Speciality Beer in Mechelen, Antwerp Province, Belgium

A visit to Mechelen was first made by John White, in October, 2003, since Mechelen and its Het Anker brewery and its excellent bar/restaurant and other special bars, such as Den Stillen Genieter, see below, and D'Hanekeef, see below, featured in a White Beer Travels Beer Hunt, in March, 2004; click here for further details. It was further visited in a White Beer Travesl Beer Hunt in March, 2007, details of which can be seen by clicking here. Beer prices quoted are for 25cl measures of draught beer and 33cl bottles, unless indicated otherwise.

After this large section on beer, there is a short introduction to Mechelen's general tourist attractions; it can be reached by clicking here. A map pinpointing the main places featured in this Web page on Mechelen's Specialty Beer scene can be obtained by clicking here; it is best printed at ~A4/Letter size.

Het Anker Brewery & its Museum, Bar & Restaurant,
Guido Gezellelaan 49, tel 015 20 38 80, www.hetanker.be, GPS: 51.031725 N, 4.472793 E

My guide around the brewery in 2003 was a city guide, Erik Vekemans. Ordinarily, I prefer to have a guide from the brewery itself, but Erik turned out to be a terrific host, with a very good grasp of the history of the city and of the brewery and the brewing process. He was also a lover of Belgian Speciality Beers, not least the top class beers that are produced by Het Anker. Information on a tour conducted by Erik, of one of Mechelen's major general tourist attractions can be found below. The brewery is a wonderful blend of the old and the very old. In the picture above left, which was taken by John White, in October, 2003, Erik is standing by a Coolship, on the roof of the brewery, that was formerly used to cool wort. A feature of Het Anker is that former and "new" equipment is in the same building, such that as well as a working brewery, on a visit to the brewery, one also gets a brewery museum visit thrown in; the museum incorporates the brewery's former maltings (malt is now sourced from Dingemans, in Stabroek, near Antwerp). Despite appearances, the Wort Filter, above right, is not part of Het Anker's museum, but is still in use: note the brewer, Hans Van Remoortere, making adjustments to the flow, on the right. The photo was taken by John White, in October, 2003. It can be seen that the Wort Filter is badged Meura, which is a company that is still going strong. It was set up by Jean-Baptiste Meura, in 1845, in Tournai, in Hainaut Province, Wallonia, moving a few miles/kilometres away, to Péruwelz, in 2003. The Meura website, www.meura.be, features their modern stainless steel brew houses, that are very common in Belgium and elsewhere, for example, in De Koninck, in Antwerp, and in most of the Trappist breweries, click here to see photos of their cylindro-conical fermenters installed at the Chimay Trappist brewery.

The operational brew vessels are made from copper in the classic shape. On a non-brewing day, if one made a visit, one would be forgiven for thinking that these were purely part of the museum; I suppose that they are, if one regards it as a living museum. It is clear from the photo on the left, which was taken by John White, in October, 2003, that the vessels are in use; it is steam coming from the Mash Tun in the foreground, not the vapours from "special effect" liquid nitrogen! On the floor below the vessels are some really old drives to rotate the paddles in the vessels. Some of the equipment is more modern, such as the Cylindro-Conical Fermenters and Lagering vessels. There is three weeks' lagering for the top fermenting beers, five to six weeks for the Blusser, which is in the Pils style. Bottling and warm conditioning of the Het Anker bottled beers was, in the past,carried out at Heineken's Affigem Brewery, in Opwijk, but in 2007, the brewery commissioned its own bottling plant.

In front of the brew house vessels there is a display of the materials used to produce the beers. One of these is Corn Flour, but Hans stated that this was only used in the Tripel. Although Corn Flour is often described as an adjunct, Hans insisted that the beer is better with it; in the bar later, see below, the Tripel was truly great, so I have to agree. Note that the Het Anker website mentions Wheat Starch in the Dutch and French pages, but Wheat without qualification on the English pages, which is a translation error. The Wheat Starch, which is used by the renowned Trappist Breweries, Chimay (White Beer Travels Web page) and Rochefort (www.trappistes-rochefort.com, White Beer Travels Web page), has now been replaced, at Het Anker, by the Corn Flour.

Het Anker (The Anchor) is a particularly historic brewery, being on the site of a former place where Nuns had a form of convent, a Begijnhof (Beguinage), where the nuns brewed; it is known that there was brewing on the site from as early as 1369. That it has a history is no idle boast on the part of the brewery, since Mechelen's Groot Begijnhof (Great Beguinage), of which it is very much a part, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, see below. The brewery is mainly known for its Gouden Carolus range. These are named after a coin with the head of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles Quint (V) (1500-1558), who spent much of his childhood in Mechelen, when it was the capital of The Netherlands (Belgium breaking away from it in 1830). He was brought up in the court of his Regent, Margaret of Austria (1480-1530), the Governess of The Netherlands, whose Palace still stands in the city, see later, as does that of Charles Quint's Grandmother, Margaret of York (1446-1503), the third wife of the last reigning Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold (1433-1477), and the sister of England's King Edward IV. Margaret of Austria ruled The Netherlands from Mechelen, from 1507 until Charles Quint came of age, in 1515, but, in 1518, resumed the role when Charles was off fighting the Ottomans and the French. She then ruled from Mechelen, until her death, in 1530. The capital of The Netherlands part of the Habsburg Empire then changed from Mechelen to Brussels, and thus the most illustrious period in the city's history, its Imperial period, was over.

Charles Quint actually lived in Margaret of York's Palace, see below for an excellent bar that is opposite it. Margaret of Austria was born out of a monumental union between the Habsburgs and Burgundy, i.e. she was the daughter of the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I (1459-1519) and Mary of Burgundy (1457-1482), the daughter of Charles the Bold. This was the famous Habsburg "Burgundian Inheritance" which included the Order of Chivalry known as the Knights of the Golden Fleece (Toison d'Or), which gave its name to a former Het Anker beer. Mary of Burgundy and her father, Charles the Bold, lie side by side in magnificent tombs in the crypt of the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady), in Bruges, which features the Habsburg's alliance with Burgundy. This is covered more fully in the White Beer Travels guide to Bruges, which can be obtained from the Downloads page of the site, which can be reached by clicking here.

It might be thought that the photos above left and above right were taken during a tour round the museum part of the Het Anker brewery, but, in fact, they were both taken in the brewery's bar/restaurant. The one on the right features a display of old bottling equipment that greets one at the entrance to the bar/restaurant. Note the legend on it: "The Labour Saver. Barnett & Foster. London N". Both photos were taken by John White, in October, 2003.

The photo, below left, was taken in October, 2003, by brewery guide, Erik Vekemans, see above. John White is with Olivier Leysen, who runs the bar of the Brasserie Het Anker, the brewery's superb bar/restaurant; his father, Jean-Louis Leysen, is in overall charge of the establishment.

Het Anker is one of the very best of the many breweries that I have visited. It is augmented by a decent hotel and a superb bar/restaurant; it is a must-visit place for the Specialty Beer fan. In the photo to the left, Olivier and I both have a draught Gouden Carolus Classic (8.5%), which is €2.50 (March, 2007 prices, as per the others quoted for this place). Also sampled later were two other draught beers, Gouden Carolus Tripel (9%) (€2.50) (this coriander and Curaçao spiced beer being stunningly good) and Mechelschen Bruynen (6%), the beer that Charles Quint, see above, is said to have had a liking for. Note that this has since been replaced by Gouden Carolus Ambrio (8%) (€2.20). Note that the latter beer was available in an unfiltered form, delivered by "Real Ale" handpump in the 2005 Autumn Beer Festivals held in outlets of the Real Ale pub chain, J D Wetherspoon (www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk), White Beer Travels Web page), throughout the UK. This was following in the Spring of 2006 by Gouden Carolus Blond (6.5%), which was first introduced by the brewery in 2004. The photo, above right, was taken by John White, in Wetherspoon's in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England, "The Yarborough Hotel" (29 Bethlehem Street, DN31 1JN (by Grimsby Railway Station)), in April, 2006. The handpump on the right, is for the "Gouden Carolus Blond", as can be seen from its pump clip. The pint in front of the handpump is the beer in question, which, for an imperial pint (57cl) cost £1.49 (€2.15, $2.60 using www.discount-currency-exchange.com), in Central London branches of Wetherspoon's at this time, it was £2.09 (€3.01, $3.64).

On my October, 2003 visit to Het Anker's tap, the only draught beer that I did not have time to sample was Blusser (€1.70), the brewery's Pils, which was introduced in 1998. Somewhat unusually for a Pils, it is unpasteurised. In line with the name changes of Het Anker beers (Gouden Carolus Tripel has replaced Toison d'Or (Golden Fleece)), will this shortly be seen as Gouden Carolus Pils? Having said this, not all the brewery's beers are in the Gouden Carolus stable, for example, they introduced a Bock in 2003 called Ankerbok (6.5%), in which the wording L'été Indien (French for Indian Summer) was used in publicity material. Another beer not in the Guoden Carolus stable is Margriet (6.5%), which is described on its label as a "Blond Vrouwenbier" (Blond Woman Beer) and a Feestelijk Cultuurbier (Celebratory Culture Beer). This is available in bottle at €2.50. It is named after the two Margarets, mentioned above. It is spiced with Coriander and Rose Petals.

There are also bottled Het Anker beers available in the brewery tap, such as: Gouden Carolus Easter Beer (8%); and Cuvee van de Keizer (11%) (€8.50, 75cl), which is brewed once per year on the 24th of February, the birthday of Keizer Karel (Emperor Charles, i.e. Charles Quint), see above. Note that this day, is an open brew day; it commences at 6am. The exceptionally good Gouden Carolus Christmas (10.5%) is available in bottle from the Autumn of each year. Click here to see me drinking it on draught, outside the Oud Arsenaal, in Antwerp.

There are a number of bars that provide aged beers. Some do not have the space or whatever to provide a big selection of these, but interestingly, two great Speciality Beer bars that I know of stock different vintages of a particular Het Anker beer, this being the only beer that they do this with: De Mug (www.demug.nl, White Beer Travels Web page) in Middelburg, in The Netherlands, features Gouden Carolus Christmas; and De Bierkamer (www.debierkamer.be, White Beer Travels Web page), in Kluizen (Ertvelde), in East Flanders, in Belgium, features Gouden Carolus Cuvee van de Keizer. This really is a testament to the truly superb beers that Het Anker produces.

In the Brasserie Het Anker, I have had a number of excellent meals. An example with a local connection is "Filet van Mechelse koekoek gevuld met groentjes en Tripel Carolus saus" (Fillets of Mechelen Cuckoo, stuffed with vegetables, cooked in Gouden Carolus Tripel) (€12.50). It is featured with yours truly, in the photo below left, which was taken by Joyce White, in March, 2004. It is a dish that really looks superb on the plate; as can be seen, it came with really good frites; a joy to eat.

Note that Mechelse koekoek (Mechelen Cuckoo) is a specially bred form of Chicken, which has feathers with a similar colour to that of a Cuckoo, watch the introduction to www.mechelsekoekoek.dyns.cx). Clearly, it is one of the city's specialities. Above is a photo of some live Mechelen Cuckoos. It was taken by Danny Van Tricht, at the Pandoerenhoeve, in Heist-op-den-Berg, in Antwerp Province. It is a great pub, which features all Trappist beers; it is only open on Sundays. Click on the photo to get to its website, all the photos on it having been taken by Danny. Note that Danny has an excellent website covering Trappist beer: www.trappistbier.be. For more details of this and Danny's related sites see the Reciprocal Links page.

Other food in the Brasserie Het Anker includes fish and vegetarian dishes, snacks, and Pasta, the latter including Lasagne (€8.50). Bierkeuken (Beer Cuisine) is well to the fore. In addition to the Cuckoo dish already mentioned, these include: Gemarineerde zalm (Marinated Salmon) met Tripel Carolus, one of the Starters (Voorgerechten) at €12; Vispannetje (Fish Platter) met Tripel Carolus at €16.90 Lotte op een bedje van prei met Blussersaus (Monkfish on a Bed of Leeks) at €17.50; Papilotte van zalm (Salmon cooked in a Paper Bag) met Tripel Carolus at €14.90; Mechelse koekoek met spekjes en Mechelschen Bruynen (another Cuckoo dish with bacon) at €12.50; Stoofvlees met Gouden Carolus (Carbonnade of Beef) at €13; and Konijn op Brouwers wijze (Rabbit "Brewer's Style", which presumably involves beer in its preparation) at €14. Even if just has a Steak, at €15, one of the sauce choices, at €2, is Tripel Carolus saus!

Food is available from Noon until 3pm and from 6pm until 10.30pm; on Sunday, food is available from Noon until 10.30pm. The bar is open from Noon (3pm on Wednesday) until the last customer leaves. As the bar is not open on Wednesday at lunch time, there is also no food at this time!

Het Anker's hotel was used on the recce, and found to be most pleasant; I will definitely make it my base whenever I am in the city. It is, perhaps uniquely, within the grounds of the brewery. It is appropriately named Hotel Carolus (address, etc as per the brewery, i.e. Guido Gezellelaan 49, tel 015 28 71 41). Full details of the hotel are provided on the Het Anker website. Like the brewery's bar, there is a display of beers that can be purchased. The hotel has its own restaurant that does beer cuisine, De Twee Palen. Note that, also probably unique, is 't Brouwershuis, a B&B (Bed & Breakfast, Guest Rooms, Gastenkamers, Chambres d'hôtes) within the grounds of the St. Bernard Brewery (www.sintbernardus.be), a couple of miles (three kilometres) outside Watou, near Poperinge (Trappistenweg 23a, tel 057 38 88 60, fax  057 38 80 71, contact Bernadette Claus-Deconinck). This is a very special place; click here for a White Beer Travels Web page featuring it.

Other Bars/Restaurants, etc, in Mechelen

Den Stillen Genieter, Nauwstraat 9 (Vismarkt), tel 015 21 95 04

Apart from Het Anker, Mechelen is particularly renowned in the Belgian Beer world for Den Stillen Genieter; it has over 400 Specialty Beers. Note that its sign is not easy to spot, see the photo, above left, which was taken by John White, in October, 2003; I walked past it when attempting to make my first visit. It is a most idiosyncratic place in which to sample some truly great beers; as Tim Webb states in his Belgium Guide " ... you need a beer while you study it [the beer book]." It is run by Gerard Walschaerts, a man of few words; maybe he is Den Stillen Genieter (The Silent Hedonist) of the place's name; he features in the photo above right, which was taken by John White, in October, 2003.

The large beer menu (labelled Duimenlikkerskaart, Thumb Suckers' Card), is split into categories. Draught beers include (October, 2003 prices): La Chouffe at €2.10. Beers in the Trappisten section of the menu include: Rochefort 6^o at €2.10; and Westvleteren 12^o at €3.60. Abdijbieren include St. Bernardus Tripel at €2.35; and Abbaye des Rocs at €2.60. The Mechelse Bieren are all from Het Anker, as would be expected; they include Het Bouwerke, a once-a-year brew at €3. Examples from the massive Streekbieren (Regional Beers) section of the menu include: Binchoise Blonde/Brune, both at €2.60; Celis White at €1.35 (25cl); Huyghe's Biertoren Oogst Blond/Bruin, both at €2.50; and Deca's Vleteren Alt and Weldebrouc's Vaartlander Donker, both at €2.10. The Buitenlandse Bieren (Foreign Beers) section includes "De Sterkste Bier ter Wereld", Samiclaus, at €8 (25cl)

Kerstbieren (Christmas Beers) include Brasserie des Légendes/Ellezelloise's Quintine de Noël and Brigand Christmas Beer, both at €3. The "Lambik Festival" section of the menu is subdivided into Lambik (inc. the unpriced Cantillon Bruocsella Grand Cru), Faro (Boon Pertotale at €4.25 (37.5cl)), Fruitbieren (inc. Hanssens Kriek at €4 (37.5cl), Cantillon Kriek at €9 (75cl), and 3 Fonteinen Framboos at €9 (75cl)) and Geuzen. The latter section includes: De Koninck at €3 (37.5cl); Oud Beersel; Cantillon at €9 (75cl); Girardin (Black Label) at €6.50 (75cl); Boon at €3/6.50 (37.575cl); and 3 Fonteinen at €8 (75cl). The Belgische Driekwarter (Belgian Three Quarters, i.e. 75cl bottles) part of the menu is subdivided into the same sections as the main menu. These include: St.-Feuilliien Cuvée de Noël (which was incorrectly listed as being brewed by Du Bocq) at €9; and Avec les Bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont and Vapeur Cochonne, both at €8.50. There is even a "Voor de Dorstigen" (For the Thirsty) section of Magnums (150cl), for example Liefmans Goudenband at €13. The Speciale Biertoetjes section has oddities, including some old beers. There are also wines and Genevers, and a very big selection of Teas and Coffee.

I got the three beers that I ordered without their bottle; I like to study these; Gerard produced them, when asked.

There are better places to eat in Mechelen, see above and below, and below, but if your schedule is tight, then the snacks here are good, certainly by pub standards, if my Lasagne Bolognese, at €6, is anything to go by; I was expecting it to be normal pub standard (barely edible), but, in fact it was very good! I presume that this was knocked up by Hilde De Nef, Gerard's wife, behind the scenes. Other food options include: Portie Kaas (Cheese), Salami and Kop (Brawn) at €3; Dagsoep met Brood (Soup of the Day with Bread) at €2; Spag Bol and Vegetarishe Spaghetti, both at €5; Paella at €6.50; Pizza at €5.25; Tapas at €4.50; Omeletten in the range €3-5.25; Ratatouille (20 minute wait) at €5; Mini Baguettes in the range €2.35-6.50; Appelstrudel in the range €2.50-3.50; and Pannekoeken (Pancakes) in the range €1.75-3.50.

The place is long and dark with pleasant, ethnic (Celtic, Folk) background music. It backs onto the river Dijle, across which can be seen the Lamot Building, which incorporates the former Lamot Brewery, see below. The nearby Vismarkt has a number of bars and restaurants, some of which are mentioned below. Den Stillen Genieter is one of two places in Mechelen featured in 332 Bars, see above.

Den Stillen Genieter is open from 2pm until 1am (2am on Friday and Saturday). It is not open on Mondays.

't Ankertje aan de Dijle, Vismarkt 20 (on the corner with Begijnenstraat), tel tel 015 34 60 34

't Ankertje aan de Dijle (The Little Anchor on the River Dijle) was opened by Het Anker, in late 2003. It has lots of breweriana and beer cuisine and has been described as being the most attractive pub in the city; it is really a second version of the one by the brewery, in a trendier part of the city; it replaces a dilapidated old place called the Estamineeke. The photo of it to the left, was taken by John White, in March, 2004 (it appears on page 177 of Tim Webb's Good Beer Guide Belgium (2005 edition). 't Ankertje aan de Dijle is open on Monday to Friday from 4pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am. 't Ankertje aan de Dijle is Mechelen's other 332 Bars entry, see above.

Grand Café Lamot,
Van Beethovenstraat 8/10, tel 015 20 95 30, www.grandcafelamot.be

This bar/restaurant is close to the previous entry, but across the river from the Vismarkt, from where it can be reached by a new pedestrian bridge. It incorporates one of the splendid brew house vessels, the Copper (Hop Boiler) itself, from the Brouwerij Lamot, which stopped brewing in 1990. The brewery building has been incorporated into a large modern residential and cultural/craft centre, the Lamot™ Congres- en Erfgoedcentrum (Conference and Heritage Centre), tel 015 29 49 00, www.lamot-mechelen.be, www.lamot-erfgoedcentrum.be). The Grand Café Lamot is on the first floor of this building; there is a splendid view of the city from the top floor, which can be reached by lift. The above two photos of the Lamot Centre and The Grand Café Lamot were taken by John White, in March, 2007. Note the dining table in front of the Copper in the latter.

At the end of its life, the beers manufactured Lamot Brewery included the extremely moderate fizz, Carling [Black Label]! What a pity that such a splendid vessel, as the one in the photo, above right, was used to produce this travesty of a beer, in Belgium.

The Grand Café Lamot has four uninspiring draught beers, and thirteen in bottle, these including: Duvel, Rodenbach (25cl) and Het Anker's Margriet, Gouden Carolus Classic and Gouden Carolus Blond. These were all €3 in March, 2007. There are bar snacks, and full meals. A celebrity chef, Christer Elfving is responsible for the food. There is a better selection of beers elsewhere in Mechelen, so it is unlikely that one would return here just for a beer, after a first visit to check out the old Lamot brew house vessel, but, clearly, it is worth considering for a decent meal, which can be accompanied by a handful of decent beers, as well as top quality wines.

The Grand Café Lamot is open each day from 9am to Midnight.

Very close to the Lamot building, the Novotel Hotel (Van Beethovenstraat 1 (off Guldenstraat), tel 015 40 49 50) is superbly placed in the centre of the city for largish groups of Beer Hunters.

De Pekton, Xstraat X, tel 015 x

De Pekton, The Pitch or Tar Barrel, was a famous 16th Century pub, largely made of wood, which stood on Zwaanstraatje. In 1946 it was moved a short distance to another Straatje (Little Street), Stoofstraatje, on the corner of the Lamot Centre's street, Van Beethovenstraat. The Lamot Centre, see previous entry, now stands on the site of De Pekton's second home. However, in 2008, it is to reopen, in yet another location, as one of Palm's small chain of prestigious pub/restaurants, c.f. the Belga Queen (www.belgaqueen.be) in Brussels and Ghent, and the Grand Café Horta (www.grandcafehorta.be), in Antwerp.

D'Hanekeef, Keizerstraat 8, tel 015 20 78 46

Another Tim Webb bar, D'Hanekeef is an excellent outlet for Speciality Beer, but is also a really nice locals' bar. This photo of its interior to the left was taken in October, 2003, by John White. As can be seen, it is decorated for Halloween. On the right of the photo, is its proprietor, Philip Eeckelaerts. It is opposite an impressive Baroque church, Sint-Pieter- en Pauluskerk (Keizerstraat 1), which dominates the Veemarkt (Cattle Market). Next to the church is the Stadsschouwburg (City Concert Hall) (Keizerstraat 3), which incorporates Margaret of York's Palace (Paleis van Margaretha van York), see above. Opposite these, just down from D'Hanekeef, is Margaret of Austria's Palace (Paleis van Margaretha van Oostenrijk) (Keizerstraat 20), also see above. A Hanekeef is a basket for carrying birds, specifically Cocks, to the nearby Veemarkt (Cattle Market). There are a large number of Cocks adorning shelves, etc.

On my October, 2003 visit to D'Hanekeef, I counted thirty-seven beers, a number that included non-Specialty ones, such as Eurofizz. The prices are very reasonable, as you will see from the examples that I quote. On draught, there is De Koninck at €1.40 and Celis White at €1.50 (€1.60 in March, 2004), indeed the place is badged Celis White outside. The beer menu is divided into categories. Trappistenbier examples include: Orval at €2.50; and Rochefort 10^o at €3. Lambik Bieren include: Boon Geuze and Kriek, both at €3. Diverse Bieren (Miscellaneous Beers) include: Het Anker's Mechelschen Bruynen (€2.50), Gouden Carolus Classic (€2.50), Gouden Carolus Tripel (€3), and Blusser (€3 (50cl)). At the end of the menu there are Suggesties, these being regularly changed. On my visit they were Cantillon Gueuze (€4/7.5 (37.7/75cl)), Kriek (€4.50/8 (37.7/75cl)) and Rosé de Gambrinus (€4.50/8 (37.7/75cl)).

There are also Genevers and wines, the latter being listed at the end of the beer menu, and there is also a separate, bigger list. The Genevers include: Oude Bols Graanjenever at €1.50; and Wortegemsen Citroenjenever (Lemon Genever) at €1.75.

Snacks (Borrelhapjes) include: Droge Worst Pikant (Spicy Dry Sausage) at €1.25; and Portie Kaas, Salami or Gemengd (Both), all at €3. Note that the place describes itself as a Café-Restaurant and, indeed, there are full meals available. On Monday to Friday, between 11.30am and 2pm, there is hot food available in the bar, including: Dagsoep (Soup of the Day) at €3; Croque Monsieur at €4.50; Toast Cannibale (Toast with a topping that includes Raw Meat) at €6.50; Spag Bol at €8; and Scampi van het Chef at €14. There is a restaurant at the back which serves other dishes, such as: Steaks, in the range €13/14; Sea Food, including Mussels; Stoofvlees (Carbonnade of Beef) at €9.75; and Seasonal Dishes. The restaurant prices are from March, 2004. It is open on Thursday to Saturday from 5.30pm to 10pm.

Background music on one visit was Bob Dylan (1941-).

If your journey to Mechelen is by train and you happen to be on one that stops at Mechelen's smaller railway station, Nekkerspoel, then get off here, as D'Hanekeef is closer to this station than the main one. Nekkerspoel is also closer to Het Anker Brewery than the main station. If you get across the river near the station and cross the road, you soon find the required Kaizerstraat, teeing into Hoogstratenplein. D'Hanekeef is on the left, soon after Margaret of Austria's Palace, see above.

D'Hanekeef is open from 9am everyday except Sunday, when it opens at 1pm.

D'Afspraak, Keizerstraat 23, tel 015 33 17 34

En route to D'Hanekeef, the previous entry, this gem of a Tim Webb entry is reached, on the other side of Keizerstraat. It has over a hundred beers, including some interesting ones in 75cl bottles. Beers include: Moeder Overste; St.-Gummarus Tripel; a good selection from Het Anker; Rochefort 8/10^o; Orval; Oerbier; and Grottenbier. There is some beer cuisine included in the food portfolio, which extends to full meals.

It is a light and airy place with high ceilings; it appears to be the result of merging two houses together. It is rumoured that the proprietor wishes to move on, but is anxious to hand it over to someone who will run it as it is now, but, of course, it could change direction, so fingers crossed.

Miscellaneous other Bars/Restaurants in Mechelen

I did not get a chance on the recce to visit Tim Webb's try-also De Borrel-Babbel, Nieuwwerk 2 (tel 015 27 36 89). Note that his other main Mechelen entry, 't Stalleke, Kapoenenweg 29, is no longer open.

De Borrel-Babbel (Drink Chat) is right by St Rombouts Cathedral, see below. The photo of it to the left was taken by John White, in March, 2004. It is renowned for its size (smallest bar in Belgium?) and its massive choice of Genevers, including a selection from the renowned Smeets range. Like most bars in Mechelen, it also has some Het Anker beers. Its street, Nieuwwerk, which is not prominent on most maps, joins Scheerstraat and Schoolstraat. In fact, it is in a pleasant little courtyard, which is really off Nieuwwerk. In the window, the opening hours are given as being from 3pm every day except Monday. However, the following hours for the Borrel-Babbel, which conflict with this, so don't be surprised if it is not open when it should be and vice versa, are courtesy of Peter Thomas, see below: the opening hours vary and the barmaid will typically close up around 1am unless people are drinking plenty. In summer the terrace opens around Noon, in the winter the doors open around 7pm. The random nature of its management is one of the charms of a cupboard-sized pub! Nearby, also in the courtyard, 't Nieuw Werk, at Nieuwwerk 11 (tel 015 34 53 40), has a reputation for good steaks.

At Grote Markt 28 (i.e. in the city's main square), Keizershof (tel 015 20 76 70), was recommended by Het Anker, on a night when their own restaurant was shut. It is, indeed, badged, Gouden Carolus. I have not had chance to check it out, along with one near the Cathedral, 't Klapgat, Wollemarkt 10 (tel 015 20 78 14), which has some Speciality Beers according to Google (www.google.com).

Het Anker have a bar, 't Ankertje aan de Dijle (The Little Anchor on the River Dijle), that opened at Vismarkt 20 (on the corner with Begijnenstraat) (tel 015 34 60 34), in late 2003; it has lots of breweriana and beer cuisine and has been described as being the most attractive pub in the city; it is really a second version of the one by the brewery, in a trendier part of the city; it replaces a dilapidated old place called the Estamineeke. The photo of it to the left, was taken by John White, in March, 2004 (it appears on page 177 of Tim Webb's Good Beer Guide Belgium (2005 edition). 't Ankertje aan de Dijle is open on Monday to Friday from 4pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 11.30am. 't Ankertje aan de Dijle is Mechelen's other 332 Bars entry, see above. The bar in the Zwembad (Swimming Pool), Leliestraat 32 (tel 015 29 17 90) has draught Gouden Carolus Christmas, in season, according to my brewery guide, Erik, see above. It is not in the city centre; it is on the other side of Centraal Station, the main railway station.

Zythos (www.zythos.be and White Beer Travels Web page) is the premier Belgian Beer consumers' organisation. The Zythos branch based in Mechelen is called The Beer Brothers (www.thebeerbrothers.be). They organise a "Mechelen Beer Day" (Mechelse bierdag) each year, which is held close to Het Anker, in Het Olivetenhof, Olivetenvest 32. This is typically held on the first Sunday of July, from 10am to 10pm, i.e. the 2006 date is Sunday, the 2nd of July.

There is a truly excellent website, in English, produced by Welshman, Peter Thomas that covers the Tourist aspects of Mechelen: www.visitmechelen.com, see below. Not only did Peter alert me to his own site, after coming across this White Beer Travels Web page on Mechelen, whilst surfing, he also sent me his own bar and eating recommendations. His favourite bar is De Borrel-Babbel, which I cover above. His second favourite is Den Gouden Vis, see below. He declares the Michelin-starred D'Hoogh (Grote Markt 19, tel 015 21 75 53, www.dhoogh-restaurant.be) to be his favourite restaurant in the whole of Belgium, but that the best affordable food in Mechelen is to be found in the pub/café De Graspoort, Begijnenstraat 28 (tel 015 21 97 10). Restaurant-wise, he also has a good word for: De Kok and De Proever, Adegemstraat 43 (tel 015 34 60 02, www.dekokendeproever.com) and the related Grand-Café Toko Karachillo, Ijzerenleen 15 (tel 015 34 60 12, www.dekokendeproever.com/tokokarachillio.htm); Den Akker, on Vismarkt (tel 015 33 10 78); Den Beer, Grote Markt 32-33 (tel 015 20 97 06) for its fantastic steaks; and the elegant 't Oud Conservatorium, Wollemarkt 16 (tel 015 56 95 21, www.oudconservatorium.be), this being part of the Hotel Den Wolsack (tel 015 56 95 20). Note that Den Gouden Vis and Den Akker sandwich the famous Specialty Beer bar, Den Stillen Genieter, see above, Den Akker being on the corner of Nauwstraat and Vismarkt. From the latter, there is a good view of the Lamot building, see above. Vismarkt has a number of other restaurants, including one within a boat on the river itself, the Karimata (address Vismarkt 1, tel 015 20 67 34). This does not open on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Den Gouden Vis, Nauwstraat 7, tel 015 20 72 06

The following is Peter Thomas's description of his second favourite pub, Den Gouden Vis (The Goldfish), the one next door to Den Stillen Genieter, Mechelen's most famous Speciality Beer bar, see above. The Gouden Vis is not my "second favourite" because of its beer selection, although thankfully it is not an Interbrew (now that load of Bankers, InBev) affair; it has a decent-ish selection; it serves Palm rather than InBev's undrinkable copycat "Vieux Temps" and, like everywhere, Het Anker beers. It has faded glamour which everyone who has been there will remember - Corinthian columns next to the bar, a rotting Victorian glasshouse at the back, Art Nouveau lamps on the ceiling, the daily newspapers, a huge front window for people watching, oversized 1900s posters on the wall, a terrace overlooking the river with views of the medieval Hoogbrug and the Lamot Building, see above. Beyond the peeling paint and fear that bits of stucco will fall off the walls at any minute, another key attraction is that the owner has a knack of employing the most beautiful barmaids this side of Madrid's Gran Via cocktail bars: brothers-in-law, mates from Britain and various uncles or cousins have literally seen their jaws hit the table when some Jessica Rabbit or Lara Croft look-alike have slinked over to the table with a trayful of Duvels. Finally, unlike a very close by bar, the Gouden Vis is not a meeting place for the local far-righters (the Vlaams Blok)!

Based on a visit in March, 2004, I can concur with Peter's description of Den Gouden Vis. There were around twenty beers. Draught beers include "Westmalle Trappist" (Dubbel) at €2.50 and Gouden Carolus Ambrio. Bottles include: Orval and Westmalle Tripel, both at €2.50; Kriek Boon at €3.20 (37.5cl); DeuS (www.bestbelgianspecialbeers.be) at €22 (75cl); and Gouden Carolus Tripel and "Gouden Carolus Trappist", both at €2.50. Clearly Gouden Carolus Trappist is not a Trappist beer; it is probably Gouden Carolus Classic. Normally, I would frown on such misnaming, but in the Het Anker Brewery Museum there is an old poster advertising a beer of this name. Den Gouden Vis is open on Monday to Friday from Noon until 2am (3am on Friday), on Saturday from 10am to 3am, and on Sunday from 3pm until 2am.

Mechelen's Tourist Attractions

On my visit in October, 2003, I purchased a booklet covering the city's history, that proved to be outstanding: Geoguide Mechelen, by Dr Pierre Diriken (published by Georeto). This was €3.72 in the Standaard Boekhandel, Ijzerenlaan 8 (tel 015 21 81 08). This is available in a number of languages, including English; it is not obvious from the cover what version one is looking at.

Mechelen is well worth visiting in its own right; as stated above, it is of major historical importance, with the museums and buildings to prove it, not least the ones housing Het Anker brewery.

Mechelen is first mentioned in 1008 with the name Machlines, although a settlement is known to have been in the city's present location wel before that. It became Machele in the 12th Century, Mechgelme in the 14th Century, and Mechelen in the 15th Century. It is derived from the Frankish word mahal or mahl, meaning meeting place.

The city has two buildings, the Cathedral Tower or Belfry (Toren) and the just mentioned Groot Begijnhof (Great Beguinage), listed as UNESCO, World Heritage Sites, see whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31 for the full, worldwide list. St Rombouts (Rumbold) Cathedral is a particularly impressive don't-miss. It has some superb modern additions. Indeed, Mechelen is the Archiepiscopal see of Belgium, the equivalent of Canterbury, in England.

In March, 2007, White Beer Travels Beer Hunters, prior to some beers and a meal. in the Het Anker tap, had a conducted tour of the Groot Begijnhof. Our guide was Erik Vekemans, who has previously conducted tours of the brewery, see above. In the photo to the left, which was taken by John White, in March, 2007, Erik can be seen providing an explanation of one of the many buildings in this area, this specifically being on Hoviusstraat. If you passed them without the enlightening information from Erik, you could well not fully appreciate the importance of the many sites in this area; Erik really did bring this area to life. The building on the left is typical of a number of dwellings where Beguines (members of a religious Sisterhood, somewhat like Nuns) lived. It has been restored, the one to the left of it still having plaster over the original brick work, which will be removed. At the end of the street can be seen Het Anker Brewery, and its old entrance.

Other general tourist attractions that are well worth a visit include, a branch of the Stedelijk (City) Museum, housed in the Schepenhuis (former Aldermen's House or Town Hall, near the Grote Markt, at Steenweg 1, tel 015 21 16 02). This has permanent and temporary exhibitions, these being top-class on my visit; they cover the most important period in the city's history, the 15th and the 16th Century. It is quite trendy inside, with much glass and metal, and spiral stairs leading to exhibition spaces, one having a glass floor. Entrance is free. Another major museum, the main branch of the City Museum, is the Museum Hof van Busleyden, Frederik de Merodestraat 67, which covers the city's history from 1600 to the present day. Contemporary art is to be found in a number of places, the best known being De Garage, opposite the Cathedral's main entrance (Number 12 on the street named "Onde den Toren") (Under the Tower)). This is also the address of the Cultuurcentrum Mechelen (tel 015 29 40 40, www.ccmechelen.be).

Mechelen is the second city of Antwerp province. It is roughly halfway between the cities of Antwerp (26 kilometres, 16 miles) and Brussels (30 kilometres, 19 miles), there being very frequent trains to Mechelen from both these places. Mechelen, in fact, is a particularly important city, railway-wise, the first passenger steam trains in continental Europe ran between Brussels and Mechelen in 1835. Of course, the city has a railway museum. Mechelen is famous for its Carillon school (there are two Carillons in the Cathedral) and is also Belgium's Asparagus (asperges) centre, this being available, in season, in many of the city's restaurants, including the Michelin starred D'Hoogh, mentioned above, and Folliez (Korenmarkt 19, tel 015 42 03 02). The city's website, www.mechelen.be, covers its main tourist attractions, but is in Dutch only. Thankfully, there is Peter Thomas's truly excellent site, in English, see above. The main shopping street is called Bruul, which leads from the Grote Markt in the direction of the main railway station, Centraal Station. There are nicer streets than this for shopping, with some outstanding speciality shops, a good example being the very picturesque St. Katelijnestraat in the Groot Beguinage.