FULLP NTS SUMMER 2016
Guide had been left back at our digs! However a quick bit of internetting by Ian led us to La Cervoise, well known (apparently) for its long narrow bar. In no particular order our ‘beer list’ here was: Peche Mel Bush; Delirium Nocturnum; La Montoise Blonde; Hopus Blonde; Bush Ambree; Goliath; Super des Fagnes; Gouyasse; Quintine Blond; Judas; Cuvee des Trolls; Le Fruit Defendu; Chimay Blonde Tripel; Kasteel and Mardesous.
Bush Ambree is 12% abv and rates as the highest alcohol content beer we sampled on our trip. To put that in context, the tasting notes in the beer menu (seemingly, every Belgian pub has one) referred to one beer as being ‘light and refreshing, with a low alcohol content’. It was 6%! After salad and chips, sorry frites, we headed for the station. It was all going so well until no.4 wandered off muttering ‘I know a shortcut’. The remaining 3 Giraffes made it back on their own to the station, thence to the ‘local’ where no.4 arrived some (considerable) time later.
Monk’s Stout, Lambic Cantillon, Biere de Miel (not as sickly honey-sweet as its name would suggest), Caulier 28 Tripel, Hop Harvest (with a name like that surely a refugee from a UK beer festival?) and Witkrap Stimulo. By this time we were really into the swing so were keen to find the bar with thousands of beers. We knew its name included the word ‘Delirium’ so we wandered into the first bar bearing this name. It turned out to have 400 different vodkas! Beers as well, thankfully so we sampled Kapittel Blond, Moinette Blond, Bon Voeux Ian (appropriate) and La Trappe Quadruppel. While enjoying these we were impressed with the original decorative features and fittings of this ‘old fashioned’ bar. The ‘real’ beer bar was a couple of doors up the street – the so called ‘Delirium Cellar’ where there is a truly astonishing 3,162 different beers to be had. Their beer menu is quite a substantial magazine! Interesting décor, with beer trays decorating almost every square inch of the ceiling.
Brussels beckoned so next day we found ourselves in the Moeder Lambic bar just off the Grand Place sampling Valeir Blond, Guldenberg, Saison Extra and Faro Cantillon. This bar has 40+ draught beers with many, many more available in bottle. Next up was Valeir Extra, La Moederation (brewed by the bar staff – now there’s enthusiasm for you), 15