De Dolle Brouwers

I read in the local newspaper that in the beginning of April, a themed 'Dolle Brouwers Pub' will open in Tokyo. It is a private initiative but supported by the Dolle Brouwers (the headbrewer will attend the opening of the new pub on April the 8th). There will be Oerbier en Arabier on tap and maybe the seasonals also...

 

Guess it's the same guy that owns St Bernardus Café and the Delirium franchise?

 

I think the Delirium franchise is (partly) owned by Huyghe, the brewery. I have no idea about the St Bernardus café though

 

I got the impression from the article (admittedly translated from Dutch by google) that it was an enthusiastic Japanese De Dolle fan who was behind it.

 

Anybody know the open hours of De Dolle? Is there a bar?

 

The Brewery Is Open On Saturday And Sunday From 14 Till 19h
open 1 may and closed 15 may
Closed In The Week
Tour In English On Sundays At 14h. every sunday ,no reservation .

And yes, they have a nice bar.

also
see: http://www.dedollebrouwers.be/en/welcome

 

Thanks!

 

Wasn't able to visit the brewery, but was very happy to pick up Arabier, Dulle Teve, Oerbier, and Still Nacht at
Drankencenter Vandamme. My first De Dolle beers, so I'm excited. So many beer stores were closed Monday, I almost left empty handed.

 

did they stop making the Oerbier?

 

Hell no !!
Why ?

 

Their website makes it look like they are no longer producing it.

 

A batch of Oerbier kegs became available through their importer recently for what that's worth.

 

It's got the oerbier logo in big writing at the top. I see that it is not listed under their beers but surely that's more likely an error with the website. It's their signature beer.

 

Let's have that discussion! I think it's Oerbier, for the name if nothing else (but the jackets if you need another).

 

And their logo is the Oerbier man.

 

Really loved Arabier on tap back in the days. And pretty excited about the Oerbier bottle i bought yesterday because of this thread.

 

Very interesting. I did get the chance to ask Kris this weekend, a few different ways (what your signature, flagship, most distinctive, most representative -- but I avoided saying 'best'), and the answer remains: Oerbier. But he does a lot of different stuff playing off the Arabier, so it depends how you look at it.

 

Whoa, what's on Nov. 13? Do they do an anniversary thing? I'm putting this date on my calendar and looking forward to it; please tell us why.

 

FYI The 12th is the open brew day at Cantillon.

 

You got that right, mate !

 

Howdy folks,

New to this group and a HUGE Belgian beer fan.

I just booked my first trip to Belgium and plan to be in the region between Sept 2 and 4.

Booked De Dolle's English tour for Sunday (Sep 4).

Never had their beer before and would be grateful for any pointers.

Thanks!

(FYI my trip overview: first three days in the West Flanders region, two/three days down at Rochefort/Luxembourg, three/four days at BRU.)

 

Sounds awesome. Be sure to check out Dranken Geers near Ghent for a great selection of beers.

There is a nice B&B within walking distance of De Dolle called De Groote Waere. Although it might be better to get a taxi. I stayed there after an afternoon spent at De Dolle. You'll need somewhere close if you want to try all their beers as they are 8%+!!

 

If you are coming to Brugge, let me know and maybe I can show you around...

 

Big Thanks!

I am afraid I have miss Ghent for now because I land in BRU on Friday morning and have an appointment at St. Bernardus for Fri 2 pm. Staying overnight @ their B&B for two nights. Then @ De Vrede on Sat afternoon, following by De Dolle on Sun afternoon. (During the day on Sat and Sun, I intend visiting Westvleteren. No chance of ordering online any 12s as I plan to rent the car only on Friday, but I hope I can get a few at De Vrede.)

Now, back to De Dolle: So good of you to warn me about the after-effects of the beers @ De Dolle's. Why? I convinced my girlfriend that once I am done @ De Dolle, I can drive down around 6 pm to Luxembourg (she wanted to see that place for a day). I figured it is a three hour drive and so I thought of heading down to Luxembourg on Sunday night itself.

Now I gotta to replan because she does not drive. Hmm....But great to know that there is a B&B within walking distance. Thanks again!

 

Thanks a lot! So nice of you!

I really really wish I could take you up on your offer because I now realize that I did see Ghent and Brugge during a day trip when I came to Amsterdam a few years back. (So, technically,, this is not my first trip to Belgium.) However, that was the usual touristy stuff and I heard about how nice the place is at night when all the tourists disappear. Would be wonderful to have a local show us around.

However, I have already booked my B&B at other place and don't plan to be @ Brugge on this trip.

Thanks again for the generous offer.

 

It's a shame :-). Have fun in Belgium and maybe some other time.

 

Oof, not the easiest schedule if you're getting in that Friday morning from NJ and have to battle the jet lag to get all the way out to Watou. There's certainly time to get there by 2pm but let's hope you get some sleep on the plane over. Anyway, plan on that being a short night, certainly not prolonged by St Bernardus.

The classic pointers for visiting De Dolle are 1. to enjoy the atmosphere of the place, taking in the tour in a leisurely way, with time to chat afterward, and 2. to seek out the Reserva offerings that are nearly impossible to find outside the brewery (and I don't think can be bought to go). However, if you're not familiar with the beers already, you'll probably be fascinated with the standbys, so less pressure on that front.

And perhaps a good thing, because that Sunday schedule sounds ambitious. You don't have to leave the brewery in un-drive-able shape -- it's not like they do a lot of free pouring you're missing out on -- but I can't see passing up the chance to have one or two in their bar before moving on. But even if you eschew all that and just buy some bottles to go, you'd have to leave straightaway, and really haul it, to get down to Lux City by 6. But what I really can't imagine is what's there on a Sunday night to rush down for anyway? It's a picturesque place and I wouldn't try to talk your girlfriend out of going, but I would keep expectations very, very low. You can probably find somewhere great along the way in the Belgian Ardennes for dinner, and tour Lux the next day. ... But if you stick to the plan of going straight down there, for what it's worth, dinner can be 8pm or whatever, no stress. (This is not to say that the whole place is jumpin' at that time, I just mean, for any place that happens to be open on Sunday night, 8-9 wouldn't be an unreasonable time.)

Have a great trip in any case!

 

These are excellent practical points on De Dolle, thank you!

I have never had their beer and now looking forward. Can't wait for Sept to start!

Based on atomeyes and donald's feedback, I decided to stay put at De Groote Waere on Sunday night so that I can walk back from De Dolle. Already reserved a room.

No hurry to reach Lux and the only reason we are doing that trip is for her to check something out and get to see that small province within a day. So, thanks and I will keep our expectations low.

In fact, after reading Webb's 2014 Belgium beer guide book, I now think it is better to stay two nights @ the Ardennes region close by Lux instead of staying @ Lux City. Check-in Mon, see Lux City on Tue, check-out on Wed and visit Rochefort, Tin-tin museum (another of my lady's requests ) before reaching BRU that night.

Any suggestions on regions/B&B/hotels close to Lux City?

Thanks in advance!

 

Yup!! Thanks to you, I decided to spend more time there and hence changed my booking so that I reach there on Sunday mid-morning and explore/drink/unwind at that place the whole afternoon and then crash at the B&B that night.

Separate query: Piraat was my first Belgian beer ten years ago that made me such a big fan of the Belgian beers. Since that brewery (Van Steenberge) also makes another beer that i like a lot (Golden Draak), I am toying of visiting them too. They are open for tours only on Monday, Tue, and Wed.

Since i am not in a hurry to reach Lux on Monday, I wonder if I can drive up to their place on Monday morning (after checking out from De Groote), see the place/10 am tour, and later in the early evening, drive to Lux region. Van Steenberge is about 30 minutes north of Ghent and so it is probably a 1.15 hour drive from De Groote.

What I am uneasy about: the 2.5 hour drive from Van Steenberge to Lux City, which seems to take me thru the ring roads of Antwerp and BRU - both which I read can be a bit intimidating (even though I grew up learning to drive in bad driving cities in India ).

Do you think the above side trip to Van Steenberge on Monday is doable?

Thanks!

 

It's doable. But a full day with lots of driving. It always depends on the traffic. I bet New Jersey traffic worse though.

 

Driving the ring roads is no worse than driving in traffic around the US. Now if you are driving in Brussels center during rush hour that can get a bit overwhelming and frustrating. Other than those brief traffic spots it is actually a very simple drive. I will be making it this weekend with my son and staying near Turnhout. Lux City can definitely be done in a day if you want to. Some great countryside and castles if you have extra time. Consider booking lunch on the patio at Beim Sigi for the day you are in town. They have a great view and the food is good too. If you are looking for any other Lux recommendations let me know.

Cheers