Beverage Museums of the World

When travelling overseas, there are lots of things to see and do. Many of us party animals limit ourselves to the bars and nightclubs. The thought of heading to visit a museum I assume, is pretty boring? I know, standing around looking over art, pictures and old daggy bits of paraphernalia seems like the last thing you want to do on your holiday. There are however, a couple of museums I suggest checking out

Some of your favourite beverages have found homes in museums right around the world. Beer seems to be one of the most popular beverages according to the many international museums commemorating the drink, but others have popped up in the last few years. Here are Nastasia Campanella’s top four international beverage museums.

Four: Tequila Museum, Mexico
Opened in early 2010, the museum offers a complete sensery experience into the quintessential Mexican drink. Visiters to the museum will be able to smell and taste agave [the plant used to make the drink]. You can learn about the different types of tequila and discover the history behind the different methods of making the drink. I personally love that you can access the area via a train called “The Tequila Express”! Awesome! The train ride offers tequila tasting, food sampling and mariachi music, and obviously has a bar where you can sample it for yourself.

Three: Musee Du Vin, Paris
This museum is just a little look into the passionate love the French have for wine. If you’re a fan of a good drop this is the place for you. Here, you’ll find old vats, collectable bottles, instruments, objects and tools relating to vineyards and the historic wine culture. The story of how wine production has changed over time is told through pictures, articles, portraits, songs and weekly talks. There are glasses, decanters, corkscrews, barrels and wine presses on show. There is also a separate section where waxworks explain the wine making process and there is even a sculpture of Louis Pasteur – the man responsible for reviving the French wine culture.

Two: The Vodka Museum, Amsterdam
The museum features a small modern exhibit of the history of vodka (which is the 3rd most popular drink in bars and nightclubs worldwide behind beer and wine.) Old traditional bottles are on show here in all shapes and sizes from the one that looks like a machine gun to the bottle shaped like one of the Kremlins. The walls of the museum are lined with anti alcoholism propaganda and video instillations are set up around the place showing short films about the life of the tough drink. The museum also contains a bar, a lounge area and a shop selling more than 80 types of vodka. Most fun however, is when the professional bartenders give tasting and snacking tours. Here you’ll learn all about the long history of vodka, the interesting snacking culture which goes along with that, the production process and of course, the types and tastes of the drink.

One: Beer Museum, Japan
This place pays homage to the popular beverage right from the second you enter. In the entrance stands a large copper beer tank. One gallery contains marketing posters from as far back as 1950, while the area known as the Magic Vision Theatre shows a 3-D film projection of a made-up beer story. There is a wonderful chronological story told through colourful pictures as you walk around the museum, but one downfall is that all the facts and tails are written in Japanese and only Japanese. Sampling tables are dotted around the museum and the gift shop has some of the most amazing items to buy for the folks like beer soap and beer jell.

Or… you could just get drunk in any old bar, nightclub or pub

By Nastasia Campanella