Belgian article in "Beer & Brewer Australia & New Zealand"

I'm happy to say that I just had my first article published in the
beer magazine "Beer & Brewer Australia & New Zealand."

It's a 1,500 word piece called "A Beer Lovers Guide to Belgium."

I cover some of the country's top beer spots, such as 't Brugs Beertje
in Brugge, Brasserie Cantillon and Moeder Lambic in Brussels, and
Bierhuis Kulminator in Antwerp.

Beer & Brewer can be found at some Barnes and Noble bookstores and
other bookstores with International selections in the U.S.

Copies can be ordered on-line at: http://www.beerandbrewer.com.au

I'll report back in a few weeks about yet another Belgian article in
a new beer magazine!

Van Twee: the De Proefbrouwerij/Bell's collaboration beer

Photo: Dirk Naudts of De Proefbrouwerij, with a glass of Van Twee

On the 27th of April, I visited De Proefbrouwerij in Lochristi, East Flanders. I interviewed Brewmaster/Owner Dirk Naudts for several hours, as we toured his state of the art brewery.


Photo: the main brewhouse at De Proefbrouwerij


While there, Dirk suggested that we taste his latest collaboration beer, called Van Twee (meaning “From Two” in Flemish.)

“John Mallet of Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan and we here at De Proefbrouwerij brewed this beer when he visited in early March, 2009” Dirk told me as we sipped the dark, rich brew. “It’s kind a Porter, but also sort of a Belgian Dubbel as well” Dirk explained. “We added fresh cherry juice pressed from sour Michigan cherries. This gives a dark, fruity character to the beer. Also, the bottling conditioning sugar comes from Michigan sugar beets” Dirk remarked.

“We added Brettanomyces yeasts in the primary fermentation” he mentioned. “The end result: I think Van Twee is a very interesting beer, and it was a very interesting collaboration with Bell’s.”

As we savored the Van Twee, which, at 7.5% abv, is remarkably easy to drink, my friend Carl Kins of Kortrijk said: “It’s like Irish coffee. There are three layers!”

I found the beer very much like a Dubbel/Porter combination, with a relatively medium bodied Dubbel-like mouthfeel, and pleasing funky character. I look forward to getting a bottle and seeing how it has developed over the six months since I tasted it at the brewery.

Photo: Dirk Naudts of De Proefbrouwerij pouring a glass of Van Twee

Van Twee is the third beer in the SBS Imports “Brewmaster’s Collaboration” series, following Signature Ale and Les Deux Brasseurs.

"Each year it is my pleasure to invite a noted American brewer to participate in the Collaboration Series,” noted SBS Founder Alan Shapiro. "I am thrilled with the beer that John & Dirk have designed and believe specialty beer enthusiasts will find it a unique and rewarding experience."

90 hectoliters (about 77 U.S. barrels) of Van Twee were produced, with 80 hl being filled into 75 cl corked bottles, and 10 hl being filled into kegs.

Get it while you can!

Ghent article in Taps: Canada's Beer magazine

Well, more breaking news: my first article in Canada's beer

magazine, Taps, was just published in the Autumn issue.

It's a 1,500 word piece on Ghent's beery locales, with a

sidebar about the legend of the Gulden Draak

(The Golden Dragon) by Art Director Cary Hyodo.

I am very pleased with the professional look and layout

of the article.

Cary and Editor Karla Dudley did a fine job with it.

I look forward to reading the rest of the issue as well.

Six of the dozen photos used with the article are mine.

Taps is available in both print and on-line versions.

See: http://www.tapsmagazine.com/

In the next few months, there are more articles due out in

magazines that I have never written for before!

Cheers,

Chuck

Trappist Cafes article is cover feature in October issue of Celebrator Beer News

Things are breaking fast and furious these days, as I recently had several articles published. More are on the way in November and December!

The most recent is the October/November issue of Celebrator Beer News.

My article "Eating and Drinking at Two New Trappist Cafes" is the cover feature.

In fact, the cover shot is a photo I took of a meal at the new "proeflokaal" or tasting room, at La Trappe (Koningshoeven) in Tilburg, the Netherlands. It was taken on a beautiful spring day in late April, sitting outside on the patio. The Dutch would call it the terrace...

That's Trappist beer lover Danny Van Tricht enjoying a meal of Trappist-raised beef and croquettes on the cover. I ordered the same dish, and my lunch is front and center in the cover photo. It was a sumptuous meal!

The article also covers the new Cafe Trappisten at Westmalle, and a fine meal I savored there a few days later, in the company of my friends Craig and Mary from Milwaukee, and Gunther Bensch, who acted as "Bob" that day (aka designated driver!)

There is also some other interesting information thrown in...but you'll have to read the nearly 900 word piece to find out what!

Celebrator can be found at better beer bars, breweries and other beer destinations. For subscription info, see: http://www.celebrator.com.

For anybody that has ever asked me why I lug around a Canon digital SLR on many trips (as it is much bigger and heavier than a point and shoot) this cover shot tells the tale.

Cheers,

Chuck

Brouwerij Girardin article in October Ale Street News

Well, I'm back after nearly 2 weeks. I was really busy getting ready for the GABF (which was amazing; I tried so many great new sour beers from all over the U.S.!)

I have a nearly 2,000 word article on Brouwerij Girardin, one of Belgium's great lambic breweries, in the October/November issue of Ale Street News.

As you'll read in the article, I was the first beer writer allowed to tour the brewery since the late Michael Jackson in 1993.

While editor Tony Forder only had room for a couple of photos with the article, rest assured I have many more: high-resolution 12 megapixel shots in both the lambic and pils brewhouses. You'll see these in future articles in other publications!

To read this article, you'll have to get a copy of Ale Street, which is available at great bars, brewpubs and breweries, especially here on the East coast and the Midwest.

Cheers!

Chuck

"1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die"

Amazon and some other sites are now taking pre-orders for the book I contributed to this Spring.

I wrote 30 Belgian beer and brewery reviews for "1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die"

which is due out March 23, 2010.

Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/1001-Beers-Must-Taste-Before/dp/0789320258

The book is part of the 1001 Series of publications by Quintessence of London.

http://www.1001beforeyoudie.com/

Should be ready just in time for Spring!

Cheers,

Chuck

Farewell, Cafe 't Jagershof

One of Belgium's great country/roadside cafes, 't Jagershof ("The Hunter's Lodge") will close for good this Sunday, September 6.

It's not due to a bad economy. No, the reason is that owners Martine and her husband are retiring after running their pub for many years. Their well-earned retirement is nevertheless a sad loss to beer lovers, especially those of us that enjoy Trappist brews.

My friend, Trappist beer lover Danny Van Tricht, first took me to the pub in 2005. I made two subsequent visits, in 2006 and 2008.

I wish there had been many more.

Jagershof, located in Waanrode in the Province of Flemish Brabant, opened in 1958.

Trappist beers became a specialty in the 1980's. You could often find the monk's table beers-Chimay Doree, Orval Green, and Westmalle Extra-here, if you asked.
Such brews were on a menu with 75+ beers.

Trappist cheeses were usually available as well.

't Jagershof was a great place to drink and enjoy the Belgian lifestyle. It will be missed.

If you are in Belgium, you have a last few days to get to this atmospheric cafe to enjoy a few Trappist brews. I wish I could be there.

More photos are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/belgianbeerspecialist/sets/72157605560921599