Beer

Beer is the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic drink in the world, so clearly something of outstanding importance. Even further than that, it is the third most popular drink after water and tea.

As everything of widespread, universal and timeless magnitude, it comes in a variety of forms to accommodate the taste and cultures of its various aficionados.

It is not so popular in France and Italy, where wine is the drink of choice, but it is, a bit surprisingly, more popular in Spain, where there is also a strong Mediterranean wine culture. Also a bit surprisingly, the country where it is the most enjoyed is not Germany (or Austria), that still do consume way more than England (you have to go to Ireland to level with the Germans), but Czechia.

München beer

Oktoberfest is the world's largest beer festival.

Guiness

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  Tasting of a fresh sample from our visit of Dublin (August 2017). Julia is happy with only the main ingredient in its pure form: water.

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  At the Guiness storehouse museum, explaining the process.

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  Julia plunging into barley.