The above photos were taken by John White, in July, 2005. Although a number of White Beer Travels Beer Hunts feature real monks (typically in Trappist monasteries with Breweries, such as Orval (www.orval.be, White Beer Travels Web page) and Rochefort (www.trappistes-rochefort.com, White Beer Travels Web page), the one in the photo, above left, is clearly not real, although the Abbey that it was taken in was once real enough, as can be seen from the photo on the right. Within the Abbey ruins, there is a brewery producing excellent beers, the Brasserie Val de Sambre (Abbaye d'Aulne (ADA)) (www.valdesambre.be), in Gozée (Thuin), in Hainaut Province (273 Rue Vandervelde, tel 071 56 20 73, GPS: 50.365815^o N, 4.329800^o E (brewery entrance), 50.365195^o N, 4.329772^o E (drive from main road). The visit to this brewery was part of a trip undertaken by members of the British Guild of Beer Writers (www.beerwriters.co.uk). The trip was organised by the "Belgian Tourist Office Brussels - Wallonia", in London, who have the cleverly named website, www.belgiumtheplaceto.be. The trip is covered in a White Beer Travels Web page. Wandering amongst the Abbey ruins, in the photo, on the right, is Ben McFarland, who was voted the Guild's 2004 Beer Writer of The Year. Ben covers this Beer Hunt in the November/December, 2005 edition of beers of the world (www.beers-of-the-world.com).

This page and a companion one, provide details of miscellaneous recce trips in Belgium, that are listed with equivalent trips undertaken elsewhere, in the site's Recce page, which can be reached by clicking here. Most of the places covered will be incorporated into future White Beer Travels Beer Hunts, indeed some have already been, such as the place featured at the top of this page, click here for more details.

The following are all the Belgian recces from 1995 onwards; click on the titles to get more details of them:

• 2007: BAB Bierfestival / Beer Festival, in Bruges
• 2006: St. Bernard Brewery, in Watou
• 2006: Trip featuring 3 Fonteinen & Oud Beersel, in Beersel, and Pierre Celis, in Hoegaarden
• 2005: Trip to Brussels and the Pajottenland, featuring the Bruxellensis Beer Festival, in Brussels
• 2005: Breweries in Brussels and Wallonia;
• 2005: Trip based in De Haan, on the Belgian Coast;
• 2004: Trip featuring the St.-Bernard Brewery's B&B, 't Brouwershuis, in Watou;
• 2003: Trip featuring the O.B.E.R. Christmas Beer Festival, in Essen, Belgium, with update recces in Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent;
• 2003: Rochefort and Orval Trappist Breweries, Het Anker Brewery, Mechelen, Achouffe Brewery and Les 3 Fourquets Brew Pub/Restaurant;
• 2003: Podge Trip based in Brussels;
• 2002 Diksmuide & Ieper (Ypres) Bars and Breweries;
• 2001 Ostend, De Haan, Dolle Brouwers;
• 1995 Hasselt. Speciality Beer Bars, Genever Museum.

2007: BAB Bierfestival / Beer Festival, Bruges (Brugge)

BAB (Brugse Autonome Bierproevers) (Bruges Autonomous Beer Tasters) (www.babbierproevers.be) is the Bruges branch of Zythos (www.zythos.be, White Beer Travels Web page), the Belgian beer consumers' organisation; it was formed in late 2006. The inspiration for BAB's name and logo comes from a former Bruges brewery, the Brouwerei Aigle-Belgica.

A recce visit will be made to BAB's inaugural beer festival (www.brugsbierfestival.be). The venue is the Belfry (Belfort, De Halletoren), which is the city's most well-known building, the symbol of Bruges. The festival will take place, both inside and on the outer terrace of the Belfry's courtyard. On the Saturday, it is open from Noon to 10pm, and on the Sunday, from Noon until 9pm.

Over forty breweries are represented at the festival, most having their own stalls, manned by the brewer; there are over a hundred different beers, including some from the a UK brewer. In addition to the brewers, other prominent people from the beer world will be on hand to talk about beer and to answer queries. All beers cost  €1 (15cl); the special festival glass costs €3. A number of top chefs have stalls, and they will actually cook beer cuisine at the festival; their dishes can be tasted. There are also special Carillon concerts during the festival. Clearly, it is a festival which should not be missed, which will be certain to feature in future White Beer Travels group Beer Hunts.

2006: St. Bernard Brewery, Watou

This visit to the Brouwerij Sint Bernard, (www.sintbernardus.be), in Watou, near Poperinge, took place in December, 2006. The photo to the left was taken during the visit by my wife, Joyce. My visit guide was the brewery's Sales and Marketing Manager, Marco Passarella, who despite his name, is a Belgian from the province of Limburg; his father emigrated from Italy at the age of three. Marco and I can be seen in the photo, which was taken in the brew house; note the marvellous, traditonal copper vessels. Further information on the visit can be found in a White Beer Travels Web page, which can be reached by clicking here.

2006: Trip featuring 3 Fonteinen and Oud Beersel Breweries, in Beersel, and a visit to meet Pierre Celis, in Hoegaarden

St. Bernard Brewery, (www.sintbernardus.be), in Watou, near Poperinge

This trip, with world-renowned beer writer, Roger Protz (1939-) (www.beer-pages.com, Bookmark), took place in May, 2006. In the photo, above left, 3 Fonteinen's Armand Debelder is pointing out some Schaarbeek Cherries that are growing in the driveway leading to his warehouse in Halle, which is close to the main 3 Fonteinen Lambic brewery and blending facility (www.3fonteinen.be) and the 3 Fonteinen bar/restaurant, in Beersel. Schaarbeek Cherries (Schaerbeekse Krieken) are the classic Cherries, originating from the Brussels suburb of Schaarbeek/Schaerbeek, that are used to produce the Cherry Beer, Kriek, by adding such Cherries to Lambic. In the photo, above right, Oud Beersel's Gert Christiaens and Roland de Bus are standing alongside barrels of Lambic in the Oud Beersel Lambic brewery and blending facility, in Beersel (www.oudbeersel.com). The photos were taken by John White, in May, 2006.

3 Fonteinen is a world-class brewer and blender of Lambic, which has previously been the subject of a White Beer Travels Beer Hunt. This visit was used to get up to date with the latest developments at this great brewery.

Oud Beersel, in Beersel, Belgium (Laarheidestraat 230), was one of only a handful of traditional Lambic brewers and blenders, when it tragically closed in late 2002. Next door was a marvellously atmospheric bar. Thankfully, after nearly three years of doubt as to its future, Oud Beersel has been acquired by Gert Christiaens and Roland de Bus, who, in the future, will be brewing Lambic again in Oud Beersel and producing Gueuze and Kriek from the Lambic.

During the visit we got details of Pierre's proposed brewing venture in Blanco Texas, which, unfortunately, has subsequently been aborted for legal reasons. Background information on Pierre is provided in a White Beer Travels Web page, which can be reached by clicking here. This has been expanded to include further details of the visit.

Bruxellensis (www.festivalbruxellensis.be, White Beer Travels Web page) is a world-class festival. The inaugural festival took place in September, 2005. It was organised by Yvan De Baets and Bernard Leboucq, who jointly run the "Brasserie de la Senne" (De Zenne Brouwerij) (www.brasseriedelasenne.be). For further details of the festival, there is a White Beer Travels Web page covering it. In 2007, the festival takes place on Saturday, the 8th (from 11am to 11pm) and on Sunday, the 9th (from 11am to 9pm) of September.

Prior to the 2005 festival each day, a trip into the Pajottenland was undertaken with the Prince of the Payottenland, Lorenzo (Kuaska) Dabove (www.kuaska.be (English-language version), www.kuaska.it (Italian version)) and two friends from Italy, Angelo Primoselli and Gabriele Branchini. On the eve of the festival,we had a truly marvellous meal in Alain Fayt's Restobières, 32, rue des Renards (Vossenstraat), www.restobieres.be. In attendance were: Lorenzo and friends; Jean-François Herbecq of VRT (Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep), www.vrtnieuws.net; Philippe Emmerechts of the Ordre du Faro de Bruxelles; and Ron Extract of the US beer importers, Shelton Brothers, www.sheltonbrothers.com.

Visits, in a superb itinerary devised by Lorenzo, included: In de Oude Smis Van Mekingen (Jan Baptist Cardijnstraat 10, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (www.sint-pieters-leeuw.be), GPS: 50.764143 N, 4.228522 E); the Sint-Pieters Brouwerij, in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (Victor Nonnemansstraat 40A (GPS: 50.785585 N, 4.244583 E) (physically just off this street on Konkelerf, on the right, GPS: 50.785423 N, 4.243818 E)), this micro brewery being housed in the building where the late Jos Moriau blended Lambics, see below for further details of the visit; De Koekoek, in Asse (Edingsesteenweg 200 (N285)); Pedehof (Rollestraat 80) and the Sint Anna Café (Herdebeekstraat 174), both in Sint-Anna-Pede, on opposite sides of the church featured in Peter Bruegel the Elder's "The Parable of the Blind" (De Parabel van de blinden) (1568); In de Zwaan, in Zellik (Brusselsesteenweg 539 (N9), GPS: 50.883492 N, 4.276113 E); Den Ouden Belg, in Relegem (Dorpstraat 40, www.denoudenbelg.be, GPS: 50.900055 N, 4.280863 E); Bij Rie van Mollem, in Mollem (Dorp 6, GPS: 50.930832 N, 4.227268 E); Schepdaal to see some famous defunct breweries (Eylenbosch, Ninoofsesteenweg 5 (N8), (closed 2001) and De Neve (Isabellastraat 52, closed 1990); Bij Schaekels, in Lennik/Eizeringen (Nellekenstraat 42 (Oude Geraardsbergsestraat Tees with its street opposite the place, GPS: 50.821040 N, 4.133008 E); and In De Verzekering Tegen De Grote Dorst, in Lennik/Eizeringen (Frans Baetensstraat 45, GPS: 50.831728 N, 4.139892 E) (www.dorst.be (relays to dorst.eizeringen.tripod.com)), White Beer Travels Web page), see above. All the marvellous bars featured are covered in the don't-enter-Lambicland-without LambicLand LambikLand, a 2004 book on Lambic brewers, blenders and bars, that Tim Webb produced with Chris (Podge) Pollard. More details of this book are to be found on Tim's "books about beer" website, www.booksaboutbeer.com, and in a White Beer Travels Web page featuring it, these also covering Tim's don't-enter-Belgium-without Good Beer Guide Belgium, and Podge and Siobhan McGinn's Around Bruges in 80 Beers.

During the weekend in which the 2005 Bruxellensis Beer Festival took place, a visit was made to the Sint-Pieters Brewery. Of course, its brewer, Bernard Leboucq, had beers at the festival, as well as being the co-organiser of the festival, so it was not feasible for him to conduct the visit himself, so he left the key to the brewery at Cantillon, where we picked it up, and thus a group consisting of myself, Lorenzo Dabove, Angelo Primoselli, Gabriele Branchini and Philippe Emmerechts (of the Ordre du Faro de Bruxelles) had a brewery tour, conducted by ourselves, this form of brewery visit being a first for all of us! In the photo, above left, which was taken by Angelo Primoselli, in September, 2005, I am opening the door of the brewery. The photo, above right, of the Brew House, was taken at the same time, by John White. In it, from left to right are Philippe, Angelo, Gabriele and Lorenzo. The brewery is housed in the building where the late Jos Moriau used to blend Lambic, at Victor Nonnemansstraat 40A (GPS: 50.785585 N, 4.244583 E) (physically just off this street on Konkelerf, on the right, GPS: 50.785423 N, 4.243818 E). This visit was part of a tour of the Payottenland that took place prior to the 2005 festival each day. For further details of it, click here. There is little obvious evidence of the Moriau blending facility, although, along the left hand side of the photo on the right, can be seen a shallow channel. This served to drain away anything that leaked from the wooden vessels that would have once been in the place.

The hotel used on the trip (Hôtel du Congrès, 40-44, rue du Congrès (Congresstraat), tel 02 217 18 90, www.hotelducongres.be) is very handy for an outstanding bar, Le Bier Circus (www.biercircus.be), which relocated in August, 2005, so a visit was clearly on the agenda. Its new address is 57, rue de l'Enseignement (Onderrichtsstraat/Onderwijsstraat) (corner of rue de la Tribune (Tribunestraat), GPS: 50.848822 N, 4.364924 E, see the photo, above left, which was taken by John White, in September, 2005, as was the one on its right, of Le Bier Circus's proprietor, Patrick D'hane. Le Bier Circus moved from number 89 on the same street. To celebrate the move, Cantillon Brewery in Brussels (www.cantillon.be, White Beer Travels Web page) produced "The Dernière Cuvée du 89 pour Le Bier Circus" (The Last Batch/Vintage from 89 for Le Bier Circus). Its name is also in Dutch on the label, "The Laatste Cuvée van 89 voor Le Bier Circus", the words for "Last", "of" and "for" being stacked on the label; click here to see a close up of the label. This "Moving Beer" is a superb, eighteen month old Lambic, dry-hopped successively with Tettnang and Goldings hops. In the photo, above right, Patrick is pouring this beer, in the newly relocated Le Bier Circus.

The truly wonderful Cantillon Brewery was visited for the nth time during the weekend.

This British Guild of Beer Writers' trip to the Belgian capital, Brussels, and to Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium, took place in July, 2005.

A couple of photos taken during this trip can be seen at the top of this page, which also gives some outline information on the trip. For more detailed information, click on the heading of this section for the White Beer Travels Web page covering the trip.

2005: Trip based in De Haan, on the Belgian Coast

This was a three generation family holiday that took place in February, 2005. We rented a villa in the Sunparks Resort, near De Haan, at Wenduinesteenweg 150 (the South side of the N317 National road), tel 050 42 95 96, www.sunparks.com, GPS: 51.285110^o N, 3.061652^o E. The villas, which sleep four, six or eight, have a barbecue built into the outside wall. Use of the excellent tropical pool complex is included in the price. There are other facilities - sporting, sauna, etc - that cost extra. There is a shop with a few beers, and restaurants/cafés, and a bar, this having draught beers that I don't mention and bottles such as Duvel (€3.35) and Rodenbach (€1.85) (February, 2005 prices, which can be obtained from the Sunparks website). However, Sunparks is only a fifteen minute walk to the nearest De Lijn coastal tram stop (called Wenduine Sunparks), with De Torre's stop being only three stops away to the West; one can also walk to the great Specialty Beer bar, De Torre in half an hour or so. Note that the tram stop is on a completely different road to Sunparks, i.e. if coming from the direction of Ostend/De Haan, the tram stop is on the West to East carriageway of the N34 (Nieuwe Rijksweg). On getting off the tram, cross the road, and heading South off it, very soon after walking back towards De Haan, there is a path through woods. This leads to the N317, which one turns right onto, it being called Driftweg at this point, with De Lekkerbek Restaurant (Driftweg 10, Zuienkerke (Nieuwmunster) www.de-lekkerbek.be), diagonally opposite. Sunparks is a few hundred metres/yards on the left (road name Wenduinesteenweg). If coming by road from Ostend/De Haan, the smart entrance to Sunparks is on the right, on the N317, soon after passing Camping Ter Duinen. From the  E40 (A10) motorway, De Haan is signed from its junction 6. In the vicinty of De Haan, there are clear signs to Sunparks.

Note that the Sunparks website covers three more Sunparks, at: Oostduinkerke, on the Belgian Coast; Vielsalm, in the Ardennes; and Kempense Meren, In Belgian Limburg. From the Sunparks website, one can order a brochure.

Of course, being based near De Haan, the town's world-class Speciality Beer bar, De Torre (www.detorre.be), was revisited, click here for details of an earlier visit. In the photo to the left, which was taken by Joyce White, in February, 2005, De Torre's proprietor, Daniel Dumon, has a bottle of Zoetzuur (Sweet and Sour) (7%), a "Flemish Reserve Ale" brewed by De "Proef" Brouwerij (BVBA Andelot (www.proefbrouwerij.com), in Lochristi-Hijfte, near Ghent, for Michael Jackson's Rare Beer Club (rarebeerclub.beveragebistro.com) (importer Lionstone International, www.lionstone.com); we had Daniel's last bottle. On John White's knee is his granddaughter, Emma Skinner; Emma's brother, Jack Skinner, has a paper place setting on his head.

The biggest town on the Belgian coast is Ostend (Oostende in Dutch), which is readily reached from Sunparks by coastal tram. The photo, above left, was taken in 't Kroegske, in Ostend (Sint-Paulusstraat 81, tel 059 80 81 91), in February, 2005, by Rik Vernack, the President of DOB, De Oostendse Bierjutters (The Ostend Beercombers, www.deoostendsebierjutters.org, White Beer Travels Web page), which is the branch of Zythos (www.zythos.be and White Beer Travels Web page), the Belgian Beer consumers' organisation, that represents Ostend and the Belgian coast. With John White, in the photo, is 't Kroegske's proprietor, Iwein Scheer. In my hand, I have a poster for DOB's annual beer festival, De Bierjutterij, which, in 2006, takes place on Saturday, the 8th of July. On the bar there are two bottles of Keyte, with their respective front and back labels showing, and a Keyte glass. Keyte, which was commissioned by DOB, is brewed by Strubbe (www.brouwerij-strubbe.be). Keyte was originally produced to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the ending of a Siege of Ostend (1601-4). Thus, it first appeared in 2004, but is now brewed permanently. Above John's head is a poster for Keyte; for further information on Keyte, DOB's beer festival and 't Kroegske, click here. There is a seventy page White Beer Travels guide to Ostend & The Belgian Coast available from the Downloads page.

The photo, above right, was taken by John White, in the Waterfront, a restaurant in Ostend (Vissersplein 9, tel 059 50 56 21). In the foreground on the left can be seen a bottle of Keyte. In the background is John's grandson, Jack Skinner, eating some Mussels, and his son, Graham White. Jack, who was seven years old when the photo was taken, would not consider a holiday in Belgium complete without having had some Mussels and Frites (and a Lobster); a bowl of Frites can be seen in the foreground. They do great, freshly prepared pancakes, too. As well as bars, Keyte has a very good presence throughout Ostend and in other places on the Belgian coast, the Waterfront being a typical example of a place that is not particularly beer-orientated that has it. Inside, the Waterfront is a real gem, with nice panelling and homely fittings and furnishing. It is superbly run by Ronny Robert and his wife. It does not open on Mondays, out of season.

Ostend's two most famous Specialty Beer bars, which were diagonally opposite each other, were naturally visited: 't Ostens Bierhuus, Louisastraat 14, tel 059 70 67 01; and the Café Botteltje, which is within the Hotel Marion (www.hotelmarion.be). Rik Vernack took the photo, above left, in February, 2005, of myself with Tim Smith, 't Ostens Bierhuus's English owner. In my hands I have a bottle and glass of De "Proef" Brouwerij's Kapel van Viven Blond (6.8%) (€3.20). Very sadly, Tim died in July, 2006, a few months after retiring from 't Ostens Bierhuus, and his great place became an Irish Bar. With over 300 different beers, the Botteltje has the biggest selection of beers for an hotel bar in the world. In the photo, above right, which was taken by John White, in February, 2005, Emma Skinner, John's granddaughter, and her father, Paul Skinner, are studying the Botteltje's beer menu. Emma was fifteen months' old when the photo was taken. For a picture of Emma's brother studying the same menu, click here.

Very close to the entrance to the De Haan Sunparks, there is a bus stop, named "[Wenduine] Sunparks", for the number 31 (former 790) De Lijn (www.delijn.be) bus to Bruges. You can check the somewhat complicated times on arrival at Sunparks that are posted on the bus stop, or on De Lijn's website, www.delijn.be. They are not very frequent, for example, at the time the photo, above left, was taken (February, 2005, by John White), there was one at 9.26am and the next one was 1.26pm. Click here for details of how to use the Dutch-language De Lijn web site. As can be seen from the destination indicator in the photo, in Dutch, Bruges is Brugge. Behind the trees on the left, can be seen the entrance to Sunparks. The Sunparks bus stop is also served by a De Lijn Belbus minibus (route 36): ring 059 56 52 56 to book your journey, this being the Belbus number for the whole of the Province of West Flanders; click here for the Belbus telephone numbers for the rest of Belgian Flanders. This particular Belbus can get you to Blankenberge and Zeebrugge, and to the Blauwe Toren Industrial Zone near Bruges, from where there are buses into the city centre. On one day of the holiday, we got on the scheduled 31 bus, and after around thirty-five minutes we were in Bruges. Note that the maximum number that can be booked on a Belbus is fourteen. Needless to say, some time was spent in 't Brugs Beertje (www.brugsbeertje.be, White Beer Travels Web page), one of the world's finest Speciality Beer bars. I had arranged to meet Bruges resident, Filip Geerts, in there, who is in the middle in the photo, above right, which was taken by Daisy Claeys, who runs 't Brugs Beertje. Filip has an excellent website, surf.to/beer, which has a superb list of beer links covering the Belgian Specialty Beer scene. Filip's other main site, Belgian Beer Pub Map, www.beerpubmap.be, is also top class. Filip is also responsible for the Belgian Beer Board message board/website, www.belgianbeerboard.be. Whilst waiting for Filip, I had a chat with fellow DOB member, and 't Brugs Beertje regular, Johan Van Ryckeghem (Black Beasty), who has a Bolleke of De Koninck in his hand; I have a glass of De Regenboog's "'t Smijse Halloween" (10.5%) (€3.25), a superb beer that has Pumpkin and Pumpkin Seed amongst its ingredients. There was also a little excursion to Roeselare, the home of Rodenbach for a bar that opened in December, 2004, run by Frank Detailleur, in the town's main square, the Café-Brasserie De Zalm. Click here for the White Beer Travels Web page covering Roeselare, for more details of this excellent place. Rodenbach Brewery was visited on the first ever White Beer Travels Group Beer Hunt, in 1993; click here for more details of it.

On the way home, a detour was also undertaken to Ieper (Ypres), which is associated with the tremendous numbers of people who were killed in the area, in the First World War.

The above three photos were taken by John White, in February, 2005. They feature 't Klein Rijsel (The Little Lille), which is just by the Rijselpoort (Lille Gate), in Ieper (Ypres) (Rijselsestraat 208, tel 057 20 02 36, GPS: 50.844672o N, 2.890348o E). En route to it from the Grote Markt, one passes a famous Speciality Beer outlet, on the left, Ter Posterie, at Rijselsestraat 57 (tel 057 26 05 80, GPS: 50.848923o N, 2.886867o E). Click here for a Web page featuring 't Klein Rijsel and its associated museum. www.ieper.be is a website, with Dutch, French and English pages, covering tourism in and around Ieper.

The interior shot is of the place's gem of a snug. As you can see, there is a mannequin of a soldier in a display cabinet in this room, and one is standing outside, the latter being regularly swopped with others inside. 't Klein Rijsel is essentially the bar/snack bar for the Ramparts 1914-1918 War Museum, which is on the left in the photo, above left, which was taken from the ramparts. The walk from here along the Vauban ramparts to the famous Menin Gate is not to be missed; pick up the excellent leaflet/map The Ramparts Route Ypres from the Tourist Information Office, in the completely flattened and rebuilt Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle), in the city's main square, the Grote Markt. 't Klein Rijsel has around fifty beers, including draught Vredesbier (Peace Beer) (6%), which is served in very nice Pot Beer Mugs ("from grandfather's time"), and bottled Den Mesenaere (Le Messinois) (6.2%); Vredesbier is a Label Beer from Van Eecke, in nearby Watou (www.brouwerijvaneecke.tk): Het Kapittel Pater. I understand that the other one is also a label beer, from Van Eecke's sister brewery, Leroy, in nearby Boezinge. 't Klein Rijsel is open every day except Wednesday from 10.30am (10am on Sunday) to 9pm. The museum also does not open on Wednesdays. On other days it is open from 10.30am to 8pm.