As you will see by clicking on John's Beer CV, John White became interested in Speciality Beers beyond the borders of the UK in 1986. Thorough study of the Beer Hunter (Michael Jackson)'s books gave a clear indication as to where the major centres were as regard beer tourism: Antwerp, Amsterdam, Bamberg, Denver, etc. The way that Michael described "treasures" such as the Rodenbach brewery (www.rodenbach.be), in Roeselare, in the Belgian Province of West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), and the life-enhancing Zum Uerige Brew Pub (www.uerige.de), in Düsseldorf, made them clear targets for investigation. On visiting them, John was mega-impressed to the extent that from 1993, he has, each year, organised at least one group Beer Hunt outside the UK.

Clearly, if you are new to Specialty Beers and you are not quite sure where to go, then John's experience can give you some ideas as to places that simply just have to be visited. White Beer Travels will, of course, be happy to arrange tailor made trip(s) for you featuring such don't-miss places.

Naturally, cost can come into the choice of venues. For example, John's favourite beer town is the wonderful Baroque city of Bamberg, in Germany, but, from the UK, it takes longer to get there than Bruges, in the Flemish, Northern half of Belgium. Indeed, the latter area is particularly popular with both the newcomer to Speciality Beer and to the most seasoned of Beer Hunters, since it is easy and cheap to get to, especially from the South of England. However, proximity apart, Belgian Flanders justifiably is a major pull for the Beer Hunter, as it has a very high proportion of the world's best Specialty Beer bars and breweries. A major bonus is that it also has a good number of world-class general tourist attractions and restaurants of the highest quality, etc, etc. Consequently, you will notice a distinct bias towards this part of Belgium throughout this website.

To give you some ideas on possible components of tailor-made Beer Hunts, below you will find details of past White Beer Travels Beer Hunts. On the companion Recce Trips page, which can be reached by clicking on the button to the left, there are details of places that White Beer Travels has researched in detail on the ground (and in books and on the Internet, etc), some of which have not yet materialised into organised Beer [or Wine or Cider] Hunts. This is in line with one of the general features of White Beer Travels Beer Hunts, which are to be found by clicking General Beer Hunt Info, i.e. places featured in them have been fully reconnoitred in advance.

Note that some of the trip headings below are hyperlinks to pages providing more detail of the Beer Hunt(s) in question. Please note also that parts of this very large page and its sub-pages are frequently improved by text expansion and/or the addition of photos; this is a very active process, as regular visits to the page will prove. Also, please note that your computer generally stores (caches) recent pages that you visit. Then, to save time, the last page saved is presented to you. Therefore, for pages such as this, it is worth pressing the browser's "Refresh" button or equivalent to ensure that you are seeing the latest information.

The following is an index, with one line per Beer Hunt, giving the principal places visited. Clicking on them takes one to the appropriate part of this rather large Web page, from where, as appropriate, there are links to other, more detailed pages of the site. Note that another way to navigate the site is to go to the Contents page, by clicking on the button to the left. This page has links to the one hundred and six pages that make up the White Beer Travels website. It is, essentially, the White Beer Travels Site Map.

• 2007 Beer Hunt featuring the O.B.E.R. Christmas Beer Festival in Essen, Belgium
• 2007 Beer Hunt featuring the Bruxellensis Beer Festival, in Brussels, Belgium
• 2007 Bamberg- and Nuremberg-based Beer Hunt
• 2007 Bamberg- & Nuremberg-based Beer Hunt
• 2007 Ghent-based Beer Hunt, featuring the Zythos Beer Festival
• 2006 Beer Hunt featuring the O.B.E.R. Christmas Beer Festival in Essen, Belgium
• 2006 Bamberg- and Nuremberg-based Beer Hunt
• 2006 Beer Hunt featuring the Bruxellensis Beer Festival, in Brussels, Belgium
• 2006 Bruges- & Aalst-based Beer Hunt, featuring the Third Zythos Beer Festival
• 2005 Beer Hunt featuring the O.B.E.R. Christmas Beer Festival in Essen, Belgium
• 2005 Bamberg- and Nuremberg-based Beer Hunt
• 2005 Antwerp-based Beer Hunt, featuring the Second Zythos Beer Festival
• 2004 Beer Hunt featuring the O.B.E.R. Christmas Beer Festival in Essen, Belgium
• 2004 Bamberg/Nuremberg-based Beer Hunt
• 2004 Antwerp-based Beer Hunt, featuring the First Zythos Beer Festival
• 2003 Amsterdam Beer Hunt, featuring PINT's Bokbierfestival and 't IJ brewery
• 2003 Ostend-based with Coach Trips to Breweries and Bars (inc. the world-class Kroegske, in Emelgem)
• 2002 Brussels, Antwerp, Cantillon Anderlecht, Hanssens Dworp, 3 (Drie) Fonteinen Beersel, Streekproductencentrum Halle, Antwerp 24-Hour Beer Festival
• 2001 Ghent, Namur, Louvain-la-Neuve, Dinant, KaHo, Caracole, Du Bocq, Beer Museums, De Heeren van Liederkercke
• 2001 New Orleans Jazz Fest, Abita Brewery, Brew-Pubs, Craft Beer Bars
• 2000 Bruges, Rotterdam, Poperinge, Westvleteren, PINT Beer Festival, De Ryck, Van Honsebrouck
• 2000 Chicago Real Ale Festival, Craft Beer Bars and Brew-Pubs, Blues/Jazz
• 1999 Paris, Liège, Aachen, European Beer Museum, Henry, Val-Dieu, Achel
• 1999 London; Great British Beer Festival, Young's, Fuller's Pubs
• 1998 Lille, Middelburg, Antwerp, Halve Maan, Scheldebrouwerij, Thiriez, De Mug, Het Blauwershof
• 1997 Tournai, La Roche-en-Ardenne, Orval, Achouffe, Au Baron, Abbaye des Rocs, Vapeur
• 1996 Bamberg, Brussels, Maastricht, Pottenstein, Buttenheim, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Cassel, Breweries and Bars
• 1995 Amsterdam, Utrecht, PINT Beer Festival, Schaapskooi, 't IJ, Maximiliaan (now De Bekeerde Suster)
• 1995 Ghent, Antwerp, Cantillon, Boon, 3 Fonteinen, In de Rare Vos, 't Brouwershuys, De Koninck, Liefmans
• 1995 Prague, Pilsen (Plzeň), U Fleků, Staropramen, Pilsner Urquell, Karlovy Vary, Becherovka
• 1994 Amsterdam, Utrecht, PINT Beer Festival, Schaapskooi, 't IJ, Maximiliaan (now De Bekeerde Suster)
• 1993 Bruges - Rodenbach, De Dolle Brouwers, De Gouden Boom & Van Eecke Breweries - In de Vrede (St.-Sixtus Trappist Brewery tap, Westvleteren)
  

Past White Beer Travels Beer Hunts

2007: Beer Hunt featuring
the O.B.E.R. Christmas Beer Festival,
in Essen, Antwerp Province, in Belgium

This December, 2007 Beer Hunt, featuring a Christmas Beer Festival (Kerstbierfestival) (www.kerstbierfestival.be) run by the O.B.E.R. (www.ober.be) branch of Belgium's premier beer consumers' organisation, Zythos (www.zythos.be), is covered in a sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here. Essen has its own dedicated White Beer Travels Web page, which features its Christmas Beer Festival; it can be reached by clicking here.

2007: Beer Hunt featuring
the Bruxellensis Beer Festival,
in Brussels, the Capital of Belgium

The full itinerary for this September, 2007 Beer Hunt, featuring the world-class Bruxellensis Beer Festival (www.festivalbruxellensis.be, White Beer Travels Web page) is currently being formulated, but will include two brewery visits. It is based in Brussels, subject to no major events taking place in the city on the weekend of the festival. Click here for more details of the trip.

2007: Beer Hunt based in Bamberg and
Nuremberg (Nürnberg), in Germany

This July, 2007 Beer Hunt is detailed in a White Beer Travels Web page covering German Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

2007: Beer Hunt based in Bamberg and
Nuremberg (Nürnberg), in Germany

This May, 2007 Beer Hunt is detailed in a White Beer Travels Web page covering German Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

2007: Beer Hunt based in Ghent, in Belgium, featuring: the Zythos Beer Festival, in Sint-Niklaas; a Cantillon Brewery Open Brew Day, in Brussels; and a visit to another brewery to be announced

This March, 2007 Beer Hunt is based in Ghent (Gent). It is covered in a sub-page to this Past Beer Hunts page, which collects together all the White Beer Travels Belgian Beer Hunts. This can be reached by clicking here.

2006: Beer Hunt featuring
the O.B.E.R. Christmas Beer Festival,
in Essen, Antwerp Province, in Belgium

This December, 2006 Beer Hunt, featuring a Christmas Beer Festival (Kerstbierfestival) (www.kerstbierfestival.be) run by the O.B.E.R. (www.ober.be) branch of Belgium's premier beer consumers' organisation, Zythos (www.zythos.be), is covered in a sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here. Essen has its own dedicated White Beer Travels Web page, which features its Christmas Beer Festival; it can be reached by clicking here.

2006: Beer Hunt based in Bamberg and
Nuremberg (Nürnberg), in Germany

This September/October, 2006 Beer Hunt is detailed in a White Beer Travels Web page covering German Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

2006: Beer Hunt featuring
the Bruxellensis Beer Festival,
in the Belgian Capital of Brussels

This September, 2006 Beer Hunt, which was based in Brussels, featured the Orval Trappist Monastery/Brewery (www.orval.be, White Beer Travels Web page), and the Bruxellensis Beer Festival (www.festivalbruxellensis.be, White Beer Travels Web page), two really world-class places to visit. Click here for more details of the trip.

The itinerary for this Beer Hunt, which was one of a number of handouts given to trip participants, can be seen by clicking here.

2006: Beer Hunt based in Bruges and Aalst, in Belgium, featuring: the Third Zythos Beer Festival, in Sint-Niklaas; a Cantillon Brewery Open Brew Day, in Brussels; and In De Verzekering Tegen De Grote Dorst, in Lennik/Eizeringen, for a Special Even there

This March, 2006 Beer Hunt is covered in a sub-page to this Past Beer Hunts page, which collects together all the White Beer Travels Belgian Beer Hunts in Belgium. This can be reached by clicking here.

2005: Antwerp-based Beer Hunt featuring
the O.B.E.R. Christmas Beer Festival,
in Essen, Antwerp Province, in Belgium

This December, 2005 Beer Hunt, based in Bruges, featuring a Christmas Beer Festival (Kerstbierfestival) (www.kerstbierfestival.be) run by the O.B.E.R. (www.ober.be) branch of Belgium's premier beer consumers' organisation, Zythos (www.zythos.be), is covered in a sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here. Essen has its own dedicated White Beer Travels Web page, which features its Christmas Beer Festival; it can be reached by clicking here.

2005: Beer Hunt based in Bamberg and
Nuremberg (Nürnberg), in Germany

This July, 2005 Beer Hunt is detailed in a White Beer Travels Web page covering German Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

For some, including yours truly, an overnight stay close to Stansted was made, prior to getting the plane to Nuremberg. I looked no further than the CAMRA Good Beer Guide entry (GBG 2004, page 154), The Cricketers' Arms (www.thecricketersarms.com), in Rickling Green, near Saffron Waldren, Essex, CB11 3YG, tel 01799 543210 (GPS: 51.946758^o N, 0.196815^o E); it is only eight miles from Stansted. There is an excellent choice of Real Ales, the food is way above normal pub standard, the ten bedrooms are all en suite, and there is an on-call taxi service to the airport. The Cricketers, which overlooks a particularly renowned cricket pitch, was built in the 18th Century, but has all the usual modern conveniences. Whilst away, you can also leave your car at a fraction of the cost of leaving it at the airport. From The Cricketers', there is a nice, short walk, which is largely off-road to another pub/restaurant, with accommodation, the Beautiful Ugley Chequers Hotel, Cambridge road, Ugley, CM22 6HZ, tel 01799 540387. On handpump, this has Greene King IPA at £2.40 and Abbott at £2.60 (July, 2005 prices).

2005: Beer Hunt based in Antwerp, featuring: the Second Zythos Beer Festival, in Sint-Niklaas; De Bierkamer, in Kluizen (Ertvelde); a Cantillon Brewery Open Brew Day, in Brussels; and De Zalm, in Roeselare

This Beer Hunt is covered in a sub-page to this Past Beer Hunts page, which collects together all the White Beer Travels Belgian Beer Hunts in Belgium. This can be reached by clicking here.

2004: Antwerp-based Beer Hunt featuring
the O.B.E.R. Christmas Beer Festival,
in Essen, Antwerp Province, in Belgium

This December, 2004 Beer Hunt, based in Antwerp, featuring a Christmas Beer Festival (Kerstbierfestival) (www.kerstbierfestival.be) run by the O.B.E.R. (www.ober.be) branch of Belgium's premier beer consumers' organisation, Zythos (www.zythos.be), is covered in a sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here. Essen has its own dedicated White Beer Travels Web page, which features its Christmas Beer Festival; it can be reached by clicking here.

En route home, a night was spent in London, the next day then being devoted to a crawl in and around Greenwich, London. "Maritime Greenwich" is on the UNESCO World Heritage list (whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31), and is thus a world-class tourist venue, as well as having some superb pubs. It is readily reached by public transport; using the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), one passes particularly impressive, modern buildings, in or close by, Canary Wharf. The crawl was conducted by Ben Morgan, who became a White Beer Travels Beer Hunter on the 2004 Beer Hunt based in Bamberg and Nuremberg (Nürnberg), in Germany, see below. Ben's itinerary included: the Zerodegrees Brew Pub (www.zerodegrees-microbrewery.co.uk), in Blackheath (29-31 Montpelier Vale, GPS: 51.467313^o N, 0.008508^o E); Greenwich Union (www.greenwichunion.co.uk), (56 Royal Hill, GPS: 51.476579^o N, 0.009585^o W), a pub owned by the Meantime Brewing Company (The Greenwich Brewery) (www.meantimebrewing.com, White Beer Travels Web page), which is in Charlton, in the Borough of Greenwich, in London, quite close to the Thames Flood Barrier, which is a tourist attraction (www.thamesbarrierpark.org.uk), as well as being something that protects London from floods. The Greenwich Union is next door to a superb Pub, owned Young's (www.youngs.co.uk), with a rural interior, which was visited, the Richard I (The First) (Tolly's) (GBG 2006, GBG 2007 page 295); and Theatre of Wine, in Maze Hill, Greenwich (75 Trafalgar Road (A206), tel 020 8858 6363, www.theatreofwine.com, GPS: 51.483829^o N, 0.000452^o E). London pubs of special merit, such as the ones just mentioned in the Greenwich area, are featured in the eighty-three page White Beer Travels Notes on London Pubs that can be obtained from the Downloads page of the site.

Theatre of Wine is a top-class wine shop but has a truly excellent selection of Belgian Beers, supplied by Bart Verhaeghe's Woking-based Belgian Beer Import Limited, www.belgianbeerimport.co.uk (stopped working in November, 2005) (click here to see a photo featuring Bart); fifty-five different ones were counted during the visit. In the photo to the left, which was taken by Joyce White, in December, 2004. John White is pouring Theatre of Wine's Jonathan Warren a glass of the superb De Cam Oude Lambiek. All the beers in the shop are very reasonably prices, this rare beer being £2.50 (37.5cl). Other examples include Orval at £1.60, and seasonal beers, such as Regenboog's 't Smisje Kerst (Christmas). Click here for information on a visit made by John to De Cam (www.decam.be), in Gooik. Theatre of Wine does weekly and more wine tastings (~£10 to ~£100), which are detailed on their website, and every couple of months there are beer tastings. On Monday to Saturday, Theatre of Wine is open from 10am to 9pm, and on Sunday from 1pm to 6pm.

2004: Beer Hunt based in Bamberg and
Nuremberg (Nürnberg), in Germany

This August, 2007 Beer Hunt is detailed in a White Beer Travels Web page covering German Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

2004: Beer Hunt based in Antwerp, featuring: the First Zythos Beer Festival, in Sint-Niklaas; Het Anker Brewery, in Mechelen; the Delirium Café and a Cantillon Brewery Open Brew Day, in Brussels; and In De Verzekering Tegen De Grote Dorst, in Lennik/Eizeringen, for a Special Event there

This Beer Hunt is covered in a sub-page to this Past Beer Hunts page, which collects together all the White Beer Travels Belgian Beer Hunts in Belgium. This can be reached by clicking here.

En route home, a night was spent in London; we visited the outstanding Wenlock Arms (26 Wenlock Road (corner Sturt Street), tel 020 7608 3406, nearest Underground Station is Old Street (exit 1 (City Road North (East Side)), www.wenlock-arms.co.uk, GPS: 51.531663^o N, 0.093902^o W). There is an ever-changing selection of Real Ales on the blackboard, including usually one or two from the nearby Pitfield Brewery, at what, for London are low prices. A touch I really like is the declaration that the prices displayed are for a "Full Pint", which is exactly what you get. One of the La Trappe range of beers, brewed in the Koningshoeven Trappist Monastery (www.koningshoeven.nl (Abdij Koningshoeven), www.latrappe.nl and White Beer Travels Web page (brewery)), in The Netherlands, is also available on draught. A winner of North London CAMRA (www.camranorthlondon.org.uk)'s Pub of the Year, this really is a don't-miss when in London. London pubs of special merit, such as the Wenlock Arms, are featured in some White Beer Travels Notes on London Pubs that can be obtained from the Downloads page of the site. Also handy for the Old Street Underground Station (exit 2 (Old Street East (North Side)) was The Pitfield Beer Shop, 14 Pitfield Street (corner of Boot Street, tel 0845 833 1492, www.pitfieldbeershop.co.uk, GPS: 51.526912^o N, 0.083652^o W), this shop alongside the brewery had a superb range of over 500 bottled beers, including a particularly well-selected choice of Belgian and German ones. Note however, that the shop closed in January, 2006, but it is expected to reopen, so watch this space. Beer can still be ordered from their website; they deliver nationally.

2003: Beer Hunt based in Amsterdam, in The Netherlands, featuring PINT's Bokbierfestival and 't IJ brewery

This Beer Hunt took place at the time of The Netherlands' premier beer festival, the Bokbierfestival, which is organised by PINT (www.pint.nl), The Netherlands' premier beer consumers' organisation, the Dutch equivalent of CAMRA (www.camra.org.uk). This takes place, in 2006, on Friday, the 27th, Saturday, the 28th and Sunday, the 29th of October.

The above two photos were taken in October, 2003 by John White. On the left is the windmill that is connected to 't IJ brewery and its superb bar (www.brouwerijhetij.nl and an excellent fan's site, brouwerij-t-ij.tmfweb.nl, which has useful links). 't IJ is built in a former bathhouse; the girl in the shower is the wonderfully vivacious Yvonne Boelens, who works behind the bar, but also does a marvellous and entertaining tour of the brewery. I could not resist asking for a photo of her in one of the former showers; note the soap holder on the wall. Also note the ostrich and ostrich egg logo of the brewery on her T-shirt. She is holding a poster for the Liverpool Beer Festival, which is run by the Liverpool and District branch of CAMRA, www.merseycamra.org.uk; this festival usually takes place in February, click here for more information on it. As can be seen, the former shower block is used to store beer; note the crates from the defunct De Gheest brewery, sandwiching one of 't IJ's own. De Gheest were based in the hop and malt town of Aalst, in Belgium. Further information on Aalst can be found in a White Beer Travels Web page featuring the town, which can be reached by clicking here.

Note that there were reports that draught Orval (www.orval.be, White Beer Travels Web page) was made available on draught/tap, in February, 2006, in In de Wildeman, in Amsterdam. However, the brewery issued a statement saying that no beer in a draught form had left the brewery and thus those who been led to believe that they had been drinking draught Orval had been misled. Of course, In de Wildeman has such a standing in the Specialty Beer world, that, initially, the story was believed, and no one was surprised that In de Wildeman had been chosen to trial a beer that is being experimented with, within the brewery, see the White Beer Travels Web page just cited.

In 2006, to mark In de Wildeman's twentieth anniversary as a Speciality Beer bar, a marvellous Jubilee Book (Jubileumboek) was published by the founder of in De Wildeman, Henk Eggens, and his wife, Els van der Linden, entitled Bierproeflokaal In de Wildeman 20 Jaar. It is lavishly illustrated, and has contributions from a good number of people associated with In de Wildeman. It can be purchased in the place for €20.

Other very special bars visited included: the 't Arendsnest (Herengracht 90, tel 020 421 20 57, www.arendsnest.nl, White Beer Travels Web page); Van Ouds 't Loosje (Nieuwmarkt 32, tel 020 627 26 35): Het Elfde Gebod (Zeedijk 5, tel 020 622 35 77); the Boulevard Café (Cruquiusweg 3, tel 020 693 32 99); and De Bekeerde Suster (Kloveniersburgwal 6-8, tel 020 423 01 12, www.debekeerdesuster.nl).

Photos taken outside and in De Bekeerde Suster, Amsterdam, by John White, in October, 2003

De Bekeerde Suster is a pub in the Beiaard Group (www.beiaardgroep.nl). It is housed in the same building as the former Maximiliaan brew pub, which closed down in 2002. It reopened in May, 2003, with the first brew being carried out in November, 2004. In the photo, above left, one can see that De Bekeerde Suster is next door to the "Coffee Shop Xperience". It should be noted that "Coffee Shop" is Dutch for a bar where Cannabis can be smoked! Note the Nun on the pubs sign and in the picture by the brew house in the photo, above right. In 2005, Harrie Vermeer, who was with De Koningshoeven Trappist Brewery (www.latrappe.nl, White Beer Travels Web page) for twenty years, became the brewer at De Bekeerde Suster.

When it opened, in 2000, 't Arendsnest was unique in that it featured only Dutch Beers: it has at least one beer from every Dutch brewery, big and small; around 150 different beers from over fifty breweries are available. The White Beer Travels Web page on it has numerous photos and full details of this don't-miss place. (I said "was unique", as in October, 2005, the Café Muk, Daalsedwarsweg 21-23, in Nijmegen, tel 024 324 58 00, went Dutch (draught beers and sixty plus bottles)). In de Wildeman has the biggest beer selection in The Netherlands; it beers include rare beers from Germany, particularly Franconia. Het Elfde Gebod has a smaller, but very well chosen beer list. It has a superb interior and is an extremely welcoming bar, near the Centraal Station, the city's main railway station and tram and bus hub. Note that the kitchen was removed in December, 2002, to create more bar space. The old and the new blend really well, since the renovation was done using some old fittings from a canal-side house. Het Elfde Gebod is not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; on other days, it opens from 5pm to 1am. Full details of Amsterdam and its bars and breweries can be found in the fifty-three page White Beer Travels downloadable guide to the city, which can be reached by clicking here. The Netherlands is also superbly covered by Amsterdam resident, Ron Pattinson's on-line "Dutch Pub Guide", www.europeanbeerguide.net/hollpubs.htm. This is part of Ron's absolutely essential European  Beer Guidewebsite, www.europeanbeerguide.net.

2003: Beer Hunt based in Ostend, in Belgium

This Beer Hunt is covered in the sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

2003: Belgian Beer Hunt based in Brussels & Antwerp

This Beer Hunt is covered in the sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

For details of this Beer Hunt, please click on the heading a short distance above.

This White Beer Travels trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, coincided with the city's superlative Jazz and Heritage Festival (www.nojazzfest.com). As well as its obvious music and food venues, there is excellent beer throughout New Orleans, which was sampled on visits to its outstanding Specialty Beer bars and brew-pubs. There was also a visit to the Abita Brewery (www.abita.com), Abita Springs, Louisiana, producers of typically excellent Speciality Beers, which the Americans call Craft Beers.

More details of this trip can be found by clicking on the heading just above.

2000: Beer Hunt based in Bruges, in Belgium
& Rotterdam, in The Netherlands

The Belgian aspects of this Beer Hunt are covered in the sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

Rotterdam is The Netherlands' second largest city, after Amsterdam. It is often dismissed as a rather plastic, or should one say concrete city, but it has the facilities to match its size, including: some outstanding museums; attractions associated with the fact that it is the world's biggest port; and restaurants and bars, including a more than ample selection of excellent Specialty Beer bars. A marvellous meal was enjoyed by the group in the city's famous beer cuisine restaurant: Van Popering. The stay in Rotterdam coincided with the PINT Bokbier Festival, The Netherlands' best (see www.pint.nl for details), in Amsterdam, which is readily reached from Rotterdam by very frequent and efficient trains. The Rotterdam hotel used was of a very high standard, superbly situated on the river Maas (Meuse).

En route home a hypermarket in Dunkirk, in France was visited, for French Speciality Beer and wine purchases, etc. Hypermarkets visited on White Beer Travels' Beer Hunts are civilised ones that are devoid of British Bootleggers seeking out undrinkable Eurofizz.

The French are renowned for the best in food and wine. Therefore, there is clearly much more to the French beer scene than fizzes such as Kronenbourg. Being such a big place, Paris has more Specialty Beer outlets than any other place in France. This, along with its general tourist attractions, makes it an irresistible target for the Beer Hunter.

For further details of this Beer Hunt, click on the heading above. It included: a train trip to Aachen, in Germany, click here for more information on this; visits to two monastic breweries, in Belgium, Achel and Val-Dieu, the latter subsequently ceased being an operational monastery, although it is still a religious centre, and the brewery is still in operation; "Le Musée Européen de la Bière, et du Pays de Stenay" (The Museum of European Beer and the Stenay Area) (www.musee-de-la-biere.com), in Stenay, in Lorraine, in France; and the Henry Brewery, also in Lorraine, run by Englishman, Ben Henry.

1999: Beer Hunt based in London, Organised for the "Deltabrouwers"

The Deltabrouwers are a Home Brew organisation based in the Dutch province of Zeeland. The Beer Hunt organised for them by White Beer Travels coincided with CAMRA's Great British Beer Festival (see www.camra.org.uk), which has an extensive selection of foreign beers on its Bières Sans Frontières (Beer Without Frontiers, Beer Without Frontiers) (www.b-s-f.org.uk) Internatiobal Beer Bar. The festival was visited after a trip round Young's Brewery (www.youngs.co.uk), one of England's oldest, before it closed in 2006, following the merger with Charles Wells (www.charleswells.co.uk), of Bedford, where its beers are now brewed. The picture on the right was taken at the Antwerp 24-Hour Beer Festival in November, 2002. John is between the Secretary of the Deltabrouwers, Kees Bubberman, on the left, and the Chairman, Jan Passieux, on the right, the one with the cap labelled Directrice! In May, 2007, Kees became the brew master at the Bierbrouwerij Grand Café Emelisse (www.emelisse.nl), a Brew pub in Stadspolder, in Zeeland.

During the 1999 visit to London, the group of Deltabrouwers was particularly interested in the special way that Real Ale is conditioned in a pub's cellar and then delivered from the cellar to the bar. This was vividly explained by a visit to The Old Bank of England, starting in the former bullion vaults that are now the pub's cellars. The pub, which is featured in www.fullers.co.uk, (www.fullers-ales.com (North America), White Beer Travels Web page), is a flagship Fuller's house, at 194 Fleet Street (tel 020 7430 2255) near the Law Courts.

The weekend was rounded off with visits to a number of classic pubs, including London's Art Nouveau pub, the Black Friar, at the Western end of Queen Victoria Street (tel 020 7236 5650), across from Blackfriars Bridge and railway station, and The Star Tavern (Fuller's) 6 Belgrave Mews West (tel 020 7235 3019) (hard to find, but it must be found). A more recent visit to The Star Tavern, is featured on the site's Archives page. London pubs of special merit, such as the Black Friar and The Star Tavern, are featured in the eighty-three page White Beer Travels Notes on London Pubs that can be obtained from the Downloads page of the site.

The Deltabrouwers have an excellent website with some very useful links: www.deltabrouwers.nl.vg. The site provides details of their marvellous, annual Deltabier Festival, held on a Sunday, in mid-March (it is on the 18th in 2007). The venue is the Ambachtscentrum, which is within De Hollandse Hoeve, a recreation park, in Goes.

Travelling by coach, this was a Beer Hunt with a two nights' stay in three different countries. Lille, France's Beer Capital, is a most attractive city, and claims to have the best art gallery in France outside of Paris. Antwerp in Belgium, is covered in the write-up for a White Beer Travels 2002 Beer Hunt there, which can be reached by clicking here. Middelburg, capital of the Dutch Province of Zeeland, deserves to be much better known, from both a tourist and a beer point of view. In De Mug (www.demug.nl), Middelburg has one of the finest Specialty Beer bars in The Netherlands. Click here for the White Beer Travels Pub of the Month write-up on the place. Further details of the Lille and Middelburg parts of this Beer hunt, can be obtained by clicking here.

1997: A Beer Hunt in Wallonia, the French-speaking, Southern half of Belgium, based in Tournai & La Roche-en-Ardenne; the featured breweries included the one within the Orval Trappist Monastery

The Belgian aspects of this Beer Hunt are covered in the sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

This was a two-centre trip coach trip to Wallonia, the French-speaking Southern half of Belgium, based in Tournai and La Roche-en-Ardenne.

En route to La Roche-en-Ardenne, the second base on the trip, there was a border hop into France for the idyllically placed Brasserie Bailleux (Au Baron), in Gussignies, near Bavay. This produces top-bracket beers, including Cuvée Des Jonquilles (7%). The latter was sampled, accompanied by an excellent local speciality, Escavêche, which is a marinated eel or trout dish, based on a secret recipe. It is found in this part of France (the Avesnois) and the area around the Chimay Trappist Monastery, in Belgium, although it originates from Spain, the long time ruler of what are present day Belgium and The Netherlands. It is certainly worth trying at Au Baron, or at Chimay's inn, l'Auberge de Poteaupré (5, rue de Poteaupré, 6464 Bourlers, tel 060 21 14 33) - there are details of the inn, including the accommodation available, on Chimay's website, www.chimay.com, which also covers its famous beers. In addition to Escavêche (€5), the menu includes, of course, Chimay Trappist cheese (Assiette de Fromages de Chimay) at €3.80, and dishes cooked using Chimay beers, such as Lapin (Rabbit) à la Trappiste de Chimay, at €11.20. One can also sample a beer that is only available here and on the tables of the Monastery itself: La Chimay Dorée (Chimay Golden). This is €1.80 for a 33cl bottle in the restaurant and bar. Six packs of this 4.8% spiced beer, to take home, are €5.50. These prices are from May, 2003.

1996: Beer Hunt to Bamberg, in Germany, with en route, overnight stays in Brussels, in Belgium
& Maastricht, in The Netherlands,
and stops in Düsseldorf and Cologne (Köln), in Germany

The main focus of this coach-based Beer Hunt was Bamberg, in Franconia, Northern Bavaria, Germany, but en route there was a two night stay in Brussels and one night in Maastricht, in The Netherlands on the return journey. The German parts of the Beer Hunt are detailed in a White Beer Travels Web page covering German Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

The Belgian aspects of this Beer Hunt are covered in the sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

Maastricht, in the Dutch Province of Limburg, is one of the oldest cities in The Netherlands, and one of the most attractive. It also has some excellent Speciality Beer bars, including one that was visited on the trip: Take One Rechtstraat 28, www.takeonebiercafe.nl. Note that the place's own brewery, Brouwerij De Sier Den, is not yet in operation (January, 2006), but could be one day; its beers are presently brewed by Kerkom, in Kerkom-Sint-Truiden, in the Belgian Province of Limburg (www.brouwerijkerkom.be).

There were beer orientated stops on all journeys to and from the overnight stay venues, the non-Belgian and non-German ones including: 'T Kasteel Hoff, in Cassel (8, rue St Nicholas (face au Moulin - just below the windmill), tel 03 28 40 59 29), one of France's best Specialty Beer bars.

1995: Beer Hunt based in Amsterdam, in The Netherlands

This was a coach trip, which was timed to coincide with the best Dutch Beer Festival, the Bokbierfestival, organised by PINT (www.pint.nl). Superb examples of the Dutch Bok style of beer are always available at this festival, which is held in a most impressive building. There were organised visits to two breweries in Amsterdam: Maximiliaan (closed in late 2002 - reopened as De Bekeerde Suster (www.debekeerdesuster.nl), a Brew Pub in the Beiaard Group (www.beiaardgroep.nl), in May, 2003 (first brew was in November, 2004)), and 't IJ (www.brouwerijhetij.nl and the unofficial site brouwerij-t-ij.tmfweb.nl). 't IJ brews alongside a windmill, see above; its superlative beers are available in the brewery's excellent bar and in outlets throughout the city.

Another brewery visited, on a day trip to Tilburg, was De Koningshoeven Brewery (www.latrappe.nl), within the Onze Lieve Vrouw van Koningshoeven (Our Lady of Koningshoeven) Trappist Monastery (www.koningshoeven.nl), in Berkel-Enschot, near Tilburg. The brewery produces the excellent "La Trappe" range of Trappist beers, the only Trappist beers, produced outside of Belgium. This visit is covered in the White Beer Travels Web page featuring the brewery.

The group returned to Amsterdam, after the visit to the Dutch Trappist monastery, via a stopover in Utrecht, for visits to one of the best Speciality Beer bars in The Netherlands, the outstanding Jan Primus (Jan Van Scorelstraat 27-31, tel 030 251 45 72), and to the spectacular Oudaen Brew-Pub/Restaurant (www.oudaen.nl), in the Stadskasteel (Town's Castle), on the famous sunken Oudegracht (Old Canal), at number 99. This is the building in which the famous 1713 Treaty of Utrecht was signed. As Jan Primus is quite some way from the city centre, the coach first parked up outside before the drive into the centre, for the rest of its attractions. At Oude Gracht 196, the Kafé België (tel 030 231 26 66) has an excellent selection of beers, some of which are not from Belgium! It on the same "street" as Oudaen, on the other side. Note, however, that beyond Oudaen, the canal goes temporarily underground, with corresponding street name changes to Stadhuisberg and then Vismarkt (Fish Market). To the left of the Vismarkt is the Domtoren, the highest church tower in The Netherlands, which has been separated from the main body of the Cathedral, since a hurricane in 1676. When the canal eventually reappears, the street gets named Oudegracht again and the België soon comes up on the left.

En route to Amsterdam, there was a stopover at the then superlative De Pikardijn Specialty Beer bar, in Sint Lievens Houtem. On the return home from Amsterdam, there was a visit to the sadly now-gone Crombé Brewery in Zottegem, in Belgium and, very close to Poperinge and Westvleteren, but across the border in France, De Vierpot, in Boeschèpe, one of this country's very best Speciality Beer bars (125, rue de Moulin, tel 03 28 49 46 37). It is within the "Complexe Joseph Decanter", which includes one of the area's renowned Windmills, the Moulin de l'Ingratitude, De Vierpot, being right alongside this Moulin. It is below a small hill, which is big by the standards of Flanders, called the Mont des Cats, which has the Sainte-Marie-du-Mont Trappist Monastery (www.abbaye-montdescats.com) on top of it. In 1881, it was monks from the Mont Des Cats, as the Monastery is generally referred to (Katsberg or Catsberg in Flemish/Dutch), that established the Trappist Monastery near Tilburg, i.e. it is its Mother House (Moederhuis). Parts of the Mont Des Cats Monastery can be visited; there are videos on monastic life, etc. Close to the Monastery, there is a shop selling its Trappist cheese, and La Trappe beers from De Koningshoeven.

It is worth going up to the top of the Mont Des Cats just for the view; there is also a good restaurant, L'Hostellerie du Mont Des Cats (3, route de Berthen, tel 03 28 42 51 44). It has one or two interesting beers, including one of the best ones from France, 3 Monts, which is brewed by St-Sylvestre (www.brasserie-st-sylvestre.com), in nearby St-Sylvestre-Cappel (in the Nord Dépatrement). Although the monks on the Mont Des Cats no longer brew, the Mont is one of three featured, along with a windmill, on the 3 Monts bottle label. Note that the brewery's website's Home page has a windmill with active sails! The third Mont on the label clearly has a monastic building on top of it. The Mont Des Cats also sports a very tall transmission mast, a good marker for spotting it when on Eurostars to Lille, Paris and Brussels, which pass close by the 3 Monts.

On the other side of the hill to De Vierpot, is another superlative French Specialty Beer bar, Het Blauwershof, in Godewaersvelde (9, rue Eecke, tel 03 28 49 45 11), which White Beer Travels Beer Hunters visited in 1998, see above. En route to the top of the Mont Des Cats from here, half way up the hill, just off to the left, is a restaurant, La Sapinière (Fir Plantation) (1671, route du Mont Des Cats, tel 03 28 42 50 89), which White Beer Travels has not checked out, but which is the restaurant that Michael Jackson refers to in one of his books vis-à-vis a visit to the St Sylvestre brewery. They have beer cuisine dishes based on the brewery's beers, such as Gratiné de poires confites au sabayon de Trois (3) Monts (Gratin of Pickled Pears with a Zabaglione of 3 Monts).

On this trip, all participants, as is the norm, received a detailed information pack, including a fifty-three page Speciality Beer guide to Amsterdam and associated map. There have, of course, been changes in the Amsterdam Specialty Beer scene since this trip. As a consequence, the White Beer Travels guide to Amsterdam, available from the Downloads page has been updated to reflect these changes. For example, it now covers: De Prael (Helicopterstraat 13-15 (1e), tel 020 408 44 70, www.deprael.nl), a brewery that opened in 2002; and Peter van der Arend's superlative 't Arendsnest (Herengracht 90, tel 020 421 20 57, www.arendsnest.nl, White Beer Travels Web page) which only stocks Dutch beers, all the country's Speciality Beer brewers (over fifty) being represented in the choice of over 150 different beers. 't Arendsnest was opened by Michael Jackson, the Beer Hunter, on the 12th of July, 2000. It immediately became a truly world-class Specialty Beer bar.

Note that, since White Beer Travels last visited Utrecht, two small breweries have sprung up in the city: Stichtse Heeren (which has subsequently closed) and De Leckere, the latter, after having suffered financial problems, was reopened with new owners in 2003.

1995: Beer Hunt based in Ghent, in Belgium

This Beer Hunt is covered in the sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.

Prague, the Capital of The Czech Republic (Česká republika), is visually stunning. It is full or world-class museums, buildings and panoramas. It also has some of the world's finest beer taverns, both from a beer quality point of view, and because of the sheer excellence of the places in their own right. The most famous example is the magnificent U Fleků (www.ufleku.cz), both its brewery and tavern being visited by the White Beer Travels Beer Hunters. More details on this White Beer Travels Pub of the Month can be found by clicking here.

This Beer Hunt was based on flying on scheduled flights from Manchester. There were organised visits to breweries and bars in Prague itself, and there was a day coach trip featuring the world-renowned Pilsner Urquell Brewery (www.pilsnerurquell.com), in Pilsen (Plzeň), and the famous spa town of Karlovy Vary, home to the Becher Distillery (www.janbecher.cz), producers of an excellent liqueur that is seen everywhere in The Czech Republic, Becherovka. Becher was visited by the Beer Hunters! For further information on the White Beer Travels Beer Hunt to this outstanding, not to be missed country, click here.

1994: Beer Hunt based in Amsterdam, in The Netherlands

This was similar in many respects to the coach trip of 1995, see above, but with a different set of Beer Hunters. Amsterdam was reached using scheduled flights from Humberside Airport, which is very close to where practically everyone on this Beer Hunt lived. As in 1995, it was timed to coincide with PINT's Bokbierfestival and there were organised visits to: the Maximiliaan (closed in late 2002 - and later reopened as De Bekeerde Suster, a Brew Pub in the Beiaard Group (www.beiaardgroep.nl)); 't IJ Brewery, see above; and to one of the world's greatest Speciality Beer bars, In de Wildeman (www.indewildeman.nl), in the city; and to De Koningshoeven Brewery (www.latrappe.nl, White Beer Travels Web page), within the Trappist Monastery, in Berkel-Enschot, near Tilburg. The latter was reached on the excellent Dutch Railway System. As per the 1995 coach trip, the group returned to Amsterdam via a stopover in Utrecht, visiting the same venues.

1993: Beer Hunt based in Bruges, in Belgium:
The First White Beer Travels Beer Hunt Outside England

This Beer Hunt is covered in the sub-page covering Belgium-based Beer Hunts, which can be reached by clicking here.