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More on the Spencer Trappist Ale and brewery
The monks of the St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts received the “Authentic Trappist Product” designation and logo on December 10, making them the first official Trappist brewery in the U.S.A. As to the reasons for opening this new brewery: “Our brewery project is one of necessity. For over 60 years, we have cooked and…
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Orval’s 2014 Ambassador cafes: Le Palais de la Bière is #1
The Orval Trappist brewery has announced the winners of the 2014 Orval Ambassador program. This from the Orval website: “For the 2014 edition, 325 cafés, taverns and restaurants have been rewarded for serving Orval. 231 establishments throughout Belgium, but also 7 in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, 21 in France, 1 in Germany, 35 in…
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Saison Dupont Cuvee 2014 Dry Hopping
There will be a dry-hopped version of Brasserie Dupont’s excellent Saison Dupont once again in 2014. The beer first made it stateside this spring as the Cuvee 2013, and brewmaster Olivier Dedeycker has another batch in the works right now. This from U.S. Importer Vanberg & DeWulf, today: “Every year Dupont’s Master Brewer, Olivier Dedeycker,…
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Brouwerij Fort Lapin-‘t Koelschip barrel-aged Quad, and more
Barrel-aging continues to be all the rage in the beer world, and there are a lot of such projects going on in Belgium right now. A new one involves Brouwerij Fort Lapin of Brugge (Bruges) which just opened in 2012. Brewer Kristof Vandenbussche has teamed up with Ive Mostrey of ‘t Koelschip (“The Coolship”) which…
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Spencer, the new American Trappist
After years in planning, the USA finally has a Trappist beer. It’s official. Spencer Trappist Ale, from St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, officially became an Authentic Trappist Product as of yesterday, December 10. “At a meeting yesterday of the International Trappist Association in Brussels, the Spencer Trappist Ale was awarded the ‘Authentic Trappist Product’…
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Belgium’s premier Christmas beer festival is this weekend
The O.B.E.R. Kerstbier festival is this weekend, and, as always, it should be a great one. O.B.E.R. are the Objective Beer Tasters of the Essen region. Essen is a small city near the Dutch border and the city of Rosendaal, about 45 minutes from Antwerp, in Antwerp Province. O.B.E.R. is a Zythos-affiliated beer club, and…
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The Payottenland’s Hops, Beer, and Chocolate spa treatment
Seriously, when I saw this, I had to spread the word. The cool factor is above and beyond. Especially for the beer and chocolate-loving ladies out there. Zen Your Life, which calls itself a Center for Natural Health and Wellness, in Groot-Bijgaarden, Flemish Brabant (yep, that’s in the Payottenland) is offering a spa therapy involving…
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De Lambikstoempers “Day of the Old Geuze” is next weekend in Halle
De Lambikstoempers, the premier lambic beer appreciation and promotion club in Belgium’s Payottenland, is holding their eighth annual “Dag Van de Oude Geuze” or Day of the Old Geuze, next weekend. The venue is the Streekproductencentrum (Regional Products Center) in Halle, eight miles south of Brussels. Halle is linked by two to three trains an…
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Brussels Beer Challenge: Belgium’s World-Class Beer Competition
I was honored to be a Taster (Judge) at the second edition of the Brussels Beer Challenge the first weekend in November. Held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Liege, the competition featured nearly 600 beers from 15 countries around the world, and 52 International beer judges. I was one of only four judges from…
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Flanders Today covers Belgian Family Brewers press trip
Flanders Today, an English-language newspaper aimed at covering events in Belgium’s Dutch-speaking northern half for ex-pats and other English speakers, has covered the Belgian Family Brewers Press trip that I was a part of last week. You can read it here