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.