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Thursday, July 4, 2013

The Beer List: Brugge, Belgium


A Belgian beer run had been brewing in my mind for a long time - finally one long weekend in June we booked the ferry from Dover to Calais and made the trip.  I did my research beforehand and made a list of the top beers I HAD to try in Brugge.  Here it is:

Achel Blond*
Bush 12
Brugse Straffe Hendrik Bruin
Brugse Zot Blond
Cambrinus Bruin
Chimay (I ended up with a Bleu) *
La Chouffe
Corsendonk Dunkel
Delirium Tremens
Gouden Carolus Classic
De Koninck
Kwak
Orval *
Rochefort 8 *
Rodenbach
Tripel De Garre
Tripel Kanunnik
Westmalle *
Westvleteren *

* Trappist Beers

So in our two days in country I wasn't able to completely finish off the list, but I did acquire bottles of the ones I didn't get to (except for the Westvleteren - the cheapest bottle I could find was 9 euro and I just couldn't pull the trigger).  The following photos are from around the beautiful town.






I didn't waste any time at our first stop in the middle of town - Rochefort 8, please.


Here's a view of the quaint downtown Markt with all the stair step roofs.


There was a triathlon going on that weekend, so we took part in the cheering on the Markt.


Back to business - we went to De Kelk and Em diverged from the conventional and got a mango beer (served in a half-coconut shell).  I'm holding a stein of Delirium Tremens with the distinctive pink elephant logo.


Here's Em with one of my favorite Belgian beers - a caramel-noted Kwak.


After our first couple rounds, we felt like the dog in the window - ready to doze near the canal.


Here's the champ - my favorite and only available at the hidden Staminee De Garre - the Tripel De Garre.  Customers are limited to three beers maximum because of the strength (11+ percent ABV) and the limited quantity.  Only people who know about Staminee De Garre will find it - it's tucked down an alley that's only shoulder-width off the Markt.


After my first Tripel De Garre, I snagged a Bush 12 (the "12" stands for the ABV!) for the list and Em tried a Strawberry Lambic.  We really enjoyed the place which got packed early every day.  They serve Gouda cheese with every beer and Em claims she had the best coffee ever there.


The perfect setting for a relaxing weekend.


Another well-regarded pub we had to check out was 't Brugs Beertje.  I knocked out the serviceable but relatively pedestrian Gouden Carolus.


Right across the street from 't Brugs Beertje was a place called De Hobbit - we didn't get to check it out but it looked cool.


We had dinner one night at Cambrinus, which boasted a selection of 400 beers - I knocked out the Corsendonk (among others).


Fairytale Brugge


While it may seem like I was obsessed with the beer, Em had her mind on other things.  On the left she's ransacking a chocolate shop, and on the right she's downing an obligatory waffle.


Hopefully we didn't torture you with all the treats - but now you know you have to get to Belgium (and make a list before you go).

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