This White Beer Travels "Pub of the Month" was selected by John White. Descriptions of places such as this are taken from Beer Guides that have been prepared for White Beer Travels Beer Hunts, all participants getting copies: they typically get well over 100 A4 pages of information per trip. This particular write-up is based on one of the handouts for a 2001 Beer Hunt, based in Ghent and Namur, in Belgium. For details of the whole trip, click on Past [Beer Hunts], in this sentence, or at the top or bottom of this page. The write-ups on other Pubs of the Month can be accessed by clicking on Archives, or by using the "Previous Month" and "Next Month" links at the top and bottom of this page.

Denderleeuw is an unremarkable town 30 kilometres (19 miles) to the North West of Brussels, in the Province of East Flanders. It is thus a most unusual place in which to find what is one of the best Speciality Beer bars in the world. Yes, De Heeren van Liederkercke is right up there with: 't Brugs Beertje (www.brugsbeertje.be, White Beer Travels Web page), in Bruges; Kroegske, in Emelgem (www.kroegske.be, White Beer Travels Web page); De Bierkamer, in Kluizen (www.debierkamer.be, White Beer Travels Web page); In de Wildeman (www.indewildeman.nl) and 't Arendsnest (www.arendsnest.nl, White Beer Travels Web page), in Amsterdam, in The Netherlands; and the Wynkoop (www.wynkoop.com, White Beer Travels Web page), in Denver, Colorado, USA.

De Heeren van Liedekercke (DHL) is clearly a favourite of Tim Webb's, for, in the 4th edition (2002) of his don't-enter-Benelux-without Good Beer Guide to Belgium & Holland, he states that if he had included various "Best of" awards in the guide, then it would very likely have won the big one!DHL is a major supporter of Lambic and its derivatives, such as Gueuze and Beers produced by steeping fruit in Lambic, such as Kriek (Cherry) and Framboise (Raspberry), see below. Thus, although not quite in the Payottenland, it is featured in LambicLand LambikLand, a May, 2004 book covering Lambic Bars, Breweries and Blenders and how to get to them, which is co-written by Tim and Podge. More details of this don't-enter-the Pajottenland-without 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. The book can be purchased from Tim's website along with his latest guide covering Belgium, the Good Beer Guide Belgium, which can also be purchased from CAMRA (www.camra.org.uk), from www.amazon.co.uk, or from  www.amazon.com. In this edition, DHL is described as "One of our favourite café-restaurants in all of Belgium."

DHL's name translates as "The Gentlemen from Liedekercke", these being the brothers Joost and Tom De Four. Although it is in technically in Denderleeuw, this marvellous place is often, because of its name and location, listed under Liedekerke, another fairly ordinary town in the Flemish part of the Province of Brabant. The bar is usually approached from Liedekerke, Kasteelstraat being off this town's Stationsstraat (signed to Denderleeuw). The unmarked provincial border separating Brabant from East Flanders is soon reached when going down Kasteelstraat from Liedekerke.

As you can see from the photo above, the building is not classic old Flemish, often the stereotype for famous Specialty Beer Bars in this area. Outside, this smart, modern building is declared to be a Taveerne, Restaurant, Bier & Wijnkelder (Beer & Wine Cellar). "Mooie Momenten" (Nice Times) are also promised on the sign. This is a major understatement; the place really is a magnificent place to visit for the most hardened Beer Hunter. The food and ambience are also exceptional; the English-language slogan below the place's logo is most apt - "A Wonderfood Place". It is amazing just what has been achieved since the place opened in 1991. Yes, a world class, don't miss Speciality Beer bar that also does outstanding food.

The place is very bright, spacious and clean looking inside. Outside there is a garden and terrace and a really good children's play area, something which is in keeping with the place's excellence with regard to children's food, see later. The play area includes a "Go Cart" racing track.

I visited with a group in October, 2001. Twenty-six of us had pre ordered specific food dishes, more on this later. These were eaten in the rather pleasant cellar bar; in it there is much breweriana, including brewery enamel plaques, etc, etc. The cellar is in no way dingy, since, despite being down below, it does have windows onto the street, as is apparent from the photo on the left, which was taken by John White, in October, 2001. As can be seen, there is a pile of crates in the basement bar. The top two and the bottom one are from the Westvleteren Trappist Monastery (www.sintsixtus.be), this place having their beers, this being the sign of a good bar, since they must be personally collected from the Monastery, or its tap, In de Vrede (www.indevrede.be, White Beer Travels Web page). Third down is a Gueuze crate from the defunct Heyvaert Brewery, in Asse. In the background, are some of the White Beer Travels Beer Hunters, including Dr Eric and "Second Petal"Sylvia Clow, at the window, with my wife Joyce opposite them. It is Eric and Sylvia's people carrier that is in front of the building in the photo at the top of the page.

The unobtrusive background music is classical. In charge of beer and the bar/restaurant is Joost De Four. Joost is pronounced Yost to "rhyme with 'host', as in perfect", something which is most apt, to quote Stephen D'Arcy, of the Brussels branch of the UK Beer Consumers' Organisation CAMRA (www.camra.org.uk). Joost's Brother Tom, see later, looks after the food and the wine.

The Beer

There are five varying draught beers and around 300 bottled beers listed in the menu. Unless otherwise indicated, the prices that follow are for 25/33cl measures of draught beer and for 33cl bottles, 25cl and 33cl being respectively just under and just over half an imperial pint. Draught beers at the time of the October, 2001 visit were: Mort Subite White & Normal Lambic at €2.11/1.61; Westmalle Dubbel at €1.86/2.35 (25/33cl); Ter Dolen at €1.98/2.75; and Kerkom's Bloesembink at €2.75 (33cl).

The bottled beers are listed in menus on each table. These are well laid out, listed by style, with information on the strength of the beers and their colour and flavour. Two of its pages list the beers alphabetically, there being photocopies of these all about the place, that can be taken away. The beer selection is not only large, but is full of sheer quality. Examples include: Bloesembink at €2.75; Westvleteren 12^o (ABT) at €4.35; Klokbier at €2.60 from the Boelens Microbrewery in Belsele, East Flanders (www.brouwerijboelens.be), who probably also brew the house beer, Heerenbier, at the same price, a beer that is available elsewhere; Strubbe's Hoevebier at €2.15; Rochefort 10^o at €3.85; etc; etc. The place is just beyond the Pajottenland, the classic area for the production of spontaneously fermented beer (Lambic). Fittingly, Joost tries to feature every known non commercial Lambic and derivatives (Gueuze and Fruit Beers such as Kriek (Cherry) and Framboise (Raspberry)), including many that are no longer brewed. Unquestionably, he has one of the biggest selection in the world, certainly the biggest in Belgium (surprisingly, the biggest selection worldwide is thought to be a bar called the Akkurat Belgo Bar, in Stockholm, in Sweden, www.akkurat.se, which is run by Sten "Stene" Isacsson. Examples of DHL's Lambics include (37.5cl bottles unless otherwise stated): Framboise Drie (3) Fonteinen at €12 (75cl); Cantillon Druivenlambik at €5.60; Lindemans Geuze Fond at €3.75; Kriek from the defunct, not the resurrected De Koninck at €3.60; and 1991 Wets Kriek at €6. The latter also appears in an old beer category, the following being some further examples: 1995 Brigand at €3.65; and 1996 Cantillon Geuze at €4.50.

The photo on the left shows Joost with his wife Jessie, in La Ratera (www.laratera.it), an excellent bar/restaurant in the Milan suburb of Trenno, in Italy. The photo was taken by John White, in October, 2004. On the table is a "Tubo" of Cantillon Lambic that accompanied an excellent beer cuisine meal, organised by Lorenzo (Kuaska) Dabove (www.kuaska.be (English-language version), www.kuaska.it (Italian version)). Further details of the event are to be found on a White Beer Travels Web page, which can be reached by clicking here. For their wedding in September, 2003, Joost and Jessie had special Gueuzes blended for them by 3 Fonteinen (www.3fonteinen.be), in Beersel: J & J Oude Gueuze (male and female versions).

Joost De Four is the Secretary of an organisation that promotes Lambic beer: HORAL (Hoge Raad voor Ambachtelijke Lambikbieren), which in English is the "High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers". It was set up in 1997 by Armand Debelder, of the 3 Fonteinen. Armand is HORAL's Chairman. Other brewer/Lambic blender members of HORAL include: Boon (www.boon.be); De Cam (www.decam.be); De Troch (www.detroch.be); Mort Subite (formerly called De Keersmaeker) (Scottish Courage Alken-Maes (SCAM)); Oud Beersel (closed in November, 2002, but, in 2005, it was acquired by Gert Christiaens and Roland de Bus, see www.oudbeersel.com); Hanssens Artisanaal (www.proximedia.com/web/hanssens.html); Lindemans (www.lindemans.be); Timmermans (www.john-martin.be); and Girardin (who joined in April, 2004). OBP, Belgium's premier beer consumers' organisation (now succeeded by Zythos, www.zythos.be, click here for details), was also involved in HORAL. For further information on HORAL, see its website www.horal.be, which is a superb information source on Lambic and its derivatives. Presently (December, 2006) it only has Dutch pages, but English and French ones are promised. Another excellent information source on HORAL, in English, is ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pvosta/horal.htm. This is part of Peter Van Osta's excellent, essential Web pages covering Lambic: ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pvosta/pcrbier1.htm. The following Dutch language site, entitled "Het Mysterie van Lambik" (The Mystery of Lambic) is also excellent: home.tiscali.be/pajottenland/pajot/bier/lambik.htm. Click here for the French version (Le Lambic: quel mystère!!) of this, and here, here and here for the essential root website, in Dutch, French and English respectively, covering the Pajottenland.

The Food

The food served up to the White Beer Travels Beer Hunters, in October, 2001 was excellent, way above the normal level to be found in Specialty Beer places, although it must be said that the general standard of food in such Belgian places is in a different plain to typical English pub food. Tom De Four has received a number of prestigious awards for his cooking, including Best Game Cook in Belgium in 1998, a year in which he was commended in the same competition for his cooking of mussels and for his children's food. Even without this, for me, the photo to the right is almost proof enough. In it, Tom really does have the demeanour of a top class chef. He is also something of an expert on wine, having the prestigious Maître-Sommelier award from l'Union de la Sommellerie française, see the website www.udsf.net.

For my group, for efficiency, as we had a tight schedule, I produced a condensed version of menus that had been sent to me in advance of the visit. Minimising choice clearly helps the kitchen out, and quite frankly, increases the chances of getting good food, group catering always being more problematic than conventional dining. I provided translations of the names of the dishes into English, the ones given below. I concentrated on Beer Cuisine dishes. With food of this quality and the attention to detail that the place has, one must schedule quite a bit of time for such a group meal, but it is well worth it. For example, they like to clear all the tables of the main course plates and cutlery before anyone gets a dessert. Very professional, but it takes time.

The food ranges from snacks to Haute Cuisine, the latter including some Beer Cuisine (Bierkeuken), the beer used in such dishes being in quotes. For example, there are main courses of: Ballekes in tomatensaus met marjolein en "Orval" (Pork Meat Balls in Tomato Sauce with Marjoram and "Orval") at €8.68; Witte en zwarte pensen met rode kool, geconfijte appeltjes, "Heerenbier" en opgevulde 'pellepatat' (White and Black Tripe with Red Cabbage, Preserved Apples, "Heerenbier", and Stuffed Jacket Potato) at €8.68; Rundscarbonaden '24 uur op de stoof' met perzik en peer in "Pater Lieven Bruin" (Carbonnade of Beef '24 Hours in the Pot' with Peaches and Pears in "Pater Lieven Bruin") at €9.79; Waterzooi van Mechelse koekoek verdronken in Witkap Stimulo (Mechelen (Malines) "Cuckoo" (a type of Chicken, fed with Buck Wheat and Milk) and Chicory Stew, drowned in "Witkap Stimulo") at €11.16; Konijnenrug met pruimen en abrikozen in "Kriekbier 'Hanssens'" (Back of Rabbit with Prunes and Apricots in "Hanssens Kriek") at €12.27; Blanquette de veau met Geuze zoals je hem nergens anders eet (Veal in a White Sauce with Geuze, the like of which you will never have had elsewhere) at €12.27; and Gevarieerd slaatje van gebakken Schotse zalm met perzik, oranjebloesemwater en "Maredsous 10^o"(Baked Scottish Salmon Mixed Salad with Peaches, Orange Blossom Water and "Maredsous 10^o") at €10.54. All these, apart from the last one also come in the category of Flemish Dishes (Vlaamsche Keuken) on the menu.

Beer Cuisine Desserts/Cheese include: Sorbet van cassis met een sabayon van "cassisbier Timmermans" (Blackcurrant Sorbet with a Sabayon Sauce of "Timmermans Cassis" (Blackcurrant Beer)) at €3.97; and Vanillebavarois met een coulis van framboosjes en "Barbãr" (Vanilla Bavarois (a set cream dessert) with a Barbãr and Raspberry Coulis at €4.71.

There are numerous other dishes, such as Kabeljauw gepocheerd in "Ter Dolen abdijbier" (Cod poached in "Ter Dolen Abbey Beer") at €12.27; Vegetarian Dishes such as Slaatje met geitekaas, acaciahoning en een potpourri van fruit (Goat's Cheese Salad with Acacia Honey and a Potpourri of Fruit) for €9.79; and some Low Calorie Dishes (Calorie arme gerechten). There are some marvellous sounding set three to five course menus, including some particularly interesting Beer Cuisine menus: the Arnoldus at €24.67/35.94, the latter price being the "all in" price with appropriate beers to accompany each course; the Gambrinus at €30.99/43.38; the "Trots van België" (Pride of Belgium) at €39.66 all in, the dishes all being cooked using Lambic and derivatives; and the Trappistenmenu at €49.58 all in. Space prevents further descriptions of what I am sure will be wonderful eating and drinking experiences. There are also Daily Menus (Dagschotels) at €9.30, which consist of two courses (starter and main course) plus coffee.

Other Beer Cuisine dishes include: Cordon Bleu of Scottish Salmon with Smoked Halibut and "Geuze" Sauce and Fresh Herbs; and Veal Escalope marinated in "Heerenbier" with Chocolate. There are also some vegetarian dishes: Quorn Curry with Pineapples and Vegetables with Rice; Vegetarian Lasagne with Tomatoes; and Vegetarian Crispy Bread with Salad. I have no prices for these.

Snacks include: Mini Pizza at €2.48; Verse soep met brood (Fresh Soup & Bread) at €3.10; and Broodje met kaas en hesp (sla en tomaat) (Cheese, Ham, & Salad Sandwich) at €3.47.

De Heeren van Liederkercke also has its own Bierpralines (Beer Chocolates), these being made for them locally by Het Chocoladehuis (www.hetchocoladehuis.be), in Denderleeuw (Albrecht Rodenbachstraat 16a). Beers used in their production include Heerenbier, Orval, Lindeman Kriek and Hanssens Kriek.

Other Information

De Heeren van Liedekercke is featured in the 2006-7 edition of Bob Hendrickx's 208 Originele Cafés in Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen & Brussel (www.bloggen.be/originelecafes). With the latest version of this book in hand, one gets a second beer free in most of the bars featured in it. The free drink here is the "Bier van de Maand" (Beer of the Month). Further details of this essential book can be found on another White Beer Travels Web page, which can be reached by clicking here.

The place is not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Mondays, it opens between 11.30am and 2.30pm (until Midnight in July and August). On Thursdays, it is open from 11.30am until 11pm. On Friday and Saturday, it opens from 11.30am until 1am. On Sunday, it opens from 12.30pm until 11pm. By arrangement, groups can visit at different times, say an arrival at 10.30am on a day that it is normally open. There is also a period when it is shut for vacation, typically the first three weeks of October.

Not far from Liedekerke/Denderleeuw, on the other side of the E40 (A10) Brussels to Ghent Motorway, is the small town of Affligem and its Abbey (Abdij Affligem, Abdijstraat 6, 1790 Affligem, tel 053 66 70 25). The Abbey's beers - which are not produced at the Abbey - are well known to Beer Hunters. However, somewhat unusually, this Benedictine Monastery produces an excellent monastic cider, which can be purchased at the Monastery's shop at weekends. The Affligem range of beers are brewed by Heineken's Affligem Brewery (former De Smedt), in nearby Opwijk. Prior to the take-over by Heineken, De Smedt claimed that the recipes that they use for the Affligem Abbey Beers were the same as those used for the beers tasted by Godefroid de Bouillon, the nephew of Godefroid le Bossu (the Hunchback), in 1096, and St. Bernard, in 1146, on their respective visits to the Affligem Monastery. Godefroid (Godfrey) went to the abbey to receive blessing before setting off for the Crusades in the Holy Lands. He was to form the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1099, and see a build-up of Christianity in the area before dying in Jerusalem a year later, in 1100.

Also close to Liedekerke and Denderleeuw is the hop and malt town of Aalst, on the River Dender, a place that was once awash with breweries, but sadly none are left. However, it has five Speciality Beer bars listed in Tim Webb, and is also worthy of a visit in its own right. For further information on Aalst, click here to go to a White Beer Travels Web page featuring it.

The Delhaize Supermarket very close to De Heeren van Liedekercke at Kasteelstraat 62 (tel 053 68 42 32), has, of course, some Specialty Beers. Not as many as in a Speciality Beer warehouse, but those that they have are very reasonably priced. For example - and it is one of many - at £1=€1.58, the great Orval is under 60 Pence, which is under a Dollar, and Westmalle Dubbel, another famed Trappist Beer, is even cheaper! The following list contains the bulk of the Specialty Beers, the prices being for single bottles (33cl unless indicated otherwise), or for singles and packs of four when separated by a "/".

Charles Quint at €1.02/3.89; Kasteelbier €1.04/4.16, the latter being one of a number of items on "Promo", this one at €3.67; Orval at €0.92/3.57; Westmalle Dubbel at €0.74, Tripel at €3.20 (in embossed 75cl bottles); Barbãr at €1.09/4.19; Tripel Karmeliet at €1.07/4.09; St. Bernardus 8^o at €0.97/3.87; Rochefort 10o at €1.36; 75cl bottles of La Chouffe, McChouffe and Chouffe Bok for respectively €2.35, €2.43 and €2.43; Saison Regal at €1.71 (75cl); 75cl bottles of Blanche de Namur and Blanche de Noel for respectively €1.39 ("Promo" at €1.19) and €?; Cantillon Gueuze and Kriek in 75cl bottles for respectively €2.60 and €3.35; four packs of Timmermans Gueuze Lambic for €2.85, Kriek for €2.95, and Lambicus for €?; Liefmans Kriek in 37.5cl bottles for €1.46; four packs of Guinness Special Export (8%) for €4.44; Delhaize's Florival for €1.46 (75cl); Tongerlo Tripel for €0.99/3.87; and a Bio Beer, a Tripel called Nog Gentje for €1.04 (brewed for Stepaya, a health foods company, by De "Proef" Brouwerij (BVBA Andelot (www.proefbrouwerij.com)), in Lochristi-Hijfte, near Ghent; the website www.stepa.be provides details of this beer and the natural sweetener that it contains). There were also some own brand Lambic and derivatives, such as a Gueuze and Kriek, that are brewed by Lindemans, who do the same for another Supermarket chain, Super GB.

Note that a coin is required to release one of the Delhaize trolleys. The location of other Delhaize supermarkets can be found in the Belgian telephone directories (www.infobel.be), the Internet versions being invaluable for finding information for Beer Hunt guides, such as precise addresses of places one has the name of, or even new places for investigation.

To these prices must be added bottle deposits of €0.10 for the small bottles and €0.20 for the large ones. One can pay with VISA.

Also very close, it being essentially opposite, is a hypermarket sized toy store called Droomland (Dream Land) (Kasteelstraat 28-30, tel  053 66 65 93, www.droomland.be). It also has office supplies and computer consumables and software, and, around Christmas time, decorations, fibre optic trees, etc.

En route to Heeren Van Liederkercke from Liedekerke railway station, 't Kronieksken, in Liedekerke (Stationsstraat 82, tel 053 66 45 00), has beers from Hanssens, Drie Fonteinen, Boon,
and most Trappists. Its food offerings include dishes made from deer, horse, kangaroo, springbok and crocodile.

How to Get to De Heeren van Liedekercke

By Road

The place is generally reached from the E40 (A10) Brussels to Ghent Motorway. There is a map in the place's website, with instructions in Dutch. The following is an amplification of them based on an actual visit after pre planning using the Stratenatlas van België Guide des Rues de Belgique for the Provincie Oost Vlaanderen Province de Flandre Orientale and for Brabant. These map books are published by Standaard Uitgeverij Éditions Standaard. These show every street in these provinces. They are quite expensive (€39.54 each in 2000) but are indispensable for such pre planning and for getting oneself out of a fix when unexpected roadworks foil one's plans, as has happened on all my visits to De Heeren van Liedekercke! A similar level of detail is to be found on the website www.mappy.com. For a number of countries, one merely plugs in the address of a place and a map down to street name and often building number level is produced.

Leave the E40 (A10) at its junction 19a, which is the N208 signed to Liedekerke and Affligem, the latter being in the opposite direction to Liedekerke, on the right hand side of the motorway, when travelling towards Ghent. Immediately after the right pull off, take the left at the Tee to cross over the motorway.

After the N208 bends to the right, a roundabout is reached. Turn left at this roundabout to join the N207, which is Affligemsestraat. The required direction is signed "Liedekerke Centrum".

Immediately after going over railway tracks, with a station on the right, Affligemsestraat bends to the left and then to the right. After this, the following streets are passed on the right: Muilenstraat, Bunderstraat, Kleemputtenstraat, Lindestraat, Papenbergstraat and Fabriekstraat. After the latter, the street name changes to Pamelsestraat and very soon after it, turn right onto Opperstraat, in the signed direction of Denderleeuw. This right turn is at the third set of traffic lights reached.

At the T-junction reached, which is Stationsstraat, turn left.

After the parking area on the right, take the next right, which is Kasteelstraat. The required De Heeren van Liedekercke bar/restaurant is on the left at Kasteelstraat 33, just beyond the end of a Delhaize Supermarket on the right. It is 6½ kilometres (4 miles) from the E40 motorway. There is parking on the right.

By Rail/Bus

From Brussels, frequent trains in the direction of Gent, Aalst and De Panne stop at Liedekerke. The journey takes as little as nineteen minutes. For train times and prices consult the website of the SNCB (the national railway), which has English pages: www.b-rail.be. There is also a bus from Brussels to Liedekerke, the number 355 from the Gare du Nord - Noordstation. This does not run on Sundays. On Sundays, one can get a 127 to Schepdaal, in the Payottenland, from Brussels and then a 126 to Liedekerke. For bus times, see www.delijn.be, or pick up a timetable on any of the buses.

From Liedekerke railway station, which is mentioned in the "By road" instructions, above it is under a half an hour on foot. One could follow the "By road" instructions from the station, but it is shorter to turn left out of the station, go under the railway bridge and bear right off Affligemsestraat to join the upper end of Stationsstraat. In the main shopping area of the town, after the parking area on the right, take the next right, which is Kasteelstraat. The required De Heeren van Liedekercke is on the left at Kasteelstraat 33, just beyond the end of a Delhaize Supermarket on the right.

There is a railway station much nearer to De Heeren van Liedekercke: Iddergem, which is on a line between Ghent and Ninove. From this station, turn left onto Landuitstraat. There is a name change to Huissegemstraat and after crossing the river Dender, another name change to the required Kasteelstraat, De Heeren van Liedekercke then coming up on the right. Note that there are also trains from Aalst that serve Iddergem, so, one could get to it from Brussels by changing at Aalst, but the overall journey would be considerably longer, even before connection wait times were taken into account, than getting off at Liedekerke station, and then proceeding as per the previous paragraph.

John White (1945-), , November, 2001, updated in June, 2007.

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