Ghent Visit 2025

As we were staying in Brussels, on our way to the railway station again we passed through the Parc du Cinquantenaire (Visit Brussels)...

On our way to Schuman Metro Station, and evidence of the EU appears.

We reached Ghent, on the 8th of September, which was declared liberated by the British 7th Armoured Division 81 years ago to the day in 1944 (Desert Rats), 3 days after allied forces had entered the city and the same day the Belgian Government was returned to power (Bulletin). Our first target was the Tourist Office (website), close by the Gravensteen above, the Castle of the Counts (History Hit), which I visited the last time I was in Ghent over 20 years ago.

The first bar I had planned for us to visit wasn't open, despite their website saying it would be, oh well, anyway, we sat down at a table in Vrijdagmarkt, and had a beer from one of the restaurants there, I believe it was Cassis (website), I may be wrong, but whatever... An excellent bottle of Corsendonk Agnus Tripel (7.5%), brewed with Styrian Golding (hopslist), Hersbrucker (hopslist) and Challenger (hopslist) hops, providing citrus fruit, pear, and coriander spiciness to the taste, refreshing and enjoyed immensely, and I was getting thirsty by now! 👌

By the way, the history of Corsendonk and brewing ale goes back to the late 14th century and the Priory of Corsendonk which had its own brewery then, however they were forced to close by Emperor Josef II in 1784, then they started brewing again in 1906, but now they claim to have become 'particularly famous from 1982 onwards' (website). 

The name of Gulden Draak (Golden or Gilded Dragon) comes from the legend of the Gulden Draak that originally adorned the bow of an early 12th century Viking Ship, then was atop a dome in Constantinople, from where it was brought to Flanders by Flemish Count Boudewijn in the 13th century ending up in Bruges; and from where it was finally removed as a spoil of war by the victorious Ghent forces following the Battle of Beverhoutsveld in 1382. It has since remained in the Ghent Belfry (above) symbolising freedom and power (visitgent).

The importance to the Brouwerij Van Steenberge of the history behind the Gulden Draak beers, their Titans, has seen the brewery include this on its website. The first Gulden Draak I tasted, was in Brussels near the end of the last millennium, when I called it a "Christmas Pudding of a Beer" - a description my brother (who lived in Belgium at the time) liked enough to use himself elsewhere. So, Gulden Draak Classic, a majestic 10.5%, brewed with Styrian Golding (hopslist) and Brewer's Gold (hopslist) hops, and it still is a Christmas pudding of a Beer! The brewery state this is a Tripel, as you can see though, not a pale golden one, but a darker ruby red colour, rich, full bodied and full of flavour. This time I drank it appropriately close by the Belfry at Bier Central, Botermarkt 11 (website), and we ate here too, tasty food as well, nice one.

On our way to our final bar this trip, and back to the station, we passed Sint-Baafs Kathedraal (St Bavo's Cathedral - website), where a church had been on the site since the 10th century, with the current cathedral building evolving from what was then St John's Church to the current gothic style cathedral in the 15th and 16th centuries.

On our way southwards we followed the same canal (Schelde) virtually all the way to the bar, so I thought at least one photograph of a canal should be included!

And another, and just to prove I was there, my head made this cameo performance! 😉

And wouldn't you know it, the planned final bar of our visit was closed too, despite their website saying otherwise, tut! BUT... Virtually opposite we found what I believe is probably an even better bar, on the canal, on a barge called Kaffee De Planck, Ter Platen 10A (website), and with over 200 beers to choose from. 😁 We didn't meet Odette, who has been the 'driving force behind De Planck' since 1985, but we did meet a very friendly young member of staff, cheers m'dear!

Anyway, we sat upstairs, on the covered part of the deck and, together with eating a few gratis nibbles I drank, from Brouwerij De Leite (website), their 8.0% tripel Enfant Terriple, the pun being linked to a Terrible Child. Apologies, but I can't find the hops used, but slightly spicy, and tropical fruit and citrus fruits in the taste, notably orange, with a dry bitter finish, cheers! 👍

You can see a digital street map of Ghent here at the Tourist Board's website.

2 Luxurious Stouts from Yonder!

Both of these are from Yonder Brewing of Somerset (website), and are indeed luxurious stouts! The first, at a mere 6.0% is their Pecan Pretzel Pastry Stout, which is sweet, as I expected, very smooth, with chocolate dominating for me in the taste, but hints of toasted pecan nuts and caramel too. Plenty of body, but incredibly easy to drink, with a slightly salty, dry bitter finish.

I hardly know what to say about this, the 7.0% Double Choc Fudge Cake Pastry Stout, my notes immediately say "YES!!" to it being a Double Chocolate Fudge Cake stout! It does what it says on the tin, reminding me of when I worked in Scotland and their Butter Tablet, but saturated with dark chocolate, sounds very sweet and sickly, but strangely also pretty easy to drink, and exceedingly luxurious! 😁 Yonder don't share details of the the hops they use sadly, but very likely English hops, but they can advise me, if they ever see this blog, cheers to them too! 👍

CHEERS FOLKS! 😉

The next blog will be about Ghent, I promise, a West Coast one to come soon too!

Another Brussels Visit, September 2025.

Well, for my birthday visit to Belgium, the international part of the trip kicked off at St Pancras International (website), pictured is the St Pancras London Hotel, which used to be called the Midland Grand Hotel (website). As I had some time to spare, I had a pint of Estrella 0 0 at the Betjeman Arms (website), I kid you not, it was actually very tasty and refreshing!

Anyway, on my way by Eurostar (website), sadly, no longer bottles of Duvel for sale in the buffet, but Leffe Blonde in tins (website), plus a red wine for me, and a sarnie, etc...

I stayed in Brussels with my sister-in-law and brother, and on the other side of the Parc du Cinquantenaire (above visitbrussels) from the apartment was my first bar this visit, for food as well as drink. Indeed, this was the first bar I ever drank in on my first visit to Belgium many years ago, that is the 120 years old La Terrasse, Avenue des Celtes 1, Etterbeek, 1040 Brussels (website). Excellent food, and the wonderful Westmalle Tripel (9.5%) pictured below, my favourite Belgian beer. Brewed with Tettnanger (hopslist), Saaz (hopslist) and Styrian Golding (hopslist) hops, producing a golden ale, subtly fruity, and a dry bitter refreshing finish, quality!  

Westmalle Tripel is a 'trappist' ale, the brewery established at the trappist Westmalle Abbey since 1836 (website), gradually updated over the years, in 1968 their own water purification plant was set up, their bottling plant was modernised in 1956 and again in 2000, and a few years ago a new brew hall was installed. Although the monks no longer brew the beers themselves, they remain in overall charge of the brewery, ensuring tradition is upkept, and pure ingredients used, their own water, 100% barley malt, hops, and yeast from their own culture.  

The second bar visited this time was the great Le Cirio, Beursstraat 18, 1000 Brussels (website), next to the old Belgian Stock Exhange, La Bourse (Brussels), a favourite for Dan and me. Here I drank the 8.4% Karmeliet Tripel (website), also brewed with Styrian Golding hops (hopslist), at the Brouwerij Bosteels (website), founded in 1791. Another golden ale, a wee bit sweeter than the Westmalle, plenty of fruit and body, hints of vanilla and citrus, pretty good!

Le Cirio was originally an Italian Delicatessen founded by Francesco Cirio in 1886, and the present interior was redesigned by Henri Coosemans in 1909 in the style of an Arts Nouveau Italian cafe. The narrow doors to the toilets pictured above hint at small rooms, but it is like the 'Tardis' when you enter, so presumably the same in the women's toilet too! 😁 Anyway, the photograph framed above the mirror to the left of the doors includes the famous Jacques Brel sitting in Le Cirio, the Belgian songwriter and singer, whose works include Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me), Le Moribond (adapted for Seasons in the Sun), and Amsterdam.

The third bar was one of the most interesting bars you may ever enter, La Fleur en Papier Dore, Rue des Alexiens 55, 1000 Brussels (website), 'the flower made from gold foil' and still with very friendly bar staff! This really is an 'arts' bar, created by the poet and gallery owner Gerard van Bruaene, and filled by artists and musicians, such as the Surrealists like Rene Magritte, and Jacques Brel again, he did like his bars! Bits and pieces here and there, much unmatched furniture, and pictures and all sorts adorning the walls, and pleasantly laid back. 😎

Here I drank a beer from the Brussels brewery Brasserie de la Senne (website), their 8.0% Tripel Verschueren (Tripel Verschu). As you can see from the photograph, the beer is pretty natural, very suitable for vegans, golden, slightly citrussy and fruity, with a dry bitter finish. Sorry, but the hops used are pretty difficult to find out, but I'd be surprised if the blend used doesn't include Styrian Golding and Saaz hops, if you know, please leave a comment, cheers! 👍

As we walked back to the apartment, Dan pointed out the medieval city walls that remain here and there, so I took the photograph above to share, but if you want to know more about the fortifications built to defend the city in the 13th and 14th centuries, go to My City Hunt. 

That's it for now folks, Ghent next, cheers! 🍻

September Whisky of the Month!

Not another whisky/whiskey I hear you say! Well, yes, this is the September Whisky of the Month, from the Isle of Skye, off the West Coast of Scotland. From Talisker (website), where the distillery has been since 1830, and their 45.8% Talisker Skye Single Malt Whisky, and yes, I've gone for a Scottish whisky this month, because I saw it at a decent price, maybe.😉

The Talisker Skye is a deep golden colour, following ageing in used bourbon casks, and with hints of smoked peat and honey in the aroma. At first taste, it is smooth, soft, and slightly sweet, with hints of smokiness, citrus, black pepper spiciness, and butterscotch coming through, to a subtly heated spicy finish, to warm the cockles, pretty satisfying... Sláinte! 😁

Peanut's at the Vat and Fiddle!

Yes, literally, a cat called Peanut keeps turning up at a pub and brewery 33 miles away from his home, he loves the ambience and company, apparently... He first turned up there on the 9th of July, after being missing from his home in Lincolnshire for 6 days already, apparently enjoying his first birthday at the pub, the Vat and Fiddle in Nottingham (website). He was reunited with his owners after it was realised that he was 'chipped' but he returned to the pub again within 3 days of going missing a second time (BBC). It is a complete mystery how he travels between the 2 places, but he certainly remembered the way back, don't be surprised if he returns yet again! 

I have a long history with Tynemill and Castle Rock Brewery (website) going back to well before I started blogging, indeed my local pub 25 years ago is one of theirs, the New Barrack Tavern in Sheffield (website), although it wasn't owned by Castle Rock on my first visit there 30 years ago, but acquired since. I got on really well with their manager and his wife, and have a Castle Rock polo shirt given to me by them, without having the necessary points (they run a loyalty scheme). And I first visited the Vat and Fiddle towards the end of the last millennium, before going to a football match at Nottingham Forest with my then wife, where on that occasion we met another friend we've both kept as a friend since, Paul. So, Castle Rock, and I have mentioned their ales before, have made quite an impression on my life, a bit like Peanut's life! 🐱

Castle Rock Brewery do brew some excellent cask ales, including the 2 you are most likely to see around the country, Harvest Pale and Elsie Mo, and I have written about their ales before, for example on my older blog. The Harvest Pale (3.8%) is a very light and very drinkable citrussy session ale, brewed with Centennial (hopslist), Cascade (hopslist) and Chinook (hopslist) hops. The Elsie Mo is a stronger 4.7% golden ale, still very citrussy but more complex, and very drinkable too, and brewed with First Gold (hopslist), Challenger (hopslist), and Slovenian Aurora (hopslist) and Bobek (hopslist) hops. Look out for them, cheers! 😁

Image from the Vat and Fiddle facebook page.

Black Thaw - Another Black IPA

On my older blog, lost to me to edit anymore, thank you Google/Gmail (😒), I had written about Black IPAs before, and it's still available to view, it appears (blog). Anyway, similarly, I shall not waffle about oxymorons, but will paraphrase what I said then about how Black IPAs are brewed, as explained to me by Brett, who used to work at Hastings Brewery (which no longer exists). The way he brewed Black IPAs, he used malt that had been de-husked, allowing some colour, but not to have the roasted malt flavour, then he chucked in a significant amount of hops, for example, Cascade, Columbus and Galaxy, to ensure an APA style flavour.

Well, the hops used for Burnt Mill's (website) Black IPA, their Black Thaw (6.0%) are Centennial (hopslist), Citra (hopslist) and Erebus (hopsteiner). The end result, I felt, was a bit like a cross between a Black IPA and a Porter, there was a hint of liquorice and dark fruits, body more like a Porter (well it is 6.0%!), and a mixture of citrus and dark fruits in the finish, which is a wee bit dry and bitter, not too sweet, not bad at all, cheers! 😁

If you haven't already read it, this blog is my opinion about stouts/porters.

Belgian Beer Week 2025

National Beer Days, International Beer Days, IPA Days, Belgian Beer Weekend, presently we are in Belgian Beer Week 2025 (website), the celebratory drinking doesn't stop! 😉 So what better than a Quadrupel Trappist ale to celebrate with?!? The 10.0% Quadrupel from La Trappe (website) is indeed a Trappist ale, and a pretty good one to choose too, and which La Trappe claims to be the first Quadrupel in the World! 

I've seen La Trappe Quadrupel described as an amber beer, a dark amber beer, but it poured out so dark it looks more like a dark reddish brown colour, it is that dark an amber, see my photograph above, which is pretty accurate! Brewed with Hallertau Northern Brewer (hopslist) and Slovenian Super Steirer (also known as Super Styrian, ie Aurora grown in Slovenia - hopslist), this Quadrupel has a dark fruits and slightly vanilla aroma, as with most malty or slightly malty ales I detected significant butterscotch, as well as dark fruits in the flavour. Rich, slightly sweet, and smooth to drink, with a warmth from the alcohol, but dry enough to drink easily. 👍

Nice one, cheers, and Happy Belgian Beer Week! 😁