Today I am travelling from Italy to Australia by air. From door to door, it’s a roughly 30 hour journey starting in Naples, flying to Munich, Singapore and finally, Sydney. It’s a long trip, and for refreshment I’ll be sampling airport beers from the Continent to Asia. 

The beers will be very loosely rated according to ambience (vibe) of the surroundings, quality and cost of the beer. Where possible, I’ll drink brews from the country that the airport is in.

Naples – 4:00PM CET
I’m starting at Naples Capodichino Aeroporto waiting for my gate to be announced. I’m sitting at a bar called Farine drinking a half pint of beer out of a plastic cup. The surroundings are pretty grim, even for an airport bar. There is a lot of rubbish around and a weird unidentifiable smell — which pretty much sums up Naples more generally. I’m travelling midweek so it’s mostly business people tapping away on their laptops and drinking espresso before making a short flight to elsewhere in Europe.

The beer I’m drinking is a Peroni Cruda, which is definitely one of my favourite Italian beers. It’s hoppy, creamy, unpasteurized and cost €6.10. Peroni Cruda is a great beer and it’s going down a treat. This is actually the first time I’ve had this beer on tap and it is delicious (although it would be even better in a real glass). A snack would be nice with my beer although I’m still pretty full from a massive pizza earlier so I didn’t bother buying anything to eat.

My fellow Aussies know that travelling to and from the northern hemisphere can be a long and painful process. With that in mind, starting the journey off right (with a beer) is important. Despite the plastic cup and less than ideal surroundings, I feel like I’m off to a good start

Vibe: 1 / 5
Beer: 4 / 5
Cost: 4 / 5

Related: Reviewing Italy’s Supermarket Beers

Munich – 8:30PM (CET)
After the short jump from Italy, I’ve arrived at Franz Josef Strauss International Airport in Munich. Specifically, I’ve arrived at Boconero Cafe Restaurant. This place is a pizzeria, cafe and bar and the pizzas and burgers surprisingly look fairly decent. Unfortunately, I arrived just as the kitchen closed so I’ll have to wait to see what kind of in-air delights the culinary experts at Lufthansa offer on the way to Singapore.

Upon sitting down with my (large) glass of beer the first two songs played at the bar are “Backstreet’s Back” by the Backstreet Boys and “I’ve got 5 on it” by Luniz. A strange selection but they are two wonderful songs that are perfect to drink to. With a good mix of people from around the globe and super friendly staff, the vibes are promising.

I’m drinking a Helles from Schlossbrauerei Kaltenberg and I have to say I’m impressed. Crisp, clean and just hoppy enough, it cost me €5.90. I’m not surprised the beer is great given that I’m in Germany (Munich, no less). I just wish I had a few more minutes to enjoy a second beverage….but alas onto gate G23 for the long haul to Singapore and hopefully another great beer!

Vibe: 4 / 5
Beer: 5 / 5
Cost: 4 / 5

Singapore – 6:00PM (SGT)
Munich to Singapore was a long but mostly uneventful flight. After something like 12 hours in the air drinking water and black coffee (and eating a particularly heinous “teriyaki” chicken) I was thirsty as hell. My Qantas flight was “re-timed” (airline speak for delayed) so I had time to sit down and enjoy a leisurely beer.

I found a funky little bar which is an outpost for Singapore’s first brewery: Archipelago. They had some of their own beers on tap as well as a few macros like Tiger and Heineken. The bar was modern with a tropical theme and there was seating around tasteful barrels or at tables under a fake mango tree. There is also a good selection of Singaporean food on offer and the staff were really friendly. No music which is a bit of a bummer, but otherwise a good place for a cold beverage.

To drink, I opted for the Tropical Pale Ale from Archipelago Brewery. Ale can be a risky choice in hot climates but this tropical pale was decent. It wasn’t offensively hoppy and had a great lingering passionfruit flavour. The only thing letting down this great beer was the price. $21.50SGD is a little steep for a pint in my opinion. I get it, airport beers are never going to be cheap but this seems a little high to me.

Vibe: 4 / 5
Beer: 4 / 5
Cost: 1 / 5

Travelling can be monotonous, especially when you’re in transit for over 24 hours. What better way to break up the trip than sampling some local beers? It’s worth mentioning that arriving in a strange country or timezone dehydrated and/ or hungover makes jet lag 1000% worse. If you’re going to drink in transit, there’s a few tips that I’ve picked up over the years:

• Stay hydrated: the dry air in the cabin and salty meals and snacks can really suck the moisture out of your body. If you’re going to drink, make sure you have plenty of water as well. A good rule of thumb is one glass of water for every glass of alcohol
• Alcohol and drugs don’t mix: if you take medication for anxiety or to sleep on the plane it’s best to avoid alcohol. The human body can have some extremely serious reactions when certain prescription medications are mixed with alcohol
• Be culturally aware: think about the country you are travelling to – what are their attitudes towards alcohol? It’s never a good idea to drink so much that you are outwardly drunk in public, but in some cultures you can find yourself in serious trouble if you’re wandering around drunk and belligerent 

Once upon a time I would drink heavily on flights out of sheer boredom. These days I love an airport beer but stay sober on the flight itself (with the exception of Air France which offers generous off-menu cognac after meal service). When travelling, I recommend quality over quantity, being respectful and drinking local.

Bon Voyage and Cheers!

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