It just so happened that the same weekend we planned a baby shower for my sister-in-law, there was a Belgian Beer Festival going on at Ashley's -- a favorite hangout of my brother's. He was able to participate in the festivities all week, but Tom and I were at least able to join in for part of the weekend. They had numerous events and special menus -- beyond the seemingly never ending list of Belgian Beers on tap. It was really quite an impressive production.
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We participated in the Scaldi's Dinner -- sort of. At any rate, I got a delicious Monk Burger -- with beer cheese made by Belgian Monks. My brother and Tom had already been hanging at Ashley's earlier in the day while us girls were at the baby shower...and Tom had already had his Kwak -- which he learned you are supposed to drink by using the wooden handle rather than removing the glass from its holder. A story from my dad's trip to Belgium also came up. Apparently, back in the day when glass was more rare and expensive, before they would give you a beer in a glass like this, they would take some collateral to ensure its safe return. The collateral? One of your shoes. I guess my dad went to a bar where they still did this. It would be kind of fun to hang out with a bunch of people all wearing only one shoe...
The next morning we did the Belgian Waffle Breakfast -- decent waffles, but nothing too exciting. Tom tried the Special Extra Export Stout by Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers. He gave it 3.5 stars -- it's bottle conditioned with lots of carbonation for a stout and is much lighter bodied than an American stout.
Later that day, we participated in the Trappist Experience, which was a really cool event. We learned all about Trappist breweries and got to sample three different beers. In order to be considered a "Trappist" beer, it must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist monastery, all of the equipment must be completely owned by monks, it must be brewed by the monks or the monks must supervise, and the proceeds must be used for charity. Only 10 (? we saw a couple different numbers, but I think that's correct) breweries in the world are considered "Trappist" -- and 6 of them are in Belgium.
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| "The Trappist Experience" - great informational event by John Staunton who works directly with the monks to import Trappist beer. |
- Orval by Brasserie d'Orval
- Trappistes Rochefort 6 (they produce a 6, 8 and 10 -- which refer to the tax level of the beer, as determined by the gravity level)
- Westmalle Trappist Dubbel
ABOUTME
Hi there! My name is Dana and I live in West Michigan with my husband, Tom and our dog Copernicus. I created this space as a place to share the things I learn along this journey I call life. I work in marketing and I'm a sort of Jane of All Trades, interested in all things nature, gardening, cooking, exploring and learning new things. This blog is a conglomeration of my interests, hobbies, life and life lessons. Thanks for stopping by!