Ben Palmer
banner
johnzee7.bsky.social
Ben Palmer
@johnzee7.bsky.social
British and German dual citizen living in Berlin. Brewing scientist and PhD candidate at VLB Berlin. Former brewer and maltster. Posts about beer, cycling and Germany.
Reposted by Ben Palmer
I found this hilarious picture of the old interior of Schneider Weißbierbrauerei, presumably from before the rebuild 1901-1903. There's so much going on!
January 12, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Some Berlin pub toilet highlights, inspired by @willhawkes.bsky.social
January 10, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Foersters Feine Biere in Berlin is permanently closing on 1st February 2026, according to a post on their Instagram.

First Schneeeule, now this. Sad times for the Berlin beer scene.

www.instagram.com/p/DTIgjE9CLT...
foerstersfeinebiere on Instagram: "Liebe Freunde des Foersters,das Neue Jahr hat begonnen und schon kommt eine schlechte Nachricht.Wie haben das Foersters vor zwei Ja…"
Liebe Freunde des Foersters,das Neue Jahr hat begonnen und schon kommt eine schlechte Nachricht.Wie haben das Foersters vor zwei Jahren übernommen und wollten im Sinne von Sven, der vor 12 Jahren diesen Ort für feine Bierkultur ins Leben gerufen hat, das Geschäft weiterführen. Mit Herz & Verstand haben wir Altes / Gutes beibehalten und mit neuen Idee erweitert. Wir würden aus unserer Sicht sagen, dass es nicht erfolglos war, doch leider hat es nicht gereicht. Veränderungen des Gäste- & Konsumverhaltens, Kostenfaktoren, sowie die alltäglichen Schwierigkeiten die das Business mit sich bringt, zwingen uns zu dieser schwierigen und traurigen Entscheidung.Wir geben zum 01.02.2026 das Geschäft auf und müssen das Foersters Feine Biere schließen.Wir bedauern diese Entscheidung zutiefst, danken allen Menschen die in den letzten Jahren zu Gast bei uns waren. Einen besonderen Dank an all die Stammgäste die Woche für Woche bei uns eingekehrt sind und ein Teil unseres Lebens wurden. Wir werden Euch vermissen. Vielen Dank für die 2 Jahre Foersters Feine Biere.Liebe GrüßeMarta & MikeP.S.: Natürlich gibt es noch ein AbschlussBier. Zum letzten Umtrunk begrüßen wir Euch am 30.01.26 - Fässer & Kühlschränke leeren. Aber auch an allen anderen Tagen, die wir noch offen haben, freuen wir uns auf Euch. P.P.S.: Ich werde zusammen mit dem Vermieter versuchen eine Lösung bzw. Nachfolger zu finden, so dass dieser Ort für Bierkultur erhalten bleibt. Nur nicht mit uns….
www.instagram.com
January 5, 2026 at 3:18 PM
My @thestorygraph.com 2025 reading round-up. I read 57 books in 2025, which is the most I've ever read in a year by some margin.

Here are my top 5 books that I read last year, in no particular order:

🧵📚
January 1, 2026 at 11:28 AM
I'm travelling with the brand new @deutschebahn.com ICE L train from Cologne to Berlin.

It was quite bizarre, but not completely unexpected, to see a České dráhy locomotive pulling the Deutsche Bahn train into the Köln Hauptbahnhof. 🚂🇨🇿🇩🇪
December 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
My Belgian #Crossmas trip may be coming to an end but not before a final stop at the Brauerei Päffgen for some Kölsch.

I may have factored in a 3-hour stopover in Cologne on my return train journey to Berlin.
December 29, 2025 at 11:52 AM
My first visit to the La Fleur en Papier Doré in Brussels, in the excellent company of @elderberryst.bsky.social.

It is such a cosy bar with the added bonus of Brasserie de la Senne beers on draught.

#Crossmas 🎄🚴
December 28, 2025 at 8:53 PM
It was especially nice to see the Belgian CX fans cheering on Wout Van Aert.

It was a fantastic day out in Dendermonde.

#Crossmas 🎄🚴
December 28, 2025 at 5:41 PM
It's a beautiful day for cyclocross today in Dendermonde ☀️🇧🇪

#Crossmas 🎄🚴
December 28, 2025 at 1:15 PM
No cyclocross today but instead I spent the afternoon in the excellent company of @bonsvoeux1.bsky.social and Theresa at 't Brugs Beertje in Bruges.

Draught Stille Nacht from De Dolle Brouwers is probably the beer of the trip, so far at least.

#Crossmas 🎄🚴
December 27, 2025 at 7:41 PM
The first pub of #Crossmas is Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant in Ghent.

Gouden Carolus Christmas beer is on draught and tasting excellent.
December 26, 2025 at 6:48 PM
#Crossmas day 1/5 🎄🚴

UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Gavere. Great crowds today and an exciting battle between MVDP and Nys for the win.
December 26, 2025 at 5:21 PM
I read this fantastic article about cyclocross in @pelliclemag.com earlier this year.

Inspired by @katiematherkm.bsky.social's winter travels, I'm currently at the Berlin Hauptbahnhof in -8°C temperatures waiting for the sleeper train to Brussels.

Happy #Crossmas, day 0/5 🎄🚴
December 25, 2025 at 9:55 PM
My mother-in-law went in hard on the book gifts this year.

@plattenbauberlin.bsky.social @berlintypography.bsky.social
December 25, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Reposted by Ben Palmer
Wedding, Berlin. 20th December 2025.
December 20, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Today I took part in our annual sensory competition, organised by @silentdan.bsky.social and VLB sensory panel as a fun, optional event.

The goal is to guess the beer style, ABV and any non-Reinheitsgebot ingredients in six anonymised samples, the most correct guesses wins.
December 16, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Last night I watched Radiohead play a concert in Berlin. It was definitely one of the best live performances I've ever seen.

My favourite moment was when Jonny Greenwood was playing the piano and the glockenspiel at the same time.
December 12, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Reposted by Ben Palmer
One of my more unusual homebrew projects I've tried so far is home-malting. Not just any malt, but air-dried wheat malt to approximate a historic malt for Bavarian wheat beer. First, I steeped the grains in water for about 36 hours during which it gained about 50% in weight. Then came the sprouting.
December 11, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Reposted by Ben Palmer
Half a lifetime ago, I packed a bag and moved to Dresden, Germany, for the summer. This fall I went back twice to research a weekend guide to the Saxon capital for @nytimes.com Travel. (It’s still funky, especially dear old Neustadt. BRN forever, my dudes.)
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
36 Hours in Dresden, Germany: Things to Do and See (Gift Article)
History never feels out of reach in the capital of Saxony, lush with avant-garde art, restored Baroque architecture and one of Europe’s oldest Christmas markets.
www.nytimes.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Good morning from the Brauerei Spezial in Bamberg.

Pro tip: if you order a "gewärmtes", your beer will be gently heated with an immersion heater, which knocks out some of the carbonation.
November 30, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Weekend trip to Bamberg (again)
November 29, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by Ben Palmer
Yesterday's dinner: nohut dürüm. Chickpeas pan-fried with spices (cumin and chili powder) and wrapped in a thin flatbread with a simple salad of parsley, red onions, lemon juice and sumac. Absolutely delicious, and so incredibly easy to make.
November 16, 2025 at 6:02 PM
My half-baked plan to attend Paris-Roubaix in spring 2026 just became very real.
BREAKING: European Sleeper will start a Paris-Berlin sleeper train from 26 March 2026, after Nightjet pulls out in December.
It'll run via Brussels (with Eurostar connection from London) 3 times a week. This + existing train = Brussels-Berlin 6 times a week. www.europeansleeper.eu/paris
November 12, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Happy Karneval from Berlin 🤡

#Alaaf
November 11, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Reposted by Ben Palmer
At Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin with @akrennmair.bsky.social, @louisekrennmair.bsky.social and @johnzee7.bsky.social. Very strange to be with beer people again 😜
November 10, 2025 at 8:00 PM