The Long Road South

by Beer Sommelier KewJune 22, 2023

A Belgian brewer joked to me a number of years ago that if you drive in Belgium for an hour you will then be in another country. A bit harsh to be honest. Admittedly there are parts of the country that are pretty narrow but I recall making the trip from Eupen on the German border to Brouwerij Rodenbach. Just shy of three hours. And I was still in Belgium. I took a group on a tour of Southern Wallonie and after picking up a member of our gang from Ieper, we began the long trip south via a tour of Brouwerij Deca by Pol Meersman.

As usual Pol gave an excellent tour which for the first time in my experience included the open fermenters. We finished off with a beer tasting masterclass of Dikke Jan beers. Pol also let me know that he was barrel-ageing some of his Quadruple and a month later I returned to the brewery to pick some up for Christmas. This was the last time that I saw Pol as he suddenly passed away in February. I will miss his friendship and generosity. RIP Pol.

Once you get past Brussels the drive south is pretty straightforward with long, straight roads recently resurfaced and we managed to make up some time despite the rain. Our hotel was La Porte de France with a nice bar and restaurant and a substantial breakfast. After dinner and a few local beers at Roy de la Mule (King of Mussels no less) it was time to sample the local bars with the favourites being La Vieille Ardenne, Brasserie des Ramparts and L’Artistide with its aged collection of Orval.

Our first full day in Wallonie was a northwest trip from Bouillon. First stop was the Espace Chimay – getting in nice and early and avoiding any crowds. Time for some delicious trappist beer paired with their Chimay cheese. The oldest and most commercial Trappist brewery, the brewery at Abbaye de Scourmont was established in 1862. Their four cheeses have been in production since 1876 and include a rind-washed one with Chimay beer, a semi-hard pressed cheese, the Grand Cru and the Old Chimay which have been matured for six weeks and six months respectively.

Onward to Brasserie des Fagnes in Mariembourg, this tiny microbrewery was founded in 1998 and is very popular with families and coach parties. The brewery museum includes a micro kit that produces seasonal and special brews with the more popular brands being contract brewed at Brasserie du Bocq, just off the Meuse River in Purnode. Note: a trip along the river by bike, car or especially boat is highly recommended. And while you’re there visit the Musee des Bieres Belges in Lustin. The menu at des Fagnes is substantial with their specialty being the Croute des Fagnes, a tartiflette that kept me full until bedtime. A full range of their beers was on offer and being the driver I tried the table beer Cuvee Junior with aromas of caramel and cola. Sigh…

Heading a short distance north we drove towards Lac de l’Eau d’Eeure and arrived at Cerfontaine, home to Au Pere Sarrasin and Brasserie Silenrieux. Friday afternoon meant that we had the bar to ourselves. Founded in 1991 the brasserie is situated next to the cafe and Silenrieux specialises in less-known brewing grains such as buckwheat and spelt. The gang tucked into a range of blondes, ambers, brunes, tripels and the winter beer. This is a friendly cafe on the banks of one of the streams that connect the lakes. And next door to Golden Frites Barrage no less.

As we left Cerfontaine, the night began to draw in and we had to head south on a one hour drive. We were making our way deep into the forest about 10 minutes outside our base. Brasserie Rochehaut was founded in 1996 on the crest of the valley. Family-friendly it boasts a large restaurant featuring Belgian Black Angus grills, a brewery shop and full bar next to the brewery. For children there is a play park, wildlife park and agricultural museum. Locally sourced soft water gives the beers a delicate touch and the five core ranges are supplemented by regular specials. This is an impressive brewery destination with great beer, food and service. Recommended. A 10 minute pitch black drive saw us arrive back at Bouillon where we settled in to La Vieille Ardenne for the evening.

After a delicious breakfast it was time to head south. First stop was Brasserie Rulles in Habay, founded by Gregory Verhelst in 2000. We were shown around the brewery by Olivier Barthelemy as Gregory was busy with setting up his beer festival. Rulles produce some fantastic beers and are very proud of the open fermentation with their Orval-based yeast strain (Orval also carry out lab analysis of their beers, for free!). In addition to US hops the brewery is now embracing continental varieties from the nearby Alsace region. Rulles’ dry hopped IPAs come across with great balance and refreshing bitterness, not something that you usually find in most less elegant Belgian IPAs. Everyone enjoyed Olivier’s generous tasting and we bid him farewell for a couple of hours before catching up with him at the festival.

Time for lunch at the excellent A l’Ange Gardien opposite Abbaye d’Orval. I’ve been meaning to visit for many years and the experience certainly didn’t disappoint. Even the driver had to sample a Petit Orval which at 4.5% seems to have even more fruity notes than regular Orval. Possibly the smaller version of its bigger brother has a more generous dry hop addition. The food is excellent with the full range of Belgian classics alongside smaller snacks and cheeses. I couldn’t resist a carbonnade with Orval beer and it was enough to keep me full until bedtime. The abbey is stunning, originally founded in the 11th century it was burnt down in 1793. The Cistercians hired Henri Vaes to build a new Art Deco abbey in 1926 and the brewery was commissioned in 1931. Henri designed the beer bottle and glass too. The stunning valley setting is responsible for the abbey’s name – valley of gold.

Following lunch we headed to the main event, the 20th edition of Brassigaume. Named after the local region – the Gaume – the festival was founded and is organised by Gregory from Brasserie Rulles. It’s a lovely, small, inclusive festival featuring mostly local producers plus 7 other breweries from Italy, Luxembourg, Poland and the UK (Tiger Tops). This is a proper rustic beer festival where you can buy beer and basic food with no sight of a corporate sponsor or mega brewer anywhere. The breweries were Rulles, Ermitage, Millevertus, Deseveaux, Cooperative Liegeoise, La Semois, La Source, Atrium, Cazeau, Gembloux, La Lesse, Heritage, Minne, Experiment’Ale, La Croix, De Liege, Peak, Blaughies, Rochehaut, Gzub (Pol), Bare Brewing (Lux), Tiger Tops (UK) and No Tomorrow, 50 & 50, Sagrin and EMOD (Ita). One of the highlights was Philippe from Brasserie Minne shouting ‘Sanglier’ at full bore (no pun intended) every 15 minutes – with the festival crowd answering him with the same. It ws eventually time to head back to the hotel where some of the gang opted to go for dinner and I saw out the night with some cellar aged Orval at L’Artistide.

Sunday saw the gang head East for a special request made by the group to visit Brasserie Lupulus. Founders of Achouffe, Chris Bauweraerts and Pierre Gobron had opened a brewpub in 2004 in Courtil called Les 3 Fourquets. Pierre and his sons took ownership in 2008 and renamed it Lupulus, referring to the wolf and the hop. Highly hopped and elegant, Lupulus’ beers are highly rated and sought after. The brewery is modern and has the capacity to package beers for other local brewers. During the pandemic they took delivery of much of the beer that couldn’t be sold and distilled it into a special spirit. The taproom and shop is inviting and well worth a visit if you’re in this beautiful part of Wallonie.

Sticking with the theme we headed off to another beautiful nearby village and the home of the eponymously named Brasserie Achouffe. Since the take over by Duvel in 2006 the brand has expanded its reach worldwide. You can still visit the tasting cafe and shop, sit back and sup a Chouffe and admire the gorgeous view.

It was then time to head across the country past Brasserie Fantome, Comte Hener and Inter Pol and to stop at a couple of cafes along the way. Our final destination was the legendary Brasserie Caracole in Falmignoul near Dinant. Founded in 1990, this family-owned wood-fired brewhouse began life in the late 18th century. I last visited about 20 years ago and it hasn’t changed a bit. A lot of their beers contain spices with varying degrees of success. I plumped for a Nostradamus which was delicious. Soon it was time to leave and head back to Bouillon for our farewell dinner at the always excellent Hotel de France Auberge d’Alsace.

Finally it was time to leave Bouillon and Wallonie. After a quick supermarket visit it was back on to the highway for the three hour drive to our lunch stop. Lunch was at Koffehuis de Hofnar in Gullegem. Run by Gabi and Frank they offer delicious snacks, pastries, lunches and deliciousBelgian beer from small producers. Originally from Germany Gabi kindly gifted me a delicious Hopperbrau Helles from her hometown. This is a perfect place for breakfast or lunch and the beer range is superb. Note: bring cash as they only accept Belgian payment cards.

Last but never least was a visit to my dear friends at Brouwerij ‘t Verzet. Alex treated us to a great tour and ran through the brewing process before the highlight which is always the barrel room. He then took us through the range of beers – the regulars, oud bruin infusions and bootlegs. I never tire of visiting these guys and after enjoying tours from Koen, Leopold and Alex over the years its interesting to see how each member fo the team has their own focus and way of delivery.

Following a quick shop at Verzet it was time to make the one and a half hour drive to Calais and onward to London. Such a great trip with a lovely group of people who made it a special tour. I would urge you to visit Wallonie if you haven’t done so already. Its beauty is stunning and there are lovely beers to be found there.

Cheers!

Photo credits Richard Landon

Oud Bruin – old fashioned or is it just about the name?

by Beer Sommelier KewNovember 22, 2021

I first met Marc Coesens of Brouwerij Liefmans about 3 and a half years ago. While enjoying his generous hospitality and in particular the refreshingly quaffable Oud Bruin, Marc lamented the decline in popularity of this wonderful beer. Oud Bruin is a blend of old and young beer which provide a harmonious balance of mature malt aromas, sweet youthful flavours and a subtle refreshing sour backbone which is both thirst-quenching and addictive. He reflected that it was viewed as an old-fashioned beer and that younger beer enthusiasts overlooked it for more exciting modern beers. A few weeks ago I took some industry colleagues on a tour of mixed fermentation breweries in Flanders – rood bruins – and lambic breweries and blenderies in Pajottenland. I asked Marc if he still wanted to update the Oud Bruin brand by renaming it Odnar which is a heritage brand from the brewery’s past. Marc pointed out that Odnar was named after previous owners of the brewery and was an abbreviation of the brewery name around the turn of the nineteenth century. Marc lamented that the younger beer market wouldn’t get excited by a beer called ‘old brown’ and was hopeful of a re-brand in the future. I can see what he means about the name. But the beer remains a delight and there is no better place to enjoy it than the tasting bar at Liefmans while Marc is in full storytelling flow.

My colleagues and I were in Belgium for the Dag van de Oude Geuze festival which was back after a Covid-enforced hiatus (more about this on a later post). On our way to our base in Halle we popped in to Brouwerij Verhaeghe in Vichte where we met retired teacher and local historian Pol Ostyn for a history lesson held in the old horse stables which is now a tasting cafe and tour of this amazing brewery. Founded in 1885 by Paul Verhaeghe the brewery became a popular supplier of beer to Brussels due to its location next to the Vichte train station. The First World War ended the brewery’s association with Brussels and they focussed more regionally, producing their first bottom fermenting beer. Karl and Peter Verhaeghe now run the brewery, Karl on the management side and Peter in the brewhouse. Today, Verhaeghe is better know globally for its rood bruin Duchesse de Bourgogne, a blend of 8 month and 18th month old beers matured in oak barrels and name after Duchesse Mary of Burgundy who was born in Brussels. Locally, Vichtenaar another rood bruin is the beer of choice. Of course the Foeder Hall was the highlight of the brewery tour before we settled back in the old stables where Pol gave us a very generous tasting of Verhaeghe beers. Well generous to the others, I was driving!

Our next stop just had to be Brouwerij Rodenbach in Roeselare and not just because this year they celebrate their 200th anniversary! In fact the anniversary relates to when the Rodenbach brothers bought an existing brewery on Spanjestraat (one of two located there at the time). The site has been brewing since the 17th century and back in the day they brewed lambic. One can never get tired of visiting Rodenbach, especially the majestic Foeder Halls but this visit was to be extra special as Rudi Ghequire was to give us a private tour, including the original brewhouse which was closed in 2002. It was quite an honour to walk in Rudi’s steps and experience the old brewhouse – the mash tuns, kettles, lauter vessels, and possibly the largest koelship I’ve ever seen. And he’s been treading these steps for almost 40 years. The whole experience was a privilege.

Of course, no visit to Rodenbach is complete without a walk through the breathtaking Foeder Halls. 294 of these magnificent wooden structures exist, some of which are 150 years old. It is from these foeders that beers are matured to create Rodenbach Classic, Grand Cru, Vintage, Charactere Rouge, Alexander and Rosso. Rudi shared another special treat – his new beer which has been produced especially for the 200 year anniversary Rodenbach Red Tripel is an 8.2% abv tripel blended with a two year old beer. Its an extremely clean beer and drinks way below 8.2%. Refreshing, malty, fruity and lots of complex malt and wood character. A little know fact is that Eugene Rodenbach carried out some brewing training in England prior to taking over the brewery as manager in 1878. It is here where he learned the art of maturing beer in wooden casks and blending young and old beers. You can learn all about it from the anniversary book ‘Rodenbach 200 years: History Poured in a Bottle, History Written in a Bottle’

So Marc at Liefmans was lamenting the decline of his beloved Oud Bruin and reflecting that younger consumers struggle to get excited by a beer called ‘old brown’. This could be true but seems to have been lost on the team at Brouwerij ‘t Verzet in Anzegem. These dudes first appeared on the scene as gypsy brewers 10 years ago – they were known as Brouwers Verzet back then as they didn’t have a brewhouse of their own. That all changed in March 2016 when their brewery produced its first beer. Known foremost for their devotion to oud bruin, Koen and Alex also produce a range of blonds, porters, IPAs and anything they find interesting. Their thirst for experimentation has also taken the oud bruin style to another level. Each year sees the release of their celebrated range of oud bruin infusions, using additions of different fruits and even oak leaves. And it doesn’t end there. Kameradski Balsamico is a Russian Imperial Stout/Oud Bruin hybrid at 13.5%, while Super Boil extends the time in the kettle from 1.5 hours to 16 hours, producing a much richer and caramel-forward beer. A method that is rumoured to have taken place in the distant past. For their 10 years anniversary the team will also be hosting their first Oud Bruin Festival in Kortrijk held over 2 days Friday and Saturday 10th/11th December. The event will feature 33 breweries and includes a number of masterclasses presented by the visiting breweries. Not to be missed!

Brouwerij Liefmans was the last mixed fermentation brewery of our trip. Experiencing Marc Coesens’ hospitality, driven by his infectious personality is a real delight. Marc clearly loves to entertain guests with stories regarding the brewery and his life in beer. After over 21 years at Duvel in Moortgat where he ran the brewery lab he moved close to home to take over Brouwerij Liefmans in July 2008 when Duvel bought the then bankrupt brewery and brought it back to life. The history of the brewery began in 1679 in the centre of Oudenaarde. In 1750 Jacobus Liefmans relocated the brewery to its current site on the banks of the river Scheldt and it took until the 20th Century before Liefmans began adding cherries to their tanks and launched their kriek beers. Things took off under the eye of Rosa Merckx who joined the brewery in 1946. It was Rosa who recognised that to increase their popularity, the mixed fermentation beers needed to be less tart and she reworked many of the breweries recipes. She became the first recognised female brewmaster in Belgium and took over the management of the brewery in 1972. Madame Rosa still lives next door to the brewery and regularly pops in to pick up a bottle or 2. A true beer legend.

Part 2 of this blog will focus on Dag van de Oude Geuze and the breweries and blenderies that we visited along the way. Cheers!

FOMO? Back to Belgian Beer Festivals!

by Beer Sommelier KewSeptember 9, 2021

Bier van Olier Bierfestival photo Frank Debels

FOMO. Or FOMBBF – Fear of missing Belgian Beer Festivals. Back in August we were spending a weekend at my Mum’s place in Wales. Looking out of the windows at the wonderful and persistent Welsh rain I stole a glance at my phone for messages and saw an announcement that Belgium had belatedly acknowledged the NHS Covid Pass and that travel to beer heaven was possible again. There was just one snag. I had booked crossings and a place to stay for a 15 day break based in Brugge which was due to start that very day. But I’d cancelled the trip as we were still barred from entering Belgium. Talk about rubbing salt into recently opened wounds, sigh….

So after Wales it was back to work on the Monday – beer judging, brewery tours, more beer judging – but the FOMO knowledge that friends of ours from the US had already been in Belgium for two months started to gnaw away at me. And finally we decided to book a last minute week’s trip to Belgium and cram in 15 days of activity into 6 days (excluding a day in quarantine). Once the Covid pre-travel, during and post travel requirements were taken care of – half a day I will never get back – we were fit to fly. Or drive. And we finally made it back to Belgium. Just.

We managed to catch up with almost everyone during our brief stay. Museums that we previously failed to visit were ticked off. And luckily we were in town during the Triennial art installation and worked up a huge thirst walking the routes to view the exhibits – always a treat every 3 years. I even went for a swim in the canals. Yes, in Bruges! For a number of years now the city has dredged the floor of the Coupure canal up by where it meets the Groenerei. As long as you don’t mind the cannonballing young lads or the occasional swan for company this is a truly invigorating experience. And the water tastes clean..

So after a busy week of walking, talking, drinking, swimming, eating, etc it was with anticipation that we waited for the (hopefully correct) bus to take us to the Bier van Olier Bierfestival in Sijsele. This year it was located in a huge abandoned military barracks just outside the village, a suitable location in these times providing plenty of space and fresh air with both inside and outside seating, some childrens play areas and food. My first Belgian beer festival for 18 months didn’t disappoint. This third edition (2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic) featured 18 small producers, many from within this part of West Flanders.

Gigant Microbrouwerij photo Frank Debels

Evaluating the Apero Cult photo Caitlin Mackesy Davies

As in the UK beer festivals are a great opportunity to catch up with friends and many of our favourite small breweries were on show. Note: bring cash to buy jetons and glasses if you don’t have a Bancomat card. One of the highlights was recent World Beer Awards medallist Gigant, a small microbrewery based in Adinkerke. Their Apero Cult is a ‘Piconesk’ beer using a contemporary range of hops and flavour editions to evoke the sensory experience of this cult French aperitif. 6.4% abv. Sure Thing is a ‘beachy tripel’ using Galician samphire and seaweed. 7.7% abv. Lovely folks and I really enjoyed their beers.

Filip Vanhulle and Kristiaan Ampe photo Frank Debels

It’s always great to catch up with Kristiaan from Bar Belge especially after almost 2 years. It was even better to learn that he and Filip now have a site of their own in Zedelgem and that there are more beers sitting alongside their award-winning amber ale. I tried their Bar Blanche, a refreshingly vibrant Witbier that should be just as popular as the amber. 5.8% abv. Its also impressive to see that they have added to Belgium’s rapidly expanding no and lo alcohol range with Bar BO, coming in at a gentle 0.4% abv.

No Dirk De Meester as he was away on holiday (ironically I had bumped into him at Bierhalle Deconinck earlier in the week). But his team had brought 13 different beers to the festival and were also sharing their space with Punaise, the bar who has been brewing at De Meester. I love Dirk’s beers especially his dark ones which are so rich and malty. But for a change I decided to sample his bourbon barrel-aged Maitre Tripel instead. Quality as always and a cheeky 9% abv. It’s always a treat to catch up with Eli at Brugs Bierinstituut and I was interested you hear that he has been distilling during lockdown with the Belgian on trade drying up. I wasn’t in the mood for gin but knowing Eli I’m confident that his Den Yzeren Armgin which includes a distillation of his beer is a classic.

Gijzelse Microbrouwerij photo Frank Debels

Tom and Jonas Skollman No Bollshit Just Craft Beer photo Frank Debels

Robin and Yannick De Pelsmacker’s brewery ‘t Gijzelaarke is a four year old microbrewery set up by these beer-crazy brothers. I hadn’t tried their beers before and was mightily impressed by their 7.5% abv Dubbel. Located just South east of Gent they suplement their Blond, Dubbel, Tripel and Saison beers with gin and cheese. Must be worth a visit! Earlier in the week I had the privilege to celebrate quarantine release with Jonas Schollaert at Cafe Republiek and ‘t Brugs Beertje. A fellow beer nut and expert on all things Trappist, when not busy with his day job as a geography lecturer he makes excellent beers with his mate Tom. One of the best Saisons out there and I had a sneaky taste of their test batch DIPA which was delicious. Skollman are currently making their beers at Gulden Spoor/De Feniks.

Brouwerij Siphon Franklin Verdonck and Kim van Opdurp photo Frank Debels

Brouwerij De Vier Monniken Jeroen Gunst photo Frank Debels

When I last spent some time chatting to Franklin Verdonck, he was still working with Breandan Kearney and Siphon Brewing was firmly established at the eponymous restaurant just outside of Damme. Things change quickly. Franklin has decided to go on his own and is hopefully moving to a new location in Gent. What hasn’t changed is the quality of their beers and his Zwaluw Rye Session Ale is a banger at 3.3% abv. I was also lucky to meet his wife Kim aka Zytholicous. Hopefully the next time we meet up it will be in their new location. Jeroen Gunst one of De Vier Monniken was on form. In fact Jeroen is always on form, such a nice guy. He was keen for me to try his newly brewed IPA yet was unsure that it had a big enough hop profile for the style. He needn’t be worried as it is a perfectly balanced beer and I’m looking forward to tasting it again when they start packaging it.

Plenty of space, room to sit and lots of fresh air photo Frank Debels

Other breweries attending the event included BramBrass from Zwevegem, Houtlandse Brouwers from Moereveld, Blommecaes in Gent, Beer van Brugge, Brouwerij Ruimtegist in Kortrijk, Bieren Boels from Sint Niklaas, Castalia in Zonnebeke, Crystaklstick from Halle, Brouwerij Benoit in Kortrijk and Rostune in Beernem. Really well run, plenty of space, sparging stations for glass cleaning – all you need for a beer festival in these interesting times. Cheers!

London is Open!

by Beer Sommelier KewMay 7, 2021May 12, 2021

So after such a long time away in a virtual world it was fantastic to return to hosting in-person brewery tours over the past couple of weekends. Apart from the freedom to travel, being able to meet and greet customers personally is what I have missed most during lockdowns. Add to that the wonderful teams in all the many taprooms and breweries that welcome and look after us. So it was a real treat to return to Bethnal Green, Hackney and Bermondsey.

Up until Step 3 of the roadmap on the 17th May we are limiting our tours to smaller groups as per Government restrictions. It is fair to say that every brewery and taproom that I have visited has done everything they can to maintain the safety of their customers in these current circumstances. Limited numbers, distanced tables, strict hygiene protocols, wearing of masks, checking in via QR codes and using outside spaces only to allow the flow of fresh, clean air. You have to applaud everyone for the due diligence they have carried out to ensure our safety. And the most impressive aspect is that the customer experience is as good as it ever was.

My first pint of cask since last summer was enjoyed at Southwark Brewing. A perfectly poured pint of their flagship LPA, beautifully clear and golden with a light, refreshing malt/hop taste with that sublime gentle carbonation, so beloved of our cask ales. It didn’t touch the sides! I was mightily impressed that the teams had managed to offer such a wide ranging and varied choice of beers, enough to satisfy anyone’s palate and all served in premium condition. The iconic Porter at Anspach and Hobday never fails to disappoint and I was stoked to taste their nitro version, London Black – a beer that is sure to delight the members of another tour booked towards the end of the month, a bunch of Guinness drinkers from the south coast.

I was both overjoyed and relieved to also see that a number of the teams managed to make it through lockdown. I had been worried that many of my beer friends had been forced to move on to other pursuits during the pandemic but it was such a boost to catch up with Joe, Oscar, Simon, Luis and Mauritz among many others. Note, the Raspberry Sour by Kernel is going to be massive this summer. If it ever turns up that is.

Happy customers but where has that glorious weather gone?

A couple of things to consider now the taprooms and brewers are open. Dress for the weather. Outside seating only until the 17th May (hopefully indoors will be allowed from then). Book a table, don’t leave it to chance. Remember that it is a maximum if 6 outside, at least up to the 17th May. Check in using the NHS QR code – everyone within your group, not just who has booked the table. Follow the safety protocols recommended by each site. Be kind to the teams, they’ve been through a lot. They deserve our support.

And enjoy yourselves!

Anspach and Hobday, try their Porter. You won’t be disappointed

A beer with Jef Pirens, D’Oude Maalderij

by Beer Sommelier KewJanuary 11, 2021January 25, 2021

‘Brouwer met een bizar kantje, brouwer ‘met een hoek af’. Brewer with a bizarre side, a brewer ‘on the edge’. So said an article in De Zytholoog magazine about D’Oude Maalderij in Izegem recently. The article in question recognises the achievement of brewer Jef ‘Hiq’ Pirens being made a knight of the mashing paddle at last year’s Belgian Beer Weekend, the feast of Gambrinus and Sint-Arnoldus. What is amazing is that this accolade was awarded a mere 8 years after releasing his first beer Qantelaar in September 2012.

So the rise of this wonderful craft brewery has been rapid indeed but its beginnings go back even further to 2001 when a young Jef Pirens, 18 years young and brewed a beer at KIHO College in Gent for his end of school project. Displaying his ‘edgy’ credentials, his Geslacht beer was financed by selling it through his local youth club, Andere Geslacht – of which he was also President! Born in Hasselt, young Jef grew up in and around Brugge. His dedication to fine beer owes itself in parts to discovering new beers at Daisy Claeys’ Brugs Beertje with friends. From there his interest in beer became much more serious, a passion in fact.

Following a period of home brewing Jef finally released his first batch of Qantelaar (based on Kantelen the word for tilting, how one gets after a couple of drinks) beer in 2012 and took on the name D’Oude Maalderij (D.O.M. Brouwerij) from the former old millhouse in Koolskamp where the home brewed beer was produced. An unfiltered 8% bier bruin with wheat malt and candi sugar for a sturdy body, the beer remains a top seller for the brewery. Jef continued to brew further batches of the beer at Brouwerij Maenhout in Meulebeke and was rewarded with 8^th place in the consumer trophy at Zythos Bier Festival.

Now, the nickname ‘Hiq’. No, it doesn’t relate to an insatiable thirst for dark beer, although this isn’t too far from the truth. Apparently this is an old nickname given when he was younger and has its foundations in Pinball and the Transformers comic series. D.O.M. Brewery continued to develop slowly but steadily and ‘Hiq’ hosted numerous beer tasting evenings, pushing the reputation of his beer. He also developed a slogan for his beer ‘Leer Proeven, Durf Genieten or Learn to Taste, Dare to Enjoy’. Possibly a swipe at the Jupiler generation perhaps? The English version is ‘Dare to Taste, Learn to Enjoy’, an unintentional volte-face but one that works as the interplay can be switched around.

D.O.M. Brewery were also participating in beer festivals, Zythos, Poperinge, Koekelare but the first big festival featured a stand at the 2013 edition of BAB in Brugge due to a last minute cancellation by Domis Ignis. Around this time, 2 further beers were launched – Redenaar at the 7^th Brugs Bierfestival, a 6.5% bier blond and Hop The Brewer, another 6.5% beer but this one being an IPA. Beers were being produced by Jef at friends’ breweries, namely ‘t Gaverhopke, Gulden Spoor, Alvinne, De Leite plus he undertook a short brewing course at Glenn Alvinne’s brewery.

The next development would be the trio of dark beers, Deo a 4.8% porter, Optimo an 8% smoked stout and Maximo an 11.5% imperial stout. Borne out by Jef’s love for dark beers, the message was to educate drinkers that not all dark beers taste like Guinness (a Hiq guilty pleasure). This trio of beers, whose initials spelled out the D.O.M. Brewrey were sold in unique triangle packs so that all 3 could be tasted, compared and appreciated. It was 2015 and D.O.M. Brewery was gaining momentum.

'Hiq' and PD BAB Brugge — ‘Hiq’ and PD BAB Brugge

A former flower shop became available in Izegem and Jef worked day and night from August of that year to install water and waste supplies and open his taproom. Opening just before his 34^thbirthday, the taproom was furnished like those cafes from a bygone era with plenty of memorabilia, both beer-related and otherwise from Jef’s collection of antique curiosities. Both D.O.M. beers and guests were offered alongside Jef’s collection of approximately 2.800 different vintage beers. Local snacks were showcased alongside Thai food from Kai Fa and a new beer, Farang (stranger) was produced in collaboration with them – an 8% Belgian Tripel made with galanga. The bar is a delight with plenty of beer-related heritage including old signs, religious artifacts, antique furniture while outside old dodgem cars and bikes compete with a (very) old campervan.

The next project was to remove the old greenhouses and build a new building to house the new D.O.M. brewery, pieced together by Jef from many different parts of brewing kit – a true Frankenstein creation and inspiring the brewhouse name ‘Frankie’. The only new piece of kit was the malt mill. 4 of the lager tanks and the bottling plant are from Alvinne, the pump from Van Honsebrouck, the yeast tanks are old farmers’ milk tanks and the labelling machine is from Fort Lapin. The fermenters are horizontal which is preferred due to the larger surface area and lower pressure. All bottles are filled under Jef’s expert eye and the brewhouse conditions are perfect for bottle conditioning with no added sugar required. The brewhouse launched in September 2016, a year after the bier café opened, continuing a long-standing brewing heritage in Izegem. Local fresh tapwater is used for all the beers, Belgian hops and sometimes herbs are added when necessary. On average D.O.M. Brewery produces 40 brews a year.

With a new brewery began a period of experimentation. The Homo Beerectus project with Brecht Kindt aimed to launch a new beer every 10 weeks, with 30 new beers produced over 6 years. However, the project came to a sudden end with the untimely passing of Brecht in April 2019. The beers were very popular and Eager Eagle became a regular beer, renamed Stoffoasje Tripel, 8% abv. Jef had decided that he needed a Tripel in his range and this sturdy beer has become his second best seller.

In May of the same year saw the opening of The Mash eetcafe on the site with Jef’s girlfriend Liesbet Schoonvliet. Focussing on tasty Belgian homecooking, you can create your own meal from choosing a Stoemp and a meat dish or go for a Mini Mash or Monster Mash, depending on how hungry you are. It’s little wonder that Ratebeer has voted the café Belgian’s best brewpub for 3 consecutive years! I can personally vouch for Liesbet’s cookies made with spent grain – hot from the oven and delicious.

Another new direction brought a barrel-aged series of beers with an oak aged Qantelaar with Makers Mark and Wild Turkey bourbon barrels. Putting the same focus on quality as with his other beers, Jef treats the addition of oak as a 5^th ingredient in these beers. At the end of the year sees the annual release of Dominator’s Potion with Martinique rum and Blair Athol whisky flavouring a 12% Maximo over a year. However, Jef regards his Sea Monster series of beers as his showpiece. Inspired over games of Magic, The Gathering, these beers take their time to develop and are only released into bottle when they are ready. At 14% abv Leviathan, Kraken, Chtulhu, Scylla, Lorelei and Charybdis are beers to be both respected and appreciated on special occasions.

Which brings us to the present. Being knighted is an honour not lost on ‘Hiq’ Pirens. Nominated as deserving brewers who make an important contribution to Belgian beer its a reward for him being creative and progressive with his beers, and not being afraid to experiment. He feels that there is ‘no greater honour in the brewing world’ and you can see his medallion and framed charter on the wall in The Mash. So this honour has opened new doors. D.O.M. Brewery was selected as one of 8 brewers for the Barrel Boutique of Brouwerij Het Anker in Mechelen and launched at the Molenberg Fest. Fortunately 5 further barrels of beer remain at the brewery for an additional year’s ageing. D.O.M. beers were also entered into their first international beer competition and picked up an impressive 9 silver and bronze medals at the London Beer Competition. In typical Hiq style a lockdown beer ‘Antibirus’ was also launched this year plus a butternut squash Hallow’een beer. Further projects include a low alcohol tafelbier though an even more exciting development is underway.

Part of Jef’s Brewmance series of collaborations, the Mash of the Titans promises to be one of the most exciting project yet. A series of six barley wines will be produced in collaboration with six equally creative Belgium brewers. These breweries are Brasserie Minne in Wallonie, Brouwerij ‘t Verzet in Anzegem, ‘t Hofbrouwerijke in Beerzel, Brouwerij Alvinne in Zwevegem, Brouwerij Totem in Evergem and Brasserie Atrium, also in Wallonie. Many of the beers have already been brewed and they are expected to be ready for sale by the end of March.

Apart from being such a creative exercise, Jef feels that it is important that everyone has fun making the beers and has the opportunity to learn from one another. Equally important is that the beers are financially successful as this has been a very hard year for local breweries. Finally, the project is also a statement to advertise the fact that these producers are still around and continuing to make excellent beers. Half of these beers will be available as a 1,000 only limited edition 6 pack. To whet the appetite even further, the remainder of the beer will be barrel aged and available at a later date. On another note the old campervan has gone – sold – but Jef has added some classic cars to adorn the outside of the brewery as you can see below.

Finally – a date for the diary. On the 9^th October 2021 D’Oude Maalderij will turn 10 years old and to celebrate The Mash will be hosting a party with a new D.O.M. beer launched every hour. This promises to be a major event with many guests on hand to assist in hosting the beers with stories, etc. Liesbet will be on hand to supply tasty beer food throughout the party of course – just in case.

As a footnote Jef feels that his story has been one of steady momentum, not rushing ahead too quickly but making steady progress from small, local festivals up to the bigger ones and on to international events, spreading the name of this unique part of West Flanders. To get a taste for what is happening in Izegem go and take a look for yourself and have a chat with Jef, sample his beers and enjoy Liesbet’s cooking. You won’t be disappointed.

https://www.doudemaalderij.com

2020 – sifting through crumbs

by Beer Sommelier KewOctober 14, 2020October 17, 2020

When will it end?? Usually by the middle of October I tend to look back at the year and reflect on how things have gone and look ahead excitedly to what the soon to be New Year promises to bring. As most adults I would be telling myself and anyone in listening distance that the year has ‘gone by so quickly’. Not this year. 2020 has crawled along. A year like no other. A year that I will be glad to see the back of.

In Person Beer Tasting, Brewery Market, Twickenham

Apart from my usual New Year’s Day hangover, the year started out with a lot to look forward to. AleHunters was receiving bookings for our Belgian tours and London’s craft beer and pub bookings were looking strong. UK Brewery Tours were booked solid across every weekend. Beer tastings with our partners Brewery Market had been scheduled and in the diary. Judging invites from beer competitions in the UK and Europe were also stacking up. Boom! Bring it on!! Then everything stopped in March with SIBA’s National Independent Beer Awards being my last judging gig.

SIBA National Independent Beer Awards , Liverpool

Tours went onto hiatus. The UK then went into lockdown and pubs and taprooms closed. Work ended. BUT, being a half glass full type of guy and with the help of the glorious weather my focus turned inwards and projects that hadn’t previously reached the planning stage suddeny burst into life. The garden received a makeover, flowers, vegetables and fruit were planted (I take no credit for this, all my wife’s handiwork). Long-neglected decorating and handyman needs were taken care of. I even started a plan to get fit, either cycling or power-walking every day. And the weather was still glorious. And then I was notified that the London Beer Competition was to be judged remotely, my first involvement back in the world of beer for a couple of months! Beers were delivered to the house and through the course of a day 58 beers were sampled and graded. Thankfully thirsty friends and neighbours were on hand to mop up the leftovers! Things weren’t so bad.

Life continued. Volunteering to deliver food to the vulnerable became an almost daily task and one that was rewarding. All those books sitting in the bedroom were being picked up and read. And in preparation for our Belgian tours re-commencing I started to learn Dutch, not an easy task I must add but I have progressed past ‘I think you are a sheep’. And then my local beer group held a bottle share and we all got our heads around Zoom. Happy days indeed.

The success of our bottle shares inspired a series of online beer tastings with our friends at Brewery Market. Both public tastings and private group bookings have kept us pretty busy over the past three and a half months. And we have another one scheduled for next week. A series of beers sets including UK craft beer, US coastal IPAs, new European craft breweries and Belgian styles went down a storm. And then in September I was honoured to open and close the first virtual Great British Beer Festival, hosting a festival tasting set and a set of Golden Ales. Marvellous!

And the beer judging carried on. And on. World Beer Awards heats took place remotely but also in virtual ‘tables’ at home. Followed quickly by another SIBA Digital Beer Award judging competition. Next was the WBA final rounds of judging in August and then September saw the International Beer Challenge take place over two weeks. All virtual, at home and expertly organised. Honestly, these events were faultless and it wouldn’t surprise me if some of them remain virtual. I guess what was missed, apart from the endless banter were the post-judging sessions in the pub. Almost always cask!

So apart from one private in-person beer tasting event in the middle of September, we have hosted everything online since March. Next month is European Beer Challenge – will it be in person or online? And this week we launched our group beer tasting concept. Groups can choose from three beer sets: a Curious Craft UK Beer Tasting; Belgian-Style Beer Explorer; and a lovingly curated Seasonal Beer Experience. All delivered to your home and hosted online.

Click on the link below to see more about what we’re up to.

So if I was to consider if there have been any positives the be taken from this interminable year – apart from our glut of home-grown courgettes and tomatoes of course – it would be technology enabling the hosting of online beer events, judging at beer competitions and catching up with mates over a beer. Even if this feels like sifting through the crumbs of crap to be honest…

Toer De Geuze! Day Two

by Beer Sommelier KewApril 13, 2020April 21, 2020

So day two of Toer De Geuze. Again, another hearty breakfast before heading out in the car to meet up with Seth and Casey at Mort Subite in Kobbegem, Asse. The Sunday starts an hour early at 10am and as the brewery (De Keersmaeker) was the furthest one away from our final destination it made sense to head over there. De Keersmaeker was founded in 1869 at a brewery site which originally dated from 1604. After a merger with Brabrux it was acquired by Alkaen-Maes in 1971, who were bought out by Scottish Newcastle in 2000. They are now part of the Heineken portfolio. They also produce another range of syrupy-sweet lambics – BUT I was interested in trying the limited edition Oude Kriek which was promised to be available.

In all honesty I was gob-smacked at how beautiful this brewery is. We took a great self-guided tour through the blending and maturation rooms with a taste of their superb lambic from the casks. Then off to the temporary bar where we received more tasting tickets so we could get a taste of the Oude Geuzes.

In between beers we also had free rein of the brewhouse which is simply stunning. The gleaming mash tuns and kettles sit within a tiled brewhouse which has a glazed wall that looks across the courtyard to the maturation room. The copper grant had recently been used too and this was such a treat for a brewery buff (read bore) like me.

In the bar the range of sweet fruit lambics was available alongside the wonderful Oude Geuze and Kriek plus other special brews for the occasion. A truly lovely surprise was to bump into old friends from Brugge who had come up on a special coach for the day. We managed to make time for a photo which Casey kindly photo-bombed for us. Quality!

The weather was behaving itself so we headed off to Gooik to check out the De Cam blendery. I was really looking forward to this as De Cam are a truly traditional blendery and when they opened in 1997 they were the first new blender for almost 40 years. The site was a former brewery and is now owned by the local community and also houses a tavern, museum and community centre.

The blendery offered regular tours around the site and ran through the process of fermenting the wort which they receive from Boon, Girardin and Lindemans. Frank Boon and Armand Debelder supported Willem van Herreweghen from Palm Brewery when he set up De Cam 23 years ago. When he went back to Palm in 2000, Karel Goddeau took over. Karel combines De Cam with his day job as brewer at nearby Slaghmuylder, the reason for Big Dan’s early night on Friday. We seemed to miss the free tasters of their lambic but the boys made up for it as there was a bar serving the full range. I definitely want to return.

Onwards to Geuzerie Tilquin, the only location of the Toer that sits – just, at 200 metres – in Wallonie. Based in Rebecq, Pierre Tilquin founded his blendery in 2009 and is the only one to use wort from Boon, Cantillon, Girardin and Lindemans. By now breakfast had worn off but Tilquin had a number of food options available in their courtyard including a hog roast or ‘pig on a spit’ which did nicely thank you very much. Unfortunately this is when the weather of the previous day decided to return and pay us another visit. Even the beautiful beer on offer struggled to lighten our moods so it was time to head back into Flanders and make our way to Beersel and their eponymous lambic brewery, Oud Beersel.

Oud Beersel was founded in 1882 and passed through generations of the Vandervelden family, the last being Danny Draps, nephew of Henri’s grandson. It closed in 1991 and didn’t re-open until 2005 when Gert Christiaens and Ronald De Bus took it over. The beers made here are also fantastic though their non-lambic Beersalis range is made by Huyghe.

We couldn’t get on one of the organised tours as the place was rammed though we did manage to get into the now closed tasting cafe where the boys got themselves some bottles. It is rumoured that Gert is hoping to re-open the cafe sometime in the future. Beersel town is definitely worth a visit with a number of cafes to choose from – In De Oude Pruim being a personal favourite. You also have the Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen and their excellent restaurant plus the Biercentrum De Lambiek museum.

It was now getting late and everyone was keen to make the most of the time left at the last of our stops – Hanssens Artisinale blendery in nearby Dworp. Converted from a dairy to a brewery by Bartholomé Hanssens in 1896, the site was known as Sint-Antonius and didn’t produce lambic but a brown beer. Production ceased during the 1st World War and when the war ended Bartholomé (who has also become town mayor in 1914) decided to cease brewing as the brewkit has been taken by the occupying German army, and re-launch his site as a geuzestekerij.

Since 1997 the blendery has been run by fourth generation Sidy and her husband John Matthys. The site is rarely open to the public so we were keen to spend as much time there as possible. Great tours available throughout the blendery where you can check out the barrels from Boon, Giradin and Lindemans.

A major bar set up – we were all keen to get the Very Special Oud Red released specially for the occasion, plus many others. Food and even llamas! A real party atmosphere so when you go to the Toer make sure that you give yourself plenty of time on the Sunday to wring every last drop out of the experience. With a heavy heart it was finally time to bid Hanssens farewell and drop Seth and Casey off at the train station.

I couldn't resist — I couldn’t resist, in with the casks at Hanssens

Time for Dan and I to head back to Ninove and get stuck back into Brouwerij Slaghmuylder’s finest. For some reason we also thought that it would be a good idea to have another go at that 1.5kg cote a los. The drive the following day was going to be fun!

Homeward-bound Dan and I took in a number of breweries to help me get a grip on the distances between them for future tours. This included Slaghmuylder, Roman, Verzet, De Feniks, Gulden Spoor, Omer and St Bernardus. Wonderful.

Toer De Geuze!

by Beer Sommelier KewMarch 27, 2020March 27, 2020

As a dry run for the newly formed AleHunters and something that I’ve wanted to do for such a long time, I arranged to host a small group where we could take on the biennial Toer de Geuze in Pajottenland last May 2019. Our group consisted of big Dan, Seth and Casey – all lovers of craft beer but not all currently working within the industry – a great mix of peeps tbh. Dan and I had arranged to stay in Ninove, west of Brussels and the others in downtown Brussels.

Taking advantage of being in Belgium I obviously picked up supplies on the way to Ninove and popped in to a couple of breweries for a catch up, namely Jef Pirens at D’Oude Maalderij in Izegem and then on to see Glenn Alvinne at his eponymous brewery in Zwevegem. I thought that I was being good only having a sip of Jef’s beer as I was driving. That wasn’t the case at Alvinne as the guys there had some special treats for me, including rare Oak Melchior courtesy of one of the brew team. It would have been extremely rude of me not to have accepted their hospitality of course.

I must admit that I was running late getting to Ninove, what with Glenn’s hospitality and rush hour traffic but I managed to hit Ninove at 6pm, check into Hotel Croone and to meet up with Dan. He’d travelled over earlier on Eurostar and had already been enjoying himself at Moeder Lambic and in one of the bars in Ninove. Certainly he looked in a cheerful state when I met up with him.

We had a great evening taking in Taverne Grambinus and In Den Keizer (a particular favourite of mine) and enjoying the local beers from Brouwerij Slagmuylder. It was the latter who recommended a new flemish restaurant Eethuis De Koepoort. Heading over there we were diverted by the excellent Trappist bar which does exactly what is says it does – serves great Trappist beer along with many others.

The Koepoort didn’t disappoint and Dan and I enjoyed a wonderful shared Cote a Los, though being mainly plant-based for five months, the one and a half kilo of beef was a bit of a shock. A nice shock though, beautiful Ardennes beef in a green pepper sauce with Belgian frites. Wonderful. The evening ended with my dropping Dan off at the hotel and visiting the new bar Gonzo for a nightcap.

So the big day arrived and after a suitable breakfast and rousing Dan we had some time to kill before the Toer. Nothing for it but to take a drive over to Brouwerij Girardin which isn’t part of the weekend. Located in a beautiful setting, Girardin brews and blends all their beers on their compact farmyard site. They also send out lambic wort to other blenders. It is truly a stunning place and I am not surprised that they don’t wish to be overrun by beer geeks though it is a shame as I would love to get into the brewery and taste their lambic.

Another short drive and we arrived at Drie Fonteinen’s Lambik-O-Droom in Lot. The brewery is based in Beersel as is their bistro. They don’t offer tours at the brewery. They don’t consider that interesting when compared to the blendery in Lot as this is where the magic happens. They were gearing up for a busy weekend (even though they are not part of the Toer), with lots of lambic available via beer engine, merchandise and food. I was keen to check out the recently planted cherry trees and bee hives out the back – to be used for future projects no doubt.

Time to head over to Brouwerij De Troch in Ternat to catch up with Seth and Casey. The Toer’s logistics are pretty challenging with breweries and blenderies opening at different times and not always on both days so planning the routes over both days takes a bit of time to ensure we had as much time as possible to enjoy each site.

The brewery and blendery has been established since the 18th century and is still a very small family business. Beer geeks in general have an issue with their beer as the most successful ones are produced under the Chapeau label, a range of super-sweet fruit lambics that use syrups and lose much of the lambic characteristics. These were introduced in the 1980s which kept the brewery going. I tasted the base lambic used in these beers and it was excellent. The brewery is also a living museum and well worth visiting and I had a great chat with Pauwel who runs the place with his wife Kristel. The boom in ‘sour’ beers has been encouraging for De Troch with extra casks being brought into the brewery. Seek out their Oude Geuze Cuvee and do visit when you have the chance. Unless you have a sweet tooth, give the Chapeau beers a miss.

While we were at De Troch the forecasted rain appeared – when I say rain I mean horizontal rain, hail, wind, almost biblical. Probably good we were staying indoors most of the time. Next up was Brouwerij Timmermans in Itterbeek, another brewery/blendery and the self-styled oldest lambic brewer. This is tenuous as the ’17th century’ brewery was called De Mol (The Mole) and wasn’t a lambic brewery. The brewery was acquired by John Martin in 1991. However, the old brewery is stunning and well worth a visit. As is De Troch, Timmermans are known for sickly sweet syrup beers but they started to produce Oude Geuze again in 2009 and have won awards. Again, the lambic that I tasted here was excellent, just avoid the sweet stuff.

Onwards to Vlezenbeek and Brouwerij Lindemans and the sun came out. Good thing too as this brewery and blendery is based within another stunning setting next to a stream in a valley of farmers’ fields. Founded in the early 19th century Lindemans is run by sixth generation cousins Dirk and Geert Lindemans. Another producer that moved to sweet, syrupy beers for commercial reasons, they are now producing authentic lambics and creating new beers with unusual ingredients. This brewery was also showcasing a brewday during the Toer. I was ridiculed for filming the lauter and boil but had a great chat with Jan their brewer who explained that the brewday was nine hours! They are making really great beers again and I tried the Goyck collaboration with Varenbroek – delicious! Guests were also able to blend their own lambics and the size of the site meant that there was much more to keep children and non beer bores occupied. There was even a hot air balloon with a small bar counter around the bottom. The balloon went up and you then toasted each other with lambic while up in the sky. Not sure about that. There was plenty of space to sit, drink beer, eat local food and listen to live music. Well worth visiting!

Our final stop for the day was back in Lembeek to visit Brouwerij Boon. Frank (who I was honoured to meet while judging at World Beer last summer) is a legend in the lambic-world, purchasing the brewing equipment from Rene De Vits in 1975 and learning his secrets up until Rene retired three years later. The lambic brewery was originally known as Brasserie Hygiena in Lembeek. Committed to a beer style that was threatened with extinction, Frank set about perfecting his skills and improving the brewery.

In 1982 Frank relocated to a site on the Senne river and after constructing a brewing hall brewed the first beer there in 1990 and by 1992 was self-sufficient. Other blenders also started to purchase lambic wort from Frank at this time. In 1997, with Frank’s help ‘Oude Geuze’ and filtered ‘Geuze’ became protected within the EU. Also, HORAL was founded by Armand Debelder, Dirk Lindemans and Frank. That year also saw the first edition of the Toer De Geuze. In 2000 and 2011 two new foeder warehouses were installed increasing the amount of lambic in barrel to over 1 million litres. In 2013 a new, fully automatic and more sustainable brewhouse was opened. By 2016 production increased to 2.1 million litres with 2.5 litres of lambic in barrel. Frank is joined by his sons Jos and Karel (who runs the brewery) and a fourth warehouse is being built on the opposite bank of the Senne.

At the brewery we enjoyed guided tours of the brewhouse and foeder halls and tasted fresh lambic from the barrels. The rear of the brewery was like a party in a massive tent, plenty of food options, live music and a rammed bar featuring all of Frank’s heavy-hitters. It was cool to bump into Breandan Kearney from Siphon Brewing who was with one of the team from Garage Project in Barcelona. I also met Stu Stuart from Belgian Beer Me! tours in the States. I’m afraid that by now my thirst was getting the better of me. You see while the lads were busy buying new and exciting bottles of lambic, I was restricting myself to the free thimble-sized samples of lambics on offer – it was time to make a move and have a beer myself.

Dropping the car off in Ninove we managed to locate a taxi to take us to Eizeringen in Lennik – not an easy task. When I enquired at our hotel where the taxi rank was, the owner just smiled and said he would find us a taxi. This was to prove a problem later. You see, Lennik is the home of one of the most amazing cafes I’ve visited. In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst (Insurance against a Great Thirst) has been voted gold and winner in the best beer bars in the world by Rate Beer since 2011. I’d also stumbled across an ad for a beer festival in Eizeringen, Pajottaleland craft beer fest, so a visit seemed a no-brainer, we could worry about getting home later.

The cafe is opposite Saint Ursula Church in this tiny village. It was in the grounds of the Church that around 14 tiny producers set up to sell their beers including our friends Alvinne and Lambiek Fabriek. Some very unusual and tiny producers, many one-man bands. This is where I was given an espresso stout which the brewer proceeded to top the liquid with beer foam from an espuma gun – the result was like a nitro head something that I’d never seen before or since!

Back at the cafe which was much warmer than outside, the place was rammed. This being a Saturday, the bar would normally be closed. They currently open once a week, every Sunday from 10am – 8pm. Prior to 2017 it had only opened for three and a half hours per week. We were lucky as this evening was billed as the Night of the Great Thirst, so we were able to enjoy this fantastic pub. The cafe was founded in 1842 and part of the existing building was a sweet shop so the original cafe would have been smaller. Moving forward to 1999, 85 year old Marguerite De Maeght who ran the pub decided to retire that Christmas Eve. Fortunately, Eizer and Kurt Paneels bought the pub and spent five years renovating and restoring it. Kurt, his brother Yves and their parents run it today. You need to visit if you haven’t done so. Where else can you buy a six year old bottle of Orval for 5 Euro? And where else can you find 4 types of Methode Goat?

Anyway, it was time to leave and when I enquired of Kurt if he could call us a taxi he laughed. Not a good sign. The locals advised that there MAY be a bus passing through and could be reached via a complicated set of directions in pitch black darkness. I was about to ask if Alvinne could give us a lift when we met a couple of guys who offered each party a life back to their hotels – in exchange for beers of course. Luck was smiling down on us and Dan, myself and our new mate enjoyed a couple at Gonzo in Ninove before bed.

Tomorrow we had five more breweries and blenderies to visit. To be continued…

Belgium Summer Saunter – Day Seven, Brugge

by Beer Sommelier KewJanuary 19, 2020

When Brouwerij De Gouden Boom closed and production at De Halve Maan ceased brewing in Brugge in 2002, the great city was without a brewery. Fortunately the brewing at De Halve Mann was restored in 2005 with the launch by Xavier Vanneste of Bruges Zot. Owing to the success of this new beer, the Straffe Hendrik beer brand was purchased back and returned to the brewery, which hasn’t looked back since.

In 2015 another brewery opened its doors in Brugge. Bourgogne des Flandres was brought back to the city and this new site is 50 metres from the old La Marine Brewery, former home of this beer. Both breweries offer excellent tours.

On the edge of the city there has been further brewing activity. Kristof Vandebbussche opened Brouwerij Fort Lapin, near to the former castle on the road to Damme. Producing 9 regular brews, Kristof also does commissions with the house beer at Cafe Vlissinghe being a favourite of mine. He also hosts a great brewery tour with a very generous tasting by the way!

Further up the Damse Vaart-Zuid, past the Damme village sits the Siphon restaurant, feeding many locals and tourists alike in a beautiful setting within the Flemish Polders. A lunch or dinner is highly recommended, with cooking of the highest calibre. Jan is the fourth-generation member of the Callewaert family to run the restaurant. In 2016 a brewery was opened in the restaurant outbuildings. Breandan and Franklin are the small team who make award-winning beer. Last year their team was bolstered with the arrival of Mathias. Check out Breandan’s podcast and blog Belgian Smaak. For their third birthday last year they released a six pack, the Noble Gas Project, a group of collaborations between Siphon, a Belgian brewery and an international brewery. I was privileged to be asked to see if Fuller’s would be interested in taking part which they did producing a Belgian Dark Mild alongside Omer Vander Ghinste. Sipping their Kolsch, Lieve out of the tanks on a beautiful summer’s afternoon was a real treat!

In other brewing news, gipsy brewer Rudy Vossen set up Brouwerij De Vier Monniken in 2016 with Joachim Nuyttens (owner of Hoppelaar), producing a range of award-winning beers which can be found at his beershop Bierboom on Langestraat. The ‘Four Monks’ are completed with former hobbybrewers Bram and Jeroen. Last year Kristiaan Ampe launched his Bar Belge beer and is currently looking for suitable premises within the Brugge ring in which to brew the beer and open a taproom.

Belgium Summer Saunter Day Six – Oudenaarde

by Beer Sommelier KewSeptember 6, 2019

I was privileged to receive a personal tour from Marc Coesens, Head of Production at Brouwerij Liefmans, Oudenaarde in East Flanders. Founded in 1679, Liefmans specialises in Oud Bruin beers and is justifiably famous for having Belgium’s first female brewmaster, Madame Rosa Merckx who was at the helm for 40 years. After a break in production, the brewery was taken over by Duvel Moortgat. Rosa’s son and Head Brewer Olav lived near to the Duvel site and Marc, who was head of the laboratory at Duvel lived in Oudenaarde. So they switched sites. I was very excited to learn more of this venerable old brewery and to get the chance to try some oud bruin which is hard to find in the UK.

Oudenaarde is just over an hour from Bruges by train and I arrived in plenty of time to reacquaint myself with the Carillion cafe in the market square. I just had to have the De Proef-produced Jan van Oudenaarde brewed in honour of the 200 year anniversary of Jan van Gent, a local sugar baker.

Suitably refreshed I made my way across the River Scheldt to the brewery. Upon entrance to the brewery you are greeted by a brewing kettle, gleaming in the sun. I met Marc in the tasting room and I have to say his hospitality was beyond generous. After pleasantries he suggested a beer. We started on the Oud Bruin and Marc confided in me that they were considering re-naming the beer Odnar which was the name of a beer that was previously produced by the brewery up to 2007.

We then had a glass of Goudenband, the higher abv ‘provision beer’ which is suitable for ageing. The beer was originally named IJzerenband (Iron Band) and is truly a delicious beer. Originally the beer would have shown more tart notes than currently but to satisfy the market the level of tartness was reduced. Marc then decided that another beer would be appropriate before we went into the brewery and we enjoyed their latest beer Fruitesse, a light summer quencher which is best appreciated when poured over ice. It was then time to enter the brewery.

The old brewery is now a museum and it was fascinating to see and touch the brewing kit, equipment that Olav would have worked with during his long tenure at the brewery. However, I was keen to get down to business and see where the mixed fermentation takes place. Unlike the red beer of Flanders oud bruins usually undergo mixed fermentation in stainless steel and not wood these days although some newer brewers are moving back to oak (Verzet, for example). Drinking oud bruin out of the Liefmans’ tanks was an experience that I will never forget.

Before long we were back in the tasting room, Marc was behind the bar and we were enjoying more Liefman’s beer. A lot of the ageing and mixed fermentation of Duvel Moortgat’s other beers takes place at Liefmans and some of these were on offer. To be honest I cannot recall which beers we tasted next apart from their Kriek Brut. It was at this moment that we had a surprise visitor, Madame Rosa herself! Another unforgettable honour and after a quick beer and selfie she picked up a handful of 75cl beers and was on her way.

Marc’s final act of hospitality was to gift me a number of their large paper-wrapped bottles to take home and then drive me to the train station. What a gent and a truly wonderful experience!

Beer Sommelier Kew

London-based enthusiast Paul Davies tastes delicious beers

Brewery Visits