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Brasserie Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella 1983
Drinking aged lambic beers can be a great pleasure. As someone who is a huge fan of Belgium’s funky, dry, tart lambic brews, some of my life’s most memorable moments have been savoring such beers during a trip to “The Beer Country”, Belgium. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to savor a circa 1975 Cantillon…
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Gueuzerie Tilquin and Toer de Geuze 2019
As during every Toer de Geuze, Gueuzerie Tilquin will be a special place to visit for any lambic lover on May 4 and 5. Owner/Master Blender Pierre Tilquin and his team always put on a show, with tours of the blendery, many exclusive beers, several gourmet food options, and an overall great time. Here is…
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An interview with Pierre Tilquin, owner and master blender of Gueuzerie Tilquin
As Gueuzerie Tilquin approaches its tenth anniversary this March, there can be no question that the esteemed lambic blendery has seen great success in its first decade. I paid a visit to Founder/Owner/Master Blender Pierre Tilquin in late August 2018, to catch up on how things are going, and to discuss the new beers that…
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Pure Kriek Cantillon 1996: The inspiration for Brasserie Cantillon’s Lou Pepe Kriek
Brasserie Cantillon’s Lou Pepe Kriek is one of the most sought-after fruited lambic beers in the world. It has intense notes of sour cherries, with a noticeable lambic funkiness, especially with bottles with at least several years of age. Lou Pepe Kriek is made by using two year old lambic, much of which has been…
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Two brew days at Brasserie Cantillon
I visited the hallowed Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels in early February and late November 2017, to photograph and video two brewing days…and to sample quite a few of the magnificent beers brewed on site, of course. There’s no point in doing this kind of work if you can’t enjoy it! I have included lots of…
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Weekend of Oude Geuze, Vini, Birre, Ribelli, and the Day of the Lambic
The last weekend of November and the first weekend of December 2017 will feature several superb events centering around beer (and wine) in Belgium, where lambic is either the main focus, or is an important part of the event. Read on for the details. On November 25-26, the city of Brussels will host an important…
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Belgian Beer Me’s “Wild and Spontaneous Beer Tour of Belgium” 2015
When Stu Stuart of Belgian Beer Me! Beer Tours of Belgium (BBM!) asked me to be a guest host on one of his “Wild & Spontaneous Beer Tour of Belgium,” I gladly accepted. I normally plan my own tours to Belgium and can safely say that organizing them is a very intricate, time consuming process.…
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Toer de Geuze article in Celebrator Beer News
I have a 1,200+ word article in the June/July issue of Celebrator Beer News on the 2015 edition of Belgium’s Toer de Geuze. In fact, you might as well call it “Toer de Geuze Weekend” from now one, as there are so many events taking place at the lambic breweries in the days leading up…
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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…