A Day in Bruges

Belfort

Many years ago, circa 25 years, I met a lad called Jannes in Sheffield, and we had a few bevvies; Jannes who came from Bruges recommended I visit Bruges, particularly for the beers and bars. Many years later I have now visited Bruges, not only encouraged by Jannes, but also after seeing the film In Bruges (YouTube). The bell tower pictured above, the 13th century Belfort (website), is at Markt 7, 8000 Bruges, and has significance comically and tragically in the film.

Café Vlissinghe

Our first disappointment was the 1515 Café Vlissinghe, Blekerstraat 8000 Bruges (website), the oldest continuously running café in Bruges. Disappointment only in the fact that it doesn't open Mondays and Tuesdays, we were there Tuesday, oh well...

I had to photograph a canal and bridge

De Vloamse Trine

Anyway, we had a wee wander around, getting hungry, so thinking about food, obviously, but the centre of the city was very busy, however, we managed to find a quieter bar still pretty much in the centre, and quiet, although it started filling once we had found seats. De Vloamse Trine, Kraanplein 5, 8000 Bruges (website) became our food and drink provider, and not a bad price for food or drink either. Enjoyed the food and I drank another Duvel (website), as I had done the day before, and as I've written about before (blog), a very dependable tasty ale to go for indeed. 

Kruispoort Gate

We decided to walk off the food so headed towards the main canal that encircles Bruges and reached Dampoort, then just east of south to one of the remaining 4 city gates to Bruges, Kruispoort Gate, built way back in 1402 (website) and in wonderful condition!

A little further south is the Hof der Gefusilleerden (Courtyard of the Executed - website), Kazernevest 8000 Bruges, where memorials to the 13 civilians shot there for giving assistance to Germany's opponents by the German occupiers between 1916 and 1918, now stand. Included is the monument above for the second British civilian executed during World War I (the first was the British nurse, Edith Cavell in 1915) Captain Charles Fryatt (Merchant Navy), who was court-martialled by the Imperial German Navy and executed on the same day, the 27th of July 1916. His crime was to not stop his ship the SS Brussels when confronted by a German submarine, but he headed full steam towards the submarine. A year later he was arrested whilst leaving the Hook of Holland, from where he was transported to Bruges for trial and execution (Historic UK).

De Garre

We wandered around a bit more, next to canals mostly, and then headed for the Staminee De Garre, De Garre 1, 8000 Bruges (website), literally down a very well hidden alley off Breidelstraat, off the Burg. We missed the entrance to the alley (like a small doorway between shops) once, and Dan had been there before! So don't rush if you want to find it. As you can see, it's in an older building, but De Garre will celebrate its 40th anniversary next month (21st April).

Drink-wise I had the 8.7% Brugge Tripel (website) in De Garre, a very nice tripel that I hadn't had for many years, not since Dan had given me a box of said ale with a complimentary glass, very similar to the glass in the photograph, as a present; I still have the glass. Dan had their very own house beer on draught, their De Garre Tripel, brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge (website), and 11.0%, Dan was surprised, but he enjoyed it, right enough! 😉

't Brugs Beertje

Our final port of call on our way back to the railway station was the bar that Jannes had specifically advised me to visit, and with over 300 beers on sale here, he was certainly a good advisor! That is 't Brugs Beertje, Kemelstraat 5, B-8000 Bruges (website), where we drank Straffe Hendrik Tripel (website), 9.0% of full flavoured ale, with hints of citrus, caramel and banana, with a gentle bitter finish, nice one to end with, cheers!

Oh yes, and we met a nice couple of couples from East Anglia  at 't Brugs Beertje too, I had to pry Dan away to catch our train, then we took a wrong turning and missed the train anyway... Then we caught the wrong train, but there's another story!

Back to Brussels we eventually went...

A Day in Brussels

I did have a couple of drinks on Eurostar, sadly they no longer sell Duvel in their buffet bars, but they do sell Leffe Blonde (website), which is very nice too, but drinking on a train isn't drinking in Brussels, so... I stayed nearby at my sister-in-law and brother's flat, on the other side of the Parc du Cinquantenaire to our first bar on the day, and the first bar I ever drank in on my first visit to Belgium many many years ago (apparently changed ownership since my last visit), that is the 120 years old La Terrasse, Avenue des Celtes 1, Etterbeek, 1040 Brussels (website).

I've already been questioned by a friend about my drinking lager here, as I'm more of an ale drinker, but for me the 5.2% Jupiler pils (website) is the best pilsner there is, indeed it is the highest selling beer in Belgium with 40% of the market share! It has flavour but is refreshing and very easy to drink, and okay, it is a pilsner style lager... 😉

We wandered through the Parc du Cinquantenaire (visitbrussels) and on to Chez Bernard at the Cafe L'Espérance, in the small square at Pl. Jourdan 47, Etterbeek, Brussels 1040, with my brother diving in ahead of me in the photograph above!

It was very quiet inside, much busier outside, but we sat down with this view of the bar (above) and Dan ordered the ever-good 8.5% Duvel (website), and I drank a trappist ale, the 9.5% Westmalle Tripel (website), my favourite Belgian ale indeed.👍Indeed, I wrote about both of these beers in my blog a couple of years ago.

We ate with my sister-in-law, after she got away from work, at Restaurant Volle Gas, Pl. Fernand Cocq 21, 1050 Ixelles (website). To the right of where I took this photograph from (above) is the Ixelles' Municipal Hall, where my youngest niece's birth was registered. If you visit, don't be surprised by how far back the restaurant goes, even if it does look quite small, there's much room downstairs, not to mention upstairs. I drank Westmalle Tripel again, as did Dan, it so goes with food, and I ate a hearty... I'll not say what, I don't want to upset any vegetarians reading this, but excellent food, and many thanks to my 'sis' Shirin for treating me, cheers m'dear!

Next stop Bruges! 🍺

Belgian Bonus Ale!

As I suggested in my last blog there may be a bonus Belgian ale review coming, and here it is, another one from Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat (website), their 9.5% Duvel Tripel Hop Citra Belgian IPA. Since 2007, the brewers at Duvel have been creating a unique Tripel Hop each Spring, with a different third hop added to the regular Saaz-Saaz and Styrian Golding hops, this time, you'll realise, one of my favourite hops from the Wakima Valley in the USA, that is Citra. In addition, the beer is dry-hopped, and this year, of course, with those magical Citra hops!

So, is it any good? Of course it is, indeed, it is quite a refreshing golden ale and, despite the strength, quite easy to drink too. There is a fruity aroma to invite you in, and, a hint of sweetness at first taste, but with much grapefruit, citrus and tropical tastes washing round your mouth, ending with a dry slightly bitter finish. I wrote "pretty good!" in my notes and gave this version of Duvel 8.5 out of 10 in my Belgian 'Festival' system of marking, yes, it is that good, cheers!

Belgian Ales Part 1

As I recently wrote (blog) I had acquired 10 different Belgian ales (ales as they're 'top fermented' and not lagers, which are 'bottom fermented' or the fermentation of ales is at a warmer temperature than lagers with yeasts that convert sugars to alcohol at the top of the wort in the fermenter, and the yeasts used to convert sugars to alcohol for lagers work in the wort at the bottom of the fermenter at cooler temperatures, straight forward so far!). Wort is the sugar rich liquid that is derived by 'mashing' malts, hops are added at various stages, mostly in the kettle that boils the wort; if you don't already know the brewing process I can do no better than CAMRA.

Anyway, most of those 10 ales I hadn't drunk before, and I added 2 more that I do like a lot, one is to compare with an ale I hadn't drunk yet, and the other is my favourite regularly available Belgian ale, Westmalle Tripel, which I have written about before (blog), you'll get why when I move on with this and the next blog. Another characteristic of these 12 ales is that they are all bottle conditioned, that is, have a secondary fermentation in the bottle, again see that blog for further information. Finally, before I deal with the ales individually, if you would like to read more about the types and styles of Belgian beers, I suggest either reading the Serious Eats Beginners Guide to Belgian Beer Styles (website), or read a copy of Michael Jackson's (not the singer, but the Beerhunter - see blog) The Great Beers of Belgium, or online (website).

The Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, or Duvel Moorgat Brewery, is a Flemish family brewery (website) founded in 1871 by Jan-Leonard Moortgat, and now run by the 4th generation of Moortgats. A combination of yeasts from a Scottish ale (McEwan's Scotch Ale, very popular in Belgium at the end of WW1) was extracted and used by Moortgat's sons to help create a lighter ale, which, legend has it, was called a 'real devil' or Duvel, the local dialect for Devil.

This version (above) was created to celebrate the brewery's 150th anniversary last year, using 6 different hop varieties, and catchily called Belgian Blond Duvel 6.66% at 6.66% strength, a younger brother of the next Duvel I shall describe (below). It certainly has an aroma that I recognise in many Belgian beers (including lagers like Stella!), less body than its older 'brother' and a wee bit gassy, very easy to drink for a Belgian ale, as in speed-wise, if not for the gas, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed as it's not what I really look for in a Belgian ale, that is, a big flavoured ale to sup at a leisurely pace. Anyway, very decent, but compared to stronger Belgian ales, I could only give it 5.5 out of 10, didn't have a chance really, when compared to the rest!

So, to the 'big brother' that the Duvel story above really relates to, and at 8.5% a much more vigorous ale indeed! This is a multi award winning pale golden ale (my description), or Strong Blond ale (theirs), with lots of body and flavour, and a subtle bitterness, very good... I just wish they still sold it in the buffet on Eurostar, I used to love supping a couple of bottles of Duvel to and from Brussels! OK, we're getting into very good territory now, so I rated this 8.5 out of 10.

Next came an ale I definitely cannot remember drinking before, from the Brouwerij De Klem (website), which has been brewing for just 10 years, and their 7.5% Hellegat Super Blond, brewed with 3 types of malt. I quite liked this, nice flavours with a hint of vanilla, a wee bit sweet to start with, but dries out nicely in the finish, I wrote 'decent' in my notes, and gave it 7 out of 10. 

Moving away from Flanders to the Ardennes, in the French speaking region of Wallonia, for the next ale, and to Brasserie D'Achouffe, or D'Achouffe Brewery (website), and their 8.0% La Chouffe (the Chouffe is the bearded gnome which became a symbol of the brewery from its inception 40 years ago, and is on the label). I must have tasted this in the past, surely, but I'm not sure (I lost all my notes for ales I sampled in Belgium quite a few years ago, sadly!). Called a Blonde (French, so an E at the end), although they describe it as golden, there you go, slight citrus flavour, full bodied, with a slightly dry bitter finish, I liked it! Scored 8 out of 10.

Apart from the 8.5% Duvel being fitted in early, my model was to gradually increase the strength of the ales reviewed here, so I'm back to Flemish breweries, unsurprising as 4 of the ales in this blog were supplied by my Flemish mate Frank, who brought them back following a recent trip to his home city of Antwerp, as mentioned in my earlier blog. So, this is from his local brewery, I suspect his favourite brewery from past conversations, Stadsbrouwerij De Koninck (website), named after Joseph Henricus De Koninck who bought a coaching inn in 1827 that was converted into a brewery after his death 6 years later. De Koninck actually tell us the hops used for this golden/blond ale (Saaz-Saaz), their Tripel D'Anvers (8.0%), which is full of body, a wee bit sweet at first, drying out with gentle bitter finish; I did like it, hence the 8 out of 10 scored.

The final ale I am reviewing for Part 1 is, as I said above, my favourite regularly available Belgian ale, Westmalle Tripel, which I have written about before (blog). I'll just say what I said before, the Westmalle Tripel, is a golden beer, subtly fruity, quite dry and bitter finish, quite frankly, excellent! There are a number of bars in Brussels where I would always drink this, the waiting staff in the magnificent Le Cirio in Brussels, by la Bourse, always taking care not to disturb the sediment, but leaving the bottle for people to add the sediment if they so wished. Indeed, the owner of the bar closest to where my brother used to live always called me "Monsieur Westmalle", but that bar, sadly, is no longer open, the owner having retired.

Westmalle Tripel is a 'trappist' ale, the brewery established at the trappist Westmalle Abbey since 1836 (website), and 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 brewhall was installed. Although the monks no longer brew the beers themselves, they are still 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.

For my latest tasting notes I wrote "so good!" I scored it 9.5 out if 10, unsurprisingly.

Belgian Ales Part 2 coming soon, cheers! 😉