Ultimate Belgian beer trip

Discussion in 'Belgium' started by Goosey, Feb 5, 2013.

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  1. Goosey

    Goosey Initiate (0) Jan 18, 2012 Missouri

    So this summer I am staying in Slovenia for a study abroad trip, and we get our 3 day weekends to do whatever we want. So naturally, I am going to Belgium for the beer trip of a lifetime. First, I should ask what the best means of travel from Ljubljana to Brussels is (I can drive stick if that helps). Second, when I get into Brussels I am going to Cantillon and 3 Fontienen. So I have 2 days left to do whatever, which I'm thinking of skipping one day of classes for an xtra day in Belgium. Of course, I want to visit at least one Trappist brewery, and I would appreciate any suggestions in the form of an actual route around Belgium, not a cluster of random locations if you please. Also suggestions for safe places to stay (I will be alone) would be much appreciated. Here is a loose list of places I am considering... Westvleteren, chimay, Orval, Achel, Fantome, De Dolle, DuPont, De Rank, Chouffe, and Kuluminator for some vintages. I am open to new suggestions as well. Thanks!
     
  2. Brabander

    Brabander Initiate (0) Oct 10, 2009 Netherlands

    Read the messages on this forum my friend. Belgium is THE place to be for beer. Westvleteren is a must but be sure to go there when Cafe In de Vrede is open. When you go there on a saturday you can also visit the guys from the Struise Brouwers....

    Antwerps/Kulminator is a must, the same with Brussels if you are into sours!

    Most places are hard to get to besides Antwerps and Brussels off course.

    Thijs
     
  3. Jwale73

    Jwale73 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,942) Aug 15, 2007 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'm doing a similar trip in April: Sat - Mon. in Belgium; Mon-Wed in Bamberg, Wed-Sat. in Dusseldorf. Not sure what days you will be in Belgium.

    The biggest challenge for me with Sat. through Monday is not being able to hit everything because of hours of operation. For example, I really wanted to hit Struise, but it is only open on Saturday and Kulminator is not open Sunday. I'm hitting Kulminator Saturday and on Sunday heading to De Dolle (english tour is at 2pm) then to De Heeren van Liedekercke and Chez Moeder Lambic Fontainas. Monday I'm going to hit Cantillon. Also wanted to hit 3 Fonteinen - the restaurant is open, but I think the brewery/tasting room is only open on Friday or something like that. Brasserie Het Anker (Gouden Carolus) has a restaurant and hotel and is in the Brussels/Antwerp area. If I had more time, I'd do that as well. Have a great trip!
     
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  4. Tut

    Tut Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    I've traveled extensively in both Slovenia and Belgium. Given you only have 3-4 days, don't even think of driving. It's way too far and you'd waste precious time just getting there. Check the smaller, discount airlines. Direct flights from Ljubljana to Brussels are limited and not very cheap, but you may find a good one if you do a change in another city in transit.
     
  5. LambicKing

    LambicKing Initiate (0) Apr 13, 2011 Germany

    Dude, forget the beer...Slovenian women are ridiculous.

    But if you must have beer...you are going to the right places. Follow what the others said above me. They are doing you right.
     
  6. swank

    swank Initiate (0) Feb 11, 2013

    Hey Goosey,
    Congratulations in getting a study abroad trip to Slovenia! It's rare to hear a student making this a top designation for studying abroad. Anyways, I can only speak for Belgium since I am a former resident there. Definitely visit Westvlevern FIRST! They like to play hard to catch-I'm serious. Call or email ahead of time. Those are their rules-and they stink. You can't go wrong visiting a Brasserie in the city of Brussels-they make their own beers too and they are phenomenal. For a safe place to stay, look up Best Western Hotels--reasonable prices and a friendly staff. It sounds like you will be traveling by car. Because I relied on public transportation there, I don't have any specific routes to recommend. How is your French anyway? It will come in handy if you ask around in a city or town but choose wisely because they notice right away that you are a foreigner. I haven't been to Cantillon or Fontienen but I recommend visiting Orval and Achel. I hope this post helps. Good luck with your studies and have a safe and sound journey.
     
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  7. Goosey

    Goosey Initiate (0) Jan 18, 2012 Missouri

    Was thinking of flying, but when i get there I guess I should just rent a car, or is public transit better?
     
  8. SStein

    SStein Initiate (0) Dec 26, 2012 Colorado

    The public transportation is good, however renting the car allows you to get closer to the breweries themselves. About half the breweries you listed aren't all that close to the trains.
     
  9. Tut

    Tut Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    That depends on where you want to go. The trains are excellent but like all public transit, they eat up time other than just getting from one place to another. Given you only have a few days, don't try to overdo it. You could easily spend three days or more in Brussels alone, and still not see all it offers. I'll post a list of my favorite beer cafes and restaurants when I have more time. I'm using a tablet w/wifi and am in Dunedin, New Zealand right now. Have to wait until I'm on a desktop.
     
  10. Goosey

    Goosey Initiate (0) Jan 18, 2012 Missouri

    Sorry I am relying on those well traveled souls so much, but tell me if you think this is a do-able Inten. Wednesday- fly into Brussels and hit Cantillon and or 3 Fontienen and stay in Brussels (is there any small towns outside of Brussels you recomend, as I am trying to get the authentic experience as far as beer food and culture, but am by myself and also want to be safe) (I don't speak French, but do speak Spanish if that helps at all). Thursday, hit Kulminator followed by DeProef and stay in Gent. Hit Struise and Westvletern on Friday since they are both close (is Vleteren a good place to stay that night?) Then, on Saturday, Chimay and Orval, and I guess stay in Florenville? Finally, on Sunday, Achouffe or Fantome, and then head back to Brussels to fly back home. Let me know what you think as soon as you get on a desktop, and anybody else is welcome to comment on this. Also, please feel free to throw out some recomendations for places to stay following that route.
     
  11. Jwale73

    Jwale73 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,942) Aug 15, 2007 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I believe Struise is only open on Sat. and I think Drie Fonteinen is only open Thu-Mon (restaurant) and not sure about the brewery - I believe it is next to the restaurant and is not open as much (maybe Friday/Sat.) - this is all information I've try to glean in planning my itinerary in April.
     
  12. Goosey

    Goosey Initiate (0) Jan 18, 2012 Missouri

    Damn these Belgians and their leisurely work schedules. I looked at De Struise and they are closed Sunday and have limited hours on Sat, and 3F is the same, so if this info is correct I hope I should be fine. I can't find their normal hours of op tho.
     
  13. Jwale73

    Jwale73 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,942) Aug 15, 2007 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Yeah - I know. Damn them for not catering to our schedules :slight_smile: I ended up prioritizing my stops based on my days (Sat. - Mon.) because it became pretty clear that I couldn't do it all. I'm also fortuntate to have a good friend from Dusseldorf who will be driving my ass around. That said, I really wanted to hit Kulminator, Cantillon and De Dolle. With Kulminator and Cantillon not open on Sunday, and the English tour at De Dolle at 2pm on Sunday, that left Sat. for Kulimiator and early Monday (driving to Bamberg from Belgium on Monday) for Cantillon. I'd say rank your top two or three places and check their hours and things will better fall into place. With 3F, my understanding is that the restaurant is quite good, the brewery is pretty small and not much to see, although they have a bottle shop. Please share your itineary once you figure it out. On another note, the other site has a mapping feature that might help you in terms of relating distances from place to place. That was a big challenge for me as I don't know the lay of Belgium all that well, particularly with some of the smaller towns. Cheers.
     
  14. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    You guys are quite ambitious. My advice would be to trim the schedule down a bit. I have found that the biggest mistake people make in traveling to Europe is trying to pack everything into 3-4 days. You end up spending more time traveling from place to place then actually experiencing things. Also I would not recommend renting a car. The trains are good. You can get most places fine. You want to drink right? No body needs to spend a night on the Flemish clink.
     
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  15. Goosey

    Goosey Initiate (0) Jan 18, 2012 Missouri

    Ya I wanna take a train, but I cant find trains to some of the smaller towns I want to visit, and thus, I am left without options as far as I know. Luckily I have till July to work this out, but to me it seems like since the places are so close together, two breweries a day isn't impossible, but I could be completely and utterly wrong. The things I am worried about are the places to stay.
     
  16. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    To give you an example... I usually plan for 2-3 nights in the same city when I travel in Belgium. One afternoon at the Kulminator would only give a visiting tourist a small sample of the wonderful city of Antwerp. There is so much more to these cities than beer tickin. I spent 2 nights 3 days there a few years ago. I got a chance to go to the Kulminator 3 times and check out all sorts of stuff in town. Got a horse steak, checked out the diamond district, hot boozed up at a local bar with some off duty cop and checked out the Belgian colonial museum. I have had similar 2-3 day trips to Ghent Brugge and Brussels over the last few years.
     
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  17. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

     
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  18. Tut

    Tut Initiate (0) Sep 23, 2004 New York

    I couldn't agree more with tendermorsel. You sound pretty young. You'll have plenty of other opportunities to return, and believe me, you will. Give yourself time to actually get a feel for Belgium, rather than rushing from one bucket list place to another. All too often American BA's do exactly what you're planning. They can then say they've been to all those "ticker" spots, but they don't know squat about Belgium. With only four days, go to Brussels and one other place, either Brugge or Antwerp. Trains are easy. Two days isn't much for each, but way better than what you're trying to do. You could easily spend it all in Brussels. There's MUCH more to do there than just the typical beer tourist visit to Cantillion, Moeder Lambic, Delirium Cafe, Grand Place, and Mannekin Pis.

    Here are some of my favorite cafes and restaurants in Brussels. There are numerous others and the best thing you can do is buy a copy of Around Brussels in 80 Beers, by Joe Stange and Yvan De Baets. It's indispensible if you'll be spending time there. It's expensive on Amazon, but the Waterstone's bookstore in the city center shopping district has it for 13 euros. Google map the cafes and locate on a good street map. Check opening hours - many places close early part of week. Have fun and explore. While finding your way to these places, you'll see areas of the city and cafes that most BA visitors are unaware of.

    Cafes:

    le Bier Circus
    57 Rue de l'Enseignement
    One of the best beer lists at 200+. Spend an evening at the small bar in the back and ask owner Patrick for recommendations. Check hours, closed Sun., Mon.

    Monk
    42 Rue Sainte-Catherine
    Classic old brown cafe near city center but away from tourists. Great at night but pm good too.

    la Fleur en Papier Dore
    55 Rue des Alexiens
    old, historic small cafe that is only place in city with Oud Beersel Lambic. Amazing interior.

    Brocante
    170 Rue Blaes
    Great cafe in Marolles area that specializes in lambics. Great atmosphere.

    l'Ultime Atome
    14 Rue Saint Boniface(Ixelles district)
    See my review. Ignore review before mine. go in late pm or evening.

    Cafe Belga
    Place Eugene Flagey(Ixelles)

    Restaurants with beer cuisine:

    le Brassins
    36 Rue Keyenveld(Ixelles)
    Amazing, reasonably priced, food and good beer list. Can walk to/from l'Ultime Atome.

    Restobieres
    32 Rue des Renards
    Great funky atmosphere and fantastic food. Deserts are excellent. Afterward you can walk down street a couple blocks to Brocante.
     
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  19. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    "don't sweat the ticks... Let them come to you."

    Tendermorsel
     
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  20. tendermorsel

    tendermorsel Initiate (0) Oct 22, 2006 Massachusetts

    Another tip..... Plan on spending a while at Cantillon. The brewery tour is cool don't get me wrong but the key to me is buying bottles and consuming them on site. Bottles are dirt cheap and I doubt any other bar is going to have the selection of Cantillon that they have at the brewery. I spent 5± hours there on my last trip. Hang out drink a few bottles chat with others that are there and hang with Jean. I brought a few beers with me to share with the guys there. A full afternoon at Cantillon is one of my favorite things to do in Belgium. A quick stop doesn't do the place justice.
     
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