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Highlanders & Monsters

Published on 24 June 2025

This Tuesday I had quite a normal day in Aberdeen: no train travel, no ferries, no hashing. So it was an excellent opportunity to visit some of the attractions I hadn’t been to yet, and basically just have an easy and relaxing day in the Granite City.

The day started with a breakfast bagel at So NYC Bagels & Brew. The place felt a bit more fast food than I expected, but the bagel was tasty nonetheless. From there I hopped on a bus to get to The Gordon Highlanders Museum, to learn all about this other famous Scottish regiment.

Since I was in the West end of Aberdeen anyway, I had my coffee and lemon drizzle cake at Figment, who roast their own coffee right there.

Back on the bus to the centre then, to the Aberdeen Art Gallery. I went there specifically to check out the Monsters of the Deep and the View of Aberdeen exhibitions.

My second coffee stop of the day was at Milkjug—where the staff was very friendly and engaging—but after that it was finally time to taste some more beers!

I first stopped by at BrewDog Union Square again, since I forgot to bring my Beer Visa 3.0 last time, and it was about time I started claiming some of those awards as well! Of course I couldn’t skip the OG BrewDog bar, the Gallowgate one!
The nearby 61° North bar apparently turned into Smoke and Soul, but apart from the name, not a lot seems to have changed. Even the glasses are still the same!

For dinner I had put 8848 in my calendar, and I kind of forgot why. Turns out it was actually an award winning Nepalese restaurant. The number 8848 did ring a bell, but it was only when I opened the menu it became clear why it is called that: it’s the height in meters of Mount Everest! The service was excellent from the get go, and when I ordered the ‘bread basket’, with a mix of different kinds of naan, they advised against it since it would be too much for one person. Others would just have taken the extra £10… They were definitely right, and a just simple portion of garlic and coriander naan was exactly the right amount!

As for the food itself: by Jove, this was the best southeast Asian cooking I’ve ever had, from starter to dessert. I usually don’t even order dessert, but after such a great starter and main, I simply had to try one of the desserts as well!

To end the day, I also popped into the Fierce Bar—their Iron Brew really tasted like Irn-Bru—and once again, BrewDog Castlegate.

Castles, Gardens & Woods

Castles, Gardens & Woods

Published on 23 June 2025

A last goodbye, and I was back in Aberdeen on my own… I had a full schedule of bus rides and castle visits ahead of me though, and some catching up to do on writing my blog post for the past weekend!

Somehow amidst all the planning I forgot Travelodge Aberdeen Central actually doesn’t have room to store baggage before check-in… Luckily there was a Nannybag location available nearby! It would only open at nine though, so I first went for my cortado at The Cult of Coffee.

Bag dropped off, I then boarded my Stagecoach to get to Crathes Castle. This 16th-century castle doesn’t only have an interior worth viewing, but also an incredible walled garden, complete with beautiful doocot!

The second castle of the day was just a short ride back down the road: Drum Castle. The oldest part of the building, the Tower of Drum, was already given to the Irvine family by Robert the Bruce in 1323!

Finally back in the centre, I picked up my bag again, checked into my hotel, and went out again to eat a little something. The Craftsman Company sadly doesn’t roast their own coffee anymore—the old machine broke down—but they do make a nice cheesy eggs and bacon bagel! I had just a little bit of time left before I needed to get ready for tonight’s run, so I popped into BrewDog Union Square for a beer.

Changed into my running kilt, I was then picked up by another hasher to head a little bit outside of the city, to run with Aberdeen H3. There was a big turnout, with quite a few visitors, all of them hashers who were at the Shetland event as well.

Once back home, after a shower and a change, I went for a nightcap at BrewDog Castlegate, the only one of BrewDog‘s three Aberdeen bars open as late as midnight on a Monday…

Travel Day

Travel Day

Published on 20 June 2025

This Friday was to be another travel day: a train, two buses, and a ferry… Well, I could have saved myself the two buses, but then I would have missed out on a quick stop at a brewery!

On a check-out day, just having breakfast in the hotel is the most convenient, so that’s what I did. All packed and dressed for a hot day, I headed to Inverness station to catch the ScotRail train to Inverurie. Unfortunately the airconditioning wasn’t working, so even in first class, I was in for a sauna… Luckily the train conductor kept his sense of humour!

With a slight delay, I arrived in Inverurie, where I had a couple of beers in the local BrewDog, conveniently located right next to the bus station. There I got on the Watermill Coach that would get me to Ellon.

Those who know me—or beer—immediately realise Ellon is where the main BrewDog brewery is, and the DogTap attached to it. Since my stay in Inverurie was too short to have lunch—especially after my train had a slight delay—I had my All the Meats Sub and some dragon fries at DogTap.

A Stagecoach bus then brought me back to Aberdeen, where I met up with couple of dozen of hashers at the Krakatoa bar. It was no coincidence that we met right next to the harbour, since we all had the get on the same NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick: the Hrossey.

After boarding, I made myself comfortable in my room, had a curry for dinner in the Magnus Lounge, and then joined the other hashers again for some beers. When I finally decided to go to bed, it was still light outside…

Paris Beer Festival: The Festival

A hand holding up a glass of stout, people in the background

Paris Beer Festival: The Festival

Published on 24 May 2025

While the Paris Beer Festival actually is a whole week of activities, it culminates in a more classic beer festival—brewery stands in a big hall, where you get your tasting glass filled—in the weekend at the end of that week.

But first… Coffee! I found a tiny roaster in the Marché Beauvau, not far from the festival venue. When I got to Early Bird, I was unexpectedly welcomed by a barista / coffee roaster with a thick Irish accent, and some really nice coffee and cake.

The Marché Beauvau covered market. And a normal market in front of it…

A cortado, an espresso, and a piece of cake on a bar. Early Bird branded insulated behind them, and the espresso machine covered with stickers

The Paris Beer Festival closing event was at Ground Control, a venue that is both an event space and a food market, set in a giant warehouse once used by the French National Railway Service (SNCF). That means it was also open for people not interested in the festival, leading to a very mixed public. Since no beer list was published in advance, I spent the first hour checking out all the brewery stands, adding beers to try later to my list… That list quite quickly grew out of control, since a lot of the—mostly French—breweries, I hadn’t seen at any other festivals or in beer bars before!

Keeping well fed is essential when drinking that many beers, so after finishing my list, I had a butter chicken naan wrap from Burning Naan.

A glass of beer in front of stacked beer cans

Hand holding up a small, filled Craftmaster beer glass

It was actually a Paris/Brussels hasher who brought this festival to my attention, and he was there as well, of course. He introduced me to some other Paris hashers, whom I’ll see more of tomorrow.

Before diving into the imperial stouts, I definitely needed another meal, it was time for some more sustenance, so I got myself a nice truffle carbonara pasta from Solina.

Some weird, hand cranked, wall mounted telephone

Glass of beer on a railing, some greenery behind it, and a woman sticking out her tongue

An industrial building, crowds of people in front of it

When there was only fifty cents left on my cashless card, I decided it was time to call it a day, and headed back to the hotel. More beers tomorrow!

A cartoon of a fencer attached to a cable, attacking two surprised people in trainers

Paris Beer Festival: The Bars

Five small stemmed glasses filled with beer on a bar, tap handles in the background.

Paris Beer Festival: The Bars

Published on 23 May 2025

I’m back in Paris! This time the reason for my visit is a beer festival—my first French one—and a run—also my first French one!

I didn’t try any of the newer—cheaper—train options available, but took the comfortably quick Eurostar again. After arrival, I whipped out my Navigo card—which surprisingly still had a lot of rides on it—to take the métropolitain to my hotel for the weekend, the ibis Paris la Villette, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. After check-in, some coffee and banana bread at Kaffeebar 19, I was ready for an afternoon and evening of beer bars and breweries!

The slanted nose of a red Eurostar high speed train, waiting at the platform in Brussels Midi. The red lights give away this actually is the back of the train.

A busy platform in the station, red Eurostar trains on either side.

Paris Nord station in the background, an art nouveau style metro entrance in the foreground.

With some places only opening at four or five, it was a bit of a puzzle. However, in the end I had a schedule that enabled me to visit all the bars and breweries I picked out for this trip! First up was Paname Brewing Company, near my hotel.

A beer on the bar at Paname Brewing Company.

A brewer between his kettles and tanks at Paname Brewing Company.

After that I had to take the metro again to get to Le BaB OPERA. While they didn’t actually have a Paris Beer Festival event on Friday, they still had most beers from a Nuka Brewing tap takeover the day before.