Members Area

Members Login

Join Us Today

Join CAMRA Today

Don't just think about it...

Pub Guide

Opening Times

Issue 138 Spring 2009

 Download a copy as a PDF file - 1.0 MB

100 BELGIAN BEERS TO TRY BEFORE YOU DIE

CAMRA have recently published a book by Tim Webb & Joris Pattyn that lists, in their opinion, the 100 Belgian Beers to try before you die. Being a sucker for such lists I have taken on the challenge and am doing my best to do just what it says on the tin.

The annual CAMRA Members Investment Club’s visit to a foreign brewery was to De Koninck in Antwerp this year so I and three fellow Belgian beer enthusiasts decided to take the opportunity to combine this with some serious beer hunting.

On arrival in Brussels on the Thursday prior to the Friday brewery trip we went firstly to the Poechenellekelder by the Mannekin Pis. This café has an extensive beer list supplemented by a typed list of specials. It is always a good bet for interesting gueuzes, and beers from some of the newer Belgian breweries.

From there we went round the corner to La Fleur en Papier Doree, not a huge beer list but it does stock the new Oud Beersel Gueuze which is excellent. The café is also in my opinion the most unspoilt in central Brussels. On leaving to head to the station we noticed a poster advertising Oud Beersel Lambic at 2 euros a glass. Too late, we had a train to catch!

We made our way to Antwerp via the new Leuven avoiding line for the track bashing railway enthusiasts in the party. Once in Antwerp we headed straight for the famous Kulminator which lived up to its reputation and provided three beers to tick off the list including the export Houblon Chouffe a wonderfully hoppy beer served in the tallest thinnest flute I have ever seen.

The remainder of the evening was spent on eating and then drinking De Koninck in a brown bar near our hotel, populated with singing and dancing locals.

The brewery trip was in the afternoon so Friday morning was spent riding around on trams and visiting the T’Pakhuis brew house. It is someway out from the city centre but their Tripel makes it worth the trip.

The De Koninck brewery trip included both the old brew line which was mothballed 15 years ago plus the new brew house. The post tour sampling included the De Koninck Winter beer.

As soon as we left there we were back on the hunt and made our way to Westmalle in search of Westmalle Extra at the café opposite the monastery.

This proved to be not an easy journey coping with the Antwerp bus station displays, finding the place in the dark, and leaving one of the party on the wrong side of the bus doors when he got off at the wrong stop.

The café is a massive place and unfortunately claims never to have the monk’s special beer. They do however serve Half and Half, a mix of draught Dubbel and bottled Tripel which made the expedition worthwhile.

On returning to Antwerp we finished the evening in the Oud Arsenaal which provided me with one tick of the list and a chance to try Rodenbach Vin De Cereale which is a limited edition single vat sour barley wine.

Saturday started with a trip to Steenhuffel to visit the Palm brewery tap which is noted for draught Boon Lambic, unfiltered Palm and draught Rodenbach Foederbier. Disaster! A chalk board outside announced that weren’t opening until 18.00 and as we were there at 11.00 we had a consoling Boon Gueuze in a nearby café and got the next bus back to Loozendaal.

From there we made our way by train to Eine via of Ghent in search of another rare beer from the list. This was Cnudde Bruin, brewed in Eine and only available in Eine. It is a very small town and both cafes listed in the GBG Belgium were closed, one for the afternoon and one permanently. However on trying one unpromising looking café we struck lucky and found the beer on tap. Two glasses of the rather fizzy beer were sufficient so we returned to the station and made our way to Bruges.

The target café here was obviously the renowned Brugs Beertje. We decided to increase the sampling rate by sharing 75cl bottles between the four of us. We duly ticked six off the list including Aardmonick, a stunning aged brown ale that I cannot recommend highly enough. It is not an easy beer to find but if it is on the beer list, go for it.

We finished with Malheur Dark Brut Noir. This beer is worth ordering simply for the serving process. It is brewed with a champagne yeast, and comes in a champagne bottle. Accordingly it is served in a branded ice bucket, and draped with a branded beer towel. An ice cube from the bucket is swirled around each glass before the bottle is opened. The beer itself? Wonderful, coffee, chocolate and incredibly smooth.

After this fantastic session we went to eat at the Strijdehuis in Hallestraat, which has excellent food, plus beers from Strubbe, and De Dolle.

Sunday morning we returned to Brussels and the La Fleur en Papier Doree for lunch, and the Oude Beersel lambic we missed out on the Thursday. Our final stop was the Delirium which provided three more ticks off the list.

All in all a very successful outing which has left me requiring twenty beers to complete the list, and already planning my next trip to Belgium.

Mick Croxford