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Recent Posts
- Tour 65 | Beer & Battlefields 2013
- Tour 64 | LambicLand Revisited 2013
- Tour 63 | Around Bruges in 80 Beers & More 2013
- Chelmsford Summer Beer Festival 2012 - Belgian & Rest of the World Beers
- Tour 59 | Beer & Battlefields 2012
- Podge’s Mons Bar Guide
- Tour 58 | Best of Belgian Beer Tour 2012
- Tour 61 | Abbey Beer Pilgrimage 2012
- Tour 62 | Christmas in Bruges 2012
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01 July 2012
Tour 65 | Beer & Battlefields 2013
Thursday 23 May - Monday 27 May 2013 - 5 Day Tour
This is our fourth Beer & Battlefields Tour. Our base is the friendly Oude Abdij Hotel in Lo, the site of one of the many Belgian breweries destroyed in the First World War. This Tour will centre on battlefields and breweries in the Ypres Salient in Flanders and will as usual include visits to well known and some less well known sites. We will have the services of Siobhan McGinn as our guide to Flanders Fields, and this year Siobhan will be giving us the benefit of her studies on the MA in British first war studies which she will undertake in Autumn 2012.
Tour Price: To be announced in Autumn 2012. Prices will be based on sharing in a twin or double room.
Single Supplement: To be announced in Autumn 2012. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payment of a single supplement.
For a general view of the price of our Tours, take a look at some of our past tours. Included in the cost of this Tour are:
- Hotel accommodation and breakfasts.
- Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet.
- Pick up from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway Chapel St South Layby) or Chelmsford (The Woolpack, Mildmay Road). Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.
- All Brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings.
- Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites.
- All other items marked with an asterisk on the individual detailed tour itinerary.
- Copies of Podge’s City Bar guide and Map for the town or city where we stay or spend some time on Tour.
- Free still and sparkling water on the coach.
If you would like to join us or have any questions please call Podge on 01245 354677 or send Podge an email.
Tour 64 | LambicLand Revisited 2013
Friday 19 April - Monday 22 April 2013 - 4 Day Tour
For this Tour we are based in Aalst at the fantastic Hotel Keizershof****. We are aiming to visit all of the Lambic brewers and blenders in Belgium, being:
Hanssens (Dworp), 3 Fonteinen (Beersel), Oud Beersel (Beersel), Boon (Lembeek), Timmermans (Itterbeek), Lindemans (Vlezenbeek), De Cam (Gooik), De Troch (Wambeek) and Mort Subite (Kobbegem), Tilquin (Rebecq-Rognon) and possibly Girardin (Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle) and Cantillon (Brussels).
We also hope to pay a visit to the new Lambic Visitors Centre in Beersel (Alsemberg) De Lambiek. There will be visits to the superb beer cafe and restaurant de Heeren van Liederkercke and specialist Lambic cafe In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst.
Tour Price: To be announced in Autumn 2012. Prices will be based on sharing in a twin or double room.
Single Supplement: To be announced in Autumn 2012. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payment of a single supplement.
For a general view of the price of our Tours, take a look at some of our past tours. Included in the cost of this Tour are:
- Hotel accommodation and breakfasts.
- Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet.
- Pick up from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway Chapel St South Layby) or Chelmsford (The Woolpack, Mildmay Road). Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.
- All Brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings.
- Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites.
- All other items marked with an asterisk on the individual detailed tour itinerary.
- Copies of Podge’s City Bar guide and Map for the town or city where we stay or spend some time on Tour.
- Free still and sparkling water on the coach.
If you would like to join us or have any questions please call Podge on 01245 354677 or send Podge an email.
Tour 63 | Around Bruges in 80 Beers & More 2013
Saturday 2 February - Tuesday 5 February 2013 - 4 Day Tour
This Tour is based at Hotel Academie**** in the centre of the historic city of Bruges on the weekend of the Bruges Beer Festival which takes place in the Halletoren on the Markt Square. We will be exploring the cafes of Bruges and the two Breweries in the city plus another couple in the West Flanders countryside. This Tour coincides with the publication of our 3rd edition of Around Bruges in 80 Beers and we will take Travellers on a disorganised cafe crawl to some of our newly featured venues.
Tour Price: To be announced in Autumn 2012. Prices will be based on sharing in a twin or double room.
Single Supplement: To be announced in Autumn 2012. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payment of a single supplement.
For a general view of the price of our Tours, take a look at some of our past tours. Included in the cost of this Tour are:
- Hotel accommodation and breakfasts.
- Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet.
- Pick up from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway Chapel St South Layby) or Chelmsford (The Woolpack, Mildmay Road). Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.
- All Brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings.
- Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites.
- All other items marked with an asterisk on the individual detailed tour itinerary.
- Copies of Podge’s City Bar guide and Map for the town or city where we stay or spend some time on Tour.
- Free still and sparkling water on the coach.
If you would like to join us or have any questions please call Podge on 01245 354677 or send Podge an email.
07 June 2012
09 May 2012
Tour 59 | Beer & Battlefields 2012
Thursday 3 May to Monday 7 May 2012 - 5 Day Tour
This will be our third Beer & Battlefields Tour. This year we return to the friendly Oude Abdij Hotel in Lo, which was one of the many Belgian breweries destroyed in the First World War. This Tour will centre on battlefields and breweries in the Ypres Salient in Flanders and will as usual include visits to well known and some less well known sites. We will have the services of Siobhan McGinn as our guide to Flanders Fields, and this year Siobhan will share her current interests in Tanks in Flanders and the Zeebrugge Raid 1918.
St Louis Brewery Lo. Destroyed in WW1 and now the site of our hotel on tour! Photo from "Bier aan het Ijzerfront " by Frank Becuwe. 2009. De Klaproos: Brugge. Book available from De Snoek.
Thursday
- Outbound Eurotunnel on Thursday 09.20hr
- Full guided tour*, beer* and lunch* at the Museum of Thirst in The Great War at Alveringem, which has recently re-opened.
- Afternoon brewery tour* and beer tasting* at Van Eecke Brewery in Watou.
Snoek Bier
- Check in at Oude Abdij Hotel for an evening meal.
- The bar at our hotel will not only be stocking excellent beers from local breweries Sint Bernardus & Van Eecke but there may be a surprise or two as well.
- An evening introductory illustrated talk by Siobhan on the progress of WW1 in the Ypres Salient, to orient Travellers in the history and geography of WW1 in this area.*
Friday
- Morning visit to National Hop Museum in Poperinge for an full tour* and an included Hommelbier*.
- Lunch in Poperinge.
- Siobhan will be giving an illustrated talk* after lunch on Beer in WW1, including what happened to beer in UK and in Belgium and the fate of Breweries in the German occupied area and the fortunes of those in the Allied held area.
- A visit to Elzenwalle Brewery Cemetery CWGC, named after a brewery which stood opposite in WW1 to hear about one of the Sherwood Foresters buried there, a relative of one of our Travellers.
- Stop at the excellent Vanuxeem beer warehouse to buy beers to take home.
- A guided walk* round the infamous Ploegsteert Wood.
- For the first time we will be visiting the imposing Ploegsteert Memorial for the monthly Last Post Ceremony held on first Friday of every month.
- A visit to L’Auberge café for a beer or two chosen from a menu that includes all the beers from the Moortgat Brewery Empire. The café is directly opposite the imposing Ploegsteert Memorial.
- Evening free in Poperinge, armed with a copy of Podge's Poperinge Bar Guide*.
Hommelbier Ploegsteert Memorial
Saturday
- In the morning we follow the journey which the famous Mark IV tank F41 Fray Bentos took from Oosthoek Wood to Gallipoli Farm on 22 August 1917 to the spot where it ditched. We will hear from Siobhan the amazing story of the men who held out in for 3 days in the tank as an isolated pillbox in no-mans.
- Visit to Tyne Cot CWGC, the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the world. We will hear from Siobhan the strategic part this hill had to play in the Third Battle of Ypres (Passendaele) and have a look at the German bunkers built into the cemetery, and hear what it cost to take them in November 1917.
- Lunch at De Reutel, right on the old front line. Plenty of beers at this great little cafe.
- Call in at Poelcapelle where we visit the new Tank Memorial placed on the spot where D Battalion tank D29 Damon II went out of action and sat in the centre of the village outside the Zwaan Café as seen in WW1 photos. The cafe is still there (need it be said that we will be popping in for refreshment). The Tank memorial is next to one of the most beautiful personal memorials in the Salient, the Stork Monument to French Flying Ace Georges Guynemer, shot down near this spot.
- We are delighted to announce that Johan Vanbeselaere will be meeting us at Poelcapelle. Johan lives in Poelcapelle and is an expert on Tanks in the Ypres salient. He will talk to us about tank action in Poelcapelle, show us his unique collection of photographs and bits of tank he has dug up! His piece de resistance and long-term project is to build a full size replica tank to be placed in the centre of Poelcapelle. Johan will show us how this project is progressing together with the full size replica he has built of Georges Guynemer’s Spad plane!
- We will also have a look at the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient recently placed in the centre of Poelcapelle.
- Evening free in Ieper and an opportunity to attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menem Gate which has taken place at 20.00hrs every night since the Menen Gate was built. Copies of Podge's Ieper Bar Guide* and map will be provided.
Mark IV D29 Damon II Tank at Poelcapelle, now the location of the Tank Memorial. De Zwaan cafe in the background still stands.
Sunday
- Morning visit to Vladslo German Military Cemetery which houses the emotionally charged statues created by German sculptor Käthe Kollwitz for her son who is buried there.
- A visit to the extraordinary preserved Belgian Army trenches at Dixmuide, known in WW1 and now as the Dodengang (Trenches of Death). The museum and trenches tell the story of how the Belgian Army fiercely defended this area of Belgium for 4 years against the Germans whose trenches were only feet away.
- Included in the Tour price is lunch* and a beer* at the Dodengang Café.
- An afternoon brewery tour* and beer tasting* at the legendary De Dolle Brouwers in Esen.
- Visit to Lange Max Museum* in Koekelare to see the installation of the huge German naval gun used in WW1 with a 29 mile range.
- Call in at De Inktpot café in Koekelare (in a former WW1 brewery) for a local Couckelaerschen Doedel beer* included in the Tour price.
- Evenings free in Veurne, armed with a copy of Podge's Veurne Bar Guide*.
Costenoble Brewery, Esen c.1910 ...now De Dolle Browers, Esen
Monday
- This morning Siobhan will be sharing her interest in the little known Zeebrugge and Ostend Raids of 1918.
- First we go to Zeebrugge and the infamous Mole (sea wall) and follow the story of the incredible Zeebrugge Raid on St Georges Day 1918, and the role of the Mersey Steamers Iris & Daffodil, the amazing success of Submarine C3 and the limited successes of the block ships HMS Thetis, Intrepid and Iphigenia.
- We go to nearby Zeebrugge Churchyard to follow the fate of one brave individual amongst many, missing officer Frank Brock who was last seen on the Mole fighting Germans with his fists. We have a look at the memorial to him.
- We then move down the coast to see the prow of HMS Vindictive where it rests in Ostend and hear its fate from the first daring raid at Zeebrugge to its role in the Second Ostend Raid.
- Lunch is at top beer cuisine restaurant Bistronoom in Ostende.
- Time for a few last beers of the tour at superb new beer cafe Toogoloog in Middelkerke.
- Inbound Eurotunnel on Monday 19.50hr.
HMS Vindictive after the Zeebrugge Raid 23 April 1918
If any Travellers have special requests to see particular sites or memorials in the Ypres Salient linked to family members, please let us know and we may be able to accommodate them within the Tour. To see itineraries and photos from our previous two Beer & Battlefields Tours have a look in our Tour Archives for 2010 and 2011.
Included in the cost of this Tour are:
- Hotel accommodation and breakfasts.
- Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet.
- Pick up from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway Chapel St South Layby) or Chelmsford (The Woolpack, Mildmay Road). Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.
- All Brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings.
- Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites.
- All other items marked with an asterisk on the individual detailed tour itinerary.
- Copies of Podge’s City Bar guide and Map for the town or city where we stay or spend some time on Tour.
- Free still and sparkling water on the coach.
Tour Price: Held at last year's prices! £420 per person based on sharing in a twin or double room.
Single Supplement: Held at last year's prices! £120. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payments of Single Supplements.
All detailed itinerary times are local and approximate. All food and drink (apart from those marked with an asterisk on the detailed itinerary) and all passport and insurance costs are each traveller's responsibility. Personal insurance is not included in the Tour price, but is strongly advised, as is carrying the European Health Insurance Card available online, by phone or via the Post Office.
31 January 2012
26 January 2012
Tour 58 | Best of Belgian Beer Tour 2012
Thursday 1 March to Mon 5 March 2012 - 5 Day Tour
This superb Tour is an opportunity to taste some of the best beers from the greatest brewing country in the world. This trip is for both beginners and experienced beer travellers alike. The five-day Tour is based at the fantastic four star Hotel Keizershof in the centre of the beery town of Aalst.
Thursday 1 March 2012
05.15hr Coach pick up at Crown Street Layby, Ipswich.
05.45hr Coach pick up Southway Layby, Colchester.
06.15hr Coach pick up The Woolpack, Mildmay Road, Chelmsford.
06.50hr Coach pick up Dartford Service Station, 474 Princes Rd, Dartford.
07.00hr Coach pick up 7 Mays Siding, London Rd, Swanley, Kent.
07.50hr Pick up at Stop 24, J11, M20, Kent.
09.20hr Eurotunnel Train Crossing from Folkestone.
11.00hr Arrive Calais.
12.00hr Call in for a beer* with our friends at the award-winning Struise Brewery recently voted on Ratebeer as brewing 9 of the Top 100 Best Beers in Belgium.
13.30hr Lunch is at ‘t Rusteel in Gullegem, home of the tiny Gulden Spoor Brewery and one of the best restaurants in West Flanders. Here we have an opportunity to eat and enjoy a beer from their excellent 300+ beer menu that includes their own Netebuk beer and others. They have a very attractive terrace and garden – keep an eye open for the Llamas.
16.30hr We pay a visit to world-famous beer cuisine restaurant and bar Heeren van Liedekercke in Denderleeuw. We will have an opportunity to sample some great brews from their beer list, which also has over 300 beers.
19.00hr Arrive at the luxury four star Keizershof Hotel in the centre of Aalst. Information about the excellent bars of Aalst will be provided by way of an updated Podge’s Aalst Bar Guide* and map.
Rodenbach Brewery, Roeselare Dubuisson Brewery, Pipaix
Friday 2nd March 2012
10.00hr Depart by coach from Keizershof Hotel, Aalst.
11.15hr Our first brewery visit of the day takes us to the outstanding Brasserie Dupont in Tourpes, which dates 1844 and is situated within an old farm. Their original beer is Saison brewed in the winter, to be drunk in the following summer by the field workers. Their current beers include Saison Dupont and Moinette Blonde and a range of organic beers in their Bio range. We will have a Tour* and tasting*.
13.45hr We arrive at Brasserie Dubuisson in Pipaix for our three course “Troll & Bush” meal prepared by the brewery using Dubuisson beers. This is followed by a guided full “Prestige” Tour* of the brewery and cellars with the oak vats for maturation of Bush Prestige. After the tour we go to the tasting room and sample their Cuvée des Trolls 7%*, Bush Blonde 10.5%* Bush Ambrée 12%* and finally their premier beer, Bush Prestige 13%*, as well as a gift of a ‘Bush’ glass*.
17.30hr Call in at the brand new tavern attached to Brasserie Ellezelloise in Ellezelles for an opportunity to taste their range of five beers, including the famous Hercule Stout 9%.
19.30hr We pay a visit to In Den Doorn Slaghmuylder’s flagship hostelry in Ninove. Here we have a chance to experience their Bier Cusine of Flemish Stew made with Belgian blue beef in a sauce prepared with Witkap Pater Dubbel, served with Frites and Vegetables. We will be able to try the full range of beers form the Slaghmuylder Brewery, including hopefully the seasonal Easter Beer, Slaghmuylder’s Paasbier 5.2%.
22.00ish Return to Keizershof Hotel Aalst.
Struise Brewers, Oostvleteren St Sixtus Abbey, Westvleteren
Saturday 3rd March 2012
09.45hr Slightly earlier start to get us to Brussels and the:
10.45hr Cantillon Public Brewing Session where we will have a guided tour* of the brewery in action, including a look at the lambic barrels used for maturing in this historic brewery based in the heart of Brussels, followed by a beer*.
13.15hr Arrive at Alvinne Craft Beer Festival at their brand new brewery in Moen. This festival uniquely features some of the top brewers in Europe with an emphasis on quality UK craft breweries listed below:
- Brouwerij Alvinne (Belgium)
- Struise Brouwers (Belgium)
- H.Ertie geuzesteker & lambic selection (Germany/Belgium)
- Brouwerij De Molen (Netherlands)
- Brouwerij Emelisse (Netherlands)
- Fano Bryghus (Denmark)
- Haandbryggeriet (Norway)
- Hair of the Dog (USA)
- Thornbridge (UK)
- Marble (UK)
- Dark Star (UK)
- Hawkshead (UK)
- London Brewers Alliance (UK)
- Twickenham Fine Ales (UK)
- Brew Wharf (UK)
- Redemption (UK)
16.30hr Call in at Brouwerij ‘t Gaverhopke for a Gaverbroodje (a giant flatbread sandwich) and a chance to try some of their beers. Their Bruin 12 has been favourably compared to Westvleteren 12.
18.00hr Arrive at Den Hert café in Vichte for a beer* or two. This is the brewery tap for Brouwerij Verhaeghe the historic family brewers who make the iconic Flemish Brown beer Duchesse de Bourgogne and the real cherry beer Echte Kriek. This café is a proper Flemish bar offering all the breweries beers and set next-door to the beautiful moated Verhaeghe family seat.
19.30hr Pop in for a Cnudde Bruin* or two at the unpretentious Café Casino in Eine, the Cnudde Brewery tap.
21.00hr Arrive back at Keizershof Hotel Aalst.
Quintine Blonde, Ellezelles 't Rusteel, Gullegem
Sunday 4th March 2012
10.00hr Depart by coach from Hotel Keizershof Aalst.
10.45hr Stop at the friendly ABS Winksele beer warehouse to buy beers to take back to UK at great prices.
12.15hr Call in at Brasserie Brouwershof, the Haacht Brewery Tap for a taste of the unfiltered Primus Yeast Beer, sent from the lower tank in the impressive Haacht Brewery over the road.
13.30hr Lunch stop for our pre-booked beer cuisine meal at Het Anker Brasserie Mechelen, brewery tap for the mighty Het Anker Brewery. Here you can sample their beers from the Gouden Carolus Range, Lucifer and Maneblusser on draught and if we are lucky maybe some of their huge 10% Easter Beer.
16.30hr Pay a visit to café In de Linde at Vlezenbeek where they have a huge beer menu which includes lots of lambics, all available Trappists and nine beers on draught.
18.00hr Drop in at the fantastic In de Verzekering Tegen de Grote Dorst a café run by the lambic campaigning Paneel’s family, who are kindly opening especially for us. They have a superb collection of Lambic beers including some aged beers from the long defunct Eylenbosch Brewery down the road in Schepdaal.
20.00hr Arrive back at Keizershof Hotel Aalst.
Gouden Carolus, Het Anker Cantillon Brewery, Brussels
Monday 5th March
10.00hr Depart Hotel Keizershof Aalst.
11.00hr Arrive at the great Rodenbach Brewery makers of the definitive Flemish Bruin beers. We will have a full guided tour* of this beautiful brewery including a walk round the malt kiln which is a listed building and the impressive cathedral of 294 giant oak vats ("foeders") and see the repair of these wooden giants in situ. During the tour, we hear about the illustrious members of the Rodenbach family who helped shape the history of Belgium and learn what makes Rodenbach beers unique. We will also have a tasting of Rodenbach* and Rodenbach Grand Cru*.
13.30hr We make our way to the famous Sint Sixtus Abbey at Westvleteren and their café In de Vrede for a taste of their unparalleled Trappist Westvleteren 12, (bruin 10.6%), Trappist Westvleteren 8 (bruin 8%), Trappist Westvleteren Blond (blond 5.8%). This is the perfect opportunity to get some lunch from their tasty menu.
15.30hr Make our way to the uitstekend Sint Bernardus Brewery on the outskirts of Watou for a brewery tour* and full beer tasting* in their smart new beer tasting room, overlooking the hop fields. We will each be given a substantial take home pack of beers and glass*.
18.50hr Arrive Eurotunnel.
19.50hr Leave Calais on Eurotunnel Train.
19.30hr Arrive Folkestone.
19.45hr Drop off at Stop 24, J11, M20, Kent.
20.30hr Drop off 7 Mays Siding, London Rd, Swanley, Kent.
20.45hr Drop off Dartford Railway Station.
21.30hr Arrive Chelmsford, drop off at Mildmay Road.
22.00hr Arrive Colchester, drop off.
22.30hr Arrive Ipswich, drop off.
Included in the cost of this Tour are:
- Hotel accommodation and breakfasts.
- Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet.
- Pick up from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway Chapel St South Layby) or Chelmsford (The Woolpack, Mildmay Road). Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.
- All Brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings.
- Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites.
- All other items marked with an asterisk on the individual detailed tour itinerary.
- Copies of Podge’s City Bar guide and Map for the town or city where we stay or spend some time on Tour.
- Free still and sparkling water on the coach.
Tour Price: £420 per person based on sharing in a twin or double room.
Single Supplement: £120. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payments of Single Supplements.
All detailed itinerary times are local and approximate. All food and drink (apart from those marked with an asterisk on the detailed itinerary) and all passport and insurance costs are each traveller's responsibility. Personal insurance is not included in the Tour price, but is strongly advised, as is carrying the European Health Insurance Card available online, by phone or via the Post Office.
20 January 2012
Tour 61 | Abbey Beer Pilgrimage 2012
Thursday 20th September - Monday 24th September 2012
5 Day Tour
We are pleased to announce a new themed Tour which explores the authentic Abbey beers of Belgium. In 1999 a Certified Belgian Abbey Beer (Erkend Belgisch Abdijbier) logo was introduced by the Union of Belgian Brewers. This is awarded and can be used on the labels of beers which comply with certain conditions including links with an existing or former abbey and payment of royalties for charitable purposes to the abbey.
All detailed itinerary times are local and approximate. All food and drink (apart from those marked with an asterisk on the detailed itinerary) and all passport and insurance costs are each traveller's responsibility. Personal insurance is not included in the Tour price, but is strongly advised, as is carrying the European Health Insurance Card available online, by phone or via the Post Office. If you would like to join us or have any questions please call Podge on 01245 354677 or send Podge an email. Please also contact Podge to get details of how to send a deposit of £100 per person for this Tour. Full balance payable 5 weeks before departure.
We will aim to visit various locations associated with these beers to give Travellers a unique opportunity to attempt to try most or all of the "Erkend" Abbey beers of Belgium. We will be visiting some of the Breweries where they are brewed, some of the associated Abbeys and some other historic settings linked to the beer. Siobhan McGinn will be our guide to the historical and cultural elements of this Tour including sorting your Cistercians from your Benedictines, whilst on the beer front Podge will sort out your Dubbels from your Tripels. The first two nights Hotel accommodation will be in Wallonia at the centrally located Ibis Namur Centre Hotel followed by two nights in Flanders at Novotel Mechelen Centrum Hotel. Details of this Tour are still being worked on, but the following visits have been organised:
- A meal and a beer at Gasterie Ten Duinen, the estaminet associated with the Ten Duinen Abbey in Koksijde.
- A tour and tasting at Brasserie de Brunehaut, brewers of the Saint Martin range of beers and maybe a taste of their new Abbaye de Saint-Martin Quadrupel beer if it's ready.
- A visit, tasting and meal at Val de Sambre brewery which nestles in the heart of the Aulne Abbey.
- A visit to Abbaye Maredsous for a taste of the Maredsous beer range.
- A snack and some beers at the Tournebride Taverne in the grounds of the Abbaye de Bon-Esperance.
- A brewery tour and beer tasting at St Feuillien in Le Roeulx which is currently in the process of having a new brewery built on their existing site.
- A meal and beer at Floreffe Abbey.
- A tasting of Ename beers at Oude Abdij café in Ename.
We should soon be posting news here of Bornem, Val Dieu, Herkenrode, Ter Dolen, Keizerberg, Grimbergen and Ramee.
Included in the cost of this Tour are:
- Hotel accommodation and breakfasts.
- Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet.
- Pick up from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway Chapel St South Layby) or Chelmsford (The Woolpack, Mildmay Road). Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.
- All Brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings.
- Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites.
- All other items marked with an asterisk on the individual detailed tour itinerary.
- Copies of Podge’s City Bar guide and Map for the town or city where we stay or spend some time on Tour.
- Free still and sparkling water on the coach.
Tour Price: The price of this five-day tour is £445 per person based on sharing a twin or double room.
Single Supplement: £128 if you want a room of your own. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payment of a single supplement.
All detailed itinerary times are local and approximate. All food and drink (apart from those marked with an asterisk on the detailed itinerary) and all passport and insurance costs are each traveller's responsibility. Personal insurance is not included in the Tour price, but is strongly advised, as is carrying the European Health Insurance Card available online, by phone or via the Post Office. If you would like to join us or have any questions please call Podge on 01245 354677 or send Podge an email. Please also contact Podge to get details of how to send a deposit of £100 per person for this Tour. Full balance payable 5 weeks before departure.
11 January 2012
Tour 62 | Christmas in Bruges 2012
Saturday 22 December to Wednesday 26 December 2012 5 Day Tour
We are pleased to announce that once again rooms have been secured at Hotel Academie in central Bruges so get the dates in your diary and get your request for leave in! We have already been invited by the Waregem branch of Zythos to their special exhibition of Winter Beers - sounds good! To get a feel of Christmas with Podge's Belgian Beer Tours have a look at our previous outings:
Christmas in Bruges Tour 2011
Bruges Ice Wonderland Sculpture Festival 2011
Tour Price: The price of this five-day tour is £445 per person based on sharing a twin or double room.
Single Supplement: £128 if you want a room of your own. If you are travelling alone and want to share a room with another traveller please contact Podge as we are regularly able to pair up travellers in twin rooms to avoid the need for payment of a single supplement.
Included in the cost of this Tour are:
- Hotel accommodation and breakfasts.
- Luxury coach travel on a 49 seater coach with toilet.
- Pick up from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway Chapel St South Layby) or Chelmsford (The Woolpack, Mildmay Road). Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way to Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel.
- All Brewery visits, tours and brewery beer tastings.
- Entrance fees to attractions, museums and historical sites.
- All other items marked with an asterisk on the individual detailed tour itinerary.
- Copies of Podge’s City Bar guide and Map for the town or city where we stay or spend some time on Tour.
- Free still and sparkling water on the coach.
All detailed itinerary times are local and approximate. All food and drink (apart from those marked with an asterisk on the detailed itinerary) and all passport and insurance costs are each traveller's responsibility. Personal insurance is not included in the Tour price, but is strongly advised, as is carrying the European Health Insurance Card available online, by phone or via the Post Office.
If you would like to join us or have any questions please call Podge on 01245 354677 or send Podge an email. Please also contact Podge to get details of how to send a deposit of £100 per person for this Tour. Full balance payable 5 weeks before departure.
09 January 2012
08 January 2012
Tour 57 | Bruges Hop Over 2012
Saturday 4 February to Monday 6 February 2012
This three day, two night Tour takes in the Fifth Bruges Beer Festival and is based in Bruges. We also add in an optional Sunday jaunt in East Flanders to the great Bosteels brewery and a lunch stop in Flanders flower-growing district. Here is the detailed itinerary:
Bosteels brewery
Saturday 4 February
05.15hr Coach pick up at Crown Street Layby, Ipswich.
05.45hr Coach pick up Southway Layby, Colchester.
06.15hr Coach pick up The Woolpack Mildmay Road, Chelmsford.
09.20hr Eurotunnel Train Crossing from Folkestone.
11.00hr Arrive Calais.
12.00hr The first stop will be at ‘t Potje Pate in Alveringem for a superb West Flanders lunch and our first Belgian beer chosen from their excellent beer menu. This is the café outlet for the famous and highly regarded "De Veurn'Ambachtse" pate and charcuterie makers. Owner Jan Missiaen is the fifth generation of fine butchers in this area and is famed for his high quality, handmade pates, Rillette, Potjesvlees, pressed meats and terrines.
14.30hr Leave on coach for Bruges and the newest hotel in Bruges, a short walk from the centre of Bruges.
Tour of Bosteels brewery, Buggenhout
Sunday 5 February – Optional included Day Out
Brewer Luc at De Leite brewery, Ruddervoorde
Monday 6 February
15.15hr Arrive at Bruges Etap Hotel and check in. Copies of Podge’s Top Ten Bruges Bar Guide* and a City Map* will be provided. Afternoon and evening free to explore Bruges Beer Festival which takes place in the Halletoren in the Markt Square and maybe a café or two.
Tour of Bosteels brewery, Buggenhout
Sunday 5 February – Optional included Day Out
10.00hr Leave Hotel Etap after breakfast and head off by coach for a special brewery tour.
11.00hr Arrive at Buggenhout and the fantastic Bosteels Brewery, creators of the iconic Kwak, Karmeliet Tripel and Deus beers. We will have a brewery tour* and a beer tasting* in their comfy tasting room.
13.30hr Call in at the lovely café restaurant Bloemenlust in Wetteren for lunch and a few beers from their superb menu of around 100 beers.
16.30hr Arrive back in Bruges in plenty of time to enjoy the Bruges Beer Festival which closes at 21.00hr today and/or a wander round the great bars and cafes of Bruges.
Brewer Luc at De Leite brewery, Ruddervoorde
Monday 6 February
10.00hr Leave Hotel Etap after breakfast.
10.30hr Call in at Drankencentrale Rotsaert one of Belgium’s top speciality beer warehouses for an opportunity to buy some specialist beers to take home at great prices.
12.00hr On the way back to the coast we take in a visit to the bijou De Leite Brewery in Ruddervoorde. Here we have a brief brewery tour* and a beer tasting* which hopefully will include their new beer Ma Mère Spéciale.
14.00hr Arrive at the friendly Bistro Nieuwege in Varsenare opposite the canal for a cracking pre-ordered Flemish lunch and some great quality beers. Their food is excellent and includes Flemish Beef Stew made with Westmalle Dubbel, Ham Knuckle in Mustard Cream Sauce and the ever delicious Spare Ribs. They also have a great beer list of more than 150, with always something special on draught
16.45hr Finally on this tour we are delighted to be calling in at an excellent brand new beer café just outside Veurne at Steenkerke. The Kunstemaecker has around 50 beers, all superb quality, no fillers, including eight from Struise Brewers, three De Ranke beers, four Het Anker beers and a good range of lambic beers. They also have two unique beer selling points in West Flanders which is to offer Girardin Lambic on draught which they collect from Girardin themselves and also Valeir Blond on draught.
18.00hr Leave Kunstemaecker for Eurotunnel, Calais.
19.50hr Leave Calais on Eurotunnel Train.
19.30hr Arrive Folkestone.
21.15hr Arrive Chelmsford, drop off at Mildmay Road.
22.00hr Arrive Colchester, drop off.
Lunch at Bistro Nieuwege, Varsenare
All above times are local and approximate. Food, drink, passport and insurance costs are your responsibility. The items marked* are inclusive of the tour price. This tour fits in nicely with Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival which starts on Wednesday 1st February 2012. Our map of Central Chelmsford shows the location of the Winter Beer Festival, the Travelodge and The Woolpack, our Chelmsford pick up point for Tours. For those of you coming from out of town there are special deals to be had at Travelodge if you are staying overnight.
Kwak at Bosteels Brewery Buggenhout
22.30hr Arrive Ipswich, drop off.
Lunch at Bistro Nieuwege, Varsenare
All above times are local and approximate. Food, drink, passport and insurance costs are your responsibility. The items marked* are inclusive of the tour price. This tour fits in nicely with Chelmsford Winter Beer Festival which starts on Wednesday 1st February 2012. Our map of Central Chelmsford shows the location of the Winter Beer Festival, the Travelodge and The Woolpack, our Chelmsford pick up point for Tours. For those of you coming from out of town there are special deals to be had at Travelodge if you are staying overnight.
Kwak at Bosteels Brewery Buggenhout
The price of this three-day tour is £235 per person based on sharing a twin or double room, with a single supplement of £60 if you want a room of your own. Included in the Tour price are coach travel from Ipswich, Colchester or Chelmsford, still and sparkling water available on the coach, hotel breakfasts on Tour and brewery visits and tastings and all items marked with an asterisk. Arrangements can be made for different joining points on the way from Ipswich (Crown Street Layby), Colchester (Southway) and Chelmsford (Woolpack, Mildmay Road) to Dover/Folkestone or even on the other side of the channel. Personal insurance is not included but is strongly advised, as is carrying the European Health Insurance Card available online, by phone or via the Post Office.
27 November 2011
Beer Travel Links
- Beer Buzz Tours
Beer tours to Europe's great brewing towns - Beer Tours (UK) Ltd
Beer Tourism around Northern England, Shropshire and North Wales - Belgian Beer and Travel
America's foremost Belgian beer writer - Belgian Beer Me!
Quality Belgian beer tours and beer tastings for Americans - Belgian Tourist Office
All you need to know about Brussels & Wallonia - Belgian Tourist Office New York
Information for American and other visitors to Belgium - Bier-Mania!
Cultural Beer Tours - Ciao! Travel
Music festival and beery tours - Brewery Hops of Ireland
Craft brewery tours of Ireland - Lambic Discovery Tours
Great Lambic tours out of Brussels. - Podge's Central Chelmsford Beer Map
All you need to know... - Stop24
Great car parking for cross channel travel as used by Podge's Belgian Beer Tours - Travelodge Chelmsford
New hotel in Chelmsford as used by Podge's Belgian Beer Tours