Brugge

Travel:
Ho hum, another day, another medieval town filled with ancient buildings at every turn...Brugge is the epitomy of old Europe, and gorgeous (even with the grey weather). I think the entire town has cobblestone streets and sidewalks, right down to the white stripes for pedestrian crossings. The "transit" plan that was enacted involved making most of the streets one-way, and closing lots of them to cars altogether. The number of bikes is impressive--there was a series of bike racks at the train station, and I bet there were easily more than 1,000 bikes locked up. A guy was actually issuing tickets for illegally parked bikes!!

Found a nice (and cheap) a little off the beaten path, and then wandered around for several hours. Brugge has it all--canals, cobblestones, cathedrals, a beautiful market square, and so on. It really is something out of a postcard.

After a quick lunch, I headed to de Halve Maan (the Half Moon), the last old brewery still operating in Brugge. The tour there was really fun--the tour guide had many well-rehearsed jokes and kept us all laughing for the 45 minute tour. We saw all the more modern equipment, in addition to lots of very old stuff. They still have a cooling tub on the top floor, but it is no longer in use--they now use cultured yeast for fermentation instead of spontaneous fermentation.

My next (and last) stop for the day was Brugs Beertje (the little bear), which has over 300 Belgian beers available. It is a tiny little spot on an even smaller street, and it was obvious that this is where the locals come to hang. I took a seat in the "non-smoking" section, which is about five feet from the smoking section--this was probably one of the smokiest places I've ever visited, and mind you, I lived in Europe for a year during the 80's. I ordered the cheese plate, which had five different cheeses on it. I didn't know that Belgium makes hundreds of varieties of cheese, and these were terrific--I am a fan of stinky cheeses, and these fit the bill! I began sampling beers--with only three days in Belgium, this would have to be the closest thing I could get to a grand tour of the country.

After I'd finished dinner, the bar/smoking area had thinned out a bit, so I decided to try my luck over there. Daisy, the owner, was totally gracious and knowledgeable the entire time, and when I sat at the bar, she began introducing me to two couples who were sitting there. I was drinking a beer called Pannepot, and one of the men asked me if I liked it. I said I did, and how I had come to choose it (the brewer in Brussels had recommended this one). He then let me know that he was the brewer of that beer! So once again, I found myself in the right place at the right time, and we all had great conversation for the rest of the evening. I finally called it a night, and headed home with some new glassware, and a huge new book on Belgian beers (autographed of course...). Today I'm headed to Westvleteren, where I have an appointment to buy some of their beer--then I just need to figure out how I'll get it home...

Beer:
Well, my biggest lesson today was that I can't taste beer when there's smoke around, much less when there's LOTS of smoke, i.e. you can barely see the other side of the room smoke...as Lyn said one day in class, "Sometimes we tasting, sometimes we just drinking." So if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and I sampled many great beers.

de Halve Maan:
--Brugge Zot, blonde--cloudy, coriander, orange, crisp carbonation. Very refreshing.

Brugs Beertje:
--'t Smisje Honing--copper to amber, honey, subtle tartness (Brett?)
--Rochefort 8--deep brown/ruby, rum notes, chocolate finish
--Ichtegem's Grand Cru--tart nose, red/ruby, floral
--Pannepot--prune, warming, ginger, malty--reminds me of my doppelbock
--Aardmonnik (Earth Monk)--mild tartness (this beer is a blend of Pannepot and lambic, with more Pannepot after fermentation), deep brown color, extremely refreshing and surprising for its color
--Delirium Noel--ruby, malty/sweet, lots of bubble gum, yum!
--Carmeliet tripel--sweet/fruity, lots of bubble gum
--de Dolle Export Stout--sherry notes, chocolate

Quite a night, definitely a bit swimmy this morning!!! Onward to Westvleteren...

Avoiding the trap...

Travel:
There's a great principle I learned in woodworking school a few years back: "Never make a decision until absolutely necessary." It really applies to travel as well, especially when you don't speak the language. As I started looking for dinner last night, I was trying to reach my friend from the homebrewer's list, and kept postponing my dinner plans. At one point, I entered Tourist Hell; I found myself in a three-block long alley that was literally lined on both sides with immigrant restaurants. Their seafood displays out front were quite beautiful, with oysters, clams, etc. in elaborate designs. But let me tell you, the panhandlers of San Francisco have NOTHING on these guys--talk about being panhandled within an inch of your life!! I managed to keep my head down and ultimately squirted back out the other end onto the Grand Place. My friend couldn't join me, and there was a local independent brewery I wanted to try there, so I headed inside, having decided to finally eat something. As luck would have it, the kitchen wasn't open yet, so I was given a taster tray of their four house beers. I mentioned that I was a brewer to the barkeep, and pretty soon this big guy sauntered over and sat down next to me. Turns out he was the brewer, so I spent the next hour getting all the scoop on the beer scene in Brussels and Bruge, as well as other parts of Belgium. This is exactly the type of experience I was hoping to have here, and I just soaked it up. He also told me not to eat there at the brewery, and sent me instead on a ten-minute walk to a small place called "in 't Spinnekopke"--the Spider's Head. It was wonderful--dark, cozy, red-and-white checked tablecloths, linoleum floor and packed with locals. There was a long stuffed dog strapped to the bottom of the door (to keep out the draft), and the music ranged from Queen to Sinatra to Star Wars. It was totally campy; just what the doctor ordered. The waiter recommended a typical Belgian dish called Carbonnades au Lambic, which was a roast beef with a super-tasty sauce, salad, bread and pommes (fries). The beef was so tender that no knife was needed--it just fell apart with a fork. There's a great line in my book, Good Beer Guide to Belgium, that says, "If God means it to live wild the Belgians will protect the lands it lives in, ensure it has shelter and feed, then let it free, shoot it and cook it in a really great sauce." So it would seem...

As an aside, there is a lot of dog crap on the sidewalks in Belgium. About every other block, a pile has been smeared by a shoe, and then there are several steps thereafter where the unfortunate recipient of a new sole tried to scrape it off. So I thought this sign, embedded in the sidewalk, was too appropriate:



I can only assume it means, "let your dog crap here".


On this day, I'd say the score wound up as:
Tourist: 1
Shills: 0

Finishing the meal, I headed for the flat of a friend-of-a-friend who is British and living in Belgium. He was very gracious and took me in for the night. His flatmate (Belgian) was already asleep, and after a bit of small talk, I settled into the couch for the first really good night's sleep since arriving in Europe. My host warned me that he would need to leave at 8AM (as would I, by extension) and that his flatmate would be up "banging around" at 7. At 7, I heard the bathroom door lock, and then what can only be described as a small flood (flush), numerous burps and explosive farts, each of which was followed by some unintelligible monologue in French or Dutch. He really sounded surprised each time, and I had a hard time not laughing out loud. A very entertaining start to the morning, to be sure. I had a nice walk back into the city centre, watching the city wake up, and found breakfast in a street cafe. I've now managed to hijack the computer at the local Best Western, and will head to Brugges on the train soon.


Beer:
Brasseurs de la Grand' Place changed hands last year, and Philippe is now the brewer. My clear favorite was his tripel, which is lightly spiced with coriander and sweet orange peel. He said perhaps it should have been labeled a Grand Cru instead, but it was very tasty. Interestingly, he was drinking the Westmalle tripel as we chatted.
--Blonde--crystal clear, my main impression was one of caramel.
--Tripel--lemon/grapefruit, honey, sweet/malty, bubble gum (especially as the beer warmed)
--Brune--strong prune and/or raisin
--Kriek--wonderful cherry nose and taste, but quite sweet (too much so for my tastes)

Spinnekopke:
--Orval--definitely not the bottle we see in the States. Best Before date was 5/12/2012 (!!!) Very well-rounded beer. I've been told several times already that this beer is best 6 months or more after bottling.
--3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze--Philippe had recommended this brewer, so I thought I'd continue my Geuze adventure. This one was less "snappy" than the Cantillons had been, and the middle and finish were unmistakenly like a good cigar, i.e. the smell in the humidor, not while it's burning. It was nothing short of amazing. Best Before date on this one was ten (yes, TEN) years. My book also suggests that by the time you've had three Geuzes, you'll never think about beer the same again. Not sure if that's true, but this bottle made a compelling argument.

Brussels

Travel:
After bidding K farewell, headed to the airport for a quick flight to Brussels. The train dropped me right in the heart of things, and I went for a quick stroll. Europe has a distinct aroma, and as I reached the Place Agora it hit me full-force--sort of a mixture of sweet things baking, traces of cigarette smoke, myriad kinds of food cooking, a bit of BO. It is intoxicating. I kept walking and stumbled into the Grand Place quite by accident. It's one of those places that is to beautiful that you kind of stagger back a step when you first see it. My well-thought-out and highly cultured response was, "Holy shit!" It is very reminiscent of St. Mark's in Venice--hard to believe that someone had the vision to make this come to be. Walking on, I headed to the Cantillon Gueze Museum (covered below). I'm now fighting with this French keyboard (keyboard is winning) and my stomach is growling--time to find sustenance...
Tomorrow morning I'll grab a quick train over to Brugges.

Beer:
Cantillon was quite an amazing introduction to traditional brewing in Belgium, and gave me a much better appreciation for what all the fuss is about regarding Gueze and Lambic. Every bottle that they produce has been in production for a minimum of three years, and they definitely produce in the old style. One thing that was news to me was the "cooling tub", a large and shallow copper basin where the wort is cooled and naturally inoculated with something like 84 wild yeasts and bacterias. The room where this tub resides is a microbiologically active place, and somewhat irreplacable, i.e. I imagine a fire would mean the end of Cantillon's products as they are currently produced, since the yeasts and bacterias would also be destroyed. I tasted the gueze, kriek and framboise, and all were somewhat shocking--I am not a big lambic drinker, mind you, but these beers had me wondering how to get some home with me. The signature flavors are well-described by the CAMRA guide--for me, the grapefruit was most noticeable and very enjoyable. Headed now for late lunch and the next "lesson". Bis zum naechst...

Jetzt geht's los, und Austria...

Travel:
We arrived Munich on Friday, after pulling off an entire row to myself on the flight from Atlanta to Munich (score). Spent the morning at Kathryn's office and then headed to Kitzbuehel, Austria for the weekend. I hadn't been to Austria since 1987, and you'd think nothing had changed. People were friendly, Gasthaeuse everywhere, and a few signs of the times, cell towers and such. Our hosts made us a nice dinner and we did our best to stave off jetlag by drinking and staying up late so we could sleep that first night. It worked, and I slept for eight of the ten hours. Next morning we lingered over a traditional breakfast of broetchen, cheese, coffee, eggs, etc. and then hit the slopes. The weather was gorgeous, and we all had a great time, a few bruises notwithstanding. We had hoped to hike on the mountain the next day, but high winds forced closure of all the lifts. We headed to Salzburg for the morning instead, and looked around there--quite the mix of history and architecture. In the cathedral, I had the overwhelming feeling of Jed's presence, so K and I lit a candle, tears flowing. I can't ever quite put a finger on it, but it's something about the unfairness of it all--just getting to drop into Salzburg on a whim, and it's another beautiful day. We hiked up to the fortress above the city (not for the unfit) and enjoyed a spectacular view. The wind was really impressive by now, and we feared we would be blown off the ramparts. After a nice lunch in a cave of an Irish pub (literally), we piled back in the car and headed back to Munich. K and colleagues start their sessions Monday morning.

Beer: Kaiser pils (Austria) had an overwhelming off flavor, which I think was DMS. I kept expecting Lyn or Keith to pop out of the woodwork to let me know what they had spiked it with, because it was WAY more intense than the same off flavor presented at Siebel. Wished I had my notes; I still have a hard time with the names even though I clearly recognize the presence of something off.

Also had a weissbier (Austria--also Kaiser?) that was unremarkable. Lastly had a very enjoyable Stiegl pils that was quite refreshing. Cool glass too--sort of a tall alt glass but bent in a curve to one side.