My husband and I are planning our next great adventure and havedecided to put together a Belgium ale tour. Can any one give me a list of the top places to visit and if they have tours and tastings. We will have ten days to combine Beligum, Luxenbourg and Cologne.
|||
I would suggest you base it on one of those run by the experts in this area, see www.bier-mania.com/index_files/tour8gbbt.htm. But, an organised tour can get you into places you won%26#39;t be able to visit on your own, so you will have to note down which breweries you are interested in and then do your own research on google as to which of these permit individual visits.
|||
let me know a few things and i can help sort somethings for you...
how are you travelling?
what sort of places do you want to stay?
where do you want to stay?
do you want to move from aaccommodation to accommodation?
what sort of beer are you interested in? what are your tastes?
|||
Some breweries that are either in cities or easy to get to (in suburbs) might be a good starting point - others can be further out and hard to get to on public transport, but let us know any particular interests and I%26#39;ll see if I have any advice to offer!
1. Cantillon, 10 mins walk from Brussels Midi station - a very traditional, lambic brewery. They will give you an introduction, then give you a guide book in English so you can wander round the old and dusty brewery on your own (which is great as you can explore and soak up the atmosphere), then you%26#39;ll get a tasting of two of their beers - these are (deliberately) sour and it%26#39;s a very distinctive, traditional, and revered style.
2. Strafe Hendrick / De Halve Maan (known by both names) - about 10 mins walk from centre of Bruges. Excellent tour with tasting at the end in a brewery with both modern and older elements (worth staying afterwards to have lunch in their cafe too, they did great beer soup)
3. De Konink - 15 mins tram ride from centre of Antwerp. Presentation in English, then guided tour of the premises, then back to the sampling room to try two or three of their beers. Just did this myself last Saturday and it was a good afternoon out.
There are other more famous breweries in Belgium, but it depends what the criteria are for you - accessibility by public transport, particular beers or brands you%26#39;re interested in, large or small breweries, etc. Others I%26#39;ve been to are Bush, Van Steengerge, Vapeur, and some brewpubs in cities - but the first three there were on an arranged coach tour. However next time I go back I%26#39;m hoping Het Anker in Mechelen will have re-opened for tours, another one easy to get to by train from Brussels or Antwerp (when open!)
|||
My good friend Podge also runs Belgian and German beer trips:
podgebeer.co.uk/podges-belgian-beer-tours.ht…
Otherwise get hold of the Good Beer Guide to Belgium!
The little Alvinne brewery just outside of Kortrijk is (just about) accessible by public transport - there%26#39;s a bus from Kortrijk station drops you within walking distance. And a taxi from Diksmuide station to the De Dolle brewery wouldn%26#39;t set you back too much. Not sure if de la Senne%26#39;s new Brussels HQ is up and running yet.
Oh and there%26#39;s also the Belbus option if you want to visit Westvleteren and the 2 breweries in Watou (along with the numerous country beer cafes - not to mention various other areas in Flanders) - you ring up at least 2 hours before you want to set off, tell them where you%26#39;re going and when you want to come back and they%26#39;ll put on a little bus for you!
www.wikihow.com/Book-the-Belbus-in-Belgium
|||
According to the this: actu24.be/article/…329666.aspx (right at the end), the Brussels installations for Brasserie de la Senne will be finished in early 2010, so may be a possibility for tour next year.
|||
We will arrive into Brussels, then I am open from there, we like to stay where possible in a Hilton(free withpoints) otherwise we are open to anything. I might contact your friend, we like small groups not into the big group with the name tag thing going on.
No comments:
Post a Comment