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| Sarah drinking a Leffe Brune (for my brother, Nick, he loves that beer) on the streets of Brussels, 'cause she can. |
Magnums of Cantillon in their cellar. Saturday June 4, 2011
The mash tun at Cantillon. Due to spontaneous fermentation and the unwanted bacteria during the hotter months, their brewing season is from September through April. Thats it. So if you cannot find bottles here in the States, shutupahyourface. They produce all that they can, in the time they have, in the space they have---which is wedged between two buildings in downtown Brussels.
Sarah scribed our names on some bottles in the cellar; Cantillon forever. Coincidentally, we saw the writing "Highland Gaelic Ale" scribed onto some bottles nearby, which is the flagship beer for a brewery in Asheville, NC.
Nothing like some sour goods directly at the source. Classic Gueuze and Rose de Gambrinus.
On the house: 2007 Lou Pepe Framboise. Cantillon remains our favorite producer of lambics and gueuzes. Hoo-Zah!
http://www.cantillon.be/br/3_1
The best Belgian Fries we could find, and we tried many. According to this video, we were correct. Brussels.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuxiaeOtpzI
Lunch from the petrol station outside Brussels: fresh baked baguette, Abbaye du Val-Dieu cheese and Italian salami. Kinda like filling up and grabbing lunch on the Jersey Turnpike, but not really.
Bike racks outside Westmalle's tasting room. Sunday June 5, 2011
http://www.trappistwestmalle.be/en/page/brouwerij.aspx
Were it not for this guy, his motorcyle and our book "Great Beers of Belgium" we would have never found Brasserie Blaugies, located in the Wallonia region. We paid him with two bottles of Achel, shook hands and went our seperate ways.
The beautiful meal that Pierre Alex and his wife prepared for us. Meat from his neighbor, injected with his Blaugies beer, cooked over an open grill in dining room. Does life get any better? No. Sunday June 5, 2011
http://www.brasseriedeblaugies.com/
He and his wife live across the street from their brewpub Brasserie Blaugie/ Le Forquet in a restored 300 yr. old farm house. After 25 years, his sons are stepping in and continuing the work. One son is now brewing and the other a chef at Le Forquet. I hope to return again.
Cleaning out the mash tun at St. Feuillien, the oldest family run brewery in Belgium. Monday June 6, 2011
St. Feuillien Blonde, unavailable is the States. Thank you, Dominique, for your generosity and time showing us your family brewery. It is absolutely beautiful.
http://www.st-feuillien.com/FbrasserieENG.html
Dinner after our St. Feuillien tour. Dominique's friend owns this place and called ahead for us.
Brasserie d' Achouffe. June 8, 2011 Some gnomie overfilled the grain silo.
http://www.achouffe.be/en
Orval. The one and only. June 8, 2011
http://www.orval.be/an/FS_an.html
The Ardennes countryside.
La Roche en Ardennes. Our home base for two nights. Quiet little town in the forest.
Some house I thought was playing mind games.
The brewhouse at Abbaye Notre-Dame de Saint-Remey, Rochefort, Belgium. Thursday June 9, 2011
http://users.telenet.be/gerritvdb/rochefort/English/RochefortIndex.htm
Abbaye St. Remey Chapel. Somehow Sarah and I witnessed a :45 prayer session with the monks; beginning to end. In the back, silent and still, we listened to something we had never heard. Ten chanting monks will send chills through you and force you to reconsider alot. I think it changed my life. I mean I am still married to my wife and will continue to speak with others, but still...
The remains of the aweful fire on December 29, 2010 at Abbaye St. Remey. No one was injured as the monks were finishing dinner at the time.
Sarah and I in the gardens at Abbaye St. Remey.
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| Brouwerji De Ranke (The Vine) Brewery. Drinking unblended Kriek De Ranke straight from the bright tank. Thursday June 9, 2011 |
Nino pouring Cuvee de Ranke, a sour base blended with Girardin Gueuze. Freakin awesome!
http://deranke.be/en/index_en.htm
Nino proving that they still hand wrap every 75cl. bottle. Roughly 90% of their beer is for export.
100% delicious.
The brewhouse at De Ranke. Although modern, they use old school techniques to produce their beers. Whole leaf hops, no filtration and bottle re-fermentaion keeps it real.
Doin' my part drinking down a case of Achel Blonde and Brune, bought at the Abbaye and in our trunk for the whole trip. 24 bottles in two weeks was not a problem.
http://www.achelsekluis.org/general/home.html
In the cellar of Drie Fonteninen, beneath the original brewhouse. Yes that is a Magnum of Oude Gueuze and yes those are whole wheels of cheese.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://www.3fonteinen.be/&ei=kb98Tp_COci1tweWw71v&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCIQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Ddrie%2Bfonteinen%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DWjp%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26prmd%3Dimvns
After a thermostat failed, Drie Fonteinen lost their brewhouse and alot of beer. Rather than dump it, Armand decided to distill it into a liquor. He continues to blend (arguably the true art of lambic, rather than the production) until he raises enough money to rebuild a brewhouse. Using wort made to his specifications from Lindemans, Boon and Girardin, Armand and his assistant Mike produce some of my favorite funky beers. The wort is shipped to them and then pumped into the cellars where it ferements and ages for years before being blended.
Lunch at the 3Fonteinen Cafe. Salmon, Chicken, frites and a bottle of 1997 Oude Gueuze.
http://www2.resto.be/driefonteinen.restaurant/default.cfm?restoid=435&source=photos&langue=uk
The hop fields along side St. Bernardus. Watou.
http://www.sintbernardus.be/en/history.html
View from the top floor chapel in the Talbot House. Poperinge, Belgium.
Communal kitchen/dining room at Talbot House.
http://www.greatwar.co.uk/ypres-salient/museum-talbot-house.htm Talbot House.
Hop fields on our way to Westvleteren.
Drinking Westvleteren at the source is as good as it gets. We drank the Blonde, 8, and 12.
Bottle only, no drafts.
http://www.sintsixtus.be/eng/brouwerij.htm
Brewhouse at De Struisse. 100 yr. old cast iron mash tun is still used today. Thats bad ass.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/15237
Urbain took time to show us the brewery and then drive to their school house/educational/tasting room. Carlo and he opened some very special bottles for us. This is Urbain pouring Double Black Damnation V.
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/struise-black-damnation-v--double-black/94961/
Thank you, Carlo and Urbain, for hosting us and taking the time to share some very good beers! We have now nick named our youngest dog after your fantastic Flanders sour, Earthmonk.
http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/beers/beerProfile.asp?BeerID=313
De Dolle, closed two Sundays a year and we were there one of them. What a bummer. Next time.
http://www.dedollebrouwers.be/en/historiek.htm
't Brugs Beertje Cafe; I had to go and place a Bruisin' Ales sticker at the bar.
http://www.brugsbeertje.be/index_en.htm I had a Girardin Black label gueuze and Sarah a Boon Geuze.
A trip to Belgium is not complete without chocolate. The bacon one was better than the chili.
'Eff You' gangsta gnomies. A few of those would really tie my garden together.
De Halve Maan. Mike seeing what notes the Half Moon placemat picks up on a Straffe Hendrick Quadruple. Sniff it.
http://www.halvemaan.be/index.php?id=7&L=2
De Halve Maan's rooftop in downtown Brugges.
Canal in Brugges.
View from our dinner table in Brugges.
The best mussels we have ever had. I dont think we left one mussel or one drop of broth left over. Thank you Aunt Mary, for our anniversary dinner which will now be the gold standard for mussels!
One of the many perfectly cooked breakfast eggs Mike ate during the trip. Bread, cheese, meat and one soft egg were standard at most hotels.
Our castle outside Brugges.
http://www.kasteeltenberghe.be/index2.php?lang=EN
We biked to downtown for dinner and sights.
Check back for a link to flickr for more photographs of our honeymoon to Scotland and Belgium.
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