Thirsty Thursday (The Swiss Beer Edition)

On our first night in Switzerland, our hosts took us out to dinner at a neighborhood restaurant in their small village (pop. 2000). My colleagues were drinking beer, so out of habit I asked my host to order a dark beer for me. As soon as I had spoken the words I wondered what I was getting myself into by ordering “dunkel bier” in Switzerland.

When the waitress poured the beer into my glass, I was relieved to see that it had a deep caramel color instead of the black-Guinness color I was afraid of.

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It had a smooth, rich flavor that went nicely with our dinner of “traditional” Swiss fondue–a big basket of bread cubes and a big pot of melted cheese. 😀 The alcohol content probably was pretty high–or it just hit me hard because of my jet lag.

When I was on my own a few nights later, I asked the waiter about this beer on the menu. He confirmed that it was a dark beer, and seemed surprised when I ordered it knowing that–maybe he expected an American woman to prefer a lighter beer!

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(Not the best pour!)

The label proclaims that this is an “authentic Belgian Abbey beer” with a “sweet caramel yet bitter taste.” It does have a bit of a bite, but it went well with the pumpkin soup (topped with foamed milk) with truffle ravioli (on the side) that I ordered for dinner.

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When I got home, I was surprised to see Leffe at the grocery store! Of course I bought some to enjoy at home.

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Are you wary of ordering unfamiliar foods in foreign countries, or are you more adventurous?

Do you have a good broth-based pumpkin soup recipe?

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5 Responses to Thirsty Thursday (The Swiss Beer Edition)

  1. Miz says:

    shoot
    see?
    now Im distracted. IT IS WEDNESDAY isnt it?!

  2. Prayers and Apples says:

    i've never traveled out of the country (well, i went to canada but that's as far as i got lol)… i think if i did go though i would try a little bit of everything! 🙂

  3. lgsmash says:

    yum! i'm a big fan of dark beers – and am totally an adventurous eater/drinker when traveling. does the leffe taste as good in the us as it did in switzerland?

  4. ThePurpleGiraffe says:

    Mmmm I love Leffe! They have a blonde version too, which is quite good! And now that I'm drooling over the thought of fondue, I think I'm gonna have to make some soon! Maybe I'll pair it with a dunkel! Thanks for linking up!

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