Surely it’s every beer lover’s dream come true: a trip where drinking beer is the ‘must do’ of the itinerary. No cobbled streets, churches, museums, galleries, ancient history and all that exhausting walking. This trip would be all about the beer. Ok, so there did turn out to be plenty of history, miles of walking and a swathe of churches on the itinerary too. But really, it was all about the beer. And this is my Belgian beer tour homage.
Jump off the ferry in Calais, and instead of heading to the nearest duty-free hypermarket to stock up on cheap French plonk and Kronenbourg 1664, turn left. In less than a hour you’ll be in lush green countryside, passing barley fields and looking forward to your first taste of what’s been called the best beer on the planet.
Westvleteren
The monks at Sint Sixtus Abbey Westvleteren have been making beer since the 1830s. It’s a brewery you can’t visit, and they brew beer that you can’t readily buy. To get your hands on their famous Westvleteren 12 brew – rated best beer in the world a number of times by ratebeer.com – you must call up in advance, hope that someone answers, then collect your order at the abbey gates at a time specified by the monks.
You’ll be allowed a max of one single crate of 24 bottles. Don’t get any funny ideas about coming back later for more; the monks take your number plate when you order, and that’s your lot for at least 60 days. Unless you borrow someone else’s car and don a fake moustache.
Welcome to the crazy, sometimes fanatical world of Trappist beer, a designation reserved for beer that’s brewed in monasteries by, or under the control of, Trappist-Cistercian monks. There are just eleven breweries in the world allowed to use the Authentic Trappist Product (ATP) label for their beer. It’s a designation taken as seriously as any DOC wine label, which perhaps explains the zeal among some Trappist beer fans.
We haven’t planned ahead to place a beer order, so we opt for the next best thing, a visit to In de Vrede café opposite the monastery, where we sample the Wesvleteren 12 while sating our appetites on delicious abbey cheese and corned beef. Best beer in the world? I’m no expert, but it’s not bad.
First taste of Trappist gold, despite the doors being firmly shut!
Bruges
‘Best beer in the world’ is a hard act to follow, but De Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges certainly provides us with some entertainment and very passable beer. Town records indicate there’s been a brewery around here since 1564, but the modern form of the brewery came into being in the mid-1800’s.
We join one of the hourly tours in English. Our guide is dry, funny and has a genuine passion for Belgian beer, which includes zero tolerance for beer with fruit of any kind (I couldn’t agree more). The visit is part brewery tour, part history tour, covering both modern and traditional brewing processes and equipment. It finishes up in the bar with a glass of the brewery’s very drinkable flagship beer, the Brugse Zot Blonde.
But why stop there? We also sample the Dubbel and Tripel. For me, however, the star of the show is the Straffe Hendrik Quadruple, a rich, dark, malty Belgian strong ale that packs a punch at 11% ABV. One is enough.
Beer and history, guaranteed to make us both happy!
While in Bruges, you might also want to give ‘t Brugs Beertje a try. This cosy little beer cafe offers a choice of around 300 beers not far from the heart of town. Another great little spot for a brew is De Garre, tucked away in a tiny, narrow lane near the Grote Markt. We spend an age trying to find it, but we’re rewarded with great house beer and complimentary cheese nibbles.
Ghent
We hadn’t actually planned any beer-related visits in Ghent, but during our rain-sodden walk around the city’s main attractions we sought shelter in Cafe den Turk. A friend had recommended this cosy old spot opposite the striking Stadhuis (town hall). We found a bar full of friendly locals and a decent selection of beers, the perfect place to while away a rainy afternoon…or a sunny one for that matter.
Brussels
Our wanderings around Brussels, however, are geared towards stops of hoppy refreshment. Moeder Lambic proves a particularly worthwhile visit, with modern decor, a long list of regular and guest beers, and friendly knowledgeable staff. I opt for a lambic beer here, a stab in the dark as I know nothing about lambic beer except that it’s a Belgian speciality. It turns out to be a lip-puckerer – a super-sour affair that might be better appreciated by more determined beer connoisseurs than me.
Of course, no visit to Brussels would be complete without a pilgrimage to the home of the pink elephant, the Delirium Cafe. The name is apt: with a new world record for having 3,162 beers commercially available (pipping their own previous record from 2004), you’ll end up delirious just deciding what to have.
Westmalle
The next stop on our beer-venture is another authentic Trappist brewery: the famous Westmalle Abbey. The monks have been brewing beer here since 1836. Unfortunately, as with Westvleteren, you can’t actually visit the abbey or brewery to see how the magic happens, but you can try the beers at the nearby Cafe Trapisten, which has the feel (and demographics) of an Aussie RSL. We settle in to a sampling of the famous Westmalle double and triple beers, as well as their half-and-half (half double and triple), our pick of the bunch and apparently only available at the cafe.
Antwerp
Among other things, Antwerp is famous for the De Koninck brewery, which has been brewing since 1833. We pay tribute by drinking De Koninck beer at one of the oldest beer cafés in Antwerp: Den Engel on the Grote Markt. With great views of the town hall and cathedral, it has a surprisingly local feel, with a quirky interior packed full of beer memorabilia, and nice personal touches like the photo memorial to the bar’s longest-serving customer, placed above the seat he occupied every day for decades before departing for the great beer hall in the sky.
Utrecht
You’d be forgiven for thinking that leaving Belgium would mark the end of our Belgian beer-tinerary. Ironically, just a day later, ducking out of some (more) torrential rain through the unassuming doors of a building in the Dutch city of Utrecht, we find ourselves in the soaring interior of a former church…now a Belgian beer cafe!
What better place for a journey of beer discovery than an old church.
Belgisch Bier Café Olivier proves a highlight of our visit to Utrecht. Seeing us struggling through the extensive (Dutch) beer menu, Bar Manager Johan is quickly on hand to help us find something to our tastes, which on this overcast rainy day is very much on the darker side. My malty, ruby-coloured Het Anker Gouden Carolus is just the ticket, although Dan’s Duchesse Bourgogne from the Verhaeghe brewery is probably a little on the sour side.
A good start for our beer journey, although I’m not sure Dan agrees!
Next up Johan convinces us to try some local beer from the Maximus brewery in Utrecht, with a lovely fresh saison for me, and the Pandora American pale ale for Dan, a very decent session beer.
But for us this brew tasting is all about variety, and seeing we are into our beer, Johan soon introduces us to Chaim, a bartender and a passionate brewer with his own up-and-coming label, Stuntman. After chewing the fat about brewing for a while, and learning a heap from Chaim about the local brewing scene, including the fact Holland actually has more breweries than Belgium, we’re offered the opportunity to try one of Stuntman’s range, a delicious, well-balanced porter that we both love.
The fact that Café Olivier actively promotes beer being brewed by local up-and-comers like Chaim is a testament to the business, and tells you plenty about their passion for all things beer. It’s probably one of our best rained-out Monday travel afternoons ever. Thanks so much to Johan and Chaim for looking after us so well, and good luck to Stuntman Brewery, we look forward to seeing more of you in our beer future.
Time flies at Cafe Olivier on a rainy Monday afternoon.
And that’s where this (mostly) Belgian Beer Tour ends, a thirst-quenching journey through an attractive region steeped in history and awash with awesome beer. Stay tuned for a Belgian beer tour dubbel…our travels back to the UK might just (have to) take us through the south of Belgium and past the Trappist breweries of Orval, Rochefort and Chimay. Santé!
Good to know
Belgian beer tour by car
Belgium has an excellent road network and we found it a breeze to drive to all the cities and brewery cafés in this post. If you’re driving from the UK, you’re legally obliged to carry your rego and insurance papers, a reflective (flouro) vest or jacket and a warning triangle, as well as affixing headlight beam deflectors.
If your trip takes you through France, you’ll also need to carry an alcohol test kit and must have a GB sticker or Euro number plate (for now, anyway).
Of course the final essential is probably the hardest thing to find: a willing designated driver; we took it in turns!
Don’t want to drive?
Who could blame you? While planning your visit by public transport provides the benefit of not drawing straws for a designated driver, it will require a lot more time and patience: abbeys like Sint Sixtus and Westmalle are fairly out of the way. If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, there are plenty of beer tour operators in Belgium.
Visiting Trappist breweries
While we have read stories of a lucky few that have been granted impromptu tours of abbey brewing facilities, we had no such luck. Our understanding is the monks of Sint Sixtus and Westmalle generally don’t open up for tourists. We found the next best thing in the cafés licensed to sell the local abbey beer and other Trappist products like cheese, honey and pâté, and we still got to see the outside of the abbeys at least.
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