is home to Gose. Gose is a not very well known style of beer, a wheat beer, somewhat sour. It’s difficult to find, I’ve never tried it and don’t know if I’ll like it, but since it’s on the way…
I’ll be out of the office for the next four weeks. This month will be book-ended by trips to Czech and to Italy. The middle will be two weeks in Nuremberg. I will be working for three of those four weeks. Although I may try to steal some vacation time in Italy.
So I’ve got my train tickets booked, hotels reserved, everything is ready to go. Then I read Thursday’s Stars & Stripes online. Thursday has a travel section with stories about different destinations in Europe. Ta the end of the travel section is a small column that lists festivals and events being held around Europe. I glance down at the Czech Republic listing, under the “Prague” subheading is where I see it. It says Prague Beer Fest and it lasts a full week. I’m only booked at the hotel for three days, but that should be good enough.
Shouldn’t it?
I don’t need to be there from beginning to end, do I?
I am rechecking the dates when I begin to question the existence of God.
How could this happen?
Me and the Lord, I thought we had an understanding…
As you’ve probably already guessed, I will not be in Prague for the beer fest. I will be in Plzen the day the Prague Beer Fest starts. I will be back at work during the week of the Prague Beer Fest.
… shit.
In other news, I picked up this neat, hand painted, piece of Polish Pottery.
What is it? A cookie jar?
Not with that water seal trough around the lid…
What’s in there?
Why, it’s home made sauerkraut!
And here it is in an old pretzel container in the fridge with my second batch of Kimchi.
It’s a little salty, but I think if I rinse it off really well, it’ll be OK.
I showed it to my landlord, and the next day she gave me this other pickling crock…
Now I’ll have to figure out something to make in it.
Anyone up for some pickled pigs feet? Maybe some pickled tongue?
5 comments:
The pickling crocks are really cool. I've wanted one for a long time but never got around to getting one. Just think - home made pickled eggs always at your fingertips :-)
Hope you have safe travels . . .
-Steven
T.
Are you sure that is not an old chamber pot? I hope you washed and sanitized it well before making your batch of kraut.
Just trying to look out for you continued health.
You are one hard to please s.o.b. After God dropped you into the middle of free-beer heaven just two weeks ago, you get all Fiddler on the Roof because you will miss a beer festival in the Czech Republic. Did you ever think that God knew that you wouldn't like commie beer so he saved you from the pain. Okay, Okay - the Czech Republic is not commie anymore - but maybe they haven't been free long enough to make really good beer.
We've been trying for five-hundred some-odd years here in the states and the best we can come up with is Coors Light so what do you expect from a bunch of (former) commies with only a couple of decades of freedom to tinker around with beer formulae?
It can't be good - which is why God saved you from the misery.
W.
Wilhelm-
You are so far off base with your beery thoughts ... I don't even know where to begin. The original pilsner style beer was brewed in Czech (in the town of Pilsen), and Pilsener Urquell is still the standard bearer for the style. This happened a long time ago. There is also another beer from southern Bohemia that is pretty popular ... it's called Budweiser. Now Auggie Bush stole the name, but his beer is nowhere near the quality of this stuff. I often buy cases of both of these Czech beers in Germany.
I can fill you in more, and perhaps even allow you to try one or two when you come over next year for the Passionspiele.
T.
Okay, so maybe the Czechs can brew a decent beer. That was merely a sidebar to my main thesis which was that after your great beer fortune in Amberg less than a month ago you have thrown a hissy fit over missing out on a chance at some Czech brewski which you readily admit that you can buy in Germany anyway which only serves to prove my point that your are one hard to please s.o.b..
The notion that maybe Czech beer isn't all that good was an attempt to explain why God felt you shouldn't go the Czech Republic. It could be something as simple as, if you go to the Czech Republic next week you'll get hit by a truck.
And, you just glossed right over my "Fiddler on the Roof" reference which I thought was pretty darned clever.
W.
Wilhelm-
You are right I did gloss over your "Fiddler on the Roof" reference, and yes it was very clever. I apologize for not mentioning it sooner, I'll have to remind myself that I must stoke your ego every time you are clever.
I could have called you out on the 500+ years of brewing in the States, but I let that one go. Do you thank me for that? I think not. As any resident of Virginia knows the first permanent colony was not established until 1608. This cuts it to 400+ years, but I don't think they were growing any barley here for at least a couple of years after that. And you could quibble about the Spanish already being on the west coast by that time, but that would be beneath you. I don't think the Spanish had beer then.
Or perhaps I was just dumbfounded by your comments on Czech beer. And to say I just went there for the beer that I could have obtained in Germany is just ... well ... the words escape me!
I'm back in the Fatherland now, so all is right with the world again.
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