Belgian Beer in Roeselare, Belgium

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Schneider Weisse, a well-travelled, classic Wheat/White Beer, brewed in Bavaria by Schneider. Click on the image to go to their website

This Web page covers a town that is synonymous with a famous Belgian Beer: Rodenbach. The town is Roeselare, in the Province of West Flanders, in Belgium

Belgian Beer, German Beer, British Real Ale, North American Craft Beer and Speciality Beer from around the world, are all covered in this White Beer Travels website

This White Beer Travels website has been in operation since March, 2002. It promotes Speciality/Craft Beer from around the world: Belgian Beer, German Beer, Craft Beer from the USA and Canada, Real Ale from the UK, etc

Belgian Beer and other great Speciality/Craft Beers, these including Belgian Beer, Real Ale from the UK and Craft Beers from the USA and Canada, are promoted on this, the White Beer Travels website. It is a big site, so to get an outline idea of the contents, click here to go to the site's Contents page

Würzburg, in Germany, is world-renowned for its "Franken" wines. However, White (Wheat) Beers have certainly travelled to the city. The three different ones shown here are excellent examples. All are brewed in the city's Würzburger Hofbräu Brewery. Click on the glasses to go to the brewery's website, from which the image was pasted

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Roeselare, in the Belgian Province of West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen), is synonymous with the Rodenbach Brewery, the classic producer of Sour, Burgundy-coloured Beers. The photo, above left, of John White was taken in the brewery (www.rodenbach.be) by his wife Joyce, on the 15th of May, 1991, John's 46th birthday. The beer in the wooden vessels (Foeders) is matured for two years. At Rodenbach, there are an amazing number of these oak maturation vessels, some of which can be seen in the photo. When bottled "straight", it was once sold as Rodenbach Grand Cru (6%), see below for the current recipe; when a proportion is blended with freshly brewed beer, it is simply called Rodenbach (5%). The photo, above right, was also taken by Joyce, but in March, 2005. It was not, however, taken in the Brewery, but in Rodenbach's flagship pub in Roeselare, De Zalm. I am standing in front of a photo that fills one wall of the place. In my hand, I have a "Rodenbach Foederbier", also see below, which was initially unique to De Zalm (another outlet is 't Vosken (www.tvosken.be), in Ghent (Gent), in the Province of East Flanders (Oost-Vlaanderen)); this place is covered in the White Beer Travels Guide to Ghent, which can be obtained from the Downloads page of the site (click here for a photo taken in 't Vosken). Foederbier is, very unusually for Belgium, delivered by handpump.

I fully concur with Michael Jackson (1942-) (www.beerhunter.com), The Beer Hunter's view that "… the whole [Rodenbach] site should be regarded as a national treasure". This quote is from an edition of Michael's Great Beers of Belgium (5th edition, December, 2005, ISBN 9-053-7301-84, MMC-Bierpassie Magazine (www.beerpassion.com)), which is, in my opinion, the best book on Belgian Beer in any language. It has 501 pages (145x245mm) packed with tons of new information and over 300 new photographs by Joris Luyten. It is also available in Dutch (entitled Grote Belgische Bieren, (ISBN 9-053-7301-68, translation by Gerda Verschueren), and French (Grandes Bières de Belgique, ISBN 9-053-7301-76, translation by Jacques Fanchamps). It can be ordered direct from Ben Vinken's Bierpassie Magazine website, just quoted. Michael has won awards from the Belgian government for it. Rodenbach Brewery was visited on the first ever White Beer Travels Group Beer Hunt, in 1993; click here for more details of it. Since this 1993 brewery visit, Rodenbach has been taken over by Palm (www.palm.be), who have initiated some changes at Rodenbach, that not all beer lovers are happy. However, one cannot fault a 2004 initiative of theirs, i.e. the opening of the Café-Brasserie De Zalm, in Roeselare's main square, the Grote Markt. More details of this excellent place are given below. Note that on my 1991 and 1993 visits to Rodenbach Brewery, brewing was taking place in classic copper vessels. These have been replaced with modern stainless steel ones by Palm, which visitors from 2005 have seen in operation. It is possible that there was an interim period when the beer that matures in the vessels in Roeselare, was brewed and fermented in the Palm Brewery, in Steenhuffel, in Flemish Brabant.

Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium

Roeselare's famous Rodenbach Brewery is covered in depth, in a most admirable way, in the already mentioned Great Beers of Belgium, by Michael Jackson, which can be obtained from www.amazon.co.uk or from www.amazon.com. Therefore, I do not cover Rodenbach in any detail in this Web page, which was knocked up after it was learnt that a special outlet opened in Roeselare, for Rodenbach beers, in December, 2004, De Zalm, which is covered shortly. I also cover Roeselare's entry in Tim Webb's Good Beer Guide Belgium (www.booksaboutbeer.com, White Beer Travels Web page), De Koornbloem, and some atmospheric bars near the railway station, and the town's renowned Beer Shop/Warehouse, Streekbieren Yves. General and Tourist information, can be obtained from the town's official website, www.roeselare.be, which has some tourist information in English.

Café - Brasserie De Zalm,
Grote Markt 24, tel 051 20 00 81, GPS: 50.945213^o N, 3.123712^o E

Your cursor is on a photo of De Zalm, in Roeselare, in West Flanders, Belgium. It is a flagship outlet for the town's Rodenbach Brewery. Click on the photo, to go to Rodenbach's website

This is a photo taken inside De Zalm, in Roeselare, in West Flanders, Belgium. It is a flagship outlet for the town's Rodenbach Brewery, which is owned by Palm. Click on the photo, to go to Palm's website

De Zalm was opened by Rodenbach's owners; Palm, in December, 2004. It is a modern place, both inside and out, as is clear from the above photos, which were taken by John White, in February, 2005. In the interior shot, above right, can be seen the very large photo on the back wall of the huge wooden vessels that are used to mature a proportion of the beer that Rodenbach produces; this is featured in the photo, at the top right of this Web page. In Dutch, these vessels are called Foeders. At one time, the name De Foeder was considered for the place, instead of De Zalm, but the idea was eventually dropped. The stairs in the photo, above right, lead to an eating area, which has particularly comfortable seats.

Your cursor is on a photo featuring Frank Detailleur and the two hand pumps in De Zalm, in Roeselare, in West Flanders, Belgium. It is a flagship outlet for the town's Rodenbach Brewery. Click on the photo, to go to Rodenbach's website

This is a photo featuring Francky Declerck filling a glass of Rodenbach Foederbier using a hand pump, in De Zalm, in Roeselare, in West Flanders, Belgium. It is a flagship outlet for the town's Rodenbach Brewery, which is owned by Palm. Click on the photo, to go to Palm's website

In De Zalm (The Salmon), as one can see from the two photos above, one can get, on handpump (Trekpomp), unfiltered Palm, as per the Belga Queens in Brussels and Ghent (www.belgaqueen.be) and the Grand Café Horta, in Antwerp (www.grandcafehorta.be); as can be seen on the pump clip, it is "getapt op oude wijze" (tapped in the old way). But, amazingly, in the Roeselare establishment, one can also get, on handpump: Rodenbach Oud Belegen Foederbier (Old Wooden Vessel Matured Beer), i.e. something akin to Rodenbach Grand Cru, this being initially the only bar to have it - described as an "Exclusiviteit" in the menu book - making it a must-visit place. In the photo, above left, the proprietor of De Zalm, Frank Detailleur, is holding my glass of Foederbier. The photo on the right features Francky Declerck filling the glass with this superb beer. I describe it as something akin to Rodenbach Grand Cru, since I need to clarify any difference, if any, between the draught Foederbier and the bottled Rodenbach Grand Cru, since I had always understood that the latter was 100% Old Beer, as do famous beer writers, since they state this in their books. However, unprompted, Frank told me, on my February, 2005 visit, that Rodenbach Grand Cru was one part New Beer to three parts Old Beer. This could be the reason why it is not as tart as it used to be, although the reduction in tartness could be due to being sweetened with something; some prefer the old, some the new, the reduction in tartness being a Palm initiative to popularise this legendary beer. Frank also told me that the draught Foederbier was 100% Old Beer and that "normal" Rodenbach was one part Old Beer and three parts New Beer. I found the draught Foederbier to be a marvellous drinking experience. It was quite tart, but not as tart as my remembrance of bottled Grand Cru of old, which could suggest that it is sweetened, but with what: sugar or New Beer? Getting answers to such questions is very difficult, but I will try my best. I have not visited the brewery since 1993, see above. At this time, and on my visit in 1991, I did not get to taste beer direct from the wooden vessels, as happens on certain visits today. I have spoken to a renowned beer taster who was on such a visit, in 2003, and he confirmed that the beer directly from the vessels in the brewery was as tart as Rodenbach Grand Cru of old. How can the beer direct from the wooden vessels be otherwise? After two years in old wooden vessels, in the presence of yeast and micro-organisms present in the wood, it much surely end up bone dry and very, very tart?

This is a photo featuring hand pumps, an information sheet and Sabrina Vandenberghe, in De Zalm, a flagship Rodenbach outlet, in Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium. Click on the photo for a larger, higher resolution version of the information sheet

Your cursor is on a photo of two casks that feed the hand pumps that are to be found in De Zalm, a superlative Rodenbach outlet in Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium. Rodenbach is owned by Palm, whose name appears on the casks. Click on the photo to go to the Rodenbach website

In the photo, above left, there is a fact sheet on De Zalm, which is based on information and photos by Filip Geerts, who is responsible for: the excellent website, surf.to/beer; the Belgian Beer Board message board/website, www.belgianbeerboard.be; and the famous Belgian Beer Pub Map, www.beerpubmap.be. Holding my glass of Foederbier is Sabrina Vandenberghe, who works in De Zalm. Click on the photo to see a larger, higher resolution version of the fact sheet; the text can just about be read, but should you find this difficult, then click here for the Internet source used by De Zalm to produce it. The photo, above right, shows the two casks that feed the two handpumps; they are in a cupboard below the handpumps. As you can see, they are badged Palm. Both photos were taken by John White, in February, 2005.

The above photo, and the one to the right were taken in De Zalm by Joyce White, in March, 2005. In the one above, John White is with White Beer Travels Beer Hunt regulars, Paul Skinner (John's son-in-law) and Stuart Lowe.

This is a photo featuring a tasting of Rodenbach Foederbier and Rodenbach Grand Cru, in De Zalm, in Roeselare, Belgium. Click on it, to go to the Rodenbach website

A couple of weeks after carrying out a recce of the place, I returned to De Zalm with a group of White Beer Travels Beer Hunters, some of whom are shown in the photo, above left. On the recce visit, I was impressed with the fact sheet that De Zalm had produced, in English, on the place, based on information that they had found on the Internet, see the photo a little bit up the page, on the left. Imagine my surprise on the return visit, in March, 2005, to find that they had produced another fact sheet, this one based on this White Beer Travels Web page; I have it in my hand, in the photo above left. Click on it to see a bigger, higher resolution version of it, which also features a glass of Redbach, see the next paragraph. In the photo above right, I am doing a "side-by-side" tasting of the handpumped Foederbier and bottled Rodenbach Grand Cru, this being the bottle in my hand.

Both the handpumped beers cost €2 in De Zalm (March, 2005); the very commonly seen "normal Rodenbach" was €1.90 on draught (delivered from a keg using gas pressure), so these very special beers were a real bargain, although these were promotional prices, i.e. they were €3 in December, 2005. The other keg draught beers available are the same price as the "normal" Rodenbach: Palm and Palm's Wheat Beer, Steendonk Witbier. There are around twenty bottled beers, including (December, 2005 prices) : Rodenbach Grand Cru at €4; Rochefort 8^o, Rodenbach Redbach (3.5%), Steenbrugge Dubbel and Tripel, and Boon Framboos, all at €3; and Poperings Hommelbier and Boon Kriek and Geuze, all at €2.50 (25cl). The Redbach is a Cherry (Kriek) Beer, designed to wean younger drinkers away from Alcopops. It is served in a trendy squashed glass with the legend, in English "Rodenbach hit by Kriek". This gives the impression that it is a blend of Rodenbach and Kriek, the latter, certainly in English, generally means a beer, but it must be just Cherry Juice to get from the Rodenbach ABV of 5% to Redbach's 3.5%. There is a decent selection of Spirits, Cocktails and Wine. White Wines include: a 2002 Tokay Pinot Gris, from the Alsace at €28; a 2003 Macon-Uchizy from Burgundy at €25; and a 2002 Muros Anticos from Portugal at €32. Red Wines include: a 2001 Château Bas from Aix en Provence at €18; a 2002 Monrubio Rosso from Italy at €21; and a 2002 Esboço from Portugal at €25. There are also House Wines in the usual three colours by the glass and other measures. There are Champagnes in the range €60-80. Glühwein is €4. The Low Country Gins available are Oude (Old) and Jonge (Young) Jenever and Citroenjenever at €3.

Food includes, of course, a Salmon Dish: Pakketje van Zalm met Fijne Kruidensaus (Salmon en Croute with a Herb Sauce) at €15. There is one beer cuisine dish: Gebakken Scampi's met Foederbier en Tagliatelle at €16. Other snacks/dishes include: Portie Kaas/Salami/Olijven (Portions of Cheese/Salami/Olives) at €3 (there is a "Tapas Mix" of these for two people at €6); Verse Dagsoep (Fresh Soup of the Day) at €3; Salads in the range €12-17; Vissoep met Rouille, Lookbrood en Gemalen Kaas (French-style Fish Soup) at €8; Aardappel in de pel (Jacket Potatoes) in the range €2-8; Toasten in the range €6-8, this including Croques Monsieurs, Uitsmijter and things on Toast, including, of course, Gerookte Zalm (Smoked Salmon) in the "Van het Huis" (House Special); Pasta in the range €8-15, the cheapest for Spag Bol, the dearest for "Van Het Huis" (House Pasta, which has Gebakken Scampi's/Kreeften Raumsaus (Scampi with a Creamy, Lobster Sauce)); Huisgemaakte Garnaalkroketjes met Krokante Slaatje (Shrimp Croquettes with Crunchy Salad) at €12; Gebakken Gamba's met 3 Sausjes en Slaatje (King Prawns with 3 Sauces and Salad) at €17; Carpaccio van Rundvlees (Uncooked, Thinly-Cut Beef) at €12; Rib-Eye geroosterd, Saus naar Keuze (Rib-Eye Steak with a Sauce of your choice) at €19 (the same with Gebakken Steak at €16); Roomijs (Ice Cream) in the range €3-5.50; and Pancakes and Wafels, in the range €2.50-5.

Your cursor is on a photo of the cover of the menu for De Zalm, in Roeselare, in the Belgian Province of West Flanders

Your cursor is on a photo of a display of old photos featuring Roeselare and De Zalm, on the wall of the lattter. Click on it, to see a bigger, higher resolution version of the photo of De Zalm in years gone by

De Zalm is on the Ooststraat corner of Roeselare's main square, the Grote Markt. De Zalm's menu book (Prijslijst) has an old photo of the Grote Markt end of Ooststraat, on the front cover (on the right, in the photo, above left) on which can be seen a former inn at the position where the modern-looking De Zalm now stands. The same old photo is top left in the photo, above right, which is of a wall inside the new place, where there is information and other photos of the old place and Roeselare, as can be seen. The display is entitled "De Herberg De Zalm Door De Eeuwen Heen" (De Zalm Inn in Days Gone By). On the photo itself, it is titled, in French, "Roulers, rue de l'Est" (Roeselare, Ooststraat (East Street)). On the wall, there is a label below it "Au Saumon" ("At The [Sign of The] Salmon", which is usually shortened to just "The Salmon"); click on it to see a bigger, higher resolution photo of this section of the display. At one time, in Belgian Flanders, street names, etc, were signed in French, despite the fact that the locals' mother tongue was Dutch. The photos above were taken by John White, in March, 2005.

My February, 2005 visit, was on a Tuesday, which is market day, the square outside being thus full of stalls. De Zalm was packed with locals, none of whom, unfortunately, were partaking of the two handpumped beers; I hope this does not result in Palm/Rodenbach discontinuing them. Fortunately, on the return visit, in March, 2005, with the group of White Beer Travels Beer Hunters, on a Sunday, the locals were partaking of them, as was I. Background music is top-class Jazz. In summary, this is an excellent place, that, for the Speciality Beer fan, is worthy of a special journey.

De Zalm is closed on Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday. On other days, it is open from 9am (7am on Tuesday (Market Day), 11am on Sundays).

From Roeselare railway station, to get to De Zalm, leave the station beyond platform 1, i.e. follow the signs to Centrum. Cross the road and turn left in the square in front of the station, Stationsplein. There are a number of pubs together in this square, see below, De Eekhoorn, being on the corner of the unsigned Ooststraat. This street leads to the Grote Markt, the town's main square, on which De Zalm stands, on the corner of Ooststraat, on its left. En route, you will have passed the next entry, De Koornbloem, also on the left, just after the junction with Vlamingstraat, on the right. Ooststraat is the town's principal shopping street, with its own website, www.ooststraat.be; click on WINKELS (Shops) for a full list of it shops, bars, restaurants, etc. The Museum Alfons Blomme (a Roeselare painter (1889-1979)) is on the left after De Koornbloem, on the far corner of Delaerestraat, and on the far corner of the next corner reached on the right, H. Horriestraat, is an impressive building housing the Post Office and also the Tourist Information Office. A sign to the left here points down Poststraat to the Nationaal Wielermuseum (Cycling Museum), in nearby Polenplein. Just beyond the opposite corner of the Grote Markt to De Zalm can be seen Sint-Michiels Church, which has an impressive interior.

De Koornbloem, Ooststraat 118, tel 051 20 18 52,
GPS: 50.947447^o N, 3.128578^o E

Your cursor is on a photo of De Koornbloem, in Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium. It is an entry in Tim Webb's essential 'Good Beer Guide to Belgium'

This Tim Webb entry has around fifty-five beers, including a Beer of the Month. There are also snacks and hot dishes. The beer menu book has the lettering of Palm's Royal on it, this being thus another well-known Palm/Rodenbach outlet. I have not yet visited the place, inside, hence the sketchy nature of this description of the place; it looks nice enough peering through the window when it was closed.

The Corn Flower is closed on Sundays. On other days, it is open from 10am to 8pm (till late on Friday and Saturday).

Instructions for getting to De Koornbloem from the railway station are given in the entry above for De Zalm.

The photo of the exterior of De Koornbloem, to the left, was taken by John White, in March, 2005. As one can see, it is badged "Rodenbach".

Stationsplein ([Railway] Station Square) Pubs

Your cursor is on a photo of three pubs in the square near the station in Roeselare, in West Flanders, Belgium

The photo to the left, which was taken by John White, in March, 2005, shows three atmospheric pubs, in "Station Square", all of which are badged Rodenbach; there are a number of other pubs in the square. The ones in the photo are, from left to right: De Eekhoorn, Stationsplein 1; In Den Trap (De Trap), Stationsplein 2; and St.-Georges, Stationsplein 3. The first one, The Squirrel, is home to the supporters' club of the local football team, KFC Roeselare. It is on the corner of Ooststraat, which, as has already been stated, leads one to De Zalm.www.bistronovo.be

Restaurant Den Haselt,
Diksmuidesteenweg 53, tel 051 22 52 40

This Michelin-listed restaurant has a number of dishes prepared using Rodenbach Beers. When coming to De Zalm from the railway station, on entering the town's main square, the Grote Markt carry on straight, to quickly leave the square, on Wallenstraat, which runs into the required Diksmuidesteenweg; Den Haselt is then on the left.

Den Haselt is shut on Tuesday evening, all day Wednesday, and at Saturday lunchtime.

Bistro Novo,
Hugo Verriestsraat 12, tel 051 24 14 77, www.bistronovo.be

This is a Michelin-starred restaurant; sadly, its renowned chef, Krist De Bruyn, died in April, 2006. There is no obvious beer connection, but, if you are looking for a change from this, and/or you want to eat very well, this is the place to be in Roeselare. There is a three-course Menu Terroir at €25 (Monday to Friday), and a four-course Menu Gourmand at €60/75 (plus €9 with an additional Farm House Cheese Course), the higher price for the Menu Gourmand including wine with each course. À la Carte main courses are in the range €16 to €40. These are March, 2005 prices from the place's website.

It is five minutes' walk from the Railway Station. Turn right out of this, and at the roundabout soon reached, take the exit leading away from the station, St.-Amandsstraat, and take the third right off this, which is the required Hugo Verrieststraat, Bistro Novo being on the next far corner (Cichoreistraat), on the right.

Bistro Novo opens from Noon until 2pm and from 7pm until 10pm. It does not open at Saturday lunchtime. From October to March, it does not open on Mondays. From April to September, it does not open on Sundays and on Monday in the evening.

Streekbieren Yves,
Onze-Lieve Vrouwenmarkt 1, tel 051 22 21 88, www.streekbieren.goedbegin.be,
GPS: 50.947854^o N, 3.134015^o E

Your cursor is on a photo of Yves outside his Streekbieren Yves beer shop and warehouse, in Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium. Click on it, to go to the Streekbieren Yves website

This well-regarded Specialty Beer Shop/Warehouse is outside the town centre, but very close to the Rodenbach Brewery; the brewery is very clearly signed from the square in which Yves is situated. The photo to the left of Yves X in front of his Streekbieren Yves (Yves Regional Beers) was taken by John White, in December, 2003.

Example prices (December, 2003, 33cl bottles unless stated otherwise) are as follows, to which one needs to add bottle deposits: Rochefort 6^o at €1.15; Stille Nacht at €1.70; De "Proef" Brouwerij's Bloemenbier at €1.45; La Binchoise Bière des Ours at €2.05; De "Proef" Brouwerij's Babbelaar at €1.60; Avec les Bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont at €4 (75cl); De Ranke's XX Bitter at €4.45 (75cl); Bush Noël at €1.45 (25cl); De Ranke's Père Noël at €1.45 (25cl); Ellezelloise's Hercule Stout at €2.20; Cantillon Iris at €4.65 (75cl); Strubbe's Ichtegem's Oud Bruin at €0.90 (25cl); Crombé/Strubbe's Oud Kriekenbier at €1.50; Bosteel 't Zelfde at €0.95 (25cl); Van Steenberge's Celis White at €0.95 (25cl); Paeleman's Druivenbier at €3.90 (75cl); Abbaye des Rocs's La Montagnarde at €3.30 (75cl); and Het Anker's Gouden Carolus Classic at €1.15.

Streekbieren Yves is open on Monday from 9.30am to Noon and from 1.45pm to 5pm. On Tuesday and Sunday, it is open from 9am until Noon, i.e. it is shut in the afternoon on these two days. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, it is open from 9am to Noon and from 1.30pm to 6pm (5pm Saturday). It is not open on Wednesdays. There are special opening times at, for example, Christmas, when it is open on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, even if this is a Wednesday. It is closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day and other days at this time for stocktaking. On a couple of days before Christmas, there are free tasting opportunities (degustatie). Streekbieren Yves does not take credit cards.

To get to Streekbieren Yves by road from, say, Ghent, join the E17 (A14) motorway, in the direction of Kortrijk and Rijsel (Lille), these being in the opposite direction to Antwerpen.

After junction 2 on the E17 (A14), join the E403 (A17), in the direction of Brugge and Oostende, the first junction reached on this being its junction 5.

Leave the E17 (A14), at its junction 8, to join the Roeselare ring road, the R32, i.e. on leaving the motorway on the right, turn left at the Tee reached, to cross over the motorway just exited from.

Take the first left reached, signed to Beveren, at a roundabout, to join a road called Beversesteenweg. Carry on straight through Beveren, and, at a roundabout reached, with bigger roads to the left and right (Koning Leopold III Laan and Mandellaan), take the right onto Mandellaan.

Turn the second right, at lights (a Rodenbach pub, the Batavia (Ardooisesteenweg 147, tel 051 20 15 95) is on the left corner), to join the not too obviously signed N37 (Ardooisesteenweg), in the signed direction of "Centrum".

Take the not too prominent and unsigned third left, opposite the Cosmic Café, to join the one-way Nijverheidsstraat, which leads to the required Onze-Lieve-Vrouwenmarkt, a square, with parking places in the middle. Nijverheidsstraat comes after the no-entry left, Spinnerstraat.

Streekbieren Yves is immediately on the left on entering Onze-Lieve-Vrouwenmarkt.

One can park in the square or directly in front of Streekbieren Yves, if there is room. To do this one goes all the way round the square.

To return to the motorway, turn left out of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwenmarkt, onto the one-way Spinnerstraat.

On reaching the N37, turn right onto it, in the signed direction of Ardooie.

Turn left onto Mandellaan, and then turn right onto Beversesteenweg to reach the ring road and soon after joining it, rejoin the E403 (A17), at its junction 8.

Note that Rodenbach brewery, at Spanjestraat 133-141, is very close to the square in which Yves is on, and looking at a map one can work out the succession of rights and lefts required to reach it. However, this is not necessary, since, at the opposite corner of the square to Streekbieren Yves, there is a massive arrow with the Rodenbach legend in the square, which points to a road that leads directly to a back entrance to the brewery. Rodenbach is about ten minutes' walk from the railway station; it is on the other side of the tracks to the town centre, i.e. to reach the brewery, leave the station beyond the highest platform number. Then turn very quick right off J. Lagaelaan (national road N37) onto Ardooisesteenweg. The third left off this is the required Spanjestraat, the brewery being on the left after the junction with Sint-Hubrechtstraat. If you are early for your brewery visit, or whatever, one can while away the time in the Park Rodenbach, a little further down Spanjestraat, on the right. There are also locals' pubs in the area.

John White (1945-), , February, 2005, updated in June, 2007.

Belgian Beer, such as Trappist Beer, which is just about the world's most renowned Speciality Beer (Craft Beer), is promoted on this website, along with great beer from all over the world