The World's Best Cities for Beer

Ever thought about a pub crawl around the world ?  Well here are the to p 10 cities around the world to indulge in ale, lager, stout, draught, pilsner, and more.

Dublin, Ireland
Are you surprised ? Renowned for producing Ireland's most famous export (Guinness), drinking beer is a way of life in Dublin. Despite the high prices, you'll find pubs and traditional alehouses full of happy patrons.

Munich, Germany
More than 125 million gallons of beer are consumed annually in Munich, home of Oktoberfest and the Hofbräuhaus beer hall.

Amsterdam, Netherland
The ancestral home of globally-recognized beers like Amstel, Heineken, and Grolsh, Amsterdam serves up dozens of styles, flavors, and labels.

Prague, Czech Republic
Arguably the largest consumers of beers in world (more than 41 gallons per person per year), the Czechs are believed to have invented pilsner. The city also happens to be among the cheapest places in Europe for drinking amber ale.

Vienna, Austria
Can't think of an Austrian beer? Well, that's probably because the best beers in Vienna come from boutique microbreweries, so you won't find them outside Europe. Microbreweries are especially popular, but conglomerate brewer groups like Bräu-Union also dominate the local market with brands like Gösser, Zipfer, Schwechate, Wieselburger, and Puntigamer.


Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo may not be cheap, but the beer is certainly easy to find: you can even buy cans from vending machines on the street (no ID is required). Although many pubs here try to cater to Western tastes and offer imported beers, most serve local varieties on tap. There is also a relatively new and vibrant Japanese craft beer scene (ji-biiru).

Portland, OregonThe West Coast beer haven of Portland has more breweries per person than any other city in the U.S.: more than 30 at last count. Hops and barley are grown locally, so you know that your microbrew will be fresh and natural.

Hanoi, Vietnam

The country's relationship with beer started in earnest during the Vietnam War when U.S. soldiers created an increased demand. Today, Hanoi has some of the cheapest and best varieties of beer in Asia. The most popular brands are San Miguel, Tiger 333, Bia Saigon, and Bière Larue. Make sure you also try Bia Hoi, or "fresh beer," a light-bodied pilsner without preservatives that is brewed and delivered daily to drinking establishments throughout Hanoi.

Melbourne, AustraliaHome to Carlton and United Breweries, Australia actively exports Foster's Lager, but locals prefer Victoria Bitter (VB), Crown, or Carlton Draught. With a pub seemingly on every major street corner in Melbourne, prices are relatively low and tipping is included in the price of the beer. Learn the terminology: "a shout" means you're buying the round, and "lite" actually means low-alcohol, not low-calorie. You can try some of these Austrailan beers at a local pub called Moose's Down Under, here in Vancouver.

Edinburgh, ScotlandLocals often boast that Edinburgh has the highest concentration of pubs in Europe. Who are we to argue? The Scots have been brewing hops for thousands of years, and the tradition of drinking continues in the pubs of Edinburgh.


Mexico City, MexicoMexico produces dozens of beers but only exports a handful of brands that have become household names in the U.S. A trip to Mexico City will open your eyes (and your mouth) to other tasty varieties, many brewed
from century-old recipes. Regional pilsners, including Indio, Victoria, and Superior, are crisp and perfect to enjoy under the Mexican sun. The classic Germanic-style Noche Buena is only available seasonally from September to December.

Milwaukee, WisconsinOnce the nation's top beer-producing city and the base for four of the world's largest breweries (Schlitz, Pabst, Miller, and Blatz), Miller is now the only one that still calls Milwaukee home. Fortunately, the beer legacy survives in the form of the smaller breweries that have taken up residence -- and the aptly named baseball team: the Brewers.

Brussels, Belgium Brussels is the center of Belgium's huge beer industry, where the alcohol content is high and the varieties are plentiful.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia -- the City of Brotherly Love -- knows that the best bonding can happen over a pint or two.

Photo Contest, Rules & Regulations

2012 Photo Contest
        
Rules & Regulations
By entering the competition you hereby accept the Terms and Conditions of the Competition Rules listed below:

ELIGIBILITY
All entries must be photographs taken on vacation within the calendar year of 2012. The contest is open to all employees and clients of The Travel Group. The Travel Group reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at its discretion. Decisions of The Travel Group will be final. No purchase is necessary. You may submit any number of entries into the contest.

FORMAT
Entries are to be emailed to socialmedia@travelg.com before midnight December 31, 2012. 
Ideal file size is 400 pixels, if photo is too large it will be resized.
Cropping of photos is permitted, tonal or colour corrections are acceptable. However, please do not add borders, frames, text or other graphic treatments.


HOW TO WIN
All photos will be uploaded into one of the 3 albums on The Travel Group’s
Facebook page. Click photo's on the main page to find the albums. Links are also below. Photos with the most number of “likes” will be the winner.  Final count will be done the end of January 2013.

CATEGORIES
  Best Photo  http://on.fb.me/I6n4W8
  Best Caption  http://on.fb.me/TsYt39
  Odd or Interesting Photo http://on.fb.me/K8aGWe

PRIZES
This year we have opened our photo contest to travellers of The Travel Group, so keep your pictures coming. Prize will be awarded for "best caption," "odd or interesting" and "Best Photo"

Keep those entries coming, and have some fun !

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700 - 1455 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6G 2T3   
Telephone 604-681-6345  Toll Free 1-800-665-6345 Fax 604-684-9704




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Yoga, Childs Pose

Step by Step

  Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.

 Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Broaden your sacrum across the back of your pelvis and narrow your hip points toward the navel, so that they nestle down onto the inner thighs. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of the pelvis while you lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck.

 Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. Feel how the weight of the front shoulders pulls the shoulder blades wide across your back.

 Balasana is a resting pose. Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. Beginners can also use Balasana to get a taste of a deep forward bend, where the torso rests on the thighs. Stay in the pose from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, first lengthen the front torso, and then with an inhalation lift from the tailbone as it presses down and into the pelvis.