The miracle of St Bernadus

My legs had been hurting on the ride from Gent to Bruges, so I wasn’t looking forward to 72km of pain on today’s ride to Watou.

But when I woke up all the aches and pains had vanished. Could it be the restorative powers of Trappist beer at work?

Not only had the pain gone, but for once the wind was behind me, so the cycling was fast and enjoyable and I made good time to Watou.

Nestling just by the border with France, Watou is the home of the St Bernadus Brouwerij, where I would be spending the night in their guest house.

Punctures usually occur in the least convenient of places, but when I noticed my rear tyre deflating I was just 200m from the brewery.

It was a miracle that enabled me to check in and make use of the help yourself ‘loyalty fridge’ packed full of St Bernadus beers before setting to work changing the tube.

I thought I might be on for a puncture free trip, but if you’ve got to mend a puncture then this is definitely the way to do it.

Drinking in the views and beers of Gent

The 70km cycle to Gent involved all sorts of weather, wind, rain, sun – and at one point even a hailstorm.

Thankfully it brightened up as the day progressed so I arrived in Gent to a sunny late afternoon and evening.

First was the city brewery, only to find them closing early for the day – so it was onwards to TrolleKelder for the first beer; a Maredsous Dubbel, followed by an aged Kriek Boon. Wonderfully sour and woody, this is a terrific beer.

Next stop was Waterhuis aan de Bierkant. In a nice setting by the water there’s a very good selection of taps and bottled beers – including Gulden Draak at 10%.

Great beers, in a great city that’s often overlooked in favour of Bruges. Which just so happens to be where we are headed for tomorrow.

The good and great beers of Rotterdam

I was blown into Rotterdam on a fresh 8°C wind from the Hook of Holland.

I’d no sooner got here than it clouded over, turning rainy and biting cold, so it was an easy decision to head to Sijf for a spot of elevenses – in this case Brouwerij  Noordt’s Dubbel.

It was pot luck on the 7% ABV, as the decent-looking bottle menu was lacking that particular detail, but I picked this because it was a local brew and I hadn’t tried it.

Compared to a Westmalle it’s got less depth and more fruit, and it helped warm me up as I waited for my blue hands to thaw out.

By the time I had finished my pint, luckily the sun had come back out so it was onwards to Stadtsbrouwerij De Pelgrim which has its own beers on tap.

I tried the Mayflower Tripel (7.8%) and Vagabond Stout (8%). Both beers were excellent and very much in the Belgian tradition: high fermentation and a good depth of flavour.

There are some charming bars and restaurants here in Delfshaven, including my next port of call: Tapperij Vanoods ‘t Kraanjte.

To drink it was The Calling IPA from Boulevard Brewing Co, which at 8.5% is every inch a double.

This is the sort of beer where you know exactly what you’re getting and that it is a good thing – in a chewy toffee, citrus/pine way. Lovely stuff.

It was then on to Kaapse Brouwers near the SS Rotterdam, where I’m spending the night.

Here it was possible to sample a few of their own brews including Jaape Red Ale (9.4%), Gozer Imperial Oatmeal Stout (9.6%) and an Imperial Stout made in collaboration with De Pelgrim – they even had #2 Anniversary Quad by Kees on draught.

Of course, this was duly sampled – by the water in the evening sun. Tomorrow, it looks like there will be more weather and also some real cycling. Stay tuned!

Beavertown Brewery Taproom | Review by Imperial Beer Club

If there’s one thing Beavertown Brewery know how to do, it’s brew beer – and there’s no better place to sample it than by visiting their excellent taproom on a Saturday afternoon.

It’s worth keeping an eye on their website for events. Most recently, we attended the 2017 launch of the Bloody ‘Ell Blood Orange IPA which was like a mini-festival with a few hundred craft beer lovers in attendance.

Which beers are on offer?

At the bar, you can buy a six pack of beers from their core range for £12 – for example:

8 Ball Rye IPA (ABV 6.2%)
Black Betty Black IPA (ABV 7.4%)
Lupuloid IPA (ABV 6.7%)
Smog Rocket Smoked Porter (ABV: 5.4% )
Gamma Ray American Pale Ale (ABV 5.4%)

Of course, the Beavertown taproom itself (offering 1/2 pint or 2/3 pint measures), gives you the chance to try some interesting brews you might not encounter elsewhere.

On our most recent visit they were serving Beavertown Says Max Das Intern Bavarian Pilsner (ABV: 4.5%) and Beavertown Brewery’s collab with Square Root Ldn, Bergamonster Hefeweiss (ABV: 5.63%).

But of course we couldn’t miss the Beavertown-Brewdog collaboration Coffee & Cigarettes (ABV 12.1%) which completely lived up to its name – it was like a French breakfast in a can.

In a good way.

Other bits you might enjoy

There’s also a great selection of snacks and street food on offer. Depending on the day, expect to see food and / or nibbles from the likes of Boxty’s (Irish street food), Karkli (lentil snacks), Soffles (pitta chips) and Woza (biltong).

There’s also a strong display of Beavertown Brewery merchandise, including t-shirts, hoodies, beanie hats, glasses and fabric patches, all available to buy.

How to get to Beavertown Brewery Taproom

It’s surprisingly easy to get to the taproom from central London, thanks to the usually reliable Victoria Line, which stops at Tottenham Hale. From there, walk east down Ferry Lane, passing the enormous, vibrantly coloured, student accommodation and cut through Hale Village to get to Mill Mead Road.

You can also take national rail services from Liverpool St to Tottenham Hale.

When are the Beavertown Brewery Taproom events?

The brewery taproom is open most Saturdays, 2pm – 8pm, even when there isn’t a special event or beer launch. Visit the Events section of the Beavertown Brewery website to stay up to date or follow them on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Human Cannonball DIPA 2018 – ABV 9.2%

Meet Cannonball’s big brother; we used more malt, more hops and more magical conjuring to crank up the flavour of our explosive IPA Cannonball. Get your taste buds ready for massive pine and candied orange aromas combined with bitter/sweet grapefruit and mango flavours all complemented by a deeply composed, satisfyingly malty base. Ever wondered what it feels like to be shot out of a cannon? Heres what it tastes like