My wife and I are heading to Belgium for the Bruges Beer Festival in February. Our previous visits were focused on bigger cities (mainly Brussels, Bruges & Antwerp). This time we'll be renting a car and exploring the countryside; mainly the southern side of West Flanders. We'll be based in Ypres but plan to cover a lot of ground. It'll be a mix of beer destinations and WWI sites. We've got a good framework in place but it's been a little disappointing as we've gotten deeper into the planning. So many of the breweries either aren't open to the public, have very limited hours that conflict with our itinerary or seem to cater only to large groups. While I've had to abandon several destinations, there seems to be more then enough to fill out a few days. But I could use a little more. Any recommendations on outstanding and authentic pubs, breweries or other Belgian beer experiences? Thanks for the help! George
Ypres? Enough to vist around in the region: dolle brouwers, struise, westvleteren, kazematten,...bernardus. Something will be open i hope
Ps: if you did like bruges you can also try to reach Lille in france , not far from Ypres and where are pubs like 'la capsule' .
De Dolle is only open Sat/Sun, Struise is only open Saturday and St Bernardus only allows larger groups to reserve tours (though individuals seem to be able to join them if you happen to arrive at the right time). Westvleteren and Kazematten are on the list. We had been thinking about Lille. Thanks for the recommendation! I'll look into that.
Glad to you see you coming back, George -- give a shout if you get any closer hereabouts or have any idea for a meetup. ... It's oddly not a great country for brewery tours -- for historical/cultural reasons they're just not the visitor meccas that they should be. Poperinge is a neat village. Kortrijk has a mix of old and new. You could see some of the stylish coastal towns and their hip dining scene, like in Nieuwpoort. It wouldn't be that far to see some of the Pajottenland, get to Dworp (not sure if any breweries tour-able, but there are cafes and such) and some of the classic lambic cafes like In de Verkering Tegen de Grote Dorst (Sunday mornings for a little opener before the trip to De Dolle?). Plenty of neat little towns and countryside. In addition to the excellent ideas, above.
Thanks for the suggestions John! We'll definitely be spending some time in Poperinge. I had been thinking about Kortrijk and Nieuwpoort but didn't know anything about them. I'll dig a little deeper on them and your other suggestions. It might even have been you that inspired this trip. One of the people I met with last time raved about the hidden gems in the countryside. Thanks!
http://www.belgianbeerandfood.com/magazine-articles/soul-food and there are other beer-friendly foodie places around. Disclaimer: I haven't been to the above but like the article and put it on the mental must-do list.
Stay a couple of nights at St. Bernardus B&B, increadible place. I had fun in Poperinge and the food in Watou was great.
While in Bruges, go to rose red café, le trappiste, comptoir des artes, brugs beertje, struise Brouwers shop(during the festival) If you need some help, or information on brewery-tours or local restaurants, shoot! I live and work in Bruges(rose red)
If you do visit Poperinge, there's always the hop museum. The wife and I have stayed at Hotel Recour in Poperinge several times to our great delight. The in house restaurant (Pegasus) is fantastic, but not for the faint of heart when it comes to $$$. 't Sparhof iin town is also quite good and a bit more affordable. Regarding Struise (15-20 minute drive from Poperinge), I'd suggest getting in contact with Carlo or Urbain (they're quite personable) when you're there. They may take you in on an off day if they're at the schoolhouse brewery.
Make sure you also visit Ghent it's a wonderful city and has some decent beer spots as well. Kudos to drinking beer and paying respects. Make sure you visit the Menin gate and Tyne Cot while you're in Ypres!
Both Tyne Cot and the Mennon Gate are amazing. The Memon Gate does last call at 8 pm, and that is amazing.
I also plan on visiting the west flanders region and will be staying in bruges for 2 nights. We are also hoping to visit Westvleteren & St Bernard (possibly staying at their B&B). My question is does anyone know the hours of In de vrede? Also, does anyone know if I would be able to get some Westvleren 12 from their? Thank you!
You'll most likely be able to drink some there. Take away is a crap shoot; they may have some for take out, they may not.
