There's 2-3 "trip to Belgium" thread on the 1st page but I wanted to make my own since mine is a little different from their circumstance. A friend of mine is traveling to Belgium to study abroad from Jan to May 2016. She was kind enough to agree to seek out 3F and Cantillon sours to bring back to the States for me. Does 3F and Cantillon release their beer on a schedule or do they release it randomly? Are there usually a line or can you just walk in a buy a bottle? I'm mainly looking for bottles that is hard to find in the States or ones that isn't available in the States. IE Fou, Lou Pepe, Boos, Blabber..... What is the best way to bring the beer back? I was going to have her buy a 12 bottle shipper and check in the shipper when she comes back to States. Or would a suitcase works better?
Not to be overly snarky, but you might have been well served by reading some of those older threads first... Fou Foune has come and gone for the year, expect the 2016 release late summer Framboos has been an every couple of years beer, maybe 2018? Nobody knows. Blåbær is brewed for a specific bar in Copenhagen and is only sold there
Fair points and same old same old tired Q's from the OP ... However also worth reading the For Sale at Cantillon thread. You'll see that FF hasn't been and gone unless I imagined buying a 3 pack last Friday!
There's more Cantillon than Fou Foune... Yes they release it randomly. No there's no such thing as huge lines like in the US.
This is probably why we don't see nearly as many of the locals here anymore like the Antwerp crew. Pretty soon it's going to be nothing but American brahs in here asking each other when Fou Foune is coming out.
Easy, people, easy, the question isn't out of line. OP, as you've picked out after sorting through the snark, the schedule isn't random and is quite seasonal for the, um, seasonal varieties. Just to manage your expectations, don't count on any getting of the occasional releases, especially those times of year. Yet do *not* be deterred. Your friend will always be able to find good stuff, without ever facing a line at the breweries, other than the very occasional special event. We also beg and plead: don't get too hung up on the special stuff. Much as I love Fou, it's not, like, a universe away from pretty much any of their other fruited stuff. I love the LPs but if I'm honest, not more than the conventional counterparts. I haven't seen bottle shippers for sale here, much as I could use one, myself. Equip your friend or think in terms of suitcase and bubble wrap.
It's lame. There used to be dozens of regulars here, but fhis forum has degraded from a great place to talk about Belgian beer to a place where the same questions pile up over and over. "Hey Brah, im coming to Belgium for a week, what should I do?" "Hey Brah, how do I remove as many rare beers as possible from your country." It doesn't help that Belgium no longer has its own forum here. Even more stuff to sort through now.
Wow, why all the hate? First off, not sure where this "Brah" description comes from, as I don't know too many folks around here that refer to each other as "Brah". Second, we enjoy the beer your country produces, which helps support your beer industry. Your Lambic beers were on the verge of extinction several years back, but due (in large part to an upsurge in US consumption), the industry is now thriving, (I'm sure brewers at Cantillon, 3F, Hannsens, etc would agree). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you need us to survive, but you have to admit that international sales & tourism of Belgium beer has helped your economy, (I have visited Belgium 4 times on beer related adventures). Lastly, I will agree that some of the posts on this site are a bit repetitive & folks could do a better job of researching the BA archives, but just over look that & help out a fellow beer lover by providing some helpful tips instead of bashing us folks in the west. Heck, you could use those tips to your advantage by scoring some great US beers with IP trades. I know most Americans would be happy to mule some great beers in return for solid advice, I know I would. So come on, lighten up on us!.......Note: There are many Belgium BA folks that are very helpful, thanks to those people. BTW: You're welcome to come to the USA any time to enjoy our beers, the Euro is still stronger than the $! Oh, & one last point-dig to you Sir...Warrant? Really? of all the great USA bands, you pick Warrant for your Aviator? That's lame Brah!!
Follow the forum for a while... most of the posts are "Where do I get Westy in Brussels?" or "Who wants to trade <stout of the week> for <same list of 4 limited bottles>?"
People who can't even spell the name of the beers, and apparently don't know anything about them looking for the rare seem to me to be just after the 'trophy' or something.
Lazenne.com Order just the styro in a box or get it with the travel suitcase. They ship anywhere in Europe.
I have followed this forum & many US forums where BA folks have asked the same questions over & over, such as: "How can I get Heady"? "Where can I find Pliny"? "Anyone want to trade some FFFs"? "Where can I grab the latest BCBS variant"? Etc. etc. Yet I very seldom read negative comments regarding these questions...So again, I ask, why all the hate directed at a few Belgian beer inquiries?
i have rarely seen an informative Belgian related thread. it really is nothing but talking about Cantillon. remember when guys like Dennis and Thijs used to post on here? because it's annoying and repetitive. and also because it's annoying and repetitive.
See? The same questions over and over! Seriously, imagine if 8 out of 10 forum posts in the Midwest forum were about what is available at Surly, when Darkness is releasing, where to go in the Minneapolis area, and it drove off many of the most interesting regular forum members. That happened here. Now imagine if Surly went from $20 to $35 per bottle because profiteers wiped out the brewery each time it's released. Would you really be eager to help others find it? In my favorite bottle shop, regular 3F bottles went from 6 Euro to 11 Euro for this reason. Good for the artisans, who if anyone deserve the revenue. Bad for local consumers who aren't willing to buy as much at that price point. I'd much rather see more posts from Belgian locals and guys like you who have substance to offer this forum. To honor your contributions and your home state, I will now change my avatar to a half naked picture of Prince.
Website says you can buy it at Cantillon. I still have 10 years supply of bubble wrap but this looks waaaaay easier. (What I really should do is get people from back home to buy it for me, as they are the main beneficiaries!) Because my first thought is "how will do the classic gueuze bottles fit?" About the other debate going on, above. It almost hasn't occurred to me that this forum is anything but the guide for the visitor. I hardly noticed how it's evolved. There are other sites where people talk about what's actually on, in the Belgian scene. (Out of respect for BA, I'll leave you to find it on your own.) I'm sure this says more about me than the forum, but when asking something topical here, I often get back just the sound of crickets... Of course I'll try to come up with some locally driven news and questions but since the audience isn't mainly local, I'm OK with people checking in for trip advice. I've learned lots of useful stuff* from visitors' trip reports and such. THAT SAID, posters, you gotta come correct: dive deep in the archive, and if you have a repeat question at least acknowledge it's been raised before but you want to update the state of knowledge. *Exhibit A: Hat tip to @adkieffer's post about the shippers, leading to the website, leading to the 'find a retailer in Europe' page, leading to our beloved rue Gheude!
Yes! The 'Large' bottle format fits absolutely perfect. Just took one back to the U.S. full of Cantillon, 3F, and Fantome. Saves so much time and worry it is crazy
