Well, it's been a while since I posted here. I have been very busy with my taxes, and also have been occupied with adding photos to my Flickr site. I now have uploaded over 2,000 images from 38 of the 60 Belgian breweries I have visited, as well as many from beer fests and beer cafes. More are on the way as time permits.
Here are the photos, organized in sets: http://www.flickr.com/photos/belgianbeerspecialist/sets/
I have three new Belgian beer articles out this month (April/May issues.) Two are In Celebrator Beer News. The first is a feature, "Brouwerij Liefmans of Oudenaarde" about Liefmans. Since the article went to press, it appears more and more likely that Duvel Moortgat will indeed take control of Liefmans for the long term.
My other feature is about the famous beer cafe, 't Brugs Beertje ("Brugge's Little Bear") in Bruges, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Tuesday, May 13. The Little Bear is one of the world's great drinking establishments, with expert service from owner Daisy Claeys and her well trained staff. This classic Belgian "brown" cafe also has a very friendly atmosphere.
In Ale Street News, I cover a number of subjects in my Belgian news column, "Belgian Babble."
Included are info about cafe 't Brugs Beertje; Belgian breweries Liefmans, De Graal, Nieuwhuys, and Het Anker; as well as stateside breweries Clipper City and Russian River, and Max's 24 Hours of Belgian beer fest in Baltimore.
Today is the 75th Anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in the USA, and I think I'll celebrate with a hoppy American IPA!
Cheers!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Ale Street News and Belgium
I have been writing for U.S.A. “brewspaper” Ale Street News for several years. ASN has a circulation of 90,000 copies every issue, six times a year. Ale Street is based in the New York City area, and has regional and International coverage on a variety of beery subjects.
Editor Tony Forder leads a group of stalwart beer lovers to Belgium every year, for a tour based around the Zythos beer fest in early March. Hence, the February/March issue is always a special one, with lots of Belgian coverage.
Tony and co-editor Jack Babin also organize a very special beer tasting event in Manhattan every year in the Spring. I attended the first “Ultimate Belgian Tasting” in 2006, and had a great time! I recommend this event.
The next “UBT” will be held Thursday April 10. Here is more info:
http://alestreetonline.com/content/view/41/45/
I wrote a two part story on the Belgian Trappist Abbey breweries in 2005-2006, which are on-line here:
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/14_6_16.htm
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/15_1_14.htm
I have also written about beer cafes and breweries in Brugge and Brussels, small Belgian breweries, the Zythos Beer Fest, and more.
I am happy to say that Tony asked me to start writing a Belgian news column, called Belgian Babble, for every issue of ASN, beginning with the February/March 2008 edition.
I wrote about Brouwerij Liefmans, the OBER Christmas beer fest, Chez Moeder Lambic, Cantillon and Brasserie de la Senne in this issue.
I also have a feature on Amsterdam’s breweries and cafes, on-line here:
http://alestreetonline.com/content/view/26/45/
I will cover an even greater range of Belgian and Belgian-inspired breweries and cafes in the April/May issue.
Kudos to Tony Forder and the Ale Street News team for their appreciation and promotion of Belgium’s artisanal beers and beer culture, and Belgian-inspired brews, breweries and beer bars in the USA and elsewhere.
Editor Tony Forder leads a group of stalwart beer lovers to Belgium every year, for a tour based around the Zythos beer fest in early March. Hence, the February/March issue is always a special one, with lots of Belgian coverage.
Tony and co-editor Jack Babin also organize a very special beer tasting event in Manhattan every year in the Spring. I attended the first “Ultimate Belgian Tasting” in 2006, and had a great time! I recommend this event.
The next “UBT” will be held Thursday April 10. Here is more info:
http://alestreetonline.com/content/view/41/45/
I wrote a two part story on the Belgian Trappist Abbey breweries in 2005-2006, which are on-line here:
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/14_6_16.htm
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/15_1_14.htm
I have also written about beer cafes and breweries in Brugge and Brussels, small Belgian breweries, the Zythos Beer Fest, and more.
I am happy to say that Tony asked me to start writing a Belgian news column, called Belgian Babble, for every issue of ASN, beginning with the February/March 2008 edition.
I wrote about Brouwerij Liefmans, the OBER Christmas beer fest, Chez Moeder Lambic, Cantillon and Brasserie de la Senne in this issue.
I also have a feature on Amsterdam’s breweries and cafes, on-line here:
http://alestreetonline.com/content/view/26/45/
I will cover an even greater range of Belgian and Belgian-inspired breweries and cafes in the April/May issue.
Kudos to Tony Forder and the Ale Street News team for their appreciation and promotion of Belgium’s artisanal beers and beer culture, and Belgian-inspired brews, breweries and beer bars in the USA and elsewhere.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Beers of the World Magazine and Belgium
Beers of the World magazine is the premier beer publication in the United Kingdom. Since its first issue in September/October 2005, Beers of the World has been on the forefront of promoting beers from, as its title suggests, all over the world-to a discerning audience of beer lovers.
In issue 1, there was an article about Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels. While I did not write the article, four of the five photos used with it were ones I took on a 2003 visit to the brewery.
Fast forward to Spring 2007 with issue 11, and Editor Sally Toms published an article I wrote about the famous Bierhuis Kulminator in Antwerp-perhaps the most famous beer cafe in the world-especially in regards to aged beers.
The first part of the article is on-line here: http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue11/12007772.html
Sally also asked I have a look at beery Brussels, the capitol of Belgium and the E.U.
I relished the chance to cover all my favorite beery spots in Brussels, and the article
"The heart of Europe: Charles D. Cook discovers the beers and bars of the Belgian capital" was published in issue 14.
See the first part of the article here: http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue14/12008189.html
I also suggested to Sally that an article on Belgium's female brewmasters might be of interest, as some very fine brews are crafted at Brasserie de l' Abbaye de Rocs in Montignies-sur-Roc; Brouwerij De Ryck in Herzele; Brouwerij 't Gaverhopke in Stasegem; and Brouwerij Urthel. Fortunately she agreed, and "The Beer Women of Belgium" was published in issue 15.
The beginning of the article is here: http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue15/12008291.html
I was even more pleased when Sally, who has a very light editing touch (the best kind!) asked if I could do a feature on Belgian brewing. I happily agreed, and the current issue, #16, has my 1650 word article, in which I write about 35 Belgian breweries. There is also a sidebar about ten great Belgian beer festivals, and quite a few photos.
Here is the start of the article: http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue16/12008416.html
While published in the U.K., Beers of the World magazine can often be found in Barnes and Noble stores in larger U.S. cities, as well as bookstores with a good selection of International magazines.
I should also point out that there have been many other articles on the subject of Belgium and beer written by other authors for BOTW.
Thanks to Sally Toms and the Beers of the World team for giving Belgium such fine exposure.
In issue 1, there was an article about Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels. While I did not write the article, four of the five photos used with it were ones I took on a 2003 visit to the brewery.
Fast forward to Spring 2007 with issue 11, and Editor Sally Toms published an article I wrote about the famous Bierhuis Kulminator in Antwerp-perhaps the most famous beer cafe in the world-especially in regards to aged beers.
The first part of the article is on-line here: http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue11/12007772.html
Sally also asked I have a look at beery Brussels, the capitol of Belgium and the E.U.
I relished the chance to cover all my favorite beery spots in Brussels, and the article
"The heart of Europe: Charles D. Cook discovers the beers and bars of the Belgian capital" was published in issue 14.
See the first part of the article here: http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue14/12008189.html
I also suggested to Sally that an article on Belgium's female brewmasters might be of interest, as some very fine brews are crafted at Brasserie de l' Abbaye de Rocs in Montignies-sur-Roc; Brouwerij De Ryck in Herzele; Brouwerij 't Gaverhopke in Stasegem; and Brouwerij Urthel. Fortunately she agreed, and "The Beer Women of Belgium" was published in issue 15.
The beginning of the article is here: http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue15/12008291.html
I was even more pleased when Sally, who has a very light editing touch (the best kind!) asked if I could do a feature on Belgian brewing. I happily agreed, and the current issue, #16, has my 1650 word article, in which I write about 35 Belgian breweries. There is also a sidebar about ten great Belgian beer festivals, and quite a few photos.
Here is the start of the article: http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue16/12008416.html
While published in the U.K., Beers of the World magazine can often be found in Barnes and Noble stores in larger U.S. cities, as well as bookstores with a good selection of International magazines.
I should also point out that there have been many other articles on the subject of Belgium and beer written by other authors for BOTW.
Thanks to Sally Toms and the Beers of the World team for giving Belgium such fine exposure.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Celebrator Beer News and Belgium
I have had the privilege of writing for Celebrator Beer News since the October, 2002 issue. Celebrator is a beer newspaper, or “brewspaper” as it is called by those in the beer world. Celebrator and Editor Tom Dalldorf have published 66 of my articles, with 42 of them being on my favorite subject, beery Belgium. Tom really appreciates Belgium and its beer culture, and it shows with the extensive coverage of “The Beer Country” in Celebrator! I’m far from the only writer covering Belgium for the publication, either!
Celebrator Beer News (www.celebrator.com) is based in the San Francisco area, and has a circulation of 55,000 copies every other month (February, April, June, August, October, and December.)
My newest articles, in the February/March issue, are about the Christmas Beer Festival in Belgium, “Belgium’s Kerstbierfest 2007” and “Brouwerij Verhaeghe of Vichte: Home of the Duchesse.”
From the December 2007, issue, here are links to my articles about Brouwerij St. Bernardus and De Struise, and the Beeradvocate Belgian Beer Fest in Boston last October.
http://celebrator.com/archives/2007/12/gh_belgianbeer.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/2007/12/ec_beeradvocate.html
Celebrator Beer News (www.celebrator.com) is based in the San Francisco area, and has a circulation of 55,000 copies every other month (February, April, June, August, October, and December.)
My newest articles, in the February/March issue, are about the Christmas Beer Festival in Belgium, “Belgium’s Kerstbierfest 2007” and “Brouwerij Verhaeghe of Vichte: Home of the Duchesse.”
From the December 2007, issue, here are links to my articles about Brouwerij St. Bernardus and De Struise, and the Beeradvocate Belgian Beer Fest in Boston last October.
http://celebrator.com/archives/2007/12/gh_belgianbeer.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/2007/12/ec_beeradvocate.html
Max's 4th Belgian fest a great success
This past Friday and Saturday, I attended the 4th Annual Belgian Beerfest at Max's Taphouse in Fell's Point, Baltimore, Maryland. I have been to all four fests, and can say this was the best so far.
General Manager Casey Hard and the Max's crew once again ran a great beer fest, with one of the best selections of Belgian and Belgian-inspired brews on this side of the Atlantic. Nearly 100 different drafts were pouring over the course of the three day event.
Draft standouts included Alvinne Tripel; Brewer's Art Special Proletary on cask; Cantillon Bruocsella and St. Lamvinus; De Glazen Toren Angelique, Ondineke, and Saison de Erpe-Mere; De Proef Grande Blanche, Signature Ale and Zoetzuur; De Regenboog BBBourgondier, Fiori, Plus, and Speciale; Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux; Fantome Brise-BonBons, Chocolate, and Printemps; Kerkom Bink Bloesem and Bink Blonde; La Rullés Cuvée Meilleurs Voeux; Liefmans Goudenband; Ommegang Saison de Gewurz; Oud Beersel Framboise and Oude Lambic; Rodenbach Grand Cru; Strubbe Doebel and Keyte Double Tripel. There were also other new kegs put on tap the Sunday, but alas, I had to head home.
Delicious foods were also offered: I really enjoyed the Buffalo Burger, served with Chimay cheese and Belgian endive, as well as the Trappist burger, with Chimay Grand Reserve cheese, marinated in Westmalle Dubbel. Pomme Frites, those fine Belgian fries, were served and really hit the spot as well. The cheese plate with several Belgian specialties was also a good one.
The bottled standouts included Les Trois Fourquets Lupulus, among 120 other great brews. Too many to list!
The word about Max's fest has really gotten around, as the downstairs bar and tables were already full by 11:45 am Friday morning, and even earlier on Saturday. There was a line out the door to get in all Saturday afternoon-good thing I got there before 11 am! See you next year at Max's!
General Manager Casey Hard and the Max's crew once again ran a great beer fest, with one of the best selections of Belgian and Belgian-inspired brews on this side of the Atlantic. Nearly 100 different drafts were pouring over the course of the three day event.
Draft standouts included Alvinne Tripel; Brewer's Art Special Proletary on cask; Cantillon Bruocsella and St. Lamvinus; De Glazen Toren Angelique, Ondineke, and Saison de Erpe-Mere; De Proef Grande Blanche, Signature Ale and Zoetzuur; De Regenboog BBBourgondier, Fiori, Plus, and Speciale; Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux; Fantome Brise-BonBons, Chocolate, and Printemps; Kerkom Bink Bloesem and Bink Blonde; La Rullés Cuvée Meilleurs Voeux; Liefmans Goudenband; Ommegang Saison de Gewurz; Oud Beersel Framboise and Oude Lambic; Rodenbach Grand Cru; Strubbe Doebel and Keyte Double Tripel. There were also other new kegs put on tap the Sunday, but alas, I had to head home.
Delicious foods were also offered: I really enjoyed the Buffalo Burger, served with Chimay cheese and Belgian endive, as well as the Trappist burger, with Chimay Grand Reserve cheese, marinated in Westmalle Dubbel. Pomme Frites, those fine Belgian fries, were served and really hit the spot as well. The cheese plate with several Belgian specialties was also a good one.
The bottled standouts included Les Trois Fourquets Lupulus, among 120 other great brews. Too many to list!
The word about Max's fest has really gotten around, as the downstairs bar and tables were already full by 11:45 am Friday morning, and even earlier on Saturday. There was a line out the door to get in all Saturday afternoon-good thing I got there before 11 am! See you next year at Max's!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Brouwerij Liefmans of Oudenaarde
I toured Brouwerij Liefmans in Oudenaarde on Friday, December 14. Production manager Filip Devolder gave a fine tour, showing me, Carl Kins and Mark Smith the wole historic complex. Photos are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/belgianbeerspecialist/sets/72157603891009611/
I wrote about Liefmans in my new column in Ale Street News, "Belgian Babble." I'll be continuing to write about newsworthy items related to Belgian and Belgian-inspired beery subjects in future columns.
One week to the day after my tour, a Belgian court declared the brewery bankrupt. However, Duvel-Moortgat has made a bid to buy some of the assets of Liefmans-assumedly including the historic Oudenaarde brewery. The fate of Brouwerij Liefmans is uncertain at this time, but we can all hope it will survive, and even flourish, in the future.
I will be writing additional stories about Liefmans in future publications.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/belgianbeerspecialist/sets/72157603891009611/
I wrote about Liefmans in my new column in Ale Street News, "Belgian Babble." I'll be continuing to write about newsworthy items related to Belgian and Belgian-inspired beery subjects in future columns.
One week to the day after my tour, a Belgian court declared the brewery bankrupt. However, Duvel-Moortgat has made a bid to buy some of the assets of Liefmans-assumedly including the historic Oudenaarde brewery. The fate of Brouwerij Liefmans is uncertain at this time, but we can all hope it will survive, and even flourish, in the future.
I will be writing additional stories about Liefmans in future publications.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Beery on-line articles
Here are links to some of my articles. More are on the way!
Several articles about aged Belgian brews at the famous Bierhuis
Kulminator, Antwerp:
http://www.allaboutbeer.com/features/233belgianagedbeer.html
http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/672
http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue11/12007772.html
Belgian breweries, city guides and more:
http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue14/12008189.html
http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue15/12008291.html
http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue16/12008416.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/0606/0606inter-7belgian.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/0506/0506inter-hainaut.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/2007/12/gh_belgianbeer.html
http://www.gotham-imbiber.com/20gotham.pdf
http://www.delta-sky.com/2006_11/Pie/index.html
http://www.celebrator.com/archives/0708/0708inter-champagne.html
http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-699.htm
Belgian beer festivals:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0502/0502inter-xmasbeers.html
http://www.gotham-imbiber.com/22gotham.pdf
Cafes:
http://celebrator.com/200304/cook.html
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/15_1_19.htm
http://www.gotham-imbiber.com/13gotham.pdf
http://celebrator.com/archives/0502/0502inter-brussels.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/0708/0708inter-antwerp.html
Several about the Trappist breweries:
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/14_6_16.htm
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/15_1_14.htm
http://www.celebrator.com/archives/0504/0504inter-westvleteren.html
http://www.celebrator.com/features/westvleteren.html
http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/669
Trappist cafes:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0608/0608inter-trappists.html
Belgian beer events in the U.S. :
http://celebrator.com/archives/2007/12/ec_beeradvocate.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/0504/0504eastcoast-spiritiv.html
http://216.22.3.6/~gothamim/19gotham.pdf
http://216.22.3.6/~gothamim/21gotham.pdf
Beer Touring in Germany:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0608/0608inter-nwgermany.html
Lupulin Slam II:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0504/0504eastcoast-lupulinslam.html
Milwaukee Beer Fest:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0506/0506eastcoast-milwaukee.html
The 2005 National Homebrewer's Conference:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0508/0508eastcoast-baltimore.html
Spoetzl Brewmaster's Retirement:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0508/0508southwest-spoetzl.html
Several articles about aged Belgian brews at the famous Bierhuis
Kulminator, Antwerp:
http://www.allaboutbeer.com/features/233belgianagedbeer.html
http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/672
http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue11/12007772.html
Belgian breweries, city guides and more:
http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue14/12008189.html
http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue15/12008291.html
http://www.beers-of-the-world.com/magazine/issue16/12008416.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/0606/0606inter-7belgian.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/0506/0506inter-hainaut.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/2007/12/gh_belgianbeer.html
http://www.gotham-imbiber.com/20gotham.pdf
http://www.delta-sky.com/2006_11/Pie/index.html
http://www.celebrator.com/archives/0708/0708inter-champagne.html
http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer-News/Article-699.htm
Belgian beer festivals:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0502/0502inter-xmasbeers.html
http://www.gotham-imbiber.com/22gotham.pdf
Cafes:
http://celebrator.com/200304/cook.html
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/15_1_19.htm
http://www.gotham-imbiber.com/13gotham.pdf
http://celebrator.com/archives/0502/0502inter-brussels.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/0708/0708inter-antwerp.html
Several about the Trappist breweries:
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/14_6_16.htm
http://www.alestreetnews.com/articles/15_1_14.htm
http://www.celebrator.com/archives/0504/0504inter-westvleteren.html
http://www.celebrator.com/features/westvleteren.html
http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/669
Trappist cafes:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0608/0608inter-trappists.html
Belgian beer events in the U.S. :
http://celebrator.com/archives/2007/12/ec_beeradvocate.html
http://celebrator.com/archives/0504/0504eastcoast-spiritiv.html
http://216.22.3.6/~gothamim/19gotham.pdf
http://216.22.3.6/~gothamim/21gotham.pdf
Beer Touring in Germany:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0608/0608inter-nwgermany.html
Lupulin Slam II:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0504/0504eastcoast-lupulinslam.html
Milwaukee Beer Fest:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0506/0506eastcoast-milwaukee.html
The 2005 National Homebrewer's Conference:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0508/0508eastcoast-baltimore.html
Spoetzl Brewmaster's Retirement:
http://celebrator.com/archives/0508/0508southwest-spoetzl.html
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