Brussels and Wallonia
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Brasserie de Waterloo: Brewery, Visitor’s Center, Restaurant, and more….
On June 18, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte met his final defeat at the battle of Waterloo, a small hamlet of villages located about eleven miles south of Brussels. Now, an old farm that was set up as a field hospital by The Duke of Wellington, who led the English and their allies to victory that day,…
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Meet Anne-Françoise Pypaert, the first female Trappist brewmaster
Step aside, guys. The lady is in charge. Welcome to Brasserie d’ Orval, Anno 2014. Things have changed a lot in the male-dominated world of the Trappist Abbey breweries in the last few decades. A significant number of women now work at these hallowed places, mainly in the area of lab work, marketing, and quality…
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Brasserie Cantillon set to expand and double production
Jean Van Roy released some big news today: Brasserie Cantillon has found a space where they can add lots of extra barrels and increase production by double over a four year period. The building is just 300 meters from Cantillon, and was the site of another lambic blendery, Brasserie Limbourg, which closed in the 1960’s.…
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The Belgian brewery: fifty shades of grey
This is a guest post by Carl Kins. Carl is very well known in beer circles in his native Belgium, as well as all over Europe and the U.S.A. He is a member of Zythos, The European Beer Consumer’s Union (E.B.C.U.) and other beer associations and groups. He is an International Beer Judge, and has…
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Trappistes Rochefort, Part 2: Abbey, Church, Library
Well, it’s been awhile since I posted Part I of this Rochefort series. Here is part 2, finally: A look behind the scenes in the Abbey, Church, and library at the Trappist ‘l Abbaye Notre Dame de St-Remy, and its Brasserie Rochefort. This April 2013 tour was given by Frère Pierre, the monk in charge…
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1975 Cantillon Kriek
On a nice spring day in Belgium, Sunday, April 20th, I had the chance to taste a very special vintage beer. It’s not too often that you get to drink a nearly 40-year old brew, and I was excited at the news that friends Andre Van Gansen, Danny Van Tricht, and I would be opening…