Speciality / Specialty Beer Bar of the Month: May
(A World-Class, Life Enhancing, Singing Bar)

Aux Olivettes, Liège; Belgium
rue Pied-du-Pont-des-Arches 6, tel 042 21 12 51

Unless otherwise stated, the beer prices quoted are for 25cl measures of draught beer and for 33cl bottles, respectively just under and just over half an imperial pint. Any prices that were not in Euro (€) at the time of a visit have been converted into them. This has resulted in some prices that in reality would have been rounded up or down when the Euro came into circulation in January, 2002.

Aux Olivettes is a Café Chantant (Singing Bar), one of the most renowned in Belgium. Although not having a massive beer list, it has a handful of beers, including two from the former Val-Dieu Cistercian Monastery, (www.val-dieu.com), which will suit all but the most hardened of Beer Hunters. Val-Dieu's website has a lot of information on the Monastery, its brewery and its beers. Note that, subsequent to the visit, Val-Dieu ceased being an operational monastery - there were not enough monks to make it viable - although it is still a religious centre, and the brewery continues to operate.

Aux Olivettes appears in the stained glass above the door outside, but it is signed Les Olivettes, although its official name is Au Jardin des Olivettes. The latter is a little used word for Olive Grove, an olive tree also appearing in the door's stained glass.

As can be gleaned from its address, it is near the Pont-des-Arches, a bridge over the river Meuse. Indeed its street merges directly into the main road going over the bridge. This is pointed out, since there are streets below it, making the place hard to map, and thus to find, when approaching from certain directions, even with a map. Going down rue Léopold in the direction of the river, turn left into rue de la Cité just before the road alongside the embankment and the bridge over the river. The required rue Pied-du-Pont-des-Arches is the first right, and Aux Olivettes is on its right. You may think that I am labouring these directions a bit, but there is a reason: Aux Olivettes is quite simply a place that you must not miss when in Europe!

Until, November, 2002, The Olivettes was not in any beer guides as far as I am aware, certainly it was not in the two most well known ones that cover Belgium, Tim Webb's don't-enter-Belgium without, Good Beer Guide Belgium (www.booksaboutbeer.com, White Beer Travels Web page) and Peter Crombecq's Bierjaarboek, and the classic don't-enter-Wallonia without, The Beers of Wallonia, by John Woods and Keith Rigley. The first two of these have rules for pub inclusion based on a minimum of around fifty different Speciality Beers on offer. Obviously, one has to work to size constraints, although, being such a gem, Aux Olivettes finally does get a mention in the 4th edition of Tim's book that came out in November, 2002. An Internet version of John and Keith's guide is to be found at www.frenchbeer.info. This also covers their follow-up book, The Beers of France. This contains a section on Paris that was written by John White of White Beer Travels; it is a much abridged version of the White Beer Travels seventy-eight page Specialty Beer guide to the city, the most comprehensive guide of its kind; it is available from the Downloads page.

John White was alerted to the place in a local guidebook, hence the first visit, on a Sunday afternoon in February, 1999. It had been passed at 10.30am when the music could be heard from outside, but there were other places to check out. The guidebook warned that the places around the bar are reserved for the place's 5,000 regulars! It recommended going to a table and waiting to be served, pointing out that it will be the swiftest, and maybe the only way to get served. This gave me the impression that the place was going to be somewhat unwelcoming and cliquish, but nothing could have been further from the truth; the place is incredibly friendly - the regulars, other visitors and staff have been simply wonderful to us on all visits.

With other places to seek out, under half an hour had been allocated in here for the first recce visit, but the visit ended up lasting well over three hours! The crowd inside was very mixed, both locals and outsiders, the latter not usually here by chance. For example, next to us sat a French girl, of about twenty years of age, on holiday. She came in with a large book, containing the types of songs being featured in the place. The locals were in the main characters, big time.

The street outside is quite scruffy, so the visual impact on entry is a surprise. There is a superb pulpit-like wooden bar with a wooden cabinet behind it, and a large wooden fire place, with a mirror above. The latter incorporates a carving of a bridge over the river, as does the bar. Beams continue the wood theme. Beyond the bar is an area with some unexpected stained glass. A superb bell for calling time adorns the bar, along with framed music books and sheet music, including the "Mestreechs Volksleed" (Maastricht's Folk Song, this Dutch City being very close to Liège). There are simple wooden tables and chairs, plus continuous seating around the walls.

Beer lovers will soon spot and be heartened by a poster alongside the bar for the Val-Dieu Beers, with the legend "Certains Murs Brassent des Merveillles" (Within Certain Walls Are Brewed Marvels). There is also a poster for Crombé's excellent and rare Egmont, named after the Knight of the Golden Fleece, Count Egmont (1522-68), who was executed in the main square in Brussels by the evil psychopath, the Duke of Alva (Alba) (1508-82), on the orders of Philip II (1527-98), in 1568. The Duke of Alva's actions had a major impact on the shaping of the borders of today's Belgium, however, it always amazes me that there are pubs named after this thoroughly bad person, in the present-day Low Countries, and that there is even a drink bearing his name: Gran Duque d'Alba Spanish Brandy, which has his portrait on the label. This Egmont beer is not on the menu card, so it may be no longer available, and the brewery is, in any event, no more, although some of its brews are now produced by Strubbe (www.brouwerij-strubbe.be), in Ichtegem, West Flanders. There is a beer called Lamoral Egmont, Lamoral being the Count's first name, brewed by Van den Bossche (www.paterlieven.be), in Sint-Lievens-Esse, in East Flanders.

The area behind the bar is raised, which means that Marie Dequinze, owner René Ducamp's glamorous blonde wife, who is inside it, towers above you. I did not notice her leave her post all the time we were there on our February, 1999 visit. She prepares the drinks orders, which are delivered on a tray by René. As he sets them down, he is generally singing the words of the song currently been sung on the stage in front of the bar, just slightly ahead of the singer! On a visit, just after opening time on a Sunday morning in October, 1999, a teenage girl, Caroline, the couple's daughter, was both fixing up the drinks behind the bar and then serving them, and, of course, also miming the songs. She was on her own because there was initially only a handful of customers in, and perhaps because René and Marie had been up until at least 4am to our knowledge! Within an hour or so, as the place filled up, Caroline's parents took over. During the quiet period, there was still singing, the singer tending to stay on for longer than the busy times, when they do two songs max.

On the stage a succession of singers perform. Songs by the Parisian Édif Piav (1915-63), such as "Non, je ne regrette rien" (No, I regret nothing) and her male counterpart, the Belgian Jacques Brel (1929-78), are mixed in with French versions of, for example, Eve Boswell songs. The artists are accompanied by one of two pianists, one of whom sings. You may think that such music is not for you, but the outstanding quality and rawness of it will surely make you a convert. It truly is singing which cuts into you like a knife. At times people get up and dance in front of the stage. The place's publicity material offers "Belcanto", which looks like it means "beautiful singing" in Spanish. This may be a relic from the time of Spanish rule, although a mother and daughter of Spanish origin - the mother getting up to sing as well as dancing with the not-a-dancer John White - certainly added something to the place on one visit!

Jacques Brel was born in the Brussels suburb of Schaerbeek/Schaarbeek, the traditional, former source of the best cherries for making the region's famous cherry beer, Kriek. His most well known song, "Amsterdam", was performed during one of the visits to Aux Olivettes (click here to see the lyrics), by a marvellous forty odd year old singer who came and sat with us to ask what we were doing in such a place. He pointed to one of the many large black and white photos, which cover the walls near the bar. They are all of artists who currently appear or who have appeared in the place. The one singled out portrayed a somewhat youthful version of him. He said that we could sing if we wished, but we declined his offer, knowing that we would be hopelessly outclassed. However, on another occasion, after much drink, one of our party did a solo and then a couple did a duet of "Makin' Whoopee".

A good buy in record shops in Belgium or in France or from www.jacquesbrel.be, is a video of Jacques Brel performing at the Olympia in Paris. His performance of "Amsterdam" there is just too good. It puts him right at the top of the ten famous Belgians list, above Georges Simenon (1903-89), the creator of the detective, Commissaire Maigret. Simenon was born in Liège, although he spent much of his time in Paris, where he is buried in the famous Père Lachaise cemetery (www.pere-lachaise.com and unofficial site www.gargl.net/lachaise): follow his trail in Liège, using the English language "Simenon Route" leaflet, available free, from Liège's Tourist Information Office, at Féronstrée 92 (tel 04 221 92 21). The city's official website, which includes a great deal of tourist information is www.liege.be.

On draught, Scotch C.T.S. is €1.86 served in a thistle glass, and there is Jupiler at €1.49. I would not normally mention the latter, but one of the Beer Hunters in our group was spotted drinking it in here. On being approached, or should I say reproached, he offered an explanation: if one is in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, England, one drinks Batemans (www.bateman.co.uk), if one is in Liège one should try the city's beer, which is Jupiler!

Bottles include: Rodenbach for €2.48; Duvel for €3.47; Rochefort 8^o for €3.72, and two "Spécialités Régionales", Abbaye du Val-Dieu Blonde and Brune, both at €3.47. Wine by the glass is €2.23, by the litre bottle (white and rosé) it is €18.59, and red is €14.87 for a conventionally sized bottle. Good quality champagne is €69.41 a bottle. Pékèt, the local name for Genever is €1.98, or €2.23 in its Citron (lemon) form. These are under half the price of their English counterpart, Gin, on the menu. The Citron is a good, tart example. There are only two food items listed: Chips, which is French for crisps; and, for €1.86, soupe au choix, a Choice of Soups.

Many of its Sunday morning and afternoon visitors wander in from the famous La Batte open market, which is held below, on both sides of the city side of the nearby bridge, every Sunday, from 8am until 2pm.

On Fridays and Saturdays, The Olivettes opens at 8pm and closes at dawn. On Sunday it opens at 10am, and shuts at 8pm.

On the described route to Aux Olivettes, at certain times of the week, you will not be able to miss a "Scottish Courage Alken-Maes" (SCAM) house, Le Jockey, at rue Léopold 29 (tel 042 22 26 75), on the corner with rue Ste.-Catherine, since a one man band and a small combo will be inside surrounded by dancers. It is very atmospheric, certainly when it was passed on a Sunday lunchtime. It was not entered, but a Blanche de Bruges sign was noticed in the window. The Jockey was the only music place near to the open market that was still in full swing at midnight on a Sunday. Next left beyond The Jockey is rue de la Cité, the turn taken to get to Aux Olivettes. On the far side of the first corner reached (En Neuvice), on the left, opposite the right turn for Aux Olivettes, is Casa Ponton, at rue de la Cité 7 (tel 042 23 14 20). As well as having Spanish tapas in the food line, it is a well known rock and blues venue. It was really rocking when passed on a Sunday lunchtime; it was heaving with a very enthusiastic crowd. It is open every day from 8.30am until 1am. This will be fully checked out on the next visit to the city.

In summary, Aux Olivettes is a life-enhancing place that you simply must visit. I do not use "life-enhancing" lightly; it means that it is right up there with Zum Uerige (www.uerige.de) in Düsseldorf, in Germany (click here for the write-up on this White Beer Travels Pub of the Month), and the Circus Tavern, in Manchester, England, i.e. places that do not necessarily have huge beer selections, but which are an absolute joy to visit. For further photos taken inside Aux Olivettes, click here; they are part of Norb Haley's Picture Archive website, www.y23.com.

The Old Monkey and The Circus Tavern, Manchester, England. Sandwiched between them is a Fish & Chip Shop.	Landlord George Archondo and two regulars in The Grade II listed Circus Tavern, Manchester's smallest pub. George is pulling a pint of Tetley's Cask Bitter (£2 in March, 2006).	Regulars Kath and Rob in the Circus Tavern, an entry in CAMRA's The CAMRA National Inventory. Pub Interiors of Outstanding Historic Interest (NI).
All the above photos were taken by John White, in April, 2002.

The picture on the left above, shows both The Circus Tavern (86 Portland Street, M1 4GX, tel 0161 236 5818, CAMRA Good Beer Guide (GBG) 2004 & 2005 (page 328)), a Grade II listed Tetley Heritage Pub, and a Joseph Holt's pub, next door but one, The Old Monkey (90-92 Portland Street, tel 0161 236 3787), a modern pub, which opened in 1994. Holt's have some classic, Victorian/Edwardian establishments in the Manchester area, such as the don't-miss Grade II listed Lamb Hotel, in Eccles (33 Regent Street, M30 0BP (opposite the tram terminal) tel 0161 789 3882, GBG 2007 page 324); the Lamb is an entry in CAMRA's National Inventory (www.heritagepubs.org.uk). All Holt's pubs are all detailed in the Joseph Holt's website: www.joseph-holt.com. Holt's probably have the cheapest beer in the UK, i.e. despite the fact that the Old Monkey is right in the centre of Manchester, a pint of Holt's Bitter in April, 2002, was £1.24 (€2.01, $1.79 using the Discount Currency Exchange website www.discount-currency-exchange.com), a pint of Mild £1.17 (€1.90, $1.69). Note that Holt's flagship pub in the centre of Manchester is another new pub, although it looks old inside: The Ape and Apple (28 John Dalton Street, M2 6HQ, tel 0161 839 9624). Interestingly, three doors but one the other way to the Circus Tavern, in an incongruously surviving block of Georgian properties, is another classic old pub, owned by Hydes (www.hydesbrewery.com), yet another Manchester independent brewer: the Grey Horse Inn, 80 Portland Street, M1 4QX. Note that following the shameful closure of Boddingtons Brewery, in Strangeways, Manchester, by that load of Bankers, InBev (former Interbrew), in January, 2005, Hydes now brew the (Real Ale (Cask Beer) version of the once-hallowed Boddingtons Bitter; it is a pity that InBev won't let them revive the original recipe, rather than the lack lustre one that we have ended up with.

John White (1945-), , November, 1999, updated in June, 2007.