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After several years of saying, “shall we do
it?” seven intrepid members of Newark CAMRA finally went to
Belgium and spent three nights in the beautiful city of
Bruges. The journey, via
GNER
and
Eurostar, was painless and speedy. We were joined in
Brussels by Chris Constantine, Newark branch’s founder Chairman.
Accommodation was the
Bauhaus, an 8 bed apartment, working out at under £50
for the three nights.
The lads get stuck in at the Bargehuis
After depositing our bags it was time for a welcome beer,
the primary purpose of our visit! We set off, clutching what
turned out to be our bible, “Good Beer Guide Belgium,” to
see if all that was said about Belgium and beer was true.
Would we find evidence of the 120 working breweries,
producing over 800 different beers, the majority served in
their own individual glasses? The range of beer styles,
lambics, gueuzes, Trappist ales, blond ales, wheat beers,
brown ales etc? The relaxed drinking culture where people
take their time drinking small bottles of often strong beer
as one would cherish a fine wine?
Our first port of call was just up the road, Kelk, a
fascinating warren of a place, aimed at locals, only spoilt
by the pervading smell of the toilets. We were provided with
some very welcome nibbles. We then made our way to the
floodlit Square, which even in the rain was a marvellous
sight. We paid a visit to the chip van before a short walk
to find
‘t
Brugs Beertje. The GBGB had said about this place, “You
cannot call yourself a well-travelled beer lover until you
have been here. This is the place that made us decide to
create this guide.” We walked into this small, crowded, two
roomed café and scanned for seats amongst the rickety
tables. We sat, like kids in a sweet shop, pouring over the
beer menu, there were over 250 on offer! Our beer guide
proved essential reading as it gave descriptions of all the
beers but Daisy and her staff were also extremely
knowledgeable. When you find a place like this you become
very reluctant to leave. At 2.00 am we found the pub, that
had seemed so busy all night, now only contained us! We bade
Daisy farewell and she gave us that knowing look which said,
“I’m sure I’ll see you again before you go home!” We walked
back, marvelling at the beers we had tasted and how lovely
it was to walk through this beautiful city at night and not
to be confronted by groups of lager louts. Hello bed.
Look who's tagged along!
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Saturday, not surprisingly,
brought a relaxed start. We missed our 3 euro breakfast at
Bauhaus, it finished at 10.30am so had a leisurely walk
through the Square and found a café for a breakfast
omelette, accompanied by a coffee for most and a beer for
some! We then made our way through the busy city streets,
avoiding numerous crocodiles of tourists on walking tours,
and found the Straffe Hendrik Brewery Tavern, home of the
De Halve
Maan Brewery. This was a bit of a disappointment as it
was obviously geared to the tourist trade. We just opted for
a quick beer which was quite ordinary, and opted to walk to
the
Bargehuis, a beer café, close to the canal. We studied
the beer menu of some 125 beers and noticed two other groups
of like minded individuals. It was here that we became a
little more adventurous as we began to explore the great
variety of beers. Chris tried
De Dolle Stillernacht, which made his mouth go numb! As
it was passed round for sampling, one description was,
“smells like a Christmas pudding before it’s cooked!”
Philthy was very attracted to
Rodenbach
Grand Cru, described in the guide as, “an extreme experience
for your taste buds, with a unique smell.” Scary thought it
more like chewing rhubarb without the sugar!
Scary gets his first taste of
Rodenbach Grand Cru!
As evening approached, we thought a proper
meal was a good idea, so found Terrastje, recommended
for its Flemish cooking as well as offering 45 beers. Stevie
thought it nice to be back in a place he and Chris had been
asked to leave, some 10 years earlier. Scary, who had still
not quite got the knack of drinking your beer slowly,
savouring the smells and tastes, fell in love with the
landlady. On leaving, a photograph of the two seemed
appropriate although it was somewhat spoilt by the husband
who muscled his way into the frame!
We walked through the narrow, cobbled streets to
Vlissinghe, a classic Flemish building of 1515. As we
sat and marvelled at the building’s interior, Philthy failed
to miss the only beer of the weekend that was knocked over
and spent the rest of the trip wishing he had brought
another pair of jeans with him! Still, how he managed to get
all he did bring into such a tiny bag remained a mystery.
The evening finished with a drink at Sol y Sambre
before finding Staminee De Garre, a small, elegant
café tucked away down an alley. It was packed but we managed
to squeeze into some seats, rest our aching bodies and study
the beer menu of 130 beers. At 1.00 pm people were
still coming in, looking for a seat. Lee thought it sensible
to head for our beds and was accompanied by half the group.
Apparently the rest followed shortly. |
Sunday was to be our day of culture. Stevie
and Chris set off relatively early to admire some of the
sights. Lee bought a die cast model of a “1959 Chevrolet
ambulance” for his collection and we all made breakfast. We
met in the Square and after a bit of sight seeing made our
way to
Brasserie Erasmus, well, it was midday! This was a
hotel, with a modern décor and classical music playing. We
selected from the beer menu of 120 beers and were also able
to use Philthy’s downloaded “Belgium Beer Card” which
entitled us to a free drink, good lad! We were able to use
the card again at
Dickie’s,
where we sat outside, enjoying the Autumn sunshine. It
became apparent just how many people cycle in Bruges. After
a drink at De Kuppe (100 beers) we went to De
Zolder (66 beers), a fascinating cellar bar. It was
here, Scary, who had been quite reserved today, ate mustard!
As the evening drew on there was only one place to finish
our weekend, back to see Daisy at
‘t
Brugs Beertje. Again we were the last to leave, it was
only 1.00 am but we were going home in the morning.
We were all up early on the Monday, packed our meagre bags,
had breakfast and awaited the taxi to take us to the
station. We had our last Belgian drink in a café opposite
the station at Brussels. Prices here were very cheap and
some thought it would be rude not to take a couple of
bottles for the journey back on Eurostar. The journey back
was fast and smooth interrupted only by the appearance on
the train of a customs lady who singled out one of our party
for a thorough inspection. He accepted the intrusion
gracefully before moaning that it always happens to him!
We had time to enjoy a pint at the Euston Flyer
before limping to Kings Cross and getting our train home.
Despite a break down of the air conditioning, which
threatened to melt our Belgian chocolates, we got back
safely to Newark and contemplated a great weekend and all
the recommended places we didn’t have time to visit! Are you
with us next time?
My Beer List:
Hapkin
8.5%
Straffe
Hendrik Blond 6.0%
St
Bernadus Pater 6 6.7%
Gordon Scotch 8.6%
Hercule Stout 9.0%
Rochefort 8 9.2%
Rodenbach
Grand Cru 6.0%
Leffe Bruin 6.5%
Orval
6.2%
Tripel Van De Garre 11.5%
Westmalle Dubbel 7.0%
Bruges Zot 6.0%
Achel
Trappist Bruin 8.0%
Slaapmutske Bruin 6.0%
Chimay
Rouge 7.0%
De Dolle Export Stout 9.0%
Corsendonk Bruin 7.5%
Ezel Bruin 6.5%
Petrus Oud Bruin 5.5%
Ename Dubbel 6.5%
Moinette Bruin 8.5%
I am not a ticker!
Larry Leveller
Sept '05
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