Beverage Innovation Coach, Inspiration Partner, Quality step up, Advisor
BBB (Buggenhout Bosteels Brewery) has been brewing beer since 1791, even before Belgium became Belgium. It’s famous for its 3 awarded beers: Kwak (and it’s signature epic glassware), Tripel Karmeliet (and its perfected 3 grains blend) and Deus (brewed following a Champenoise method). Check our short video to learn about some of these beers secrets!
Hop heads! Ben (@thebeertrale) and I (@beerisaconversation) hit the road of Pacific North West to immerse ourselves in hop crop 2019.
After a long flight to Spokane and a 2h drive up to the Canadian border, we arrived at Elk Mountain Hop Farm! It’s quite a distance from Yakima valley where 90%+ of USA hops are grown so there must be a reason why one of the largest hop farm sits on the border…want to know why ?
Rubbing hop is a sticky, oily, fragrant, exhilarating but …gross experience. Let’s ask our friends from Devils Backbone what’s the Rub ?
Dinant Belgium. This is where one of the most famous abbey beer was born from the name of a small river, the river Leffe.
An Authentic Abbey Beer must follow some key fundamental rules. Be genuinely connected to a monastery and give back to charities.
Abbey beers have a unique distinct quality. Heritage from time when beer was offered to pilgrims as only safe beverage to sustain.From time when only the monks had the knowledge to read and write.
And as per medieval tradition , we were warmly welcomed to visit the courtyard of the abbey…
Want to see the most incredible barley wine cellar on earth? Follow me as I head to Hertog Jan brewery in Arcen. This microbrewery is nested in the south east of Netherlands, along the Germany border.
15 years ago, a flood filled the basement of the brewery. 5 years later some bottles of Hertog-Jan beer were pulled out of the cave and Gerard Van den Broek, the brewmaster was curious enough to taste them. He discovered a perfectly matured barley wine. Since then “Grand-Prestige” has won plenty of awards in the most challenging competitions. The basement has been converted into an aging cellar where 10000+ bottles wait to reach their prime! You can even have your own!
There’s much more to see in this brewery and when you’re done, follow the beer line that goes straight to the pub on the other side of the road to taste brewery fresh beer!!!
On to our 2nd stop of this European Beer Road Trip! We arrive in the Flemish town of Hoegaarden. Pronounce HOO-GAAAAR-DEN. This small town gave birth to the world renowned Witbier style back in the 1500s. A style promoted by the Prince Bishop of Liege who gave them a tax break on wheat, promoting both agriculture and beer! The cross of the bishop honor the town’s flag and also the label of the eponymous beer Hoegaarden Witbier. Let’s have a sneak peak in the brewery and have a taste of countryside in a tiny town that used to host more than 50 breweries!
Where best to start our tour than in the Pajottenland in Belgium? That small region is famous for it’s Lambics: Boon, Girardin, Lindemans,… We are going to Belle-Vue lambic Brouwerij in St Pieters Leeuw where it all started for me 18 years ago! We talk wood and Krieken (sour cherries) and sample some fantastic beers form the barrels!
I’ve been to St Louis a lot of times and not just for the Cardinals or the Arch. I was petrified the first time to learn it ranked #1 highest criminality in the US but with time I have learned where not to go… and in fairness it leaves a lot of very nice blocks to explore safely.
It probably grew a lot over the last 5 years, but I feel like every time I go there’s another brewery to discover. In the past I would mostly go to Pappy’s and the like to chill with a St Louis BBQ after a long day work!
During one of my trips to our R&D center of Rio de Janeiro, I managed to save some time for a getaway to Petropolis, to visit Bohemia brewery. Petropolis seems to be the great WE escape for people from Rio. One-hour scenic drive away from the chaos of the city.
If you can ever do a stopover in Copenhagen… just do it. Do it in summer, when the days never end.
It’s what I did, taking advantage of a visit to a supplier I took an extra day to explore the city. In classic fashion I built a plan around beer and food scouting.
Mikkeller was on my plan of course. This guy has been gypsy brewing everywhere around the world, it was just normal I would come by in his home city. I have had occasions to try the beers from his twin bro’, under the Evil Twin brand and I visited his bar in Brooklyn a couple times (the highly rated minimalist Torst) but Mikkeller Copenhagen was on my bucket lis
Nested on the Canadian border of Idaho, EMF covers the valley with hop. A blanket of green with a blue winding Kootenay river in the middle and surrounded by old mountains.
The trip start in Spokane which is the nearest airport I believe and is a 2 hours scenic drive north.
