Where is the best beer in the world, according to Anthony Bourdain
When it comes to the intersection of food and travel, there’s nobody with the impact of Anthony Bourdain, with the former chef and author turned television explorer being a pioneer and a huge influence on a generation.
We know about his impact on the food scene, with restaurants frequented by him still experiencing huge popularity based on his seal of approval, but what did he think about the humble beer?
In many ways, Bourdain’s attitude to booze was much like his attitude to food: he wasn’t as interested in the techniques but more in how they act as a shared experience, because the true beauty of all of his work was how they related to people and the human experience.
Bourdain certainly wasn’t a beer snob and only claimed that the fermented beverage should be “enjoyed, not analysed”, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t appreciate a good cold glass, so here are the three most unforgettable Bourdain beer recommendations.
Prague: <em>No Reservations</em> (season six, episode four)
When you’re thinking of Bourdain and beer, then this episode of No Reservations is no doubt a classic example, as the American visits the capital of the Czech Republic and indulges in their beer culture. We’re used to seeing him sup ice-cold bottles of lager on his shows, but, in this case, he’s fully engaging with everything about the process.
Beer, bridges and stag-dos are the first things that come to mind when you think about Prague, and in this city, as Bourdain notes, “the beer flows like rivers”, where we see the man be stuck in a brewery around two hours outside the city, learning about the country known as the home of the beer and what sets their drink apart, including the quality of their ingredients, before comparing it to how mass-market beer is produced back in the States.
After hightailing it back to Prague, he gets stuck into plenty more beers and a bite, and, as always, the beauty comes through in his reflection on the beverage and the act of drinking with friends.
Cologne: <em>Parts Unknown</em> (season seven, episode six)
In Cologne, we see Bourdain enjoying glasses of Kölsch, a crisp, light beer that sits somewhere between an ale and a lager, and is served throughout the city in 0.2litre glasses. It’s cold and refreshing, hence the small size, with the intent that you session your way through them in bulk.
When Bourdain is chatting to locals over schnitzel, he discusses what the beer means to the city and how it reflects the welcoming nature of Cologne, as well as its history of migration and the fusion of cultures.
The beer isn’t the star of the show here, but rather the glue that bonds everyone and brings them together, acting as the full stop on their days, punctuating rather than becoming the story itself, and it is on this that Bourdain reflects, especially on the democratic nature of the drink and how it helps people connect.
Hanoi: <em>Parts Unknown</em> (season eight, episode two)
For my money, this is the ultimate Bourdain and beer moment, and it’s one in which the beer itself is barely noticeable. It doesn’t focus on a particular brand of beer, a type of brewing, but rather what it means as a social lubricator, and ultimately why we all love to sit down and have a pint with our pals.
Here his tall frame sits on a tiny plastic stool in a Hanoi noodle shop, as he eats and drinks with then-US President Barack Obama, who wistfully says that he can rarely “knock back a cold one” as they discuss life and travel. The beer itself isn’t important here, but its role is essential as a local, readily available, cheap drink, both perfectly ordinary but spectacular in terms of how it can aid this shared moment between the two men.
This scene really transcends Bourdain’s work, showing him at his absolute best, as a celebration of shared humanity, as both men are miles away from home in the streets of Vietnam, creating their own sense of it as two individuals over a drink.
