Beer lovers rejoice – the dark times where you had to order ‘a beer’ are over. The worldwide trend to treat beer with the same respect you would show towards wine – watching out for different smells, consistencies, degrees of hoppiness, etc – has arrived to Zurich.

And when you talk about bars dedicated to this celebration of special brews two spring to mind. One is Langstrasse’s ‘Kaiser Franz’ (mentioned in another post), the other is the ‘El Dorado’. While Kaiser Franz frequently rotates their beers, the El Dorado keeps a selection of exactly 101 special bottles from around the world. This not only gives you enough time to taste them all – from the Swiss Trois Dames Espresso Stout to the British Black Sheep Ale – but each time you order a new beer your progress is registered in the bar’s database. And what lies at the end of this long and potentially blurry road filled with 101 tasty beverages? A bottle opener engraved with your name that is hung behind the bar for everyone to see. And the right to boast about it as much as you wish. The authors personal favorite: the Westmalle Trappist Tripel – the Belgians just know how to work their magic.

This is truly the El Dorado for beer lovers.