I was over the moon to discover that my corner shop, Squire’s in Kew Gardens is stocking a new range of British craft beers and many of the better beers from Belgium and beyond. Oerbier and Arabier are two of the six regular beers produced by De Dolle Brouwers, a small brewery in Esen near Diksmuide in West Flanders. The name translates as the Mad Brewers and this producer of high ABV beers has been brewing at the former site of the old Costenoble brewery since 1985. Architect and artist Kris Herteleer bought the site with his family and his beers have won numerous awards. Their motto found on glasses and t shirts is Nat en Straaf, Wet and Strong. They have a great tasting room which is open from 2pm on weekends but when I arrived there last year I was an hour early, yet managed to wander around the brewery on my own as everyone had gone for lunch. No beer though as the tasting room was closed!
Oerbier
Oerbier (original beer) uses a combination of malts resulting in a deep brown beer with a thick white head of foam. The aromas are of coffee, malts, raisins, soda and booze. The mouth is spritzy with chocolate and coffee, prunes, demerara sugar and more booze especially port. There is also some slight sourness due to the addition of ‘special yeast’ – lactobacillus. The finish is a mixture of coffee, hops and toffee with – yes – more alcohol. Delicious. ABV 9%
Arabier
Arabier (parrot beer) is a pure malt beer and pours a beautiful tangerine/amber colour with a huge white head. The nose is floral, hoppy and malty with nudges of green apple skins and honey sweetness. The mouth is massively fizzy and mainly bitter-sweet before notes of apricots, barley malt and orange peel come to the fore. A long and dry finish with a slight background of baking soda. A beautiful beer. ABV 8%
On my own at De Dolle BrouwersEveryone has gone for lunch!De Dolle Brouwer
Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers was founded in 1980 on the site of a former brewery called Costenoble. Their beers are strong and unique and the brewers are not afraid to experiment. Oak ageing is one of their latest experiments.
Wow! What a fantastic beer! The last time I tasted Stille Nacht it was still a deep and dark brew. This 2015 bottle pours deep amber/tangerine with a thick white head. The aroma is mainly Belgian yeast, soda, booze and sweet peach skins. The taste is full-on and boozy and is rich with candy sugar, hops, spices, honey, peaches and bananas. The finish is long and salivating with bitter hops initially and then brandy alcohol. Wifey said this is like Tripel K on steroids. A triumph and a lovely snowy label drawn,as usual by Kris Herteleer. ABV 12%
One of, if not my all-time favourite Kerstbier. Sint Bernardus was founded in 1946 when the Sint Sixtus abbey near Westvleteren was looking for a brewer to contract brew their beers and make them more commercial. Once the abbey ended this agreement in 1992, the beers were re-branded St Bernardus, the recipes improved and a number of additional brews added.
Christmas Ale pours deeply dark with a thick beige head of foam. The aroma is a heady mix of caramels, tart apples, hops, spices, bitter chocolate, plums, raisins, port, bananas and alcohol. The taste is rich and spritzy, full-bodied with flavours of chocolate, coffee and roasted spiced apples. The finish is fizzy, spicy and very warming. Christmas Pudding in a glass and a great festive Abbot on the label. Delicious. ABV 10%
Brassiere Caulier from Peruwelz, Hinault near the French border was founded as a brewery in 1995. However, they started as a distributor in the 30s and commissioned their Bon Secours beers before the brewery was opened.
Blanche de Noel, biere vivante pours deep straw coloured and has a thick white head of foam. The aroma is of Belgian yeast, barley malt, hops, spices and a rich banana-candy flavour. The taste is sweet, dry and bitter, with hints of bananas and vanilla, The finish is dry and spritzy with bitter hops and a long, warming, boozy feel. Really festive label – fantastic. Lovely. ABV 10%
Founded in 1850, Brasserie de Silly is based in Hainault, south west of Brussels. Buying the Tennstedt-Decroes brewey in 1975, they acquired the Double Enghien brands.
Enghien Noel is a tripel blond and pours deep amber with a large white head. The aroma is Belgian yeast, subtle hops and soda. The full bodied rich taste is subtle hops, candy sugar, caramel, vanilla, cereal and malt. The finish is bitter, effervescent and is long and boozy. Beautifully festive label. ABV 9%
Brasserie du Bocq, founded in 1858 is located in Purnode near Dinant on the beautiful Meuse river. The brewery produce a range of brews including the Gauloise range and also contract brew for Fagnes, Corsendonk and are still brewing a small proportion of St Feuillien’s beers.
Gauloise Christmas pours a deep dark ruby colour with a thick beige head. The aroma is of plum crumble, soda and spices and tastes very sweet and fizzy with candy sugar, malt, syrupy berries and caramel. The finish is warming, initially with raspberry, malts and a gentle bitterness before developing more bitter and pepper spice. Santa on the label. Ribena. ABV 8.1%
The family-owned, Bouwerij Van den Bossche was founded in 1897 in Sint-Lievens-Esse in East Flanders, east of Zottegem. Their 19th century brewery is preserved and is now run by the fourth generation of the family.
The Pater Lieven range of Abbey beers is very popular and their Father Christmas beer was re-launched in 2000 as their previous Kerstbier used the existing Pater Lieven Brown. It pours deeply dark with a beige head that unfortunately dissipates quickly after decanting. A sweet, spicy aroma is full of liquorice, caramel, malt and is heady with alcohol. The taste is initially coffee, chocolate, malt and aniseed before you get a more bitter chocolate flavour, plus spices and herbs, especially thyme. The finish is dry yet salivating. A festive label with a stained glass Santa and a snowy night sky. ABV 9%
Day19, Rudolphe biere de Noel
Rudolphe biere de Noel
Based in Silenrieux, in the province of Namur between Beaumont and Philippenville, this small brewery that was founded in 1991 produce an interesting range of beers. Using different grains, including buckwheat and spelt, they also produce a number of beers that are certified 100% organic by Certisys.
Rudolphe appears to be a re-labelling of their Noel de Silenrieux and pours a lovely deep dark colour with a thick beige head of foam. The aroma is rich with raisins, figs, candy sugar, plums, port and spices. The taste is sweet and zingy with Christmas fruits steeped in brandy, chocolate and more port. The finish is sweet, porty and very warming. Cute Rudolph label. A festive treat! ABV 9%
Day18, Delirium Christmas
Delirium Christmas
Another Kerstbier from Huyghe Brewery in Melle, East Flanders (see Bobeline Christmas below), Delirium Christmas is from their brand of beers that have become a marketing phenomenon with the distinctive bottle adorned by its pink elephant, this time in a Santa hat. Delirium beer bars are now springing up all over the world and are further promoting their brands, along with numerous world beers.
Delirium Christmas is dark amber/brown and pours with a thick beige head. The nose is complex and sweet with bubblegum, bananas, pears, vanilla, spice and toffee. It has a big, full bodied flavour of sarsparilla, malt, bitter hops, soda, spices and Belgian yeast. The finish is bitter at the beginning before giving you a lovely warming feeling in your tummy. Lovely. ABV 10%
Prearis-Vliegende Paard Brouwers, are award-winning homebrewers from Oedelem, near Beernem in West Flanders (I cycled through this village in July) . After winning best craft beer in Belgium in 2011 they decided to contract brew with De Proef Brouwerij in Lochristi, East Flanders to market their beers worldwide.
Prearis Xmas pours a golden tangerine colour with a lovely thick white head. The aroma is of hops, peaches, caramel and malt. The taste is a fizzy blend of bitter hops, grapefruit and is well rounded. A long, dry, bitter finish which develops into a malt and copper character. Not one to enjoy ultra hoppy beers (the label wishes a ‘Hoppy New Beer’), I really enjoyed this but how they call it a Xmas beer is beyond me. The label is quite funny though. ABV 5%
Day16, St Feuillien Cuvee de Christmas
St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel
Brasserie St. Feuillien is a family-owned abbey brewery based in Le Roeulx, between Charleroi and Mons. For a number of years their beers were brewed by Du Bocq in Purnode but since a new brewhouse has been built, the beers have moved back to Le Roeulx.
Cuveee de Noel pours deep and dark ruby red with a beautiful thick beige head. The aroma is fresh and yeasty with bicarbonate of soda and root beer, complemented by a complex spicing. The mouth is sweet with liquorice, pear drops, molasses, spices and tangerines. It is refreshingly effervescent and very rounded and full bodied. The finish is bitter followed by liquorice, mocha and a long boozy warmth. A nice festive label. Fabulous. ABV 9%
Brouwerij Verhaeghe is a small family brewery based in Vichte, West Flanders and was founded in 1880. Famous for their oak-aged brown ales, notably Duchess de Bourgogne, I was excited to learn how their ‘Golden Christmas Beer’ rated.
Pouring a clear gold with a lovely white head and a regular bead, the aroma is of malt, hops and bitterness. The mouth is bitter-sweet, malty and notes of wheat and yeast. The finish is initially bitter with gentle warmth later. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed by this – it reminds me of pale ale from the 1980’s. Nice retro festive label with the English, French and german words for Christmas. Shame. ABV 7.2%
Founded in 1769, Brasserie Dubuisson Freres is based in Pipaix, province of Hainault and is proud to be the oldest brewery in Wallonia. Their beers include the Bush and Trolls ranges and their lovely saison Surfine.
Bush Noel is a deep, dark amber beer with a thick off-white head. The aroma is of steeped fruits, cooking apples, candy sugar, caramel, spices and yeast all underpinned by alcohol. The taste is complex and sweet with butterscotch, candy, hops, malts and tangerines. The finish is a mix of sweetness and hops with caramel, chocolate, toffee and a lovely warmth. A big, boozy, tasty beer. Snowy scene on the label. ABV 12%
Corsendonk, founded in 1982 is an Abbey beer brand whose brewing is contracted out to brewers – currently these beers are brewed at Brasserie Du Bocq in Purnode. The brandname refers to the Prioryof Corsendonk in Oud-Turnhout.
Corsendonk Christmas Ale is a deep dark ruby beer with a solid and thick head of beige foam that does not dissipate. A rich aroma of ripe stone fruits steeped in alcohol, redcurrants and cherries, sweet port wine and wine gums. The taste is full bodied and tangy with berries, coffee, liquorice, treacle and a subtle hint of Christmas spices. The finish is aniseed and bitterness with a gentle warmth from the alcohol. Delicious. Very festive label too. ABV 8.5%
Brouwerij Slaapmutske is another brewery based in Melle, East Flanders. Their range of 7 beers includes Slaapmutske Christmas.
A dark brown, almost black beer with a thick head of beige foam, the beer has aromas of malt, apple – hops, yeast, spice and alcohol. The taste is a lovely fizzy mixture of sweet carob syrup, malt, dates, raisins and a hint of apple fruit. The finish is sharp with coffee and chocolate before moving on to bitterness and then warmness. Very nice. Cute label. ABV 7.4%
Now 13 years old, award-winning craft a range of innovative and exciting beers from a variety of ingredients and methods. Constantly evolving they have recently produced higher strength beers and also some that are barrel-aged. Now based in an old schoolhouse in Oostvleteren, West Flanders they have an impressive tasting room with up to 30 of their beers available on tap.
The Tsjeejes series of beers are a range of Xmas ales. The Reserva Port Barrel Aged is a deep amber beer with a thick off-white head. The aroma is very sweet with malt, hops, caramel and fruit – green apples and pear. The taste is full bodied with an overriding caramel sweetness, toffees and the tiniest hint of port. The bittersweet finish moves on to apples and alcohol warmth. Not sure about this one, the barrel ageing doesn’t seem to add much and the label is just plain daft. ABV 10%
I’ve been looking forward to this beer as I love this brewery so much. Brasserie Van Eecke have been brewing in Watou since 1862 and they are famous for their Hommelbier and their Kapittel (Chapter) range of Abbey beers.
Watou Winter is a deep dark brown beer which pours a large beige head. However, the head disappears almost immediately on pouring. The aroma is roasted dark malt, caramel, cinnamon and some yeast, but not much else. The taste is fizzy and sweet with chocolate and is bitter with some sweetness later. The finish is bitter and more fizz. Very disappointing, I will need to re-evaluate this one with a big bottle! Festive brothers on the label. ABV 7.8%
Brasserie La Binchoise is named after Binche where the brewery is based, a small town in Hainault on the border with France. The town stages a famous carnival every year on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday. The brewery was founded in 1987 in a 1920’s brewery that had lain dormant.
Special Noel is effervescent and pours deep dark orange with a thick head of foam. The aroma is floral with fruit, mainly apples and some bananas, hops and spices and a whiff of sherry alcohol. The taste is tangy with more fruit and gets slightly creamy at the back of the tongue. Again, there is a taste of sourness, possibly from some Brett yeast. The finish is very bitter on the tongue and then you get chocolate, fruit, roasted malts and alcohol warmth. Very nice and an angelic label. ABV 9%
Anthony Martin took over the reins of this long established distributer and brewer from his grandfather John. Many of their own beers are commissioned by other brewers, including Palm in Steenhuffel. They have recently opened the Bourgogne de Flandres brewery in Brugge this year.
Gordon Xmas pours deep dark brown with a thick beige head. The aroma is rich with bitter chocolate and caramel, burnt toast, raisins, port and spice. The taste is deep with coffee and chocolate at the forefront, brandy, cloves, figs and liquorice. The finish is not too long leaving you with a warming mix of coffee grouts, toast and cocoa. Beautiful label and bottle top. ABV 8.8%
Founded in 1906 by Leon Huyghe, Brouerij Huyghe is located on the main road that runs through Melle in East Flanders. Their most favourite beer is Delerium Tremens golden ale, notable for its pink elephant motif.
Pouring deep golden orange with an off-white head Christmas has a sweet, toffee and mandarin aroma with malts and acid in the background. The taste is fizzy and sweet, toffee apples with malt, cereals, hops and some spice. A long, dry, bitter finish. Not as rich as other Christmas beers. Interesting label. ABV 7%
The Brasserie D’Achouffe poured its first beer in August 1982. Initially a hobby, the brewery grew to incorporate a fantastic cafe and brewery shop and opened itself to beer tourists. Set in beautiful Ardennes countryside and rolling hills – the valley of the fairies (two of their dwarves are featured on the label – shame they’re not wearing Christmas jumpers!), Achouffe was acquired by Duvel Moortgat in 2006.
This donker winter bier is deep dark brown, this is another beer with a beige head that dissipates quickly. A big aroma of winter fruits soaked in brandy, port wine, malt, yeast and alcohol. Traces of spices and herbs – they add thyme to the brew, along with curacao liqueur. The taste is bold with caramel and chocolate, tangy citrus zest, liquorice, plums and alcohol. The finish is long and warming with hop bitterness and a feeling of having just scoffed a boozy mince pie. Lovely. Festive elves on the label. ABV 10%
The best label yet! Brewery Saint-Monon has been around since 1996, is located in Ambly in the Nassogne region and not far from La Roche en Ardenne. It is named after a Scottish monk who came to the area in the 7th century.
A cloudy, deep dark brown beer, the beige head disappears almost as soon as you pour it. The aroma is malty and bready with hops and a warming port background. The beer is smooth and full-bodied with sweet caramel flavours and alcohol-steeped plums and then a big hit of aniseed and coriander. The long bitter finish moves on to cocoa and coffee grouts and then leaves you with spices, especially aniseed and then alcohol warmth. A high alcohol festive porter. Very festive label. ABV 7.5%
Another surprising beer but not for the same reasons as the last one. Pours almost orange-coloured with a thick white head. The aroma is bread/yeast, floral hops, roasted malt, sweet tangerines and esters. The taste is peachy-sweet, caramel, hop-bitterness, spices and orange peel. The finish is bitter-sweet, tangy and spicy and quite powerful considering the (relatively) low strength. More a Tripel than a Kerstbier.
Abbaye Val-Dieu is a former cistercian monastery located in the vicinity of Aubel, near the Dutch border in the Province of Liege. The abbey closed in 2001 when the last 3 surviving monks left. The brewery has been operating on the site of the abbey farm since 1997 and produces a range of abbey beers. Cute snowy label. ABV 7%
Wow, what can you say? This beer is so packed full of flavours that I can still taste it two hours after drinking. Pouring deep and dark ruby red with a beige head which unfortunately dissipates quickly. The aroma is reminiscent of stone fruits soaking in brandy and port for a Christmas pudding. It is malty and spicy with pepper and cloves, then anise when the beer warms up. The taste is rich and complex – they use 3 Belgian hops and 6 ‘exceptional’ spices – and you get waves of caramel, plums, spices, a huge hit of liquorice and a lot of alcohol. The finish is deeply warming from the high alcohol content, sweet and not too bitter with an EBU of 11. The warming feeling lingers on for a long time. An after dinner treat. And it has a great label too! ABV 10.5%
A review of the brewery and its tour can be viewed on an earlier post.
I first visited the Brasserie des Fagnes near the French border in Couvin, Province of Namur back in 2004. Set in beautiful countryside, the brasserie includes a brewery museum, a modern brewery and a tasting room which is large enough to host regular events which run from beer and music festivals to children’s days. The food is damn fine too.
Their beers are available in bottle but taste fresher on tap, where they are pumped directly from storage tanks in the brewery. The 50 plus beers produced each year include seasonal specials, celebration brews and recipes inspired by the local flora and harvests. To help with production, much of their beer is contract-brewed by Brasserie Du Bocq, in Purnode near Namur.
Christmas is surprisingly easy drinking for a strong beer and is deep brown in colour with a thick beige foam. Forest fruits, caramel, toffee and spice aroma with booze always evident. The beer is deliciously malty and hoppy with rich raisin and plum pudding flavours – cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. The finish is long and very warming. Wifey has always had a soft spot for Brasserie des Fagnes and loved their Christmas beer. Nice Holly on the label. ABV 8.5%
La Grelotte, une bier de fetes is produced by the Brasserie de Grain-Dorge in Hombourg which opened in 2002. It is located near the border with Holland and located midway between Maastricht and Aachen.
‘The Shivering’ is a deep, dark beer with a beige and creamy head, the aroma is of port, raisins, bread, ripe apples, hops and is very boozy. The taste is earthy and bitter-chocolate, warming with spices including cumin and pepper. A long bitter and caramel finish with a satisfying brandy warmth at the end. Jaunty and festive label. A great start to Advent! ABV 9%
While enjoying a couple of hours in ‘The Bear’ this summer I noted that Daisy was serving her own house beer on draft. Special Brew is produced by her mates De Dolle Brouwers in Essen but the draft version was limited so we took home some bottles for later tasting. The bottles have a lovely depiction of ‘t Brugs Beertje, drawn by Kris Herteleer of De Dolle Brouwers. They should sell this as a framed print, I would certainly love one!
Special Brew ‘t Brugs Beertje huisbier
Special Brew is a deep amber beer that pours with a thick, white and creamy head. The aroma is initially sour, from the Rodenbach yeast no doubt, before giving way to more fruit especially apples. You get hops, almost-burnt caramel, biscuit (speculoos?) on the tongue before mandarin oranges join the party, very rich and full bodied. A long dry finish, but also sweet and creamy.
‘t Brugs Beertje huisbier on draft
The draft version is a lot more lively and the taste is much fresher than in the bottle. More fruit and hops but less caramel and sour yeast. I hope that this is brewed again as I would love to try this version again. And again! ABV 10%
After a short trip to Flanders in July I went back to Europe in August with the family and was able to indulge in further beer hunting. First stop was my old friend Namur, staying at the always excellent Hotel Les Tanneurs whose grill restaurant is a special treat. Le Chapitre pub near to the Cathedral on Rue du Seminaire always keeps a strong beer list and in the beautiful afternoon weather we enjoyed Queue de Charrue tripel brewed at Van Steenberge, ABV 9%, Goliath Tripel, now named Gouyasse from Geants, ABV 9%, the wonderful Malheur 10, ABV 10% and the just plain daft Cre Tonnerre spiked with rum from Silly, ABV 7%. All accompanied by the ubiquitous fromage et saucisson!
Le ChapitreLe ChapitreLe Chapitre
I also managed to sneak off to the oldest pub in the city, Ratin-Tot on Place Marche aux Legumes where I had a cheeky sample of their house beer, Blonde de Chavee which is commissioned from Silenrieux. ABV 8.9%
Ratin-Tot
Departing Belgium, we made our way to Troyes in Aube, France. A beautiful city, I enjoyed the local Biere de Garde Valmy Blonde, now made by the brewery in Orgemont accompanying my andouillettes a la moutarde. ABV 6.5%
Valmy
Staying in the Foret de Orient, a short drive from Troyes I also tasted another local beer, the blonde from Le Moulin de St Martin, less full-bodied than the Valmy. ABV 5%
Le Moulins de St Martin
Moving on to Challons en Champagne, which punches well below its weight considering the amount of praise it receives. Very middle class, very dull. However, our hotel for the night, Auberge Des Moussins was up the road towards Epernay and was a fantastic find – superb accommodation, quality restaurant with local produce, great wine, pool and their house beer – also brewed by Brasserie Des Orgemont – fortunately this was the only disappointment, very thin and weedy.
Biere des Moussins
Onwards to Colmar, Alsace and a feast of Alsatian wine, wurst, choucroute, etc. Stayed on the wiessbier as the temperature was too high for beer hunting but while in the Marche Couvert de Colmar found a guy selling wines and local Biere d’Alsace! There is a beer scene brewing in this part of Alsace so I will need to get back there and check it out.
Colmar Biere d’Alsace
Next, a nip across the border into Germany to Cochem, which wifey and I hadn’t visited for about 23 years! We spent our time there mostly enjoying Mosel wine when not sightseeing, however I was very happy to enjoy a half litre of Weinenstephan for 2 euros in our hotel overlooking the river, bargain!
Weissbier at Cochem Burg
We then headed back into Belgium and the Ardennes. First stop La Roche en Ardenne on the Ourthe River, scene of lots of fighting during the Battle of the Bulge. The beer scene here is rather understated but we did enjoy some Tripel Karmeliet at the Ardennaise on the river and a fine selection of Ardennes beer at the Bronze in the middle of town. I can also recommend the mini golf at the rear of the Hotel de Liege, the only course I know that you can buy from a range of Trappist beers to enjoy before, during and after your round.
La Roche en Ardenne
La Roche’s other claim to fame is the fantastic beer shop Cave de Venitien, full of beers from around Belgian Luxembourg. Apart from a case of mixed Christmas brews from 2014, I also picked up the local beer, La Feodale de la Roche. This deep amber beer is named after the chateau in La Roche and is brewed by Brasserie Saint-Monon in Ambly. It pours with a thick creamy head but had virtually no aroma, just hints of malt and grass. The taste is also grassy and very thin with only hints of malt, caramel, vanilla and cream. The finish is bitter and slightly reminiscent of vanilla ice cream. Not great to be honest. http://www.saintmonon.be ABV 6.5%
La Feodale de la Roche
Half an hour away is the beautiful little town of Durbuy, home of the Ferme au Chene who produce Marckloff, a delicious amber beer. Enjoying their brew on the terrace was heaven on such a hot day. ABV 6.5%
Marckloff, La Ferme au Chene
Our next stop was Bouillon, on the Semois river and home to the Marche de Nathalie beer store – more beer to squeeze into the back of the car. Nathalie’s shop celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and when I had a chat with her I reminisced about my first visit many years ago when a bottling plant ran through the centre of the shop. This was to bottle the celebrated Cuvee de Bouillon, a brew that I am very fond of. Nowadays beers are produced off site and the Brasserie de Bouillon produces six regular beers plus ‘tailored’ beers for villages and groups according to their specific recipes.
No visit to Bouiloon would be complete without a visit to the Vielle Ardenne where you can enjoy the full range of Dubuisson’s beers – we opted for Cuvee des Trolls tripel, ABV 7% and Surfine Saison, ABV 6.5%. Dubuisson is Wallonia’s oldest brewery. We also snuck in a cheeky one at the Estaminet, a lovely and friendly little bar with an interesting beer list.
Vielle Ardenne, Bouillon
We then headed to Mechelen, home of the Het Anker brewery and Gouden Carolus beers. We stayed at the brewery hotel and had a wonderful tour (which has been reviewed previously). Unfortunately, the brasserie was being refurbished so we headed out into Mechelen for a beer after the tour. Brasserie Den Beer kept us watered and sheltered from the torrential rain – a shame as there was an open air concert taking place. Still, the bitterballen, cheese and Gouden Carolus tripel kept our spirits up.
Het Anker brewery tour – the best bit!Den Beer, MechelenDen Beer, Mechelen
Dinner was taken at Afspraak, 23 Keizerstraat, a cafe with a huge beer list and a wide-ranging menu. Be warned, unless you love a bucket-full of julienne-thin string fries, the 2 person local dish ‘Steppengras’ is best avoided – there are plenty of other menu choices. As a night cap we planned on visiting the Stillen Genieter which has sadly finally closed after over 30 years. However, next door at De Gouden Vis we discovered another great bar – great beer list, good looking food and a very jazz-oriented set list in the background. Perfect for a De Konninck.
De Gouden VisMechelen art installation
Back to Brugge – only seems like a few weeks since I was here! First stop had to be ‘t Terastje, 45 Genthof and to enjoy more of Ian and Patricia’s hospitality. Wifey was itching to get back here and enjoy her favourite draft Straffe Hendrik Tripel, ABV 9%. I decided to see what all the fuss has been about (they have won medals at te World Beer Awards) and opted for the Kasteel Triplel 11, ABV 11%.
‘t Terastje
Onwards to Cafe Vlissinghe, 2a Blekersstraat to wish them a happy 500th anniversary and buy a souvenir t-shirt. There was also Bruno’s house beer to try too, brewed by Fort Lapin. A beautiful, hazy, amber beer that is very addictive and goes well with the salami and cheese plate! ABV 8%
Cafe Vlissinghe huis bierCafe Vlissinghe
No trip to Brugge is complete without a trip to see Daisy at ‘t Brugs Beertje, 5 Kemelstraat. Enough has been written about Daisy’s and I just want to say that it is probably my favourite bar in the world. No, definitely my favourite. We were lucky to arrive at a time when Daisy’s huisbier was available on draft. Specially commissioned by De Dolle Brouwers, Essen we bought some bottles too and these will be reviewed within the next two weeks. ABV 10%
‘t Brugs Beertje huisbier‘t Brugs Beertje
An overnight stay in Watou at Het Wethuys, wonderful food and St Bernardus’ beers – how much more beer can I fit into the boot – and then home. Looking forward to going back already!
Shall we have another beer?I would love another Orval!
Beer Sommelier Kew 