Antwerp 2022 - Het Steen area

Het Steen, a medieval stone fortress is an Antwerp landmark on the banks of the river Scheldt. A statue of Lange Wapper, a Flemish folklore giant, stands at the entrance to Het Steen. Free pedestrian ferries cross the river from a nearby quay to Linkeroever.

Suikerrui (Sugar street) is a broad straight street that runs inland from the riverside road towards the Grote Markt and the Cathedral of Our Lady.

Het Steen and Brasserie Stadscafe - viewed from Cafe Pardaf

Brasserie Stadscafe is on the northern corner and Cafe Pardaf is on the southern corner of this junction.

Cafe Pardaf

Cafe Pardaf

An earlier recommendation from John and Sue Thirlaway, led to Cafe Pardaf being chosen as the rendezvous for Friday evening (1 July). The interior features a stylish curved bar, stage lighting over large windows facing the river and contemporary furniture. 

There is a pinball machine and the stairs to the upstairs toilets are accessed under the Stella Artois sign. Cafe Pardaf is one of the bars that formed the Antwerp Craft Beer Route on 28 November 2019, immediately before Billie's Craft Beer Festival.

Simon and Tim were first to arrive and chose a table on the Suikerrui pavement giving views of the river and Het Steen. The thick beer menu binder includes 11 beers on tap, and bottled beers divided into styles starting with 'IPA & hops'. The 'in the spotlight' section included Black is Beautiful, a stout from Bristol's Left Handed Giant. Tim's ZinneBir, from Brasserie de la Senne, came in a bottle with a new '20 years' label design for the 'The Brussels People's Ale' (5.8% ABV / 33cl / 3.80 euros).

The remaining 'usual suspects' would join us and our group of six needed two tables. It was comfortable sitting outside Cafe Pardaf on a warm evening watching the sun set and the moon rise. 

Reader, I may have drunk one too many strong Belgian beers at Cafe Pardaf and will not be tempted by the Troubadour Magma Triple Spiked Brett (9.8% ABV) again! 

Cafe Pardaf is recommended for its location, range of beers and good service. Twilight on a warm evening is an especially good time to visit.

Paters Vaetje

Previously visited, photographed (above) and featured in Belgian Beer Trip 2017 blog post, Paters Vaetje, Blauwmoezelstraat 1, near the cathedral, was the second rendezvous on Thursday 30 June (after 'T Half Souke). It had been raining and the tables inside were the only ones occupied this year. 

There was a free table near the entrance door and a Bolleke De Koninck was a good local beer to start with while I waited for the 'usual suspects' to arrive. Music playing included Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale.

There was time to peruse the beer menu and pick out the next beers to enjoy. Pages 2 and 4 (not pictured) feature 10 Trappist beers, 11 Blond beers, 6 IPAs, 4 Oude Bruine beers (including Duchesse de Bourgogne (6.2%, 4.5 euros) and Rodenbach Grand Cru (6%, 4.7 euros), Oesterstout and 2 Gueuzes. The Antwerp beer section (page 1) includes several beers from Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie, including Seefbier, Cadix and Bootjesbier.

Having ordered Zeezuiper, from Scheldebrouwerij, I would convince Andrew, Richard (both pictured) and Keith to do the same. Simon's Eurostar train was delayed but Dave would join us later. We considered moving to an upstairs table for more space but decided against.

I later enjoyed Strandgaper golden ale from Scheldebrouwerij. Note that this bottle still had the old label design but all the brewery's beers now have colourful new labels and the branded glasses feature the crab design. 

Scheldebrouwerij had a stand at Bierpassie Weekend in Groeneplaats this year.

Cafe Den Engel

Den Engel is one of the iconic cafes featured in Regula Ysewijn's Belgian Cafe Culture book. It is on the northern corner of the Grote Markt and can be seen on the left of the photo above, behind the illuminated Brabo fountain. 

On this visit, I took another photo of Den Engel but have yet to visit. Another reason to revisit Antwerp in 2023!

For more Antwerp background material please see Antwerp - The Usual Suspects 2022 and other linked posts from there.

Antwerp - The Usual Suspects 2022

 After missing visits to Belgium in 2020 and 2021, the Usual Suspects returned to Antwerp on 30 June 2022, a day before the start of Bierpassie Weekend.

Simon, Andrew, Dave, Tim, Keith & Richard - De Vagant

The author of this post (Tim) was glad to meet up again with Simon, Andrew, Keith and Richard. This would be Tim's first meeting with one of the instigators of the annual pilgrimage to this Belgian beer festival - Dave. 

John Reynor - RIP

Sadly, John Reynor, another early adopter, passed away in 2021. We would pay a tribute to John at De Vagant on the Friday with jenever and beer and Dave generously footed the bar bill.

Previous posts about visits to Antwerp have followed a daily diary format but this year there will be three geographically differentiated posts as shown in the rough map:

S - Het Steen area featuring Cafe Pardaf and Paters Vaetje

H - Hoogstraat area featuring 'T Half Souke, De Ware Jacob and De Vagant

G - Groenplaats area featuring Bierpassie Weekend and De Kat.

This post will feature a few bars and other places of interest falling outside these areas which are all in the Grote Markt / Cathedral of Our Lady area, near the river Scheldt.

It was convenient and economical for me to stay at the Hotel Rubenshof again. Unlike Tryp Hotel, where most of the others were staying, it does not have air conditioned rooms or a lift but thankfully temperatures were slightly lower than in 2019. Unhappily for the others, the Tryp Hotel air conditioning had broken down on this occasion.

The Hotel Rubenshof reception and breakfast rooms retain delightful art nouveau features including stained glass windows, carved wooden cabinets and decorative paintings. Breakfast cost 9 euros and  included juice, yoghurt, bread rolls, croissants, ham and cheese. There was sometimes a wait for the coffee pot to be refilled.

After checking in, my first attempt to secure a beer at nearby Biercafe de Jordaan was unsuccessful due to a holiday closure. This was a wasted detour not improved by the rain which had not let up since my arrival. Things would improve after tram rides to reach Groenplaats and then on foot to 'T Half Souke on Hoogstraat. See separate Hoogstraat post (WIP).

'T Half Souke is one of the heritage cafes, featured in Belgian Cafe Culture by Regula Ysewijn, that I had earmarked for a visit after finding it closed in 2019. 

Preparations for this trip included updating a Google map to show Antwerp cafes featured in Regula Ysewijn's book.

L'Entrepot du Congo is a brasserie near Hotel Rubenshof and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts that I had earmarked to visit for a beer or a meal. There were roadworks in this area and on this visit I would only photograph the exterior. It was interesting to find 'Brouwery Brys Bornhem' engraved on a stone panel of the frontage.

I had also hoped to revisit Cafe ZeeZicht with the 'usual suspects', previously visited in 2018 (photo above). Near Tryp Hotel, this is one of the beer cafes in Dageraadplaats (known by our group as 'Argument Square' after many previous late night drinking sessions!). This was another missed opportunity for me on this trip though. 

Apart from Belgian beer cafes and the festival, this trip included three interesting visits unrelated to beer! On the Friday morning, while the others were resting after staying up until 4am in 'Argument Square', I enjoyed a free solo visit to Plantentuin (Den Botaniek), a landscaped botanical garden created in 1825.

Later, I would meet up with Simon for a walk around the Begijnhof / Beguinage which dates from 1545. With its cobbled streets, church and central garden this was well worth a visit although it was not as extensive or impressive as the one in Leuven which we had visited in 2018.

Looking North towards Antwerp from the ferry at Linkeroever

The third visit was to cross the river Scheldt on the free ferry from Het Steen to Linkeroever with Andrew, Dave and Simon on the Saturday afternoon while Keith and Richard revisited Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie in the docks area to the north. Simon would return to Antwerp using the pedestrian tunnel while Andrew, Dave and I returned on a later ferry. The four of us met up at De Ware Jacob. See separate Hoogstraat post (WIP).

We had intended to visit Brouwerij De Koninck, the brewery of Triple D'Anvers and Bolleke De Koninck APA (Antwerp Pale Ale). Another opportunity for 2023!

Addendum

In a theme related to the Wetherspoon's Carpets book by Kit Caless, some photos of Antwerp Cafe floor tiles are grouped above.

Chester - June 2022

 

Chester, once named Deva, is renowned for it's Roman remains and the Rows, covered first floor walkways on central streets with entrances to shops and businesses.

The county town of Cheshire, is served by several railway lines including a frequent Merseyrail service from Liverpool stations via Birkenhead, Rock Ferry and Port Sunlight. 

My visit to Chester, on Wednesday 8 June, followed breakfast at The North Western (Wetherspoon), accessed from Lime Street station, and a brief visit to the Walker Art Gallery in the St George's Quarter.

Leaving the train at Bebington and rejoining a later one at Port Sunlight gave an opportunity to walk through Port Sunlight village and visit the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

After a morning of cultural education, the time would soon come for some beer education in Chester. However, some history and archaeology would come first through an elevated walk along the city's walls.  Before the wall turns down to the river Dee, steps provide access to Duke Street, and heading downhill brings you to Bridge Street. 

A few steps uphill then brings you to the Brewery Tap on the west side of Bridge Street. The first floor main entrance is accessed by external steps.

There are food and beer menus at pavement level and the smoked mackerel sandwich served with coleslaw caught my eye from the daily food menu.

There is a freestanding bar against the rear wall of the stone-floored, high-ceilinged Jacobean hall that houses the Spitting Feathers Brewery Tap.

My first beer here was Spitting Feathers Honey Trap, a smooth 4.1% ABV pale ale brewed with honey from the brewery's beehives (£1.95 1/2 pint).

Later, a pint of Rush Hour went well with the smoked mackerel (doorstep) sandwich. The smooth 4.5% ABV American Pale Ale hopped with five varieties has mild citrus notes. (£4 pint). Staff at the Brewery Tap were also friendly and helpful making it a hard act to follow in every respect.

Panorama - from the Chester Cross - east (Eastgate Street) and south (Bridge Street).

The nearby Cavern of the Curious Gnome does not open until 3pm (Monday to Friday) so there was time for a wander around the streets and rows of Chester and a visit to the Pied Bull in the meantime.

Reputed to be the oldest licensed house in Chester, the Pied Bull dates back to 1155. On the west side of Northgate Street, it is home to the Pied Bull Brewery with the microbrewery located just underneath the bar. There is also a beer terrace at the rear of the premises.

A half pint of Quaffabull, 4% pale ale, with grapefruit citrus notes, costs £2.40 (£2.16 with 10% CAMRA discount applied). With hotel accommodation and comfortable seating, the Pied Bull has an upmarket atmosphere. 

Time passes and a visit to the Cavern of the Curious Gnome now becomes possible. The 'cavern' is actually a loft with access upstairs from Paysan winebar which itself is situated on the first floor row on the east side of Bridge Street (No. 61). 

I was the first customer of the day and chose a pint of Black Iris Brewery (Nottingham) Endless Summer (£4.50 pint). The soundtrack here is mainly classic rock but with some European touches.

There is also a European theme to the furniture and the beers with German lagers on tap and a wide selection of Belgian bottled beers. 

The bound menus are split into sections e.g. Belgian Beer 4.5% to 6.5%; Belgian Beer 6.5% to 8.4%; Trappist Beer. 

The quirky bar stools and decor make the Cavern of the Curious Gnome an interesting destination especially for anyone who enjoys sampling a wide variety of beers and lagers. The option of a seat on the row overlooking Bridge Street (see earlier photo) is available to anyone allergic to the choice of music playing inside the bar.

Before leaving I would donate a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA's Ullage magazine to the shelf which has a holder for the Chester & Hoole real ale pub guide leaflet, published by Chester & South Clywd CAMRA . This leaflet is also available at the Brewery Tap.

Please see the companion post Liverpool (Baltic Triangle) for details of brewery tap and pubs visited in the evening including: Cains Brewery, Black Lodge Brewery, Baltic Fleet and the Bridewell.