Go into just about any pub in Switzerland and you'll find at least one of these three beers on tap: Cardinal, Feldschlösschen, Kronenbourg 1664. The question is WHY?? Switzerland is so close to Germany that it's hard to imagine that the Swiss wouldn't make good beer, but these "three" beers are really a good representation. However, if your like me and like beer that doesn't taste like well Budwiser. Here's some links of local breweries in Switzerland! Hopefully you can find some good tasting Swiss beer! http://www.bov.ch/cgi-bin/guide.cgi http://home.datacomm.ch/fiulijn/3.0%20swiss_map.htm If you have any suggestions on other beers to try or places to go, please post it!

1664 is rather good! I'd recommend checking out Andorra on Niederdorf in Zürich. It was already mentioned on here before. You can get quite a few types of 1664 on tap (sorry) and Maredsous VI! If you want to check out Swiss beer, check out this list: http://www.xs4all.nl/~patto1ro/swisbrew.htm

Oh... and this place has extremely good beer: http://www.altestramdepot.ch/

I've been to the brewery in Bern. I must agree that they have VERY good beer. But I still don't think much of 1664 , but to each his own! Thanks for the overview link on Switzerland beer!

What do you mean by 1664? Just "1664"? At this other bar one can purchase 1664 Brune and 1664 Blonde from tap. I like the Brune a lot. I believe that one can buy the 1664 Blonde at Coop now as well? I could have remembered the name incorrectly (Blonde?), as I typically stick to the darks. I am a Doppelbock man. It is almost time for it!

Edit: Ok, got it... it is called "Blanc" along with the Brune. There is also regular 1664.

One of my favourite Swiss brews is Appenzeller Vollmond Bier, which can be found in some Bio grocery stores. Enjoy! chris

The Boxer brewery in Nyon is rather good. Not that easily available sadly.

It's not a free market. The Swîss beer market, like many others is protected.

Every valley is cooking their own brew. Pity they all taste the same...

The beer market is protected?!? Why is it that German beer is *cheaper* then?!? Löwenbräu, Oettinger, Bitburger and so forth cost less than Feldschlösschen, Cardinal and Müllerbräu. Only Eichhof is cheaper or on par (and *only* at Ottos, otherwise it also costs more). I think this has much more to do with the way that Europeans prefer their beer. Not only the Germans, but the British as well export more varieties of beer to the US than are availabe here. It has to do with the American microbrewery movement that began in Boston (go Sam Adams! Try it at Coop if you've never had it, you cannot buy it in the UK...).

I am waiting for the flaming...

Well, how come small local breweries survive here? Take a day's skiing at Hoch Ybrig and you'll get Einsiedlen Beer, next valley, Glarnerland and it's Adler and so on - how is that possible?

Do you mean Einsiedeln? I've not heard of this beer... If that is all you can buy up that hill, I'd presume it has more to do with local and *personal* decisions than something put forward by the federal government.

How is it possible that so many small breweries now exist in America? If you look at the numbers during the past 10 years (at least in New England) you might be surprised to see it increase. Beyond that, I tend to drink local beer here in CH, even though it is not necessarily that special. I find certain "special" brews of Müllerbräu to be rather good -- sadly it is not sold beyond the brewery store! A real shame.

Beyond all of this: why do the Swiss always drink Feldschlösschen then? Do you have an explanation?

If you're in Zuerich sometime, try going to the Turbinenbrau brewery/bar/restaurant on Badenerstrasse near the UBS buildings. It's a microbrewery and makes some very nice beer.

There's also the Wadibrau microbrewery near Waedenswil, pretty much the same deal and also nice beer.

Gav

Altes Tram Depot in Bern brews its own beer and they're wicked and also do try Mr. Pickwick.

And it's their fault that I feel less than good this morning




Nigel

Two good entertaining book recommendations :

A Man Walks into A Pub
Three Sheets to the Wind

both by Peter Brown. An entertaining look at "a quest for the meaning of beer" and beer culture worldwide.

dave

Because they have no taste Ease of availability really.

Feldschlösschen Lager (blue) is rubbish, though Feldi do make some other OK beers. There are actually some great Swiss beers and I always try to buy Swiss and local regional beers. I can get Heiniken and Loewenbrau anywhere.

The most disapointing thing for me in the time I have been living here in Zurich, is the slow reduction of availabilty of non-Feldi beers Swiss beers. Between the Coop and PickPay, you could get Feldi, Eichoff (incl Braugold), Cardinal, Schutzgarten (incl StGaller Klosterbrau), Appenzeller and Calanda. With PickPay gone Coop seems to have severely cut its range to Feldi and its Cardinal subsidiary, plus Appenzeller (who also make Coop Bio beer). I cant even get Schutzgarten beers at the Carrefour anymore.

So my Swiss beers of choice................
Lager - Calanda Lager
"Premium" - Eichoff Braugold
Speciality - St Galler Klosterbrau - my favourite Swiss beer of all.
Microbrew - Amboss 5

I think there are some great beers here in Switzerland, if you are willing to dig around a bit!

Appenzeller Qüollfrisch (ok, quite a big name and well known..but Mmmmmmmm) - http://www.appenzellerbier.ch/

Ueli Beer (from the Fischerstube in Basel) - http://www.uelibier.ch/default.aspx - gotta love the little flasks you buy and can return to the brewery to get them topped up!

Unser Beer (also not so bad - good variety) - http://www.unser-bier.ch/

Erusbacher beer (from a little village close to Lenzburg, Aargau - http://www.erusbacher.ch/

However, I am still trying to find a beer that can compete with my favorite all time beers...good ol' Canadian Brews!!
- Sleemans Honey Brown
- Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale

Mmmmm, getting thirsty now!!!!

co-op have just started selling my favourite bitburger at 1.20 - even cheaper that feldschlossen

Obv its far better on tap - anyone know if I can get this on draught in Zurich ?

In my second post or so in this thread I gave the link to Altes Tram Depot. This month is IPA! And April they're brewing Doppelbock! I am pretty happy about the latter -- basically impossible to get here in CH.

I know where the Microbreweries are, I did give a link to an extremely long list of them earlier. My main complaint is that they are not popular here, and they are not readily available. One cannot simply go out to a bar and find them on tap, instead it is typically Feldschlösschen in this area.


And one number, which for some reason I forgot to give yesterday: Heineken and Carlsberg own like 75% or so of Swiss beer brewing capacity. How is that a protected market again?!

A few months ago, Kassensturtz did a Swiss lager / beer review, asking 10 beer 'experts' to rank the top ten selling Swiss beers in a blind tasting. Denner came top.

Ta Taa!

Re the Cardinal / Feldschlösschen / 1664 / Carlsberg glut - how much of this is due to the breweries themselves owning bars? For example Zurich's News Bar only having Carlsberg because maybe Carlsberg owns the bar?