't Brouwershuis,
a superb B&B within the grounds of the
St. Bernard Brewery, Watou, Belgium

The B&B and the Brewery

The Het Anker brewery (www.hetanker.be), in Mechelen, probably uniquely, has an hotel in its grounds, click here for the White Beer Travels page covering Mechelen for more details. Also very likely a one-off, is 't Brouwershuis, the B&B (Bed & Breakfast, Guest Rooms, Gastenkamers, Chambres d'hôtes), within the grounds of the Brouwerij Sint Bernard, (www.sintbernardus.be), in Watou, near Poperinge (Trappistenweg 23a (the road to Abele out of Watou, alternative name Herman De Coninckweg), tel 057 38 88 60, fax 057 38 80 71, contact Bernadette) (GPS: 50.841208^o N, 2.639390^o E). The beer being poured above came from the cabinet in the background. The painting directly on the inside lid of the cabinet, is by renowned film costume designer, Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle, a friend of Bernadette's, who lives close by. A number of other paintings by Yvonne contribute to the superb decor of "The Brewer's House", which indeed it is, since Bernadette and her husband, Guy Claus, the brewer since 1962, live in the place, sharing it with their B&B guests. It was built in 1934 by Bernadette's father, Evarist Deconinck, who, in 1946, started up and was previously responsible for the brewery. Since 2003, others have been in charge of day to day brewing, Guy being in semi-retirement.

In December, 2006, I visited the brewery. My guide was the brewery's Sales and Marketing Manager, Marco Passarella, who despite his name, is a Belgian from the Province of Limburg; his father emigrated from Italy at the age of three. Marco and I can be seen in the photo, above right, which was taken by my wife, Joyce, who I am with in the photo to its right, which was taken by Marco. In the latter photo, I have a tin, inside which is a special one-off brew to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opening of the brewery: "St. Bernardus Abt 12 Special Edition" (11%), which is a version of the "normal" St. Bernardus Abt 12 (10.5%), with more and different hops and malt. In the background, in the photo on the left can be seen the brewery's traditionally shaped copper, and on the right is a rather unusual water/malt mixer. Behind us, in the photo on the right, are palleted kegs of Sint Bernard destined for one of tthe brewery's US importer, Bob Leggett and Lanny Hoff's Artisanal Imports, www.artisanalimports.com, who are based in Austin, Texas; the limited edition Abt was imported by Darius Debski's D & V International Inc., Palm Spring Gardens, Florida (www.specialtybeer.com). Group visits are presently not offered by the brewery, but when the present warehousing area of the brewery is expanded, a tasting room will be incorporated, which will mean that such visits will be feasible.

From 1934, Evarist produced a cheese on the site, for the Refuge Notre Dame de St. Bernard, which was set up, in 1934, by monks who had fled from a nearby Trappist monastery, just across the border in France, the Sainte-Marie-du-Mont Abbey (www.abbaye-montdescats.com), near Godewaersvelde, in the Nord Département. Even after the monks were able to return, Evarist continued to produce the cheese for them until 1959, the cheese being sold to finance the upkeep of the monastery. In 1946, Evarist established a brewery on the site, brewing a St.-Sixtus range of beers, under licence and encouragement from the also nearby Trappist Monastery of this name, in Westvleteren. This was requested by the monastery, since, at the time, its own brewery did not have sufficient capacity to brew all the beer that they could sell. The first brewer at St. Bernard was a Polish immigrant who was working in the monastery's brewery. In 1992, Trappist beers commenced using the "Authentic Trappist Product" logo, as did other Trappist monasteries, producing Trappist soap, Trappist nougat, etc, etc. The licence to produce St.-Sixtus beers was rescinded at the same time.The St. Bernard brewery then produced beers in the St. Bernardus range, some of these being adaptations of the original St.-Sixtus beers.

The brewery was first named St. Bernard after the former Cheesery, mentioned in the previous paragraph The building that housed the cheesery adjoins 't Brouwershuis. The Cheesery closed in 1959, production being transferred to St. Bertinus, in Poperinge, and latterly to Belgomilk, in Moorslede (www.belgomilk.be). However, the brewery is generally called, and is badged outside, see the photo below, as the more Flemish-sounding St. Bernardus, as per its beer range, although the brewery name in its address on the labels is St. Bernard. All the beers are top-class, the amber wheat beer, St. Bernardus Witbier, being a particular favourite of mine. Interestingly, the brewery's website mentions the involvement of the legendary Hoegaardier, Pierre Celis (1925-), of Hoegaarden and Celis White fame, in the formulation of this beer, but when I mentioned it to him, in October, 2003, he stated: "It is a good beer, but it is not a Wheat Beer." Note that Sint Bernard brew Pierre's Grottenbier (Cave Beer), that was, indeed, initially cave-matured, but this is no longer the case. Apparently, in return for St. Bernard agreeing to brew Grottenbier, Pierre offered some advice to St. Bernard regarding the brewing of a Wheat Beer, but Celis White (5%) and St. Bernardus Witbier (5.5%) are definitely different beers, in both taste and appearance, as well as strength. Draught St. Bernardus Witbier is absolutely superb and looks magnificent in the glass; it is much more opaque and more amber coloured than the benchmark Wheat Beer, Hoegaarden, and is in a different league to the version of the latter now ruined by that load of Bankers, InBev, by gross recipe meddling. Note that Celis White is no longer brewed by De Smedt, following its almost complete takeover by Heineken, but by Bios/Van Steenberge (www.vansteenberge.com), in Ertvelde, near Ghent. A place serving draught St. Bernardus Witbier, in Watou, is given below, and an excellent outlet for it on the Belgian coast is covered later.

In December, 2006, Pierre Celis launched a draught/tap version of Grottenbier, in a pub fairly close to the brewery, in Ieper (Ypres): The Times, Korte Torhoutstraat 7, tel 057 20 99 30. The draught version is brewed to the same recipe as the original bottled version, but, of course, as per current bottled versions, there is no cave maturation.

The B&B is quite simply one of the best places that I have ever stayed at. The hospitality is marvellous; there is real peace; background music in the lounge is classical; the rooms are nicely furnished; breakfast, taken in a lovely conservatory overlooking a pond with fish, is truly excellent (ample freshly squeezed orange juice, superb fresh fruit salad, top-class bread and coffee/tea, etc); there is a marvellous selection of books and local guides/maps to peruse; there are open fires to sit at, in sumptuous armchairs; etc; etc. At €75 (2004) for a double room with breakfast, it is an absolute snip, bearing in mind the sheer class of the place. I will be coming here again and again and again! In total, there are eight double rooms; single occupancy booking is possible. There is no food, other than the memorable breakfast, but, on arrival, Bernadette provides a little snack of superb Rillettes and marvellous chocolates with your coffee, all these being included in the price. The remote restaurant that we walked to on one night of our stay was closed, so, after some consoling beers in a nearby bar, we returned to 't Brouwershuis. On hearing of our plight, Bernadette rustled up some marvellous sandwiches! For me, Bernadette is the perfect host; it is clear that she wants everything to be just right. After posing for the photo above, she insisted that she get me a new beer, since the one in the photo had been poured too long!

Watou, a wonderful base for Beer Hunting

De Bie was formerly close by, where there was oncel a very nice bar, which is now closed (d'Hellekapelle, Stoppelweg 26); the brewery is now located in Loker. From De Helleketel, there are horse-drawn covered waggon rides (Huifkartochten), that feature visits to local places of interest, including breweries. In the Witch's Cauldron Wood itself, 't Sparhof (Stoppelweg 39, tel 057 33 41 39) (GPS: 50.832503^o N, 2.669622^o E), is a nice restaurant with a decent choice of beers. It is another pleasant walk, past hop gardens, see below, to the village of Sint-Jan-ter-Biezen, for De Strooyen Hen (Watouseweg 54, tel 057 38 80 70, Belbus stop outside, see below, called "St.-Jan-ter-Biezen"), a restaurant/bar with a nice selection of local beers; it is closed on Mondays. The Straw Hen is on the walking route from 't Brouwershuis to the St.-Sixtus Trappist Monastery/Brewery and its tap, see above. Also within walking distance, although it has a Poperinge address, is Wally's Farm (Abeelseweg 232, tel 057 33 52 24, www.wallysfarm.be), a place that pays homage to Elvis Presley that has a good beer list. Wally's Farm can be reached from Poperinge on its own Treintje (a "Little Train" that goes on roads). It is open from 7pm on Friday and Saturday and from Noon on Sunday and on National Holidays, and in July and August, it is open every day from Noon except Monday.

On a July, 2004 visit to 't Hommelhof, the three-course Brouwersmenu (Brewer's Menu) was €24.50, with a supplement for certain dishes. À la Carte dishes included: Bier en kaassoep (Beer and Cheese Soup) at €5.50; Kabeljauw "aan de Schreve" (Cod "on the Frontier"), a starter cooked in Poperings Hommelbier at €5.50; Ganzenleverpastei van het huis geparfumeerd met St. Bernardus Abt (a Terrine of Foie Gras with Onion Chutney), another starter at €17.25; ½ Haantje in Watou's Wit (Half a Chicken cooked in Van Eecke's Wheat Beer) at €12.75; Hammetje (Ham Schank) in St. Bernardus Tripel at €13.75 (available in jars to take home at €8.50); Hennepot met Rauwkool en Frietjes (Cold White Meats in Jelly, with Raw Cabbage and Chips) at €13.25; and Stoofpotje van Konijn (Rabbit Stew) in 't Kapittel Blond at €15.25. Suggesties (Dishes of the Day) included Babykreeftje (Baby Lobster) in Watou's Wit at €24.50. There were two vegetarian dishes, both at €12.50, including Groentenstoofschotel (Vegetable Stew). Dagsoep (Soup of the Day) was €3. Desserts included: Mazarinetaart at €5.50, click here for more information on this); and Sabayon van Frambozenbier (Framboise/Raspberry Beer) met vanille ijs (Vanilla Icecream) at €6. I had the Beer and Cheese Soup which was very good, a taste of someone else's Foie Gras Terrine, which was excellent, and my Rabbit Stew main course, which was OK, but I have had better in places with far less of a reputation than here; the materials used were good, but the dish was rather bland (no Flemish Prunes?). Because of the build up to the place, I was expecting to be able to say: "Wow, everything was special", but I just could not. Click here for a review of my favourite Beer Cuisine restaurant, the Graindorge, in Paris, which has memorable food and an excellent selection of Belgian and French beers.

Draught beers in 't Hommelhof include (July, 2004 prices, for 33cl): Watou's Wit at €1.90; Poperings Hommelbier at €2.40; and Het Kapittel Blond at €2.50. Bottles include: Het Kapittel Pater at €2.25; Het Kapittel Prior at €2.50; St. Bernardus Tripel/6/8/12 at €2.75/2.50/2.75/3.50; Rodenbach at €1.80 (25cl); Boon Framboise and Faro, both at €2.25 (25cl); Kerelsbier at €1.90 (25cl); La Moinette and La Chouffe, both at €6.60 (75cl); and Cuvée 't Hommelhof (6.5%), which is a blend of two Van Eecke beers - Kapittel Abt (10%) and Watou's Witbeer (5%) - at €5 (75cl). House wines are €13 a bottle.

In Watou itself, in addition to the places featured in the photo above, there are a number of other bars and eating establishments. An excellent option for a snack/meal and a beer, is the St. Bernard-owned, Het Ovenhuis (Watouplein 1, tel 057 38 83 38, www.ovenhuis.be.tf). The Rabbit with Rice and the Vispannetje (Fish Stew in a Creamy Sauce) have been raved about in reviews. From September to June, it is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. In July and August, it is closed on Monday evening and on Tuesday during the day.

The above photos of Watou's two breweries were taken by John White, in July, 2004. On the left, is Van Eecke, and on the right is St. Bernard, which, as can be seen is badged St Bernardus, the name of its main beer range.

The Van Eecke brewery (www.brouwerijvaneecke.tk, Douvieweg 2, (GPS: 50.858608^o N, 2.621292^o E)) is just off the main square, Watouplein (alternative name Hugo Clausplein). This brewery was visited on the first ever White Beer Travels Beer Hunt, in 1993, see the Past Beer Hunts page. Adjoining the brewery, is its tap, In Het Brouwershof, which is on the left in the photo to the left above. Draught beers here include Watou's Wit and Poperings Hommelbier, both at €1.50 (July, 2004). Bottles include: Het Kapittel 6/8/10 at €1.60/2/2.50; Duvel at €2.50; and Rodenbach at €1.30 (25cl). An interesting outlet in Watou for their beers is 't Wit Blad (Steenvoordestraat 16, tel 057 38 85 49, www.twitblad.be (website sopped working, in October, 2006)), which describes itself on its website as an Art Gallery, Theatre Bar and Music Pub.

In Watou's second main square, Kleine Markt, there is 1982 statue, by Adhemar Vandroemme, called De Brouwer (The Brewer). The village has some nice art galleries and buildings, the church separating the two squares mentioned, St.-Bavokerk, being very impressive. The official website covering Watou is www.watou.be, which is in Dutch only at present. Another website covering Watou, also only in Dutch, is the excellent "Welkom in Watou" one, www.watou-info.be.

The Belbus service is very efficient; those who you contact on the phone speak English. On one trip, we asked to be picked up at the stop named St.-Sixtus, which is by the monastery, to go to Belgium's Hop Capital, Poperinge, for the top-class Specialty Beer bars, Café de la Paix (www.cafedelapaix.be) (see the photo, below left) and the Palace Hotel (hotelpalace.virtualave.net), and for Talbot House (WW1 Museum, www.talbothouse.be) and the Nationaal Hopmuseum. They asked which stop we required in Poperinge (Railway Station or the main square, the Markt) and then asked if we wanted to arrange any further buses, which we did: one back to the Brouwershuis. The cost per journey was €1 per person in a group of four. It all went very smoothly; I can highly recommend the Belbus system, which is run by De Lijn (www.delijn.be), who also operate scheduled bus and tram services throughout Belgian Flanders. If you put "belbus" into the zoek (search) box on De Lijn's Home page, you get links to all the Belbus routes that De Lijn operates. Click here for a White Beer Travels Web page giving details of how to use De Lijn's Dutch-language website. From the links that this gives, one get the following full list of Belbus telephone numbers: Antwerp (Antwerpen) 03 218 14 94; East Flanders (Oost-Vlaanderen) 09 210 94 94; Flemish Brabant (Vlaams-Brabant) 016 31 37 00; Limburg 011 85 03 00; and West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen) 078 15 11 15. Note that the maximum number that can be booked on a Belbus is fourteen.Your cursor is on a photo taken in the Café de la Paix, an excellent Speciality Beer bar in the famous Belgian hop town of Poperinge, in the Province of West Flanders (West-Vlaanderen). Click on it to go to the Peace Bar's website

The photo to the left was taken in the Café de la Paix, in Poperinge, in December, 2006 by Joyce White. In it, John White, Sint Bernard's brewer, Wouter Dely, and the brewery's Sales and Marketing Manager, Marco Passarella have glasses of draught St. Bernardus Tripel (€2.20). Sorry about the blackboard in the background listing a beer from that load of Bankers, InBev, who have a nasty habit of taking over and then closing breweries the size of Sint Bernard, but, it is a sad fact that excellent bars such as this have beers manufactured by InBev because many consumers ask for them and nothing else, and if they are not available ...

The St.-Sixtus monastery's brewery is particularly renowned in the Specialty Beer world. Click here to see a photo of its Belbus stop. The monastery has a superb shrine of a café opposite, called In de Vrede (www.indevrede.be and White Beer Travels Web page). On the walk from 't Brouwershuis, we stopped at a nice restaurant/bar, 't Jagershof, Bankelindeweg 58, Krombeke (but some way South of this town), tel 057 33 55 25 (GPS: 50.887187^o N, 2.700317^o E), which points towards Nonnenstraat, this leading to Donkerstraat, on which the monastery is situated. 't Jagershof has more substantial meals than In de Vrede.

For the walk mentioned above, I actually used an excellent cycle map for the area, Fietsroute Hoppeland route, that is published by Westtoer, which is available for €2 (July, 2004) from the Poperinge Tourist Office, Markt 1, tel 057 33 40 81, www.poperinge.be. The map positions many of the places covered above, including the country pubs and the St.-Sixtus monastery. The map and similar ones for other areas can be borrowed from 't Brouwershuis, but if passing through Poperinge, it is well worth getting your own copy. The photo to the left, of John White standing in front of Hop Poles, was taken on the walk, soon after leaving 't Brouwershuis. These hops are on Kapellestraat, which is the first right after leaving 't Brouwershuis, in the direction of the centre of Watou. White Beer Travels Beer Hunt regular, Sylvia Clow, was at GPS point 50.847286o N, 2.645461o E, when she took the picture, in July, 2004. Another essential leaflet covering the Watou area, which is free of charge, can be picked up at the Poperinge Tourist Office. It is a double-sided A4, folded in three item, entitled Watou Kunst- en Brouwersdorp (Art and Brewers' Village). It contains a superb map of Watou - Abele, positioning and naming the principal Speciality Beer outlets in the area, plus restaurants and arty places. Don't leave the Tourist Office without this leaflet!

An excellent website covering hotels restaurants and bars in the Poperinge area, which includes Watou, is www.horecapoperinge.be.

With a car or a cycle some interesting places in France can be readily reached, including two top-class bars at the foot of the Mont des Cats: De Vierpot, in Boeschèpe (125, rue de Moulin, tel 03 28 49 46 37), which is alongside one of the area's renowned Windmills, the Moulin de l'Ingratitude; and Het Blauwershof, in Godewaersvelde, (9, rue d'Eecke - Eeckestraat, tel 03 28 49 45 11. Note that the house beer in the latter, Blauwersbier ia a Van Eecke blend, it being exactly the same beer as the House Beer, in 't Hommelhof, in Watou, Cuvée 't Hommelhof, see above. Also within cycling distance is what many regard as the best Speciality/Craft/Specialty Beer bar in France, on the top of Mont Cassel, 'T Kasteel Hof (8, rue St Nicholas (face au Moulin - just below the Mill), 59670 Cassel, tel 03 28 40 59 29), which has the world's biggest selection of French Artisanal Craft Beers. 'T Kasteel Hof is open on Thursday to Sunday from 11am to  10pm (Midnight on Saturday). It does not open on the last three weeks of January and the first "weeks" of October. (Mont Cassel and the Mont des Cats are two of the three Monts on the 3 Monts label, its brewery also being within cycling distance of Watou: the Brasserie St-Sylvestre, in Saint Sylvestre-Cappel, www.brasserie-st-sylvestre.com. Some other interesting places, in France, that are even closer to Watou are featured next.

How to Get to Watou by Public Transport and by Road

Watou can be reached by public transport, by getting a train to Poperinge, and then a Belbus to its entrance, see above. Train times and ticket prices can be found at www.b-rail.be. Watou is very easily reached by road. If coming from Calais, which is fifty kilometres (thirty miles) away, head East, and take junction 28 off the A16 (E40) motorway, in the direction of Lille. The N225 road taken runs into the A25 (E42) motorway, which is exited at its junction 15, in the direction of Herzeele and Houtkerque, on a minor road, the D17. Houtkerque is very close to the Belgian border, Watou being just on the other side of it. Interestingly, there are no bars in the centre of the little French village of Houtkerque, but on going towards Watou, there are suddenly three together, on Rue de Calais (the street name for this part of the D17): Au Pont Mitoyan (Chez Ria & Patrick); a Tiercé Bar (a bar where one can bet on French horse races); and Au Vieux Steendam Café Boutique (Chez Andy & Patricia), see the photo just below.

Watou by the Sea?: Watou Taverne, Middelkerke

This excellent place, on the Belgian coast, in Middelkerke (Zeedijk 271, tel 059 30 66 87), is most pleasant, both inside and on its attractive, beach-side terrace. It has practically all of the St.-Bernard beers, plus a few others, including some from Van Eecke, and a number from Bockor; there are five draught beers and around sixteen in bottle. The draught beers included: St.-Bernardus Prior and Tripel, both at €1.85; and St. Bernardus Witbier at €1.50 (July, 2003 prices). Note that there is also Mazout on draught. In French, this is Fuel Oil, but in Dutch, as well as also meaning this, it is typically a mix of beer (usually one in the loose Pilsener style) and Cola! There is a ready-mixed one produced by Huyghe, but this one could be Bockor Pils and Cola blended automatically when dispensed. Of course, it is not recommended by the author of this Web page! Bottles include: Poperings Hommelbier at €2; Duvel at €2.50; Orval at €2.75; St. Bernardus Pater at €2; Grottenbier at €2.35; St. Bernardus Abt at €2.75; Watou Tripel at €2.25; and Bockor's Bellegems Bruin at €1.75 (25cl). The St. Bernard Beers are fully described on the back of the menu card.

On my July, 2003 visit, for €3, I had some of the rare Watou cheese (Kaas Watou), the ample portion coming with pickled onions, cucumber, olives, mustard and celery salt. The cheese is made by Belgomilk, see above; they also produce Oud-Brugge, Ename and Brigand cheeses, and one of the cheeses on sale in the St.-Sixtus Monastery's brewery tap, in Westvleteren, see above.

There are often dishes of the day available, "Suggesties", prepared using some of the St. Bernardus beers and the Watou cheese. Other regular menu items include: Verse soep (Fresh Soup) at €2; Spag Bol, at €6.20 (€4.45 voor kinderen (children)); Lasagne and Tagliatelle, both at €6.20; Croque Monsieurs at €1.85/3.75 (with/without garnish); Vispannetje puree (Fish platter with Mash Potatoes) at €10; Witloof (Endive)/Ham puree at €7.50; and Pannekoeken (Pancakes) in the range €2/3.75.

The nearest De Lijn Coastal Tram stop is called "Middelkerke Verhaeghelaan", which is on Leopoldlaan. On getting off the tram, walk towards De Panne, until the nearest street leading to the beach is reached, this being Vlaanderenstraat, which has Zeedijk 235 on one corner. Turn left, walking along the beach, in the direction of De Panne, until the required Zeedijk 271 is reached.

The Taverne Watou opens from 11am (10am on Friday and Saturday). It is closed on Wednesdays. It is one of a number of places covered in Ostend & The Belgian Coast: Guided by Speciality Beer, a seventy page White Beer Travels guide that is available from the Downloads page of the site, that can be reached by clicking here.