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Larsblog

The price of ale

One thing that struck me very strongly when I was on the Toer de Geuze in 2012 was that the pricing for beer was totally wrong, and that major changes would have to be on the way. Those changes do seem to be coming, but much more slowly than I would have expected. As we'll get to, there are reasons for that. ...

Read | 2014-06-16 19:14 | 3 comment(s)

Beer cafes of Leuven

The final item on the programme was a visit to the Zythos Beer Festival in Leuven, one of the world's biggest beer festivals. The others were all enthusiastic and raring to go, but personally I really don't like beer festivals. Too many people, too much hassle, and not really the kind of setting I enjoy drinking beer in. To me, a beer cafe crawl of Leuven on a quiet Sunday afternoon seemed like the perfect alternative. (This is part 8 of the Scandinavian beer bloggers' tour.) ...

Read | 2014-06-12 22:29 | 4 comment(s)

Leuven - beer capital?

Our final stop on the trip was Leuven. On checking into my hotel room, I found some brochures that made me look closer. Leuven beercapital, they announced. Leuven? The capital of (presumably Belgian) beer? That may sound a bit odd, but let's look at Leuven's credentials. (This is part 7 of the Scandinavian beer bloggers' tour.) ...

Read | 2014-06-10 21:30 | 0 comment(s)

Hof ten Dormaal

We drove for a good while over bumpy country roads winding hither and thither, until finally the minivan came to a stop outside an ordinary-looking farm. Just inside the gate, however, amid crates of bottles and various farm equipment, was a nice outside patio. Next to it was a brick building with a bar and some indoor seats. Plus a small brewery. After a little while, someone comes to get us, and we're led through the garden into an impressive bar room in another building. (This is part 6 of the Scandinavian beer bloggers' tour.) ...

Read | 2014-06-07 14:22 | 0 comment(s)

Brouwerij de Kroon

When the Delvauxes decided to start their own brewery they purchased the historic de Kroon brewery in Neerijse, just outside of Leuven. They installed a completely new brewkit in the brewery, but it has a long history, and the previous incarnation was built just after World War I. Here, too, the Germans had taken all the copper, and after the war there was a shortage of everything. Therefore the new equipment was not in copper, but, as Delvaux put it, "of whatever metal could be found." (This is part 5 of the Scandinavian beer bloggers' tour.) ...

Read | 2014-06-03 18:50 | 0 comment(s)

Professor Delvaux

Arriving at the de Kroon Brewery we're met by a smiling, kindly man in his forties. This, it turns out, is not the brewer. "The professor will be with you in five minutes," he says. The professor? Anyway, the brewer is finishing up an earlier tour group, but will be with us shortly. We potter around, take a few pictures, while some of us split a beer at the bar. (This is part 4 of the Scandinavian beer bloggers' tour.) ...

Read | 2014-05-19 21:08 | 0 comment(s)

A visit to de Struise

Right up against the French border, in the north-western corner of Belgium lies the little village of Oostvleteren, home to de Struise Brouwers. Looking at the map you could be forgiven for thinking that this is the western-most brewery in Belgium. However, there is another brewer about one kilometer further west. That one is called Westvleteren. (This is part 3 of the Scandinavian beer bloggers' tour.) ...

Read | 2014-05-12 21:33 | 3 comment(s)

Brouwerij Boelens

One of the benefits of this kind of tour is that you get to meet the people behind the various bars and breweries, and to hear them tell the story behind the company and explain how they think. At Boelens we got more of this, since we were met by the founder and brewer, Kris Boelen himself. (This is part 2 of the Scandinavian beer bloggers' tour.) ...

Read | 2014-05-09 16:05 | 1 comment(s)

Moeder Lambic

I haven't really explored the Brussels beer scene much, and had never been to Moeder Lambic, so I had very little idea of what to expect. At first glance it seems rather ordinary. Some cafe tables outside, kind of sterile inside. Huge number of taps, a little over 40. Obviously well-chosen selection, with a strong emphasis on Belgium, but also some foreigners. (This is part 1 of the Scandinavian beer bloggers' tour.) ...

Read | 2014-05-06 15:26 | 0 comment(s)

Visit Flanders!

It seemed to good to be true. Tourism Flanders was inviting me on a four-day trip of Belgian beer, and the only thing they required in return was that I write at least one blog post about it? With no constraints whatever on the content? The email seemed way too professional for a scam, though, and the conditions and details were very convincing and well thought out. So in the end I decided manna really had descended from heaven, totally unexpected, and undeserved. ...

Read | 2014-05-02 19:24 | 2 comment(s)

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