Let’s just pretend this post isn’t 6 months late, and we’ll pick up where we left off on my European vacation. If you want a refresh, check out Part 1 of the trip.
My family and I flew into Brussels via Easy Jet from Milan. From Brussels, an hour (or so) van ride took us to our hotel in Bruges. Our hotel was the Crowne Plaza, featuring lush, modern accommodations in the heart of the historic inner city, just off Markt.
I remember arriving in Bruges near 10:00 PM, and all of us were amazed how bright it was outside; as if the day had waited just long enough for our arrival that we might catch a breathtaking glimpse of the medieval skyline, backlit with the red-orange setting summer sun. Delirious and weary from the day’s travels, I don’t know that I yet fully appreciated the grand picturesque architectural backdrop, but over the next couple of days, Bruges would become one of the most photogenic places that I ever have had the pleasure of visiting.
Surprised (pleasantly) by the significantly cooler weather than we had in Venice and Varenna, we bundled up and set out to find dinner. There were a few restaurants still open in the Markt square so we sat to dine on some authentic Belgian eats. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the beer selection at our first dinner, but I do recall a decent house geuze, some Brugse Zot, and – who could forget – Rodenbach. Rodenbach was everywhere, and by God is that an amazing thing. Rodenbach is brewed in neighboring Roeselare, so even where many of the tourist-trap type restaurants (i.e. everything in Markt) would offer mainstream products, Rodenbach was available almost everywhere – and often on draft.
For me, dinner was rabbit stew in a prune based sauce- a classic Belgian meal, and my first-ever taste of rabbit. Others dined on beef stew, and all of us on frites with mayonnaise. While the meals were quite nice, the frites – and most we experienced at our sit-down meals – were disappointingly bland. The real frites worth sampling proved to be those sold from the street carts outside the bell tower.
Beer in Bruges
So let’s skip the formalities and get to the beer in Belgium. I fear that most of our meals fell victim to the touristy nature of Markt, where the majority of eateries offered InBev products, and few selections. As noted, Rodenbach was our tried and true fallback, so I suppose, all things considered, we were doing just fine.
Let me also clarify that there is great beer to be found in Bruges for those who seek it out. The greatest tour book I could have ever asked for was on hand: Good Beer Guide Belgium
‘T Poatersgat
‘T Poatersgat feels strangely like my favorite NYC Belgian beer bar, or perhaps vice-versa. We visited twice, on our first and second nights. The laid-back nature of the bartender was warming and welcoming. Looking back at my notes, I recall: “A glass breaks and the bartender doesn’t even blink. He continues his conversation with a local patron as the customers shuffle their feet through the clinking littered shards”. The music was great too – some Australian visitors cheered as Creedence played overhead, replacing the Tom Waits of the night before.
We enjoyed a number of fine libations here over the two visits, including Boon Oued Geuze, Vintage Rodenbach ’07, 3 Fonteinen geuze, and the couple below with tasting notes:
- Taras Boulba
“Hazy golden/yellow. White head, great lacing. Light, crisp, hoppy. First hoppy beer this trip! Reminds me of some of the hoppier new American Kolsches.”
- Saison De Dottignies
“Bitter, light bodied, funky. Delicious. If Saison DuPont could speak – and I’m not yet convinced it cannot – it might recommend (in its most humble opinion) this beer.”
Garre
Garre is in an alleyway off a side street of Markt, tricky to find but well worth seeking out. Their house draft beer is made specially for them by Van Steenberge, which makes this the only place in the world this beer can be found.
Of Garre my notes read:
This place speaks to me of medieval days. Beautifully tattered, understated, welcoming, and warming. The walls are crooked, the seats are worn, and the locals are smiling amidst endless pints of house brew.
Garre is how I would envision a tavern straight out of World of Warcraft to look and feel – as far as I’m concerned, a roaring fire and a lute player would have sealed the deal.
And of their house beer:
Nose is similar in quality to so many others here, distinguishably Belgian. The color is a radiant, brilliant glowing orange with a pillowy towering head that wobbles about the glass, the way bread dough approaches its final stages of kneading against the beaters. The beer is medium bodied but somehow light in the mouth. Dry and slightly bitter.
This was a very drinkable beer, and quite delicious. It was the only one we sampled there, because of the 120 available we knew this was the only place we could get this one. With our beer, a complimentary plate of cheese was a fine accompaniment – we enjoyed our visit immensely.
Cambrinus
Over 400 Belgian beers make up the list at Cambrinus. Barely a walk from our hotel, good food and plenty of brew made this a fine stop on our trip, be it a touristy one. The most significant fact of this bar is that it carries the famed and near impossible-to-come-by Westvleteren beers – the rarest Trappist brew on Earth.
Westvleteren 12
The reviewers at Beer Advocate deem the Westvleteren 12 the single greatest beer on the planet. What’s funny is we spent almost an hour brainstorming how to non-chalantly hint to the bartenders at Cambrinus that we were looking to get our hands on some, and – lo and behold – were shocked to find it listed among its Trappist siblings on the massive plywood-bound beer menu.
Westvleteren 12 is considered ‘gray market’ if resold. The monks of the abbey do not distribute their beer for resale; they sell direct to the consumer, five times per year at their doors, or at the cafe (In De Vrede) near the abbey. All proceeds go to the church, as required by the International Trappist Association concerning the sale of “official” Trappist products.
Now, I don’t mean to disrespect the brethren of Saint Sixtus, but my only alternative to buying this beer in a bar was to spend one of my two days in Belgium – half of my visit – traveling to and from a cafe to have my ration of a single beer. That’s right – supposedly visitors are limited to just one beer at the cafe. I consider my $10 for a Westie 12 at Cambrinus money well spent. I would love to visit In de Vrede on my next visit, but for the purpose of this trip I was content.
So how was this elusive brew? My notes from the trip:
Best before date: 4.29.2013
Appear: Murky, dark chocolate brown. Golden-brown highlights, tan head, moderate creamy lacing
Aroma: Subtle. Yeasty, bready. Sweet, malty.
Taste: Rich, malty. Spicy/clovey somewhat alcoholic finish.
Mouthfeel: Buttery, full. Mildly carbonated.
Finish: Long bitter-sweet, lasting, quenching.
Overall: Superb, world-class. Even better with yeast sediment from the bottle.
So – why no drum roll? No Fanfare? No dedicated sub-site of 52brews to the celebrate having obtained such a highly-prized and rare beer? Because… it’s just another beer.
Superb indeed, delicious, no doubt; but the greatest beer in the world? I’m not entirely sure I can say that about any single beer I’ve sampled. After all, that does pave the way to a rather narrow scope of acceptance. Who’s to say any Trappist brew is better than every imperial stout or IPA? I can tell you that while I might pass on the Westvleteren Blonde or 8 (which we also had the pleasure of sampling), I would have another 12 in a heartbeat.
I would, however, be remiss in saying that this beer is leaps and bounds better than the easily-obtainable St. Bernardus Abt 12. I can now safely say that I enjoy both of these beers immensely. In my humble opinion, the fact that Westie 8 finds its way on the “best beers” list over St. Bernardus 12 is practically criminal, but no more criminal than the phrase or even the notion that there could be a list called: “Top Beers on Planet Earth”. Let’s be honest, I’m not going to grab any of the above mentioned beers if, for instance, I’m craving a Racer 5 (which, sadly, doesn’t make the list AT ALL). In defense of Beer Advocate, those rankings are formulated by tallying the votes and scores of their members, and they have been successful in sparking both conversation and outrage across the community – which would tickle the delight of any site proprietor. It almost makes me want to post a feature write-up on Bud Light Lime. But I digress…
I will mention another interesting little find at Cambrinus – the Forestinne Mysteria. I had asked for one of the other Forestinne products on the menu, but they were sold out. The bartender pulled the Mysteria from the fridge and asked if I wanted it instead.
“How is it?” I asked.
“You tell me,” she spoke very matter-of-factly, “It’s the only one in the fridge and it’s not on our menu.”
She opened the bottle, poured its contents into a Forestinne-branded tulip, and set it before me. The label had little more than a couple sentences to the effect of “all the mysteries of the forest” written on it. Scratching my head I went in for a sip. I was pleasantly surprised by the tangy/citrusy, bright, semi-sweet, and intensely carbonated medium-bodied brew. This was – at least for me – one of the more memorable drinks this entire trip.
Really, Erasmus? Really?
Perhaps the highlight of our trip was the table service we received at the Erasmus Hotel. We stopped by in the afternoon of our second day in Bruges, lured by the favorable review in the Belgium Beer Guide and the Michelin listing. The beer list was decent – maybe not as expansive as some of the others, but equally respectable.
Our presence was acknowledged by the waiter, and he approached our table when it appeared we might be ready to order.
“Yes?” he glared at us.
“I’d like this one,” my wife pointed at a De Dolle.
“No.” He replied.
“No?” She asked, somewhat startled and now a bit embarrassed.
“No. It is a seasonal.” Short and direct in his tone, it was hard to get a read on this guy. Stoic, and perhaps somewhat stern, he looked her square in the eye. We ultimately made it through the drink orders, albeit painfully. Ordering lunch proved somewhat more difficult.
On to my brother-in-law, “I’ll take the Salmon special, the sandwich.”
Waiter: “Fine. But not salmon. You will have ham instead.”
… and mother-in-law, “Shrimp Croquettes?”
Waiter: “No.”
“No?”
“No. We are out. We’ll have them tomorrow”
… and father-in-law, “We’d like the bacon appetizer for the table”
Waiter: “No. We are out. And besides… it’s too hot for bacon.”
Now at that point, I was pretty much looking for the Candid Camera guy, or maybe Ashton Kutcher, because this was bizarre and alarming almost to the point of amusement. I mean, too hot for bacon?? I’ve got words for you, Erasmus Hotel: it is NEVER too hot for bacon.
Even More Beer…
It should be noted that despite the horrible service at Erasmus, my brother-in-law had what was perhaps one of the best beers we sampled over the entire trip – the De Dolle Vintage Still Nacht, 1987. Anything short of “amazing” would be an unfair descriptor.
Bruges has some solid bottle shops, too. We had the pleasure of soliciting Bier Tempel, which offered what appeared to be a couple hundred varieties of Belgian beer. I believe this is where we picked up Fantome Saint Roch and Boelens Bieken. I also got my hands on a pretty badass Delirium hat from here.
Now I’m sure I missed a couple of trip highlights, or some of the great beers. For only two days in Bruges, we managed to hit a lot of places. There were one or two spots that we would have liked to have visited, but were closed – regardless, we managed a successful outing overall. Our next stop was London… I’ll try to get you a post on that in under six months.
