Ten Tips for Drinking Belgium

Flower carpet in Brussels

Summer 2012

While many a beer geek dreams of drinking Belgium, the obstacles were daunting at times.  Here's a few tips to improve any Belgian beer experience, roughly in order of importance:

1. Plan brewery stops carefully. Except for places like De Halve Maan, Cantillon, and In De Vrende (Westvleteren) that have tourist friendly schedules, many breweries are only open a day a week or less. For example, Brewery Boon has a 25 person minimum to book a tour except every Wednesday at 3 pm in July and August. Showing up without a plan will mean very few actual brewery tours and tastings.

2. Consider a beer tour. Because many brewery tours in Belgium are for groups of 15 or more, a solo beer traveler can find it difficult if on-site tours are desired.  Breweries with individual tours like Cantillon are the exception to the rule.  To my surprise, I am seriously considering signing up for a planned beer tour in the future to take care of entrance and transportation next time, plus add the obviously social element of the like-minded.  Or, give up on the idea of brewery tours and just drink the country through fabulous bars like In de Vrende for Westveletern, The Kulminator in Antwerp,  Het Waterhuis in Ghent, Staminee de Garre in Brugge, or Delirium Cafe, Moeder Lambic, and Al a Mort Subite in Brussels.

3. Send emails and ask to join a tour group. Most said no or ignored me, but Brouwerij Bosteels said yes.  In spite of the tour being in Dutch, it was one of the best experiences of the trip and I met my new beer friends Elke and Sven and their family.

4. Visit the Lambic Discovery Center.  Bezoekerscentrum "De Lambiek" is the local Flemish name.  Not as convenient to the train as one would hope from Brussels, this slightly out of the way beer trip is a must for any lambic lover.  A local bus gets closer, but will take more time.  In my case, I signed up for a tour of Oud Beersel that included a stop at the center.  Because there weren't enough people for the planned bus, Werner of Oud Beersel picked me up in Brussels and dropped me off at the train station.  An excellent day that I recount in my brewery's post.  The ten lambic brewers and blenders are small and difficult to tour, so the center is really the best place to taste a range of them.  Plus, Werner and I chatted off and on all day as he worked and I drank lambic to my heart's content.  In Brussels, on Werner's recommendation, I visited A La Becasse for authentic lambic just off the Grote Markt, an experience I loved and may not have done without guidance.

5. Carry cash.  And research where your ATM logo will work. The Rick Steves advice of carry little and get it as you need it doesn't work well at the moment because a US credit card can be hit or miss anywhere from hotels to bars to the train station. In fact, my hostel was unable to process my card, so I had to spend nearly all of my initial beer money for lodging. Much of the EU uses a chip/pin card and not everyplace can process a chip less credit card.  Friends going to Barcelona bought a recently updated tour book (by Rick Steves) that had a recom for a US based chip/pin card, which may be a good idea for the next trip.  Not a major problem, but it added a level of anxiety to every financial transaction.

6. Ride the train. And then the bus. Brouwerij Het Anker is only open for individual tours on weekends and the train to Mechelen was fast and efficient even on my Sunday tour.  The only confusing part is that  Flemish/French dual language issue; the Mechelen stop was listed as Malines.  Keeping the navigation of the Belgian cultural divide in mind, the distances are short and the trains efficient.  Driving in Belgium is tough and an GPS is a must. Road markings are impossible to find or read and they switch between Dutch and French (or both in Brussels), parking can be expensive and difficult to find, and it complicates the driving immeasurably if you want to park in the heart of a city so you can walk and us public transportation later.  We rented a car to Brussels to go to the farther reaches like Poperinge, but I would only use the train next time.  In Poperinge, the Belbus was invaluable to drink Westvleteren at In de Vrende and it could be used more extensively with some research, including to the Lambic Discovery Center.  

Night time reflection of canal in Brugge.  Photo by Gloria. 

7. Drink small. Glass sizes are 25 or 33 centiliters,which allows one to taste a greater range of beers compared to ordering pints in the US. Stick with the small beers and expand beery horizons. Pints are expensive, unnecessary and seem out of place, especially when the smaller glass is often the brewery's designed glass when in Belgium.  It makes sense to me to drink a beer as intended by the brewery whenever possible.

Climbing the clocktower in Brugge.
Photo by Gloria.

8. Money for water. Rare to find a water fountain in Europe. Buy water, drink and then fill from a faucet.  I found it hard to hydrate, especially when many seemed confused when asked for tap water (France was better than Belgium in this respect). We simply resorted to bringing the water bottles we had used for our touristing for the day with us into the bar to sip: took the idea from locals use a similar tactic.

9. Research Belgian breweries. Lists can be daunting at times, especially when at one of the pubs of the Delirium Cafe.  In spite of more than a decade of beer hunting and a lack of time to read one or two more specific Belgian beer books, I repeatedly found myself at a loss as to what to order.  While stumbling upon that rare find can be exciting, vacation time and locations are expensive and fleeting, so I prefer to have the knowledge in my head or organized well enough to increase my odds of drinking well.

10. Drink on the street. Evidently, it's perfectly fine to buy a beer and walk around Brussels. Any length of visit will show this to be true, but I asked to double check. Something liberating about drinking a beer while window shopping.

Please follow up all advice with your own research.  This was my experience and I don't pretend to be an expert on Belgium. Plus, information can change fast.  In writing up this post about ten months after the trip, I've noticed several changes in websites.  Have fun and be safe.

Kulminator (Antwerp, Belgium)

8/17/12

After a day with a medieval castle and a canal tour in Ghent, we headed to Antwerp to spend the night and drink at the Kulminator, a world class bar with free roam cats--perfect.  Or, so we thought. Easy walk from our hotel in the historic heart of Antwerp, which was terribly confusing to drive.  I would take a train next time.  Entering the bar, it may be the highest density of beer I've ever seen.  Taking a seat in the back patio, it was hard to decide what to drink.  Just so many beers to chose from that it can be paralyzing.

So I started in familiar territory and ordered a La Trappe Quadruple.  This 1995 bottle was poured hard at the table without a decant. Small bottle. Head falls flat quickly and there was only the faintest pop on the cap. Dusty, dirty bottle with a label style that I haven't seen before. Musty, oxidized cherry and port like flavors. The normal oiliness and full flavor has dissipated. Lighter bodied, as if the yeast had thinned it out. Alcohol not apparent either. Interesting but I won't let quad bottles at home go this long.

Then, so I could justify being at the Kulminator, I ordered an Evolution of Chimay bottles: 1992. 2002 and 2012.  Very fun side by side tasting, including the oldest aged beer that I've ever had at a 20 year old Chimay. The young Chimay is fresh, but the better than adequate beer that I've always thought it to be. It doesn't match up La Trappe for me. The 10 year version is showing some signs of age with clear cherry and port notes from oxidation and the alcohol is apparent in the nose. The 20 year old is very flat though a small head appeared briefly on the hard pour and the oxidation of the 10 year old is in full bloom in the 20.  Comparing similarly aged bottles really made the differences from the cellar clear and apparent; it pulled together years of tastings from my own cellar.  On a learning level, very worth the trip.  It's an extraordinary experience without having to wait for 20 years in my own cellar.

Kulminator in a fine place with an amazing list. However, I will never return during the summer, particularly to avoid the gnats lurking the plants and the uncomfortable lack of air conditioning. The bar is hot and the beer served at room temperature, which affects the aging process. Today is clearly beyond any recommended temperature for aging. I'm not sure where the bottles are coming from but it seems to be just from the shelf; the bottles are clearly room temp on sweltering day. And, no kittens for most of the stop.  They made a late appearance and were not very friendly.

Returning to our hotel the Hilton Antwerp, the AC was not keeping up, so we moved to a colder room. While walking, the desk clerk said it was the hottest weekend since 1994. Talk about hitting a bad day at an open air beer bar.  With a beer geek dream of a cellar, I see why it's so revered but it's not my favorite bar.  I would happily prefer a day at 't Arendsnest in Amsterdam, the former Brickskeller in DC or Rattle-n-Hum in New York.  Another day, another time, especially in winter, I would like to give the famous K another try.

Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (Ghent, Belgium)

8/17/12

From a couple of different sources, we were told to visit Ghent over Bruges.  Enamored with the movie In Bruges, we spent our overnight time in Bruges before heading to Poperinge to drink Westvleteren.  So we hit Ghent for the day on the way to Antwerp for a disappointing trip at the Kulminator.  After our short day in Ghent, it is the top of our next trip list for Belgium.    

To maximize our day, we left early and got on the first canal boat tour of the morning.
Our tour guide Matthew gave us a personalized tour of the city because we were the only ones to buy a ticket.  While chatting, Matthew told us of a local beer named after the largest bell of the city center clocktower: Klokke Roeland.  We saw the famous bell while walking. Google the image to check it out—it's a bell. This part of Belgium is known for it's clock towers, especially to the west around Bruges. In Bruges the day before, there was a list of historic Belgian clock towers in the area. Evidently, some people collect clock towers like I collect beer. We missed a lot of small breweries in this area, so a combination clock tower tour while beer hunting is definitely a good vacation possibility.


At the conclusion of our tour, Matthew sent us to the Bierhuis to taste Klokke Roeland.  The bar's proper name is Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant, which seems to mean beer on the water's edge (according to google translate). Right on the canal in the historic center of Ghent, the Bierhuis is clearly the place of choice for thirsty tourists. We had two drafts.  First, Augustijn Blonde. Straw gold with an off white head, slight spice in the nose with a solid light malt. Smooth flavor, easy drinking.

Next, Klokke Roeland. Shimmering amber beer with a dirty white head served in the same styled glass as the house tripel at Staminee de Garre.  Earthy malt nose with a little spice and only a trace to betray the high alcohol. Sweet malt and a light spiciness from the alcohol in the taste.  Easy and dangerous to drink, it's slightly off balanced but a nice beer.  BA rating is less than stellar, but I thought the beer to be a bit better than the reviews.  The reviews I looked at seemed to be of stateside kegs at east coast bars; I would guess drinking local probably helped improve my sample.  

I'm glad we stopped to try the Klokke Roeland, but the fourteen taps are of middling range of standard Belgians.  The beer was well served and I wouldn't hesitate to have a quick, easy draft here again when being a tourist in the heart of this historic city.  However, a perusal of BA bars in Ghent implies that a savvy beer geek could find better with some time and effort.  However, it's our first bar after our day at Westvleteren and we are suppose to drink at the world famous Kulminator tonight, so the Bierhuis may have suffered by comparison.  I look forward to giving it another try on our next trip to Ghent.  

Drinking Westvleteren at In de Vrede (near Abbey St. Sixtus, Westvleteren, Belgium)

In de Vrede 

8/16/12

I had a bottle to Westvleteren 12 at the Locus Publicus in Delft in 2003 before I understood what I was drinking and Gloria didn't drink it that night for some reason.  We didn't have another opportunity until a December 2007 trip to the Netherlands.  Having had a sample a month earlier during a BJCP class, and now fully understanding what I was after, I was on a quest in Amsterdam to get each of the Westvleteren beers.  So I headed to the first bar on my list selling beer geek market Westvleteren, ordered a 12 and promptly lost it to my wife.  It's been one of her favorite beers since.  She's always had good taste.

Fast forward to Belgium 2012: a trip to In de Vrede to drink Westvleteren as close to the brewery as possible was a no brainer (no public tours of the abbey).  For those learning the background, Westvleteren is technically not sold off site except for the rarest of circumstances and has just recently been sold in the US for the first time in limited quantities   Buying the limited production of Westvleteren on the level takes a reservation and a trip. So, yes, the bottles I've had elsewhere—as is true of nearly all beer geeks—are quite illicit.  Since we were travelling light, I only bought a six pack besides what we drank on the pub.

We stayed at the Palace Hotel so that we could get an early start and be able to walk to bus stop.  To get to In de Vrede, an intrepid beer drinker can take the De Lijn Belbus 69.  A reservation can be made up to two weeks in advance, according to one website I read, but the official information said at least two hours in advance. The De Lijn representative, who spoke excellent English, said that it's a minimum two hour wait from the time a pick up call is made. When making a reservation to drink Westvleteren, the local name seems to simply be "the abbey." Saying anything else is superfluous.

Church across the street from the Belbus stop

In Poperinge, the bus stop is either at the train station or at the market downtown. We did the market downtown location that's just off the main square between the public bathrooms on one side of the road and a big church on the other. It showed up right on time. Several locals were on the bus and we were the only ones to get off at the abbey, which is conveniently the first stop. It's August now, so the hops are full and heavy on the vine as we see the town sign for the village of Westvleteren.  The bus stop is right outside of the abbey itself.  Head down the asphalt road beside the abbey, follow the large flags that say Westvleteren to the right, and stroll leisurely down a tree lined sidewalk to In de Vrede.

Belbus stop near the St. Sixtus Abbey
and In de Vrede

It is a beautiful day, so we sat in the bier garden in the back. Table service was fairly quick and it's whatever waiter is available.  From what I can tell, it's pay as you go so no one has to keep a tab. We paid cash for the convenience, so never tried a credit card.

Gloria, naturally, started with the Bruin 12, and I got a Blonde 6 to taste up the ladder. Unfortunately, it's the height of summer corn and hop crops here, so my allergies are acting up and my senses are not at their best for this bucket list adventure.  Imagining a visit to Westvleteren, I never considered that my hay fever that I tried to leave behind in Iowa would re-emerge in this very home-like part of Belgium.  Since a non-summer visit isn't an option, I resolve to have a fine day drinking world class beer between sniffles.

Our first round of Westy beers, as close as possible to on site

The Blonde 6 is a hazy orange with an off white lace down the side of the glass. Slight yeasty nose and spice over a base of a light malt. Not an assertive nose, but pleasant, especially when sipped; the spice is strong in the mouth with a yeasty supplement.

For lunch and a second round, we sat for about 15 minutes to get the attention of a waiter. I feel like I'm being rude asking for attention, but it's just my American sensibilities. The default in Europe is to assume that one wants to be left alone unless asked instead of a server asking when a customer is near the end of a glass.  After several weeks here, I've improved, but haven't mastered, my negotiation of this cultural dynamic.

Abbey St. Sixtus.  Walk past this closed
entrance and turn right to the pub. 

Our new friend, who we
cleverly named Westy

The Bruin 8 is similar to the 12 at first blush. Very similar but lighter all around: color, body and taste. So, on to the 12.  Incredible. The hints and tendencies of the 8 are in full bodied flavor for the 12. Exciting that it's so good. I had a secret fear that drinking on site might be disappointing but I should have known better. Thin brown head leaves an elegant lace, which has been light on pours of all three beers, that falls over an opaque, almost root beer colored body. Yeasty spice in the nose supported by fig, dark chocolate, overripe cherry and an almost sour earthiness that even our light summer breeze can't waft away. Taste has a slight yeast and carbonic bite. Sweet finish from a sugary center that balances the beer from front to back. Great beer that rightly deserves its reputation as one of the world's finest.

Cheese sandwiches for lunch--and my Westy.  

Lunch was very good but the only option for vegetarians is essentially a cheese sandwich with buttered bread. However, I'm pretty much happy with a big hunk of Gouda cheese. A very Belgian/Dutch lunch that was just fine to get us through the afternoon.

The bottles of Westvleteren to take home came into the gift shop and the word spread like wildfire through the pub. From my research, I thought it was supposed to be a mixed six pack, but, today at least, it seems to be all the same blueish cap.  Not sure what I will get when I make it to the front: Bruin 8 is the answer. Oh well that it's not the 12, but still pretty good.

Stack of Westvleteren 8 for sale today.
The quarter of cheese on the wheel went home
with us as well. 

Finally being frustrated by the table service, I started getting 12s from the bar myself to make more of our drinking time.  Being served on the patio, I didn't see any of our early glasses poured but confirmed later that everything is served from bottles and not on draft, something I hadn't thought about or seen in my research.  When we got a waiter to get us a mid-afternoon dessert, he suggested the Coupe "In de Vrede," which is ice cream made with the bier (though I didn't understand which one but guessing a bruin). Too much whip cream on top for my taste but the sprinkled malt (like the inside of a malted milk ball) made it worthwhile; the beer clearly shows up in the ice cream near the bottom. Pricey but fun to order and probably worth the price of admission for most beer geeks.

Overall, it's a grand stop.  Such a pleasant day with piles of cumulus clouds and endless Westvleteren. The only downside is that the patio is smoker friendly, so drifting smoke is also triggering my allergies. Gloria was happy with not only the beer but also an amorous stray cat who was begging for scraps for much of the afternoon until several patrons with dogs sat nearby and scared her away.

Our bus is coming at 16:55, which was probably a bit longer than we needed but we happily wiled away the hours.  The bus ride back continued on the rest of the 69 route and was an interesting driving tour of the region. Gloria saw another brewery on the route, so that may be an option to add to a visit.  Also in Poperinge, we saved the hop museum for another day.  One surprise at In de Vrede was the almost continuous stream of bicyclists stopping for a beer.  The pub is on a 43 km bicycle route through the hop fields called the Hoppeland Route, which is a day with a locally rented bike that I am dreaming about for the future.

End of the day beer infused ice cream before heading home. 

In the grand scheme, we pretty much devoted a day of our vacation to sitting at a bar in the middle of farm country that looks a lot like Sioux County Iowa with an inordinate amount of brick houses. But, then again, we don't understand folks who sit on a beach suntanning with overpriced umbrella drinks.  We decided that this is our day at the beach, a vacation of sitting around, connecting through the experience and drinking some pretty great beer in the process.

Belbus 69 returning us to Poperinge after a scenic drive.  The driver kindly waited while I took a picture.  But, I didn't get my finger out of the way in my rush.   To the right is where we had dinner, 't Smoske, which was some of the best frites of the trip and a fish sandwich that I still think about. Our opinion may have been influenced by beer hunger.   

Staminee De Garre (Bruges, Belgium)

First round and a small bowl of gouda cheese

8/15/12

Only spending a day in Bruges, we had a full schedule of sightseeing.  Being fans of In Bruges, we walked to the top of the tower and then did a canal boat ride.  Walking along the canal to the brewery, we tried but failed to make the tour at De Halve Maan; we still had a great time sampling their beers in their outdoor cafe.

My plan for the evening was to visit 't Brugs Beertje; however, I missed in my research that the bar is closed on Wednesdays, our only day in town.  Not knowing where to go, since the day was also a holiday, Assumption Day, we headed back to our room.  After some research on BeerAdvocate with the hotel WiFi, the desk clerk helped us make a call to confirm that Staminee de Garre was open.  With success finding a good beer bar, we headed back to the heart of Bruges.

A beautiful brick bar down an alley, hidden from the main road, we wiggled our way through the full bar, hawking a table near the bar.  The first round included the house tripel in their own glass, a bittersweet souvenir story in its own right.  Each draft comes with a small bowl of Gouda cheese.

In addition to a good draft list, the bottle selection is outstanding as well, and, more importantly, it was all served with exceptional detail and care.  They have an immense respect for beer.  The only drawback is that we should have eaten dinner beforehand since they didn't offer much besides appetizers.  However, sitting and chatting through great beers until we headed out into the dark to witness the fairy tale lighting of Bruges.

De Halve Maan (Bruges, Belgium)

8/15/12

Quadruple on a summer day

We didn't spend a lot of time in Bruges, but did everything that we wanted after seeing the movie In Bruges, including climbing the tower and taking a canal tour.  Easily could have spent another day there to take advantage of the museums more, but still a fun, touristy visit.

As they were rolling up the streets (we accidentally hit a holiday, but I didn't understand what), we headed to attempt an unplanned brewery tour at De Halve Maan.  Unfortunately, when we arrived, the tours were long done and we had less than an hour to sample their beers.  Not too disappointed missing the tour since my guess is that the on-the-hour tours would tell us beer is made of four ingredients.

Bruges Zot Blonde and Dubbel beers were very good, but the Straffe Hendrick beers, Tripel and Quad, were a clear notch above.  Very Dutch/Flemish style of beers that have a strong balance with an assertive yeast influence, especially the Quad which tasted like Hertog Jan that we brought back from Amsterdam on our first trip there in 2003.  Talking to the bartender and complimenting the beer while running out of time before bar close at 6 pm, I asked if I could buy more than one beer.  With a slightly astonished look, he said yes.  I explained that in the US that a beer in hand had to be more than half finished before buying another.  Again, astonished look.  I bought our Straffe Hendrick beers to close the bar, turning in our empty glasses to the waitress as we were the last ones to stroll out of the patio.

Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik

A relaxing stop at the end of a touristy day.  The historic nature of the brewery alone might be worth another stop in the future, especially since the beer is a good enough to warrant it.

View from outside garden towards restaurant door.
Tour sign up inside

Boon Brewery (Lembeek, Belgium)

W on cask for this past year's brew

8/1/12

My guide Annie picked me up for the Boon Brewery tour at Cafe de Kring.  She is a professional local tour guide who has really done her research.  Like Oud Beersel, I ended up being the only person on the tour in August.  I didn't pay anything, so the tour must be covered by Boon.  Because it looked like rain when we returned and she declined a beer at the time, I tipped Annie the equivalent, which seemed appreciated.

Annie was bursting with Boon knowledge, occasionally consulting her notes on details.  The information on the casks was a highlight, including the lettering system—a letter per year since the brewery opened.  Also, each big cask costs 20,000 Euro, but a portion were donated as war reparations from Germany.  Entertaining me with stories for two hours, the tour was full of local color.

Tour guide Annie by the bottling line

One of my favorites was about the founder and the other about my guide.  First, Frank Boon learned his trade by working at a local brewery across town.  With this knowledge, he started Boon in 1975, reviving a Lembeek brewing tradition.  In spite of being a rags to riches cynic,  I found the tale of Frank Boon inspirational, especially his respect for learning the authentic trade and his hard work growing his lambic brewery into the recognized name that it is today.

Coolship--where the magic happens!

Second, Annie told me of when she would walk with her grandfather as a preschooler: he would stop for a gueuze and she would drink faro.  A different time that's hard to imagine today.  She remembers being introduced to Coca-Cola by a yellow truck at her elementary school that would let them drink as much as they wanted for a day in May.  From these and other stories on this trip, lambic seems to be the Belgian counterpart of Saison, a refreshment for the working class whether young or old.

New production facility being built

Instead of the normal sampling at the end of the tour, we drank from a couple of flasks that I think Annie brought from home and filled on site.  I started with refreshing straight lambic that was two years old.  Then, we sampled an unsweetened Kriek that bursted with cherry flavor.  Both pours were still and at room temperature, and it was a real treat to drink full-flavored authentic lambic without pomp while chatting inside a world class brewery.  Annie told me how area farmers used to put a container of lambic in the ground while working and come back to drink it at cellar temperature as a break.  Being a former Iowa farm boy and a beer lover, this in-the-black-dirt tradition made me feel connected and proud of my blue collar roots.

As a famous large production brewery, I went to Lembeek without starry eyed expectations because I didn't want to be disappointed.  However, Boon is one of my most worthwhile and easy expeditions from Brussels.  Only available to individuals not on a group tour on Wednesday afternoons in July and August, take an early train to partake of Cafe de Kring offerings and then enjoy the tour. 

Cafe De Kring (Lembeek, Belgium)

8/1/12

The train to Lembeek from Brussels was easy and I finally didn't show up too early for fear of getting lost. Walked to the brewery and a worker showed up when I rang a bell in the office; I was directed to walk down the lane past the church to a bar known as Cafe de Kring on the left. The guide starts the tour at the pub at 3 pm on Wednesdays.

The bartender, who looked a lot like my father had he lived to be more than middle aged, poured me a draft Boom Kriek and immediately asked if I was here for the brewery tour.  Lembeek is a small village and blending in is impossible, even if I look Flemish.

The Boon Kriek is maroon to bright red depending on the light.  The Boon glass has the shape of a traditional Lambic glass but not the weight or etching on the side. Cherry predominates in this one, lacking much sour from cherry or lambic. While not a challenging kriek, it's sweet, fruity tang is refreshing on a warm day.

A draft of Rodenbach is next, but, sadly, it was disappointing; however, for 2 euros a glass, it's hard to be too upset.  So, I decided to stay with bottles and tried a 2008 Geuze Marriage Parfait.  Almost a Purdue old gold in the glass with a thin white head. Spiciness is pronounced in the nose and follows through to a puckering taste that's quite dry. Blended, layered spiciness and a peach fruitiness that's light without being thin. Werner from the Lambic Discovery Center said his favorite Lambic, regardless of brewery or blender, was a three year old bottle.  I'm close to that range and can say I beginning to see his reasoning.  I'm going to start aging some favored lambics to test this theory.  My guide for the brewery is here, so I'm having to rush a bit through this fine bottle.

After the tour, we returned to the pub for the guide to get her bike.  On her advice, I delved into a bottle of Halse Duivel (as listed on the menu; Donker Duivels Bier 8 on the bottle).  Translates as "The Halle Devil".  Made previously by a local brewery in the nearby town of Halle, Boon resurrected this favorite. Very hazy dark brown beer with a dirty light brown head.  Almost a sour brown with a clear funk but light with fig, chocolate and black licorice embedded within a laborious malt base.  It's somewhere between a trappist Dubbel and a Flemish bruin, but neither.  Dark cherry comes out as it warms.  I would love to return in winter and drink this on a cold day to let it warm slowly.  Boon brews in through the summer when lambic can't be produced.  Really an outstanding beer and a treat to drink this local some local history.  Because I will probably never repeat it and the train is half an hour yet, I'm having one more for the road—the only beer I've had twice in Belgium except Westveleteren.

While drinking my second Halse Duivel, I told the bar keep that he looked my father.  He laughed and show me a picture. It looked a lot like him but a bit younger. It was the President of Brazil. I asked if he had traveled to Brazil to pretend to be famous, and he laughed and said no.  This broke the ice, and he handed me a guest book that went back to 1996 and had signatures of brewers, many I recognized, from New Belgium, Squatters, Magic Hat, Appalachian, Bell's, Firestone plus a few Euro pubs I haven't heard of.  Evidently I'm at a beer pilgrimage site that has informed pioneers on their beer quest.  Glad I was able to join in spirit with so many other brewers on this stop on the beer trail.

Moeder Lambic Fontainas (Brussels, Belgium)

Real men eat quiche

7/30/12, 7/31/12

I found Moeder Lambic during my planned walk listed on Cantillon's website.  If heading to the Cantillon tour, a stop at Moeder Lambic is a great before or after combination.  I thought I had my return down pat when I noted in the morning that the bar is near the Anneessens metro stop.  However, when exiting at Anneessens, it's important to follow the signs to Fontainasplein. Underground walkways lead to several separate "pleins" (open places) and they are two blocks from each other.   I was hoping for a easy up and getting a beer, and got a walk through an interesting immigrant neighborhood instead.

Zwarte Piet by Brasserie de la Senne here in Brussels is the first beer of the night. Zwarte Piet means "black Pete" and is a helper of Santa Claus in the Netherlands, but I understand little about Pete beyond that.  In this case, I got a robust, dark beer that is a nice contrast to the lambics and golden Belgians I've been drinking this week.  Flowing brown lace on the glass leads to a deep ruby ale that's opaque, and smooth without being light.  Dark cherry and chocolate mix with a spice in the nose and taste that seems to be from theyeast but could also be hops—probably a blend.

Zwarte Piete and my view at a table just inside the door

Second beer of the night is Bitter Sorachi Ace from a French brewery, Brasserie du Mont Saleve.  From my trip, I've noticed that bitter styles are starting to make inroads into Belgium, but my impression is that they still shy away from hops compared to Americans.  This is a hazy, pale yellow ale with a giant head in a small footed glass. Very pretty but the taste disappoints.  I love Sorachi Ace as a hop when placed front and center in a beer by Brooklyn Brewery, simply called Sorachi Ace. This use is less than masterful, and while I understand the critique of over-hopped American beers, American brewers have really pushed the limits of hop science and know how to use them.  This is a nice attempt by Mont Saleve, but it falls a little short.

For dinner, I expanded my horizons and ordered the salmon quiche, which was excellent. Those shocked reading this fact, I added fish back into my ovo-lacto diet recently and this is the first I've tested it overseas. The Bitter Sorachi Ace complimented the quiche fairly well.

Moved on to Noir de Dottignies by Brouwerij de Ranke.  A Belgian strong dark ale with a clean tan lace and dark brown to ruby in the glass.  A very light nose of dark fruits and alcohol spice on top of a smooth maltiness.  Body is a bit light with a slickness letting the same fruits and spice slide right off the back. The beer came with a small amount of malt, but not sure why and the waiter left so quickly that I couldn't ask. Nothing on BA either.  This is listed as a "dark and bitter" beer, so my guess is that the sweet malt is supposed to compliment or reduce the Challenger and Saaz hops dosing.  Can't say the combination does much for me besides leaving chunky grain in my mouth instead of slightly hoppy dark beer. Confirmed the next night that the malted barley is meant to be a "chip" to snack on—a sweet to counteract the bitterness.

After a month in Belgium and France, I came home and gain only two pounds, drinking and eating as I wished.  I love the smaller portions of food and beer in Belgium, maybe Europe in general.  Delve into the full list of 2012 Belgium and 2012 France posts; the reader will note that I've had a fairly large number of beers—all glasses of 25 centiliters.  Food is served in manageable portions as well, so a meal ordered for one doesn't make me feel like a glutton.  A very safe and sane way to to eat and drink.  Moeder Lambic is the epitome of this idea.  This, I think, the US could learn a lesson on how to do.

Finished the night with Rose de Gambrinus, the framboise from Cantillon that I visited this morning.  I didn't have it on-site since I planned to get here later to try several lambics.  Amazing pink head that lingers fluffily on top of a dark red lambic.  My info from Cantillon says 150 kg of raspberries are macerated and placed in the kegs per 500 liters of beer and left to soak for five to six months.  Incredible raspberry in the nose with a light twang from the lambic pushes its way in from the background.  Take a sip and—wow—what sour: vinegar-like kick with the fruit just barely keeping up, almost achieving a balance.  This is a framboise for lambic lovers instead of an introductory lambic like Lindeman's with the fruit leading the sour by a ways.

In spite of the weird, techno backbeat from the bar's music, Moeder Lambic is a great beer adventure.  Besides, the music isn't loud and the focus of the place is light conversation.  I'm pretty sure that one of the workers I saw today at Cantillon is sitting at the bar, so others seem to think that it's a good stop as well. Also, the bar has an especially strong WiFi signal, so I'm catching up on emails while digging deep into the beer list.

Finding Moeder Lambic on my second attempt went much better.  After my adventure at the Atomium (giant model of an atom for the 1958 World Expo that attracts loads of tourists), I emerged from the subway looking right at the bar.

Started tonight with Dupont's Monk's Stout. Black and opaque, even in the mini-imperial pint glass.  Roasted malt and chocolate in the nose that smells like a standard good stout except for a light Belgian yeast funk underneath. More spice appears in the taste to compliment the Guinness-like quality of this beer.

Kerkomese Tripel from Brouwerij Kerkom is a hazy yellow with a stark white head in a glass.  A triple with an amazing spice and fruitiness on top of a light body. The 9% is completely hidden in this smooth drinking beer.  Next, when in Belgium, drink Norway.  Nogne O Imperial Stout is on tap as a special beer, so it's hard to resist this absolute black ale with a creamy tan head. Nose is light for the style, but the taste is fairly spectacular: full bodied, roast, chocolate, slight cherry and an alcohol slickness that makes it smooth. Opens up well as it warms.

My last beer at Moeder Lambic was Tilquin Gueuze on tap.  This was one of my favorites at the Lambic Vistor Center and is just as good on tap. Stark white, fluffy head over a hazy straw gold beer. This is one of my favorites of the trip: a pleasantly sour beer that's not overwhelming. A very perfectly balanced lambic blend.

So I lied. When I said the Tilquin Gueuze was very good, the bartender said the Lambic Blend on tap was better.  Had to give it a try.   Bracingly tart without being overwhelming and a light malt sweetness underneath, probably from a younger lambic in the blend that hasn't dried out yet.  Looks identical to the gueuze, understandably, since both are a blend of the same base lambic.  Tilquin is fast becoming my favorite lambic brewer/blender along with Oud Beersel.

Time spent is my recommendation—check out Moeder Lambic.

Brasserie Cantillon (Brussels, Belgium)

7/30/12

To do the tour of Cantillon, I followed the walking directions to the brewery, starting at the Grand Place (Grote Markt).  Nice walk that took me longer than expected to do, but fun to have landmarks pointed and explained on sheets included with the map.  Otherwise, there are metro stops close by the brewery for a faster, less touristy trip to Cantillon.

I walked right by the building until I saw the Cantillon wrapped vehicle that got me to turn around.  After being welcomed, and paying, a brief history of Lambic is explained and the self paced walking tour starts at the end of the hallway.  A booklet explains everything by the numbers.  Not as personable format, but it does allow visitors to show up and learn on a tourists timetable. It seems that they move a lot more people through here as a result, so I'm fine with the solo tour.

I think the best thing about the tour is that the equipment is largely original, according to the booklet, and it feels like a working museum.  Some of the workers seem to have tired of being a tour prop, but that's understandable. The vertical brewing process started with the mash tun on the bottom floor and ended at the coolship on the top floor is worth the price of admission.

Mash tun

Tasting room. With the 6 euro fee for the tour comes two samples. My first sample is 18 month old straight Lambic.   At the beginning of the tour, I was warned that Lambic beer is sour. I suspect tourists must come here and not know what they are getting themselves in for.  In this case, it's less sour than I imagined it would be. Light orange beer with golden highlights in a small tulip glass to focus the nose. Earthy sourness in the nose is light but strengthens in the taste. Not completely dry yet, there is a small amount of sugar left to sweeten the taste.

For the second sample, I chose the gueuze.  Kriek and the framboise Rose de Gambrinus were also options. The gueuze was similar in color to the lambic but a distinctly darker shade. The blending of one, two and three year lambic is apparent in the depth and complexity of the beer. Still sour, but the blended layers make it more drinkable and refreshing.

I ended by paying for a glass of the Faro, which is lambic sweetened with caramel and candied sugar. The sour fights to rise above the caramel sweetness, but loses. The dark caramel color of the beer forecasts its very sweet character. The finish of the beer is both dry and sweet because of the addition of sugar.  Authentic faro is hard to acquire because bottling it is dangerous with the high addition of sugar—excessive carbonation will explode faro bottles if left too long.  Also, person pouring the samples also said the high carbonation will ruin the flavor over time as well.

Glass of Faro in tasting room

Overall, Cantillon is a slightly touristy but interesting tour of a working lambic brewery, cobwebs and all.  I took about 90 minutes for the tour, samples and writing, but most people went through much faster and left quickly after their two samples.  The only brewery tour within the heart of Brussels, Cantillon is well worth the effort.

Coolship for getting those Belgian bugs

A la Mort Subite (Brussels, Belgium)

7/31/12, 8/1/12

Found myself near enough Mort Subite to stop in for lunch after a morning of Flemish art at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. Amazing how looking at Breughel and Rubens can work up a thirst.

I must look American in enough that I was warned that the Mort Subite Gueuze was served warm and that it was sour. The color of an overripe peach, there's a slight film of an off white head on the beer. Yeasty nose that's focused in spite of spontaneous fermentation. Slightly sour and fruity on the tongue. Very good and goes well gouda cheese.

I came here for lunch, in part, because another BA mentioned cheese sandwiches; I ordered the Hollande sandwich: gouda cheese on a traditional bread, just like at A la Becasse. Mustard placed on the table ahead of the sandwich arriving—to my surprise, mustard on bread with gouda cheese is pretty darn good.  I may return for more lambic and to order the omelet because it looks very good at the next table.

The bar itself is a wonderful old place that makes the stop worthwhile in and of itself, especially compared to just buying a sandwich at a street shop or frites on the street.   In addition to the range of Mort Subite beers, there's a nice selection of abbey and Trappists ales in bottles and draft.

For dessert, I had a Mort Subite Kriek.  Barlely pink head is falling quickly on a Cool-Aid red beer. Light sour cherry and yeasty nose belies the stronger fruit flavor in the mouth that's barely counterpointed by the more mellow sour of Mort Subite's base lambic. Tastes a bit like cherry sour candy in liquid form. Body is light but the flavor more than compensates. This would be a great introduction to lambic and fruit beers. It reminds me a little of New Glarus Belgian Red, but not quite as good.


Decided to end the trip with a draft or two at Mort Subite because it's easy to find in the touristy district and I think I've spent enough time at Delirium for one trip. The quieter, period bar without the thumping techno seemed like the right way to go. I had a sample of the Mort Subite Framboise at the 2005 Festival of Beer in Toronto. It rated high then and doesn't disappoint now. Strong fruit flavor without being overly sweet as the sour lambic swells up underneath to meet the challenge.  An excellent framboise for beer geek and neophyte alike.

Omelette on second visit

I tried to finish with Orval, but they were out until the next day.  On the recommendation of a new tap by the waitress, I'm ending my stay in Belgium as I started: La Trappe Quadruple.  I could live here just for La Trappe this fresh. When I get home, the top of my brewing priority is to learn how to brew a clone of this beer.