Hi Forumites,
just arrived back from a few days abroad.
friday 11th dec arrived in vanuxeem on french belgian border in ploegsteert near armentieres. ended up with 24 x 75 cl bottles of finest belgian bier. SWMBO and daughter have 24 x 33cl bottles of fruity beer. So everone's a winner. also given 6 free st louis gueze glasses although 1 was chipped. picked up 8 x 250ml cans of cecemel aka chocomel as well as some au caprice chocolates and other stuff. bill came to 185 euros. about 1/2 price or better what is would cost to get in uk :-)
so after that headed onto brugge. Stayed in crowne plaza. incredibly tight car park to get my CX-5 in yet there were bigger vehicles - range rover in there - WTF!!!!.
visited the duvelarium on the friday and saturday afternoon. busy but got a seat both times. enjoyed the beers with a cheese and breadstick plate for 6 euros.
eat pancakes , frikandel and frites with mayo and bought a shedful of choc's from dumon. loved the beer list in the hotel ... stella (meh) or leffe(ok) or brugse zot ( nice) on tap. Although nothing left on tap becase some philistines had drunk the bar dry. No matter.... because they have plenty of bottles ... bruges triple , triple karmeliet, westmalle double & triple etc. As most knowledgable belgian bar staff will tell you the best stuff is bottled rather on tap. It must be a brit thing to prefer tap.
anyway around the corner from the hotel a shop was selling westleveteren beers 8,10 & 12. Well I bought a 12. it was 10 euros for a 33cl bottle, but thought what the hell. was told by the shop owner that it was the same at the st. bernadinus abt 12 - which was just as well i'd bought 3 x 75cl bottles of it from vanuxeem :-)
three shops futher on was another beer shop selling the westleverteren 12 for 12 euros. (obviously buying from the first shop and adding 2 euros on :lol:)
so finally I get to try 'the best beer in the world'. I don't think that's fair tbh. It might be the best beer of its type in the world. but who's to say a belgian quad is better than a RIS, an AIPA, a hefe weizen or a sour Gueze? - so that will be tried during the xmas holidays if not 2015 then 2016 :-)
so arrived home about 5pm and had a brugge zot (which i'd manged to miss despite it being the local beer
) and two of my own , after all your can have too much of a good thing :whistle:
just arrived back from a few days abroad.
friday 11th dec arrived in vanuxeem on french belgian border in ploegsteert near armentieres. ended up with 24 x 75 cl bottles of finest belgian bier. SWMBO and daughter have 24 x 33cl bottles of fruity beer. So everone's a winner. also given 6 free st louis gueze glasses although 1 was chipped. picked up 8 x 250ml cans of cecemel aka chocomel as well as some au caprice chocolates and other stuff. bill came to 185 euros. about 1/2 price or better what is would cost to get in uk :-)
so after that headed onto brugge. Stayed in crowne plaza. incredibly tight car park to get my CX-5 in yet there were bigger vehicles - range rover in there - WTF!!!!.
visited the duvelarium on the friday and saturday afternoon. busy but got a seat both times. enjoyed the beers with a cheese and breadstick plate for 6 euros.
eat pancakes , frikandel and frites with mayo and bought a shedful of choc's from dumon. loved the beer list in the hotel ... stella (meh) or leffe(ok) or brugse zot ( nice) on tap. Although nothing left on tap becase some philistines had drunk the bar dry. No matter.... because they have plenty of bottles ... bruges triple , triple karmeliet, westmalle double & triple etc. As most knowledgable belgian bar staff will tell you the best stuff is bottled rather on tap. It must be a brit thing to prefer tap.
anyway around the corner from the hotel a shop was selling westleveteren beers 8,10 & 12. Well I bought a 12. it was 10 euros for a 33cl bottle, but thought what the hell. was told by the shop owner that it was the same at the st. bernadinus abt 12 - which was just as well i'd bought 3 x 75cl bottles of it from vanuxeem :-)
three shops futher on was another beer shop selling the westleverteren 12 for 12 euros. (obviously buying from the first shop and adding 2 euros on :lol:)
so finally I get to try 'the best beer in the world'. I don't think that's fair tbh. It might be the best beer of its type in the world. but who's to say a belgian quad is better than a RIS, an AIPA, a hefe weizen or a sour Gueze? - so that will be tried during the xmas holidays if not 2015 then 2016 :-)
so arrived home about 5pm and had a brugge zot (which i'd manged to miss despite it being the local beer
) and two of my own , after all your can have too much of a good thing :whistle:
