Hi,
A big surprise awaited us last Sunday, when we visited Ostend based beer bar Botteltje for a good beer.
It's always a struggle to browse the largest (litterally), and heaviest beer menu of Belgium.
The Botteltje beer menu is always a true pleasure when exploring.
Alot of humour inside with jokes and for instance this drawing. Hilarious :)
Indeed, we recognize Belgian politicians Yves Leterme and Bart De Wever, here being exposed as the comics of the year.
The resemblance is striking.
Suddenly my eyes catched something special:The promotion of the moment - Aged "La Vieille Bon-Secours Blonde" at € 6.00 per bottle.
Wow, if that isn't some bargain, knowing what's been written in this article World's most expensive beer costs £700 a bottle.
First, I was very suspicious about this beer still being in optimum state.
It's only 7.5 vol% strong, and blond colored. Not precisely the best characteristics for good ageing.
Well, let's have some taste...
Poured out gave a hazy orange blond beer with a still acceptable white head.
After a while the head disintegrated into a small layer.
Best before date: May 2008.
Presuming that 3 years is used as conservation limit(?), this would mean that this beer is at least 5 years old.
I say at least, but I'm convinced it's much older.
By the way, putting a best before date on beer is quite nonsense really.
Beer doesn't get bad with ageing !
On the contrary, the La Vieille Bon Secours we had at Botteltje can be considered as one of the best beers I had this year.
Already with uncorking, an amazing flowery-estery aroma filled my nose.
The flavour of this beer is still sweetish, malty and surprisingly still hoppy.
The hop bitterness merely present in the after taste.
More went on. Ageing made this beer very complex, perfumy, fruity, yeasty, and above all still so drinkable and digestible.
Folks, this is a true vintage delight, brewed at bry Caulier.
Ageing has done so much good to this beer.
One thing keeps intriguing me: The alcohol percentage.
The label states 7.5 vol%, which is quite weak.
But Katrien and myself were convinced that this 7.5 vol% couldn't actually be correct.
We experienced something much stronger in the range of 9 vol%.
Makes it al that more intriguing........
I can everybody recommend to try this bar when hitting Ostend. 300 beers to choose from, and excellent food to pair with.
The pictures shows their big, tasty, and filling spaghetti, and the delicious lasagna.
There's also a hotel connected, i.e. Hotel Marion.
Already for ages has this place being mentioned inside the www.beerpubmap.be website.... well deserved.
Hi,
With all those new beer pubs here in Bruges, we would forget that there's also the fixed value beer bars.
One of the ever best beer pubs here in my hometown of Bruges is that most excellent beer pub called Erasmus.
See also previous article about Erasmus: Hotel, Beer & Restaurant Erasmus - Renewed !
First, it's time to clear a big misunderstanding about this gorgeous place.
As English beer writer Tim Webb mentions inside the Good Beer Guide Belgium that this place - at evening - is a dining place only. Well, this is definitely not correct information.
On the contrary, owner Tom Allewaert invites everyone to come over his place to savour some good beers at any time of the day, without the obligation to have some food.
The objective is to be similar to the famous Heeren van Liedekercke, where one can choose to drink beer, or to have some great beer cuisine.
Hope that, with this message, the confusion has been history from now on.
It's quite amazing what efforts are done by Tom to offer a 16 diiferent top-quality beers from tap.
Undoubtedly the best tap selection in whole Bruges.
It's time that some massive promotion is done towards this amazing Bruges beer bar.
So, from now on, I will post on a monthly basis the ever changing Erasmus tap list.
Erasmus tap list of August 2010
Also good to see that the wonderful Viven Imperial IPA and Viven Smoked Porter are readily available from bottle today at Erasmus.
In the future, the draught Viven versions IPA and Porter will be offered too !
A scoop now..... Tom will shortly add - to the tap list - the genuine unsweetened Liefmans Kriek, tapped straight from the lagervats.
A most UNIQUE experience, as nobody here in Belgium or abroad does offer that outstanding fruit beer, the way it should be served.
Le
Ménestrel
Grand Place, 06-2
7600 Péruwelz
Tel: 069/77.27.17
Number of beers: 200
Open all days from 10.00 till ?
Sundays open from 16.00 till ?
Viesville
Ruchette
(La)
Place des Combattants, 8
6230 Viesville
Tel: +32(0)71.34.66.79
Number of beers: 80 - 100
Mondays open from 10.30 till 19.00
Tuesdays open from 11.00 till 22.00
Wednesdays and Thursdays open from 10.00 till 22.00
Fridays and Saturdays open from 10.00 till 23.30
Sundays open from 10.00 till 21.00
Province of West-Flanders
Brugge
De
Kelk
Langestraat 69
8000 Brugge
Tel:
Number of beers: 100 Website
Open daily from 7pm onwards.
Brugge
Comptoir
Des Arts
Vlamingstraat 53
8000 Brugge
Tel: 0494 38 79 61
Number of beers: 90 Website Closed on Tuesdays.
Other days open from 18.00 till 03.00
Expected - A Great Beery Week in September ! Damme & Bruges
Written by Trappist
Monday, 16 August 2010
Hi,
Two great beer festivals will happen shortly in September.
Both are taking place close to eachother, so perfect to combine !
Sunday 5 September from 11am till 6pm at Damme (close to Bruges) - The 3d. Damme Beer Festival.
Good to notice that this cozy festival will take place again, and again the medieval halls of the Damme townhall are used. This time more space available, and much more attendees too.
All takes place inside the townhall during the culinary market that simultaneously takes place in front of the townhall on the market square.
Cooking demonstrations with beer are scheduled too. Makes it all that more enjoyable.
Already participating:
1 Bockor Bellegem
2 Malheur Buggenhout
3 Slaapmutske Melle
4 St-Canarus Gottem
5 St Feuillien Le Roeulx
6 De Ryck Herzele
7 De Bierloods Adegem
8 Bosteels Buggenhout
9 Viven Sijsele
10 Van Steenberge Ertvelde
11 De Graal Brakel
12 Drankencentrale Strubbe Damme
13 BAB Brugge
14 Ultra Ecaussines
15 De Arend Hoboken
16 TON Damme
17 Huyghe Melle
18 Van Den Bossche St-Lievens Esse
19 Traagwater Heverlee
20 Les 3 forquets Gouvy
21 Cluyzenaar Kluizen
22 Smiske Mater
The weekend after, the fantastic Bruges' Beer Fest takes place.
This is the 4th. edition.
A beer fest that already can be considered amongst the best today here in Belgium.
Especially the location is a true marvel, i.e. the medieval Bruges' belfry halls! 281 Different beers to choose from, and this coming from 68 breweries and beer/brew firms.
The complete list can be consulted here: http://www.brugsbierfestival.be/nl/bieren-5.html
Alot of 'primeur' beers to try. I'm especially looking forward to the brand new Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel 11 !
Interesting about both beer festivals is the fact that they can easily being combined into a great one week staying.
Starting on Sunday at Damme. Having - inbetween - a great beery stay at Bruges, and ending in beauty at the Bruges' Beer Fest.
The Belgian BeerBoard will be present at both festivals to capture as much as possible for future publishing/promotion over here.
Urthel Saisonnière - Gold at World Beer Awards 2010
Written by Trappist
Thursday, 05 August 2010
Hi, Urthel Saisonnière, from Belgian brewmaster Hildegard van Ostaden (Ruiselede), has been chosen best seasonal European Pale Ale at the recent held World Beer Awards.
We Have A Winner! And We're Proud Of It.... Urthel Saisonnière!
The Belgian BeerBoard tasted the beer, and has been convinced that this award is more than justified!
A great 6.0 vol% refreshing full-body beer with an amazing contents of fresh hops.
The taste is full of refreshing ingredients. It has that pleasant grassy sensation, and the foam and overall look is just perfect.
She is irrestistable. Blond with indeed that flavourful hop edge. Brewed inside the quality brewing equipment of De Koningshoeven according
Flemish tradition, Urthel Saisonnière is, with only 6.0 vol%, one of the most
thirst-quenching among the Belgian special beers.
Ingredients: water, malts,
wheat, sugar, yeast. Non-filtered on bottle, filtered on draught.
Brewer Hildegard recommends rolling the bottle as for German Weizen, to losen the yeast and the wheat from the bottom.
My upper felicitations towards Hildegard and Bas from brew firm De Leyerth for this new refreshing Belgian quality beer, widely availabe at all supermarkets Delhaize here in Belgium.
Hi,
A small message to show you all the new Maredsous glasses.
New Maredsous glass. Notice the very long stem, and beautiful golden rim.
Previously, this new - shorter - glass was introduced beginnig 2010.
Different shape, shorter stem, and without golden rim.
Indeed, there's already two different new Maredsous glasses these days.
Interesting to mention that both glasses have an embossed message on their stem.
It says Tradition Benedictine.
In case of the shorter glass, the embossed text is printed horizontal.
The long stem from the brand new glasses permit to print in a vertical way.
Anyway, a really great glass to savour some excellent Maredsous Tripel.
