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Trappist Achel
Photo: The old Achel Abbey, dating to 1846 The Achel Trappist Abbey, more formally known as St. Benedictus Abdij de Achelse Kluis, in Hamont-Achel, Limburg Province, was founded in 1846 by monks from Abdij der Trappisten van Westmalle, better known simply as Westmalle. Hence, Achel is a “daughter” abbey of Westmalle. Meaning, it is under…
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Five Fabulous Meals with Belgian Beer-Celebrator Beer News
I have an article in the October/November issue of Celebrator Beer News called “Five Fabulous Meals with Belgian Beer” which you can read for free here Photo, above: a superb meal at Improvisio, Leuven. Paired with Vicaris Winter ale 2012. The Oct/Nov issue of Celebrator is always the “Beer and Food” issue. White Asparagus topped…
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3 Fonteinen: New brewery, same great beers
New brewery officially christened on March 23, 2013 In March 2011, I mentioned on the pages of my blog, belgianbeerspecialist.blogspot.com, that 3 Fonteinen was likely to brew again, sometime in the near future. Brewer/blender Armand Debelder didn’t give me a specific time frame, and I’ve been waiting patiently for the day to come. When I…
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Slow Beer Club, Festibière Gembloux, and Beergusto.com
Zythos, the beer appreciation and promotion society which organizes Belgium’s premier beer festival, ZBF (Zythos Beer Fest) will soon have its first affiliated chapter in French-speaking Wallonia, “Slow Beer Club.” As of late September, all 40 of the Zythos-affiliated clubs were located in Dutch-speaking Flanders. “There are over 3,600 members of Zythos. All members belong…
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Second “Brussels Beer Challenge” to be held in November
The second edition of the “Brussels Beer Challenge” will be held in Liege (Luik in Dutch) from November 1 to 3. In the BBC’s first year, in Brussels, 500 beers from sixteen different countries were tasted and judged by 40 international beer experts. The aim of The Brussels Beer Challenge is to bring a prominent…
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La Ferme des Quatre Saisons-Chimay
When you visit Trappist abbeys and breweries, eating and drinking must be on your agenda. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be taking a drive out to Bourlers, Hamont-Achel, Villers-devant-Orval, Westmalle, or Westvleteren, would you? All of the Trappist abbeys with breweries in Belgium, except Brasserie Rochefort/Abbaye Notre Dame de St-Remy, have one café/restaurant that is owned by…
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Paira Daiza: Zoo, World Gardens, and Brasserie De Cambron
Some things just amaze. The new brewery at Pairi Daiza, one of Belgium’s top tourist attractions, is one of them. Pairi Daiza is a zoo with over 5,000 animals and several large gardens. It is the number one tourist site in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium. Over one million visitors pass it gates every…
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Brasserie De La Lesse: a Co-Op is born in Namur province
If you traveled to Belgium in the late ‘90’s, you might remember the beers of Brasserie La Rochefortoise. The brewery only operated from 1995 to 2000, but made several interesting strong, dark ales. When it closed, the brewery building and equipment remained. When several beer-loving friends in the Eprave-Rochefortoise area in Namur province discovered this…
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Cafe In De Linde, Itterbeek
There has been a wave of new cafes opening in Belgium in the last several years. It’s clear that young, enthusiastic, energetic Belgians have decided that the future is now, and the time is theirs to promote and enjoy Belgium’s great beer heritage, while educating their countrymen at the same time. One of these great…
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Stokerij De Molenberg: Het Anker’s new distillery
While I primarily write about Belgium’s great beers and beer culture, when the opportunity arises, I do enjoy artisanal liquors. With a number of Belgian breweries, such as Pirlot, Craywinckelhof, and Wilderen now also having distilleries, the opportunities to indulge, and research artisanal spirits, have been frequent during my last several trips to Belgium. Brouwerij Het Anker of…