The Great Belgian Beer & Christmas Beer Tour PHOTOS AND WORDS by Brandon Hernández For years, my trips to O Brien s Pub have included time spent sifting through a stapled sheath of papers featuring panoramic photos of European cities, heady Belgian beers in goblets and warmly-lit pubs, wishing all the while I could witness these images in person. Last December, after much squirreling away of mad money, I was finally able to do so, embarking on the Great British & Belgian Christmas Beer Tour. And I did so in good company, touring London and Belgium with the likes of O Brien s Pub owner Tom Nickel, San Diego beer bar innovators Scot and Karen Blair, Avery Brewing Company Southern California market manager Katie Barnes, and a bunch of fellow beerophiles. Organized and directed by local bon vivant and beer-centric travel agent Bill Snider of Ciao! Travel, the GBBCBT kicked off in London at a most appropriate lodging site, the Fuller s Sanctuary House Hotel in Westminster, situated directly above one of its namesake brewery s many UK pubs. After a few full pulls from the pub s assorted beer engines, our tour group headed onto The Tube and out for what Snider deemed the ultimate London pub crawl, which stopped at The George Inn, The Rake and dinner at Brew Wharf brewpub. The next day included samples of high-octane and experimental beers like Tactical Nuclear Penguin and Sink the Bismarck at BrewDog s Camden pub followed by a tour of the premises and brews of the youthful yet admirable Camden Town Brewery and, finally, a traditional Christmas dinner at one of London s best-stocked beer eateries, Cask. The breathtaking architectural wonder that is Westminster Abbey didn t need a set of working taps to qualify as one of the most magnificent sites we visited during our time in Europe. Much like the majority of San Diego breweries, Camden Town Brewery can be found down a nondescript ally in an industrial park. West Coaster columnist Brandon Hernández blends into the scenery at the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace. Right: Bellying up for wild, punk craft beer creations and preparing to sink the Bismarck at BrewDog s Camden pub. 36 February 2013
Left: Something s brewing at two-year-old, London upstart, Camden Town Brewery. Below: The GBBCBT sample a variety of beers, including a number of lagers; a bit of a rarity in their neck of the UK. The GBBCBT crew toasts the onset of a traditional English Christmas dinner at London standout craft beer eatery Cask. Right: Not one but three holy grails - goblets holding the liquid gold, Westvleteren 12, 8 and Blonde. Below: Beau Harrison and Katie Barnes celebrate their recent engagement with Westys just as any self-respecting affianced beerophiles would. After an underseas jaunt on The Chunnel, we arrived in Belgium and were pleased to find not one, but two acclaimed brewing locales en route to our hotel in Bruges Westvleteren, where we stocked up on grilled cheese sandwiches and plenty of Westy 12 at In de Vrede, and Brouwerij St. Bernardus, where we toured the brewery and compared the Westy to ABT 12 while dawning logo-adorned Santa hats. The next day, we were shown around De Halve Maan by a spritely, exuberant woman who just may be Belgium s happiest and most adorable beer proponent. That included sweeping rooftop views of Bruges, which were the most beautiful thing we d seen until, perhaps, we came upon rare beers the following day on a day trip to Malheur. Thanks to Nickel and Blair, they gave us run of the joint, allowing us to pour our own brews and lounge for as long as we liked which was quite a while. Eventually, we pulled ourselves away from champagne bottles of Dark Brut and Cuvée Royale, so we could make our next appointment at Het Anker, a brewery best known for its Gouden Carolus line of beers, where we closed out the day in style. Upon departing Bruges, we headed to Brussels to visit sour ale Mecca, Cantillon. A fascinating step back in time was provided by a brewhouse that looks and operates almost exactly the same as it did when it opened over 110 years ago. A mindblowing sampling of lambics, krieks and guezes, some made using elderberry flowers, apricot and rhubarb (this year s edition of the vaunted Zwanze) followed, complete with a bounty of cheese to enliven the taste experience. Next stop was Antwerp, where we hunkered down for a couple of days and took in a Saturday evening at aged beer haven Kulminator, before heading out for a Sunday spent selecting from over 125 different beers at Essen s annual Christmas Beer Festival. The latter was a magnificent way to close out a holiday spent sopping up the very best of London and Belgium s long-standing beer cultures. I will always look back on these photos with great fondness. So, does my trip look like fun? Belgian Bill has upcoming tours to various locales and festivals across Europe in April, September and the next GBBCBT in December. Check ciaotravel.com for more information.
The welcoming facade outside St. Bernardus brewery in Watou, Belgium. Right: O Brien s & Nickel Beer Co. owner Tom Nickel (left) clinks glasses with fellow publican and brewing company owner Scot Blair of Hamilton s Tavern and Monkey Paw Pub & Brewing fame. A courtyard view of De Halve Maan s brewery. Below: It s beginning to feel like Christmas...and beer o clock as the GBBCBT group poses for their holiday photo opp at St. Bernardus. The sun silhouettes the GBBCBT motor coach waiting to whisk the group from St. Bernardus to Bruges, Belgium. One would swear they d entered a fairy tale village taking in an on-high view of Bruges from the rooftop of De Halve Maan. Above: Possibly the world s most enthusiastic and adorable tour guide shows the GBBCBT gang around Bruges De Halve Maan brewery.
Left: Avery s Katie Barnes receives instruction on pouring a proper chalice of Malheur beer. Below: Before meeting up with the GBBCBT crew, Tom Nickel and his band of jolly futbol fans make a pit-stop at London s two-year-old Redemption Brewing en route to take in a Tottenham Hotspurs match. Left: The private tasting room at London s Meantime Brewing Company boasts the personal bottle collection of legendary beer writer Michael Jackson. Right: Quite the find - BrewDog and Ballast Point s collaborative effort, San Diego Scotch Ale, uncovered at Utobeer in London s Borough Market. A peek into the preserved historic brewhouse at Fuller s Griffin Brewery in Chiswick. Enjoying proper pints with brewmaster John Keeling at Fuller s.
Left: It s all laughs and hundreds and hundreds of vintage, expertly aged beers at Antwerp institution, Kulminator. Below: Tom Nickel, Scot and Karen Blair share a smile and some artisan cheeses at Malheur s tasting room. Left: Nickel (not Larry Koger) leaves La Mesa pit and pub West Coast Barbecue & Craft Beer s mark on Malheur s guestbook. Coolships are no longer allowed to be used in Belgium except at gueuzeries like Cantillon. This one, spied on the roof of Het Anker is no longer in commission but preserved for tourists to appreciate. Ciao! Travel s Bill Snider and Scot Blair discuss the ancient technology still utilized to create Cantillon s sterling line of beers. Outside the Mechelen combo brewery and pub of Het Anker (makers of the Gouden Carolus beers). A spot worthy of a pilgrimage, the tasting bar at Brussels sour beer Mecca, Cantillon.
Left: The brew kettle at Cantillon. Right: Central Train Station in Antwerp, Belgium. Above & Below: Over 100 Belgian holiday beers are ripe for the sampling at the Essen Christmas Beer Festival.