Guess What I Found in Ribeauvillé (pics)...

Today is May 1st, which means for all intents and purposes this country is on holiday. So no degustations du vin today. We got a tip from our good friend Rick Steves to head into Ribeauvillé, which is about 15-20 mins south of here on the A, and climb the mountains behind the town to the old castle ruins of Chateau St. Ulrich. Score. We got wonderful weather, and what's more, Ribeauvillé was hopping. So this is St. Ulrich from the trail up---the hike was serious, and took nearly an hour on the way up:



The views from the ruins were sick:



We picnic'd at the top, and when we got back down to the town, the first open door we came across happened be an artisanal beer + scotch bar. Oh hell yeah. Talk about a reward for the hike...



We had Ch'Ti Triple, Ulmer Weiss and Lindemans "Faro", a melange lambic, all on tap. The beer/whiskey menu had this little gem in the back:



I have yet to translate it, but the title is along the lines of 'Reasons Why Beer is Better than Women'. Natch.

Ch'Ti, a French Biere de Garde. Very good!



Lambic does a body good:



This big guy was plodding around the square while we imbibed:



After beer, we went walking through the busy main street, and it was full of people on holiday. We popped our heads into a few cool gourmet shops, and then...then I found something truly amazing. If anyone doesn't know, Eau de Vie is popular here. It's fruit brandy, and it's everywhere---and usually very good. I went into a shop selling fois gras and lots of Eau de Vie, and come across something that I had no choice but to purchase. Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you:



I can't wait to have some on ice...once I get back to a country that actually has ice.

Well, #2 is something to the effect of "one beer is not jealous of another"

That's what three years of high school French will get you!

Looks freakin' awesome, dude!

#1 One can consume two beers at the same time without complications.

4

no language problems with foreign beers
too lazy to look up more

I'll translate 'em when I'm bored.

So has anyone here actually had Spiriteaux de Fleur de Houblon? I'm curious what I'm getting into.

Don't tell the French that you're contemplating polluting their fine spirits with ice. A big "non-non" over there! Tut tut! <wags finger>

Hmm...the liquor translates as something along the lines of 'to creep of/the hop'. Make sure you let us know what in the heck that is.

Again, looks like an amazing trip! Thanks for the pics.

my French is a bit rusty, but you all appear to be on the right track..

1. You can have two beers at the same time without complications.
2. A beer never gets jealous of another beer.
3. A blonde beer never lies.
4. There are no language problems with strangers and beer.
5. Even when you're stuffed, there's always room for beer.
6. A beer never spends too much time on the phone.
7. Beer will not ask you questions from a magazine.
8. To pose <something> to a beer is not dangerous. - I remember lapin as rabbit, but I don't think that's right
9. You can share a beer with your friends.
10. Finally, a beer is not afraid of giving head.

give or take a few words... I'm sure a translator could to better.

This looks like French bacon to me...


Stop freeballin' around France and get to Germany, already!

Yeah, I'll definitely hit it with a single cube. Warm liquor is rarely something I do...maybe the occasional single-malt. "Fleur de Houblon" is "Hop Flower", but I'm not sure what the base brandy is made from. I'm curious as to how hoppy it will end up being...

Thanks for the translatin', Kyle. Germany is for another trip, though...I might as well be in Germany, though. Most people speak Deutsch and Francais here, and the culture & architecture is very Bavarian. In retrospek, I'd have gladly skipped the Cote d'Or and spent that time in Germany, but I just never realized how vapid and disappointing Burgundy Proper actually was until I spent time there. Tomorrow, we head south down towards the Haut-Rhin to hit a handful of viticulteurs (highlighted by the gods at Zind-Humbrecht), and our plane leaves from Frankfurt on Saturday afternoon. So we'll at least get to see a bit of Germany on our drive there. Next time...next time.

ohiobrewtus said:

my French is a bit rusty, but you all appear to be on the right track..

1. You can have two beers at the same time without complications.
2. A beer never gets jealous of another beer.
3. A blone beer never lies.

Click to expand...

Minor corrections (note the context... the title compares dealing with beers vs. dealing with a woman):

4. There are no language problems with strangers and beer. ^Foreign beers


7. Beer will not ask you questions from a magazine. ^Can be 'featured" in a magazine

8. To pose <something> to a beer is not dangerous. ^Not showing up to meet up with a beer is not dangerous

10. Finally, a beer is not afraid of giving head.^ will not get flustered reading this

Nice find! Mmmmm, artisanal ale...

Originally posted by Evan!
So has anyone here actually had Spiriteaux de Fleur de Houblon? I'm curious what I'm getting into.

Click to expand...

No, but I've had hop Genever when I was in Belgium. I recall that having a very subtle spicy hop character, no bitterness and was quite dry.

Looks like you're having a great time.

ohiobrewtus said:

3. A blonde beer never lies.

Click to expand...

And, in the context of the list and the language, I expect that one means "A beer cannot fake being blonde"


TL