Chimay - A bit more Eurostar!

On my way back, although I was travelling bog standard class, my sister-in-law, who, coincidentally, was travelling on the same Eurostar train, was travelling at the posh end, as her journey was work-related. This proved beneficial for me, as she could bring a guest through with her at Bruxelles-Midi, and the delights of the Eurostar Premier Lounge (website), although I did get through passport control faster than her. 😉 I was very happy to spend more time with her, of course, and her work paid for the taxi to the station too, many thanks. So, what did we get in here? To start with there was only a few travellers, this was the Sunday 11.56 Eurostar to St Pancras, and we could help ourselves to food and drinks, well, I had a wee nibble, and... 

To the beer, it would have been rude to refuse a free Belgian beer, and from the Trappist Scourmont Abbey in Hainaut, Chimay (website), I drank their Chimay Rouge or Premiere, a 7.0% dubbel or brune beer, their oldest beer, first brewed (not this particular bottle) in 1862. They usually use traditional hops like Tettnanger (hopslist), Hallertau (hopslist) and Styrian Golding (hopslist), and primarily use Hersbrucker hops (hopslist), but the combination used for this particular bottle is anyone's guess! Subtle stoned fruits, orange and malt in the aroma, sweet with hints of fruits, malt and toffee to taste, with a dry finish, lighter than I thought it would be, and very good! I claimed a bottle for the train, but had no bottle opener, so as you can see from the image above, I drank the second bottle at home, cheers! 😁

I had arrived a few days earlier on an early train, paying the small mark up fee to Eurostar Plus, consequently, I had breakfast and a bigger more comfortable single seat. However, not for my return journey, which I mostly spent in the cafe/buffet bar. As you can see, I had the All-day meal deal (£14), which was fairly substantial. 👍 Bye for now, or au revoir! ✋

In the Lounge Beforehand