Let’s be honest here, do you expect a lot of beer entertainment in Switzerland? No? Me neither. But we are all wrong, because good Swiss people know how to enjoy life.
Grill parties! It’s something quintessentially Swiss, believe me. Every single household seems to have a grill standing on the balcony, terrace or lawn and if you don’t own one, there’s plenty of meetings organized by neighbors, local farms, museums and (just imagine that!) green houses filled to their glass brims with exotic cacti and succulents. They provide grill and gas, you bring food. And beer, obviously.
Züri Fäsch, huge festival attended by 2 million people (Zurich population is just 400 thousand people, mind you) submerges the city into celebratory mood for 72 straight hours of music, performances, dance, street food, fireworks. And beer.
But Swiss have another hidden gem, as unexpected as it’s logical in a country boasting one of the most breathtaking landscapes, lush natural parks, crystal clear ice-cold rivers and springs, snow-capped mountains, rolling hills of vineyards and fields, castles and idyllic villages, all of those reachable by one-hour train ride max. Bierwanderung is the name. It’s an obvious linguistic love child of “beer” and “wander”, and it means just that: to wander and to have beer. And boy they do have a lot of places to go wander to and beer to enjoy. There are more than 1000 breweries operating in Switzerland now, from the tiniest one-person operation to big regional ones. This makes this small country with it’s 8,4 ml population to have an average 1 brewery per 8000 people. Which is the highest density of breweries in the world. Surprised, no? Have you heard somebody talking about this? It almost looks like Swiss quietly keep this knowledge to themselves like a secret treasure.
So back to Bierwanderung. You basically have three options to quench your thirst.
If you are on a budget or prefer enjoying nature on your own, get one of the guide-books (yes, they have books published on beer wandering, those sly Swiss!), choose the route, don a pair of comfortable shoes and depart for an adventure infused with fresh air and beer.
If you more into organized fun with lots of socializing, search Facebook for Bierwanderung. Guaranteed you’ll end up with at least five events in nearest few months. Typically you get a ticket beforehand – be fast, they tend to fly – which has all perks listed. Sometimes included are some full pours of 330 ml, sometimes it’s taster-size pours, but more of them. Some organizers throw a snack into package, and if they work in tow with local tourism authorities, which is often the case, even a cable car or funicular ride to the mountain peak is covered. In the end of the route you can expect music, a tent with more beer and a bunch of happy people. Indeed what to be unhappy about in a setting like this? What excites me about this besides the opportunity to enjoy beautiful vistas and get to know local beer scene is the way of how mutual support works: local agencies promote local businesses and outdoorsy attitude (and earn money), local breweries get bigger coverage because people come for events like this from other regions and sell a bit more beer (and get paid too), local tourist board helps with transport or logistics and get more tourists. They all work together making people happy. And afterwards there’s taxes paid to support local growth.
Sometimes breweries organize their own event without the help of agencies, securing more convenient dates and rates for themselves and visitors as well. There’s no need to buy a ticket, it’s an open event, so you can join anytime any check-point and pay only for what you drink – and this is the third way to experience Bierwanderung.
So one beautiful sunny Saturday (we knew the event was coming) we packed few sandwiches, a bottle of water and departed for Craft beer trail 2019. Ahoi Bier, The Darkwolf Brewery and Old Hill Brewery were waiting for us. As well as beer yoga, new beers brewed just for event and excitement of new adventure. After 15 kilometers of beautiful landscapes along the river and up the hills and through the forest with 3 breweries and 2 pop-ups along the way and 14 beers later we finished at the train station on the way home. Pleasant tiredness, sunburnt noses and kaleidoscope of impressions and memories were our spoils of the day. Like drinking beer in the backyard of the brewery which is accidentally (or not) the head brewer's home backyard, or meeting people with whom you have unexpected friends in common, or climbing up the panorama-view tower in the forest, or sharing a beer with a group of horse riders having no idea about what a car with beer is doing in the forest, but welcoming a serendipitous refreshment...
All that said, please exercise moderation and self-control. As much as beautiful mountains can be treacherous sometimes. But no worries, most of the trails allow for a leisurely stroll helping you to burn just enough calories to free space for one more glass. So next time you are in Switzerland check the Bierwanderung out and feel the groove of uniting with nature in style we all here deem appropriate.
