Home - Beer and Lessons Learned

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Arrived back at GSP a little before 6:00 PM, drove home and were greeted by four cats wondering where we had been. It had been a great trip but was really, really good to be home. We visited and spent the night in four countries - The United Kingdom (England), Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium. It was a first time visit to the UK for both Anne and me and the first visit to Europe for Anne. The visit to the cemetery for the Memorial Day Ceremony was the main purpose of the trip and it definitely was the number one highlight. I remember when David and I visited in 2002. I don't get misty eyed often but I was moved then and was again this visit. It is impossible to look at almost 8,000 crosses and Stars of David in such a serene setting, ponder what they represent, and not get just a little emotional, no matter what your age or gender.

One of the other highlights, for me anyway, on this trip was the sampling of different beers, especially the Belgian beers. One fact that I found very interesting is that every beer brewed in Belgium has its own glass. Bars and pubs in Belgium have to stock a supply of glasses for each beer served. Most of the glasses are designed to hold 33 cl of beer, the standard size of a bottle of Belgian beer. The glass may have a mark near the top showing the fill line for the liquid beer, with room just above that line for the head. If you pour it right, the head will come just to the top of the glass. The shape of the glass apparently enhances the aroma or "nose" of the beer. Wine connoisseurs aren't the only ones with sophisticated palates.

Here is a list of those beers that I can remember sampling and where I had them with a comment or two on their taste, where brewed, etc.:

** In Maastricht, Netherlands:
*** Westmalle Trappist – Triple – clear, golden yellow Trappist beer with a secondary fermentation in the bottle (9,5% alcohol). Outstanding, creamy with a slight hoppy aftertaste. Brewed at Westmalle Abbey near Antwerp, Belgium, since 1836.
*** Westmalle Trappist – Dubbel – dark, reddish-brown Trappist beer with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. Excellent, slightly sweet with a nice bitter finish. - 7% alcohol.

** Aachen, Germany:
*** Veltines blonde – German brewed pilsner - Very good, slightly hoppy. Brewed since 1824 in Grevenstein in the German Sauerland near Dortmund.

** Ypres, Belgium:
*** Palm – a Belgian Amber first brewed in 1747 in Steenhuffe, Belgium, a very large independent brewery with locations in Belgium and Holland, 5.4% alcohol.
*** Rodenback – Dark but sweet, Brewed by Palm Brewery, 5.2 % alcohol.
*** Leffe – Blonde, smooth, slightly spicy, 6.6 % alcohol. Brewed near Dinant, Belgium, first reference in 1240 to brewery by monks at Leffe Abbey.

** Brussels, Belgium, at the hotel :
*** Leffe Bruin (Brown) – Dark, slightly sweet and spicy, 6.5 % alcohol.
*** Leffe Blonde – same as noted above.
*** Chimay Rood – Trappist beer brewed by Scourmont Abbey, in the Belgian municipality of Chimay, first brewed in 1862, Dark (Red) beer, slightly sweet and fruity, 7% alcohol.
*** Chimay Bleue – Darker, copper brown, slightly bitter, peppery beer – Classic Chimay, 9% alcohol.

** Brugge, Belgium @ De Halve Maan (Half Moon) brewery - First brewed beer in 1564. The beer I had here is relatively new – but still excellent beer. Here are the ones I had:
*** Brugse Zot – Blond beer, rich hoppy flavor, 6 % alcohol. Only brewed since 2005 in the renovated old brewery in Brugge.
*** Brugse Zot Dubbel – a darker version with 7.5 % alcohol, strong bitter hoppy flavor.
*** Straffe Hendrik (Strong Henry)– a Bitter Tripel Ale of 9% alcohol. First brewed long ago it ceased production in 1988. In 2008 it was brought back to Brugges .

** The Cotswolds, England:
*** @ The Plough Inn - Donnington ales - B.B. - 3.6% alcohol- a weak amber bitter ale with slight hop aroma, a very slight bitter aftertaste. First brewed in 1865 near Stow-on-Wold in the Cotswolds.
*** @ The White Hart Inn – Jouster by Goffs Brewery – 4 % alcohol – First brewed in 1994, A tawny coloured ale, slight hoppiness in the aroma. Pleasantly bitter, hoppy aftertaste.

Since there are around 350 different kinds of beer brewed just in Belgium, I don't think I will run out of new ones to sample anytime soon. But I may have to go back to Belgium to get the proper ambiance.

To wrap it up, here are a few lessons learned. I need to put this list somewhere safe so, if we ever go to Europe again, I'll know:

* If you rent a car, buy or rent a GPS.

* Review the rules for roundabouts (traffic circles). Practice if possible.

* In England, rent a car with an automatic transmission.

* In England, drive on the left. Roundabout rules are reversed.

* Take wash cloths. European hotels don't provide them.

* Be prepared for no top sheet, most hotels use duvets.

* Be prepared for no AC (unless you stay in really fancy hotels). Most windows will open.

* Know that gas prices are more than twice as much as in the US.

* TV, at least on the continent, may have 2 or 3 English speaking stations -CNN, BBC,etc.

* Be sure to get authentic Fish & Chips in England, eat chips (French Fries) in Belgium with mayo.

* Don't put anything in the seat back pocket on an airplane that you don't want to lose. Too easy to forget it. (Voice of experience.)

Hope you enjoyed the blog.

Until next time,

Lee

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Photos

Beer Glasses
These are some of the beers I was able to sample while on this trip. So many beers, so little time.

The Beer Wall
In Brugge - this is a wall with bottles of all the over 350 Belgian beers displayed.