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A Pilgrimage to the Mecca of Belgium Beer – ‘t Brugs Beertje.

There is one good thing to come out of our tabloid newspapers, the cheap ferry trips from Dover to Calais – only £17 return for a day trip in a car plus 9 people (who owns a car that can carry 9 people?). Not for the obvious “booze cruise” to Calais and Cite Europe, but the chance to travel a little further afield and sample some really magnificent beers (as long as you are not the driver). Brugge is less than 1 hour from the ferry terminal at Calais and very easy to get to, the road is all motorway with very little traffic, making driving on the wrong side of the road easy.

Parking is also easy at a huge car park near Brugge railway station and very cheap (providing that you don’t lose your ticket).

So on an overcast Tuesday in May, Andrew (our Chairman) and myself set out for Brugge. After a brief stop at the Drankencentrale Rotsaert to renew old acquaintances with Patrick and his brother and also to return the 8 crates of empty bottles that we had somehow managed to accumulate, we arrived in Brugge at about 14.00.

Our first stop, was not as you might imagine, the nearest bar but the only chocolate shop that we know in Brugge that makes Belgium chocolate on the premises - Praalinette(Geraldine eat your heart out!). From there we visited the Staminee De Garre, a superb speciality beer bar hidden away down an alleyway close to the Markt. This is an excellent place, beams, exposed brickwork, classical music and some outstanding beers – over 120. The house beer is Tripel van De Garre brewed by Van Steenberge and also on draught Van Steenberge’s Gulden Draak at 11%. In view of its strength you are limited to only 3 glasses.

We then crossed the Markt, stopping briefly for some fries and mayo before heading off towards the Mecca of Belgium beer – ‘t Brugs Beertje, run by the goddess of Belgium beer – Daisy Claeys. This is a bar that should not be missed by any serious beer drinker and is one of the best speciality beer bars in the world. The beer list runs to over 300 bottled beers all served at the right temperature and in their own glass. The fruit juice was okay as well. Andrew sampled the odd bottle or four and must have enjoyed them as he slept all the way back to Calais and did not even seem to notice the rough weather on the way back across the Channel – or it could have been the stabilisers.

All in all a very enjoyable day out in Brugge, but make sure you persuade someone else to drive!!

Beer and Exercise in Essex (with not a drop of Greene King in sight)

After reading about the White Hart at Margaretting Tye, Essex in the April 2007 edition of Beer we decided it was well worth a visit. The pub is also the Chelmsford Pub of the Year. So last Saturday four of us from SELCAMRA decided to venture into the depths of Essex. Our visit also coincided with the Chelmsford Branch’s Mild Ale Trail and we were able to meet up with them later.

The pub is down a quiet country lane about a mile from the nearest bus stop – hence the exercise, and Saturday was one of those wet overcast days. After being delayed for about half an hour in Chelmsford while a replacement bus was found, ours had a diesel leak; we eventually arrived at Margaretting with a very small map and lots of wet grass and fields to negotiate. But, we are a hardy lot at SELCAMRA so we soon “yomped” across the fields and rivers to arrive at a real gem of an alehouse. At least 8 cask ales, all on gravity from the likes of Mighty Oak, Adnams, Nethergate, Green Tye to name but a few. They were all served in excellent condition and it is easy to see why they have been voted POTY. The staff were very friendly and the service excellent, but the best bit was the food. A first class menu, daily specials, vegetarian options and ooooh! those desserts. We settled for the homemade steak pie which when it arrived looked as if it could have served all 4 of us and not just 1, liver and bacon, chicken casserole and Chinese curry. On top of the Full Monty breakfast which we had eaten some hours earlier we had established a good base for some serious beer tasting.

We had planned to return to Chelmsford about 16.00, but as the rain descended we settled down for a few more tasters. We eventually returned across the now even wetter fields to Margaretting and hence Chelmsford about 17.30. Now you can’t visit Chelmsford without going to the Queens Head – a Crouch Vale pub just behind the Essex County Cricket ground and another Chelmsford POTY. They had 11 real ales on including a mild, stout and the award winning Crouch Vale Brewers Gold. We also managed to catch up with the Chelmsford branch who were completing their Mild Trail at the Queens Head. The pub prides itself on not selling smooth flow, lager or Guinness, just quality real ale and German Pilsner. Once again the beers were excellent with none of this £3.00 per pint nonsense, the average price was about £2.50.

We eventually returned to London at about 22.30 after an excellent day out sampling some really good beers that you do not see very often this side of the river, and the best bit …………….. not a drop of Greene King in sight.

The Swan at Little Totham

It was everything that a real ale fanatic could want. At least 8 real ales from about £1.80 per pint – what a bargain, Belgium beers, several draught ciders (not just the popular ones) and good pub food. The real ales are from far and wide but usually include some from Mighty Oak (just down the road at Maldon) and Crouch Vale - Brewers Gold!!

You can even camp in a small field outside. The only drawback is that it is miles from any public transport, so you either have to be very fit or bribe someone to drive. The pub is circa 17th Century and very welcoming. There is an old fashioned bar billiards table in the back bar.

Voted National Pub of the Year in 2002 & 2005

Well worth a visit, anyone got a minibus?

John

Hop over to Holland for a pint of “Muck”

On one of our recent trips to Brugge we decided to venture a little farther a field and visit a highly recommended (Simon Van Tromp’s Beer Traveller) speciality beer café in Middleburg, Holland. Middleburg is the provincial capital of the island district of Walcheren and only a short bus ride from the Breskens – Vlissinggen ferry terminal. It is possible to make a day trip from Brugge but make sure you confirm the time of the last bus back to Brugge.

De Mug – only 15 minutes to opening!

The café in question was “De Mug” – pronounced “Muck”, it is situated just off the main square in the Vlasmarkt. The owner, Barend Midavaine, is a friendly and charming host who will insist on personally inscribing each bottle of De Mug bitter that you buy to take home, and it is well worth taking home.

The café is everything that you would expect, tiled floors, wooden tables, an enormous selection of beers from both Holland and Belgium including many Trappist beers, La Chouffe, Westmalle Dubbel etc. and of course, on draught, his very own De Mug bitter. There is accommodation available should you wish to indulge in more than one or two beers and not fancy a long trek home and CAMRA members are made very welcome. The café hosts beer tastings and jazz evenings at regular intervals.The restaurant has many excellent dishes especially the “ribs”. All in all this café is well worth a visit, so settle down with a De Mug bitter while you make your next selection from the extensive beer and food menus.

If you fancy a little shopping between tastings there is a second hand shop opposite which stocks just about everything from old WW1 helmets to Doc Martens to Leather Jackets and much more at knockdown prices.

Geraldine heartily recommends the ribs

Submitted by John McLaughin and Geraldine Slade

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