We adjourned back to the tasting room, and Brouwerij Het Anker owner Charles LeClef gave a talk about his brewery and beers, while we sipped a Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor. Yum.
Benedikte is quite an accomplished accordion player, and she sang several songs about drinking beer in the Hoppeland. She even played for Belgium’s Princess Mathilda during her visit to ‘t Hoppecruyt.
Ann Van Holle, who is with Research and Development at De Proefbrouwerij, then gave a tasting of five different brews. All had the exact same ingredients, except for the hops used in each beer. It was definitely another instructive tasting with these interesting brews.
Benedikte and Wout then offered us a special treat: a shot of Hommeldruppel, a grain jenever (spirit) distilled with fresh, aromatic hop flowers added as a spice. The hops are grown at ‘t Hoppecruyt.
Hommeldrupel was created in 2010 in conjunction with Freddy Laplace and Stokerij De Jans of Kortrijk, a distillery. The fresh hop aroma and a warming 35% alcohol make for an ideal spirit for the Hoppeland. All the ingredients for Hommeldruppel, which roughly means “Hop Drop,” are produced in West Flanders.
After such a fun few hours, it was hard to leave. But Tour Master Krishan Maudgal made sure we were on time and headed for a superb meal in nearby Watou.
Watou is often known as a brewer’s village, owing to the two breweries in town. The first stop was a local bar near Brouwerij Van Eecke, where we enjoyed fresh brews such as SAS Pils and Poperings Hommelbier.
Danny Dieussaert, who is an International Trade and Sales consultant for Van Eecke and Brouwerij Het SAS (also known as Brouwerij Leroy) was kind enough to show us this fine local watering hole.
Some members of the tour also played a game where one beats spikes into a tree trunk with a kind of sledgehammer. You had to be there.
Next up was a visit to the legendary ‘t Hommelhof, a great restaurant in the center of the village where “Cuisine à la bière” has been the focus since 1985.
Chef/Owner Stefaan Couttenye is one of the most respected in his field, and always impresses with his creativity and flair.
This evening would be no different. Stefan wowed us with a superb multi-course meal, paired with beers such as Van Eecke Het Kapittel Tripel and St. Bernardus Abt 12. Brouwerij St. Bernardus owner Hans Depypere and Sales and Marketing chief Marco Passarella were on hand to discuss the Abt. 12.
Stefaan is also very a modest and approachable person. He wrote a book called “De Bierkeuken van ‘t Hommelhof” which means “The Beer cooking of ‘t Hommelhof.” This book is one of the most influential works on the subject of cooking with beer, first published in 1999.
Stefaan and his son Simon have a new book, was which just published on December 3. It is called “Biergastronomie uit de Westhoek” which translates as “Beer Gastronomy from the Westhoek.” (The “Westhoek” is a region of the Province of West Flanders where Watou and other towns are located.) The book is 144 pages long, and costs 29.95 euro. For now, it is only available in Dutch. An English version will be offered in 2014. Stefaan is holding a copy in one of the photos, above.
Prior to the meal, we were serenaded by a gentlemen singing and playing an organ. The tunes? Some local songs about hops and beer drinking, dating back many years. Good stuff, and very lively.
Note that ‘t Hommelhof means “The Hop Garden.”
After this memorable meal, the bus took us to Kortrijk, where we would enjoy beers with Hans Depypere. We first stopped at ‘t Mouteritje (The Little Maltery, a bar/restaurant in a former malt house) where I savored a Tripel. Guess which brewery. Next up was a stop at a newer bar called Hoochie Coochie, right beside a canal. I know that name doesn’t sound like a good beer bar, but it is. The beer list includes a lot of regional brews, plus a few Oude Geuzes and Oude Krieks. It’s worth a stop if you are in Kortrijk.
The last stop, not surprisingly, was the bar at our hotel. An Orval hit the spot. As it usually does.
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