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What to see in Belgium

Discuss beer or anything else that comes to mind in here.

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Uncle Bobby
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Post by Uncle Bobby »

AuburnAle wrote:Uncle Bobby. Through some very broken English they told us we could not see the brewery because it was a national holiday, I didn't realize it was like that every day. Sorry about that. I would say it's still worth a visit, it's a pretty impressive brewery setting even if you can't see the actual equipment (although you can see small pieces of it if you peek through the cracks in the fences).

Cheers
You're right, Auburn, it is a lovely setting. Truely a "golden valley". Sorry I should have made that clear in my earlier post.

The gift shop is not at all tacky. And many of the the products they sold were produced in either the Orval monstery or in monasteries in other parts of Belgium. (I bought my mum some lavendar oil.) And the Orval cheese is actually quite good.

I recall them also allowing (for a fee) access to certain parts of the monastery, including a video presentation and an exhibit with models of the old monstery and discussions of the founding of the new monastery.

And you can actually sneak a peek into the brewery through the delivery doors facing out onto the road that skirts the monstery's perimeter wall.

Here is a link to the Orval website. If your timing is right, it appears that they do have "open door days".

One last note -- the town sits right on the border with France. But for the slightly overgrown hut marked "Douane", and a slight change in the road signs, you wouldn't know that you were in a different country.

Good luck.
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JerCraigs
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Post by JerCraigs »

Has anyone been to In't Spinnekopke recently? Some posts elsewhere suggest that the beer menu has declined, but in Belgium that could mean "Just really good" vs "Holy Cow!"

Have people been to Beersel? I liked the idea of going to the castle, but some descriptions make it sound a bit underwhelming. Theres also Die Fonteinen there but I'm wondering if time would be better spent elsewhere?

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Jonesy
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Post by Jonesy »

You should see the Kerkom brewery in Limburg. Way off the beaten path, but very cool spot. Tim Webb says it has ' the cutest sampling cafe in all of Belgium'. When we were there we got a full tour and ate a great lunch with bread, cheease and pate made with the beer. The owner, Marc, is super nice. The beers are excellent.

You should also visit de Dolle in Essen on a Sunday when they do the tours. Same sort of experience. We 'helped' brew Stille Nacht 2004 that day.

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JerCraigs
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Post by JerCraigs »

We are considering De Dolle, but it will be tough to get there on the sunday since the Zythos festival is that day.

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Jonesy
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Post by Jonesy »

Sorry I finally read this entire thread (you're only there for a few days). Brussels is not bad...I'd pick up on what Beaumont said but also recommend taking a bus or cab to Beersel for the day. Gueuze paradise.

My favourite city in Belgium was Ghent. Like medieval Brugges but much less touristy. Hopduvel and Waterhuis an de Bierkant are nice bars....my buddy said that t'Velootje was closed down (surprise). Other than that the other cities in Belgium were so-so. As my earlier post may have highlighted, the smaller towns and brewers are what it's all about. As a Canadian, you may want to try and combine a trip to Brugges with a tour of Ypres (Quasimodo bus tours are excellent).

For any bartoweller you should buy Tim Webb's Great Beer Guide to Belgium. Used it everyday and it's invaluable. A new edition came out in late 2006 (they got rid of Holland) and you may still only be able to buy the new edition from CAMRA website.

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inertiaboy
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Post by inertiaboy »

Jonesy wrote:As a Canadian, you may want to try and combine a trip to Brugges with a tour of Ypres (Quasimodo bus tours are excellent).
I second that thought. It is a quick and easy trip from Brugges by train with a possible change at Roeselare (home of Rodenbach). The War Cemeteries tour was a highlight of our trip.

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JerCraigs
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Post by JerCraigs »

Ypres is probably in my top 5 places to go, so we will definitely be arranging something. We are investigating a B&B/inn that offers a package with tours or a car for a day.

detritus
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Post by detritus »

JerCraigs wrote:Ypres is probably in my top 5 places to go, so we will definitely be arranging something. We are investigating a B&B/inn that offers a package with tours or a car for a day.
Ypres is very cool - make sure you have a car or a tour arranged though, as there's not a ton to do in the town itself.

-Josh

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