Today was a beer day, finally. It was also the halfway point of our trip. Jessica stated today that this trip is a lot like getting through the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so much has happened yet there is still so much more to come.
First thing we did was take a boat tour through the canals of the town. The driver of the boat made jokes the whole time in a monotone dry voice, but what can you expect when you tell the same lame jokes 30 times a day in four languages. It was great being able to see everything from the water level.
Next we went to the the Halve Maan Brewery. The current company operates on an original brew house a few hundred years old. They kept all the original brewing equipment and turned that area into a museum. It was neat seeing the facilities in which beer was made so long ago.
Next we had lunch and stopped by the hotel for a quick nap.
After our nap we headed out the tavern we had tried yesterday. They served over 300 Belgian beers. They had a lot of lambics, faros, gueze and Flemish reds, all unique sour ales very hard to find in the States since they are so different have a very small market. We got to talking with the barback. The conversation stated when Jacob inquired about a California flag in the bar. The bartender asked if we were from California, and we answered. We talked about American beer and its perception in Belgium. He pointed out that it was in that vary tavern that the owners of the New Belgium brewing company decided to start their brewing company, in fact Jacob was sitting in the exact seat that Jeff, the owner of New Belgium, sat in when he made that decision so many years ago. We also ran into someone who had just been to the opening of Oktoberfest and we told him we were on our way. We talked briefly and left for some waffels and some delicious paninis made entirely from scratch at the most unlikely place.
Tomorrow we leave Brugge and train hop our way to Aachen where we will pick up a car and Jacob will brave the autobahn.
I get your post each day right before I leave work to go home. It is a great way to end my work day. I love hearing about what you've done during the day and to see the beautiful sights. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSo what was their opinion of American beers? Or need I ask?
ReplyDeleteBeing that this guy worked at a place that specialized in beer he was vrey informed, but told us that, as we assumed, when Belgian's think of American beer they think of Miller, Coors and Bud. Which only makes sense since they make up 95% of beer sales in the U.S. But what I didn't know is that that statistic is same in all countries. In Belgium 95% of beer sales belong to just a few large companies producing the same light lager like Stella Artois and Jupiler.
ReplyDeleteLoved your photo of the yellow lab lazily lounging at the window! Very cute!!! Neeners.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the third picture down. It is hard to tell if it is inside or outside, and what it exactly is.
ReplyDeleteThe dog was very cute just hangin out the window. Jessica and I miss Percy. There are a lot of cute dogs here.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mom... that is a picture of a water fountain at night with about 1.6 seconds of exposure.