Antwerp 2023 - first visits

Arriving in Antwerp on Thursday 29 June, after travelling from London to Brussels by Eurostar, the first bar we visited, with our luggage, was De Kroon van Hopland located between the impressive Antwerpen Centraal station and Hostel Pulcinella.

Arriving slightly before the 16:00 hrs opening time, we could watch Thomas perform the daily set up routine involving placement of the outdoor furniture followed by moving the chairs and stools off the marble table tops and onto the hard floor inside the corner bar.

As always, the first beer in Antwerp has to be a locally brewed Bolleke De Koninck. The complimentary nibbles were appreciated by David, Mark and Tim (photographer).

Before we left there was a chance for Tim Thomas to present Thomas T with West Berkshire CAMRA Ullage magazine and appreciate the coincidence of our shared initials. 

The bar has lots of interesting features including a steel sculpture over the entrance and the front of a Volvo car with illuminated headlamps hanging inside. A Threads post by @timofnewbury has more photos from our visit.

On Friday 30 June 2023, after a tram ride to 'Dublin' stop and a look at one of the tram 'traction' buildings (Brabo 2) designed by Van Belle & Medina architects, our group walked to Gaarkeuken 110 at Vosseschijnstraat 21. 

As mentioned by Regula Ysewijn in 'Belgian Cafe Culture', Gaarkeuken 110 is the last of the workmen's kitchens in the Port of Antwerp'. It is not open at the weekend so this was our last chance to visit on this trip.

The entrance is on the other side from the road used for port traffic and there is a large patio area outside the entrance.

Inside there is a long narrow space for tables with a long bar on most of one side. Decor includes dock related images and there is a group of framed drawings of ships on beer mats. Regula Ysewijn writes 'Britt tells me that they are a drawn by a ship's mechanic called Dante'.

Again tradition dictates that Bolleke De Koninck should be the first beer of the day! We had to wait a while for our beers to be served as the staff were constantly busy serving their regular customers. As steak and frites were delivered to an adjacent table it was hard not to feel an appetite for a keenly priced meal. Gaarkeuken 110 deserves a second visit and one timed to include a meal!

For more photos of this unspoilt institution see Tim's Threads post https://www.threads.net/t/Cuh1Zx3sUwL

On Saturday 1 July, after Les and I walked through the Botanical Gardens and the Saturday market on Theaterplein we met up with Simon to ride the escalators up to the top of the distinctive Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) for panoramic views of the city and docks on a dull and damp day.

On David's recommendation, our first bar visit of the day was to nearby Dr Beer at Adriaan Brouwerstraat 31. Instead of a Bolleke we chose from a beer menu which includes a wide range of bottled and canned beers as well as draught beers. Regular beers are listed under the headings: Alcohol free, Spicy, Fruity, Hoppy, Caramelly, and Sour.

Dr Beer is also a beer shop where CAMRA books can be found including Beer Breaks by Tim Webb.

There is a spacious and light interior that features oak beams, a colourful bar and real plants. There are large and smaller tables and distinctive flat cushions for the chairs.

Mark, David and Graham arrived later and in time to miss a heavy downpour after which the weather improved. Tim provided our helpful part time barman Dries with Ullage magazines and persuaded him to pose for a photo. On this occasion, we didn't get to meet Jeroen Peeters, the proprietor of Dr Beer, remembered by David from his December 2019 visit.

Find more photos of Dr Beer in Tim's Threads post: https://www.threads.net/t/CuktGTwtbD- 

It was good to see the Havenhuis / Port House with the Zaha Hadid addition from a closer viewpoint than in previous years on the way from Gaarkeuken 110 to Taverne 't Kerkschip on Friday 30 June. We were also able to climb the steps around another Van Belle & Medina designed tram traction building, partly visible on the left of the photo, taken from Straatsburg / Strasbourg bridge. 

Houtdok is halfway between Havenhuis and Cadix stops on the 24 tram route. Kerkschip St Jozef constructed of concrete during WWII is now permanently moored on the north quay of the dock. The ship now houses a church, a chapel and Taverne 't Kerkschip. 

Inside the tavern is a bar that looks as though it was made from a wooden lifeboat. Draught and bottled beers including the nearby Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie range are available at the bar. After our beers, we were kindly invited to view the chapel in stern of the ship and appreciate the thickness of it's concrete hull. The ship's church is only open for the Sunday service.

For more photos see Tim's post on Threads: https://www.threads.net/t/Cuo7dlxMrer

After a visit to the estimable Cafe Kulminator on Thursday 29 June, we headed to Dansing Chocola for an evening meal of Stoofvlees, witloof slaw and frites. Dansing Chocola is situated at 159 Kloosterstraat, at one corner of Willem Lepelstraat with Heilig Huisken on the other corner. We hadn't booked but were greeted and shown to a table inside near the bar and provided with a basket of bread and butter.

There are large windows on two sides of the room and plenty of unusual decor to provide interest while we waited for beers to arrive from the bar. Thanks to David for suggesting a visit to Dansing Chocola as we enjoyed good food, beer, service and value in a relaxing atmosphere.

Only 50 metres away from Dansing Chocola as the crow flies, but about 150 metres away on foot, we met up with Paul and Jennie at Cafe de Vischmijn on a street corner at Riemstraat 20. They had arrived in Antwerp on a later train and dined at Bier Central before this rendezvous.

The interior looked interesting especially the ceiling but we sat outside in a sheltered area and enjoyed glasses of cold tank fresh Duvel 666.

The owner found time to chat with our group. Yves Van Roy introduced tank beer at Cafe de Vischmijn in 2016 and his customers tell him that he serves the best Stella Artois and Bolleke De Koninck in Antwerp.

On Friday 30 June, after a second visit to Cafe Kulminator on this trip, and a meal at Paters Vaetje, we moved on to The Northerner, which Simon rates highly but this would be Tim's first visit.

Saison Dupont was our beer of choice here. Previously, Tim had asked Yves Van Roy if Cafe de Vischmijn stocked a Saison like Dupont but he was not aware of it. After checking he explained that Antwerp is a long way from Tourpes which is only 50 km from Lille and he prefers to stock locally brewed beers.

Enjoying his first visit to The Northerner, Tim chatted to Joachim who had served our beers. As a souvenir of our visit he accepted a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA Ullage magazine. 

Traditionally, our group would be in Antwerp for the Beer Passion Weekend festival in Groenplaats. The festival date was a week earlier in 2023 so another first for this group was to see Groenplaats (above) without the usual barriers enclosing the festival site. 

On Saturday 1 July, after a meal at a small Syrian cafe on Hoogstraat, our group headed to Cafe Ernst by the river Scheldt at Ernest Van Dijckkai 18. Cafe Ernst specialises in 'Craft Beer and Natural Wine' and has a contemporary style. 

We found a large table at the rear, near a spiral staircase. The draught beer list is on a blackboard and the full beer menu is on the pub's Untappd page. After a draught Zinnebir from Brasserie de la Senne, Tim enjoyed a fruity bottle of Viven Master IPA while sitting across from Jennie and Paul.

Simon's plan was to visit nearby Cafe Pardaf but as it was closing we continued past Brabo's Monument in the Grote Markt to Den Engel.

Loud music and a lively interior made it sensible to sit outside but at the cost of inhaling cigarette smoke in the breeze. We enjoyed glasses of La Chouffe Blond as demonstrated by Graham, Simon and Les above.

Writing about Den Engel in Belgian Cafe Culture, Regula Ysewijn mentions 'Den Engel is the only cafe in Antwerp to have a traditional Geuze corkscrew (geuzestoppentrekker)'. A daytime visit might be a better time to have a close look at the bar and interior of this popular cafe. One more reason to return to Antwerp!

Petra's Cafe was included in Regular Ysewijn's book as 'an institution in the port of Antwerp ... the cafe is the living room of the dockworkers waiting for work'. However things have changed, there are new exterior signs, new furniture and music with a North African sound. The beer range is minimal but Les and Tim enjoyed a morning coffee, served with a complimentary Belgian chocolate, before heading to MAS on Saturday 1 July. A panel on the end wall shows Petra's cafe as it was when frequented by dockworkers.

On Sunday 2nd July, their last day in Antwerp, heading for De Duifkens, Tim and David chanced upon the bronze sculpture of Den Deugniet (the rascal / naughty boy) on a concrete plinth. The rascal's cheeky image also appears on the Den Deugniet beer bottle label. The 7.5% ABV Blonde is brewed by Brasserie du Bocq, near Dinant. The small sculpture is on Korte Gasthuisstraat, a pedestrian street that runs north from the eastern end of Oudaan passing Frites Atelier. The original sculpture was by Luc Verlee (1976). Apparently often stolen, the current sculpture may be more recent. 

At De Duifkens, David chose an outside table with a pleasant view of tree-lined Graanmarkt and the sound of birds from a market stall with caged birds for sale.

The first beer since breakfast at the hostel had to be a Bolleke De Koninck. 

The interior of the pub has dark wood panelled walls and a floor with tiles of several colours. The lighting and clumsy placement of posters on the walls did not enhance the character of De Duifkens. David discovered that this is the Flemish word for pigeons and a wooden pigeon perches on the pub's exterior along with the artificial geraniums. 

Tim's Threads post has more photos including a doll whose face peers down from a hole in the ceiling and a beer menu: https://www.threads.net/@timofnewbury/post/CusE40Os5UQ

Huddersfield & Linthwaite

Harold Wilson outside Huddersfield station

The group of CAMRA members from the South had split on Thursday 19 January with the majority on a visit to York, Knaresborough and Harrogate led by Tony Lea. 

Tim Thomas joined the smaller group of five on the 10.47 Transpennine Express slow service to Huddersfield from platform 13B of Leeds station.

On a cold day with blue skies, Huddersfield station forecourt, was frostier than on Tuesday's visit when it had been our first stop on the Transpennine Real Ale Trail.

Tim arranged to meet the group at the Sportsman later and headed to Huddersfield Library and Art Gallery while the others first revisited the King's Head. 

The Art Gallery with its permanent collection of 700 paintings was closed but a temporary exhibition space in the building opposite showed an impressive collection of artworks for 'Entwined' (plants in contemporary painting) and by Richard Baker, making a visit worthwhile.

It was noted that the Samuel Smith's pub - The Commercial Hotel - was closed with curtains drawn.

The Cherry Tree (Wetherspoon), near the station, was open but not visited on this occasion.

The Sportsman

There are two entrances to the Sportsman, one at the corner and one with a Bass barrel above the door.

At the corner entrance the floor has an Art Deco design and there is an inner door leading to the main bar.

Inside, the bar is in a corner position with a curved front topped with ten handpumps offering eight cask ales including a porter and a stout from Thornbridge Brewery. 

Standing at the bar you can see through to another room and in the other direction a stove in the fireplace and many CAMRA award certificates including Huddersfield CAMRA Pub of the Year 2011, 2012 & 2013.

Phil Wildsmith, Graham Porter, John Yeates and Denis Rahilly at the Sportsman

Tim found the group in a room to the left of the side entrance with another fireplace, two solid looking long tables and framed architectural plans on the wall.

A visit to the Gents on a quiet day provided the opportunity to photograph the colourful thematic tile panels without any embarrassment!

The Sportsman is listed in CAMRA's inventory of historic pub interiors.

Tim's beer choices in his new favourite Huddersfield pub: Brew York - X-Panda (£4 pint) and North Riding Brewery - Mosaic Pale (£2 half pint) which was full of flavour. An interesting selection of mellow music was played. 

The original plan had been to visit other pubs in Huddersfield but with several not opening until 4pm we decided instead to catch a bus to Slaithwaite and visit The Commercial, a pub on the Transpennine Real Ale trail and near Slaithwaite station. This required a careful walk on icy pavements back towards Huddersfield station, passing the statue of Harold Wilson, and then up St Georges Street to approach the bus station entrance. 

view towards Slaithwaite from 181 bus at Manchester Road, Linthwaite

After a frustrating wait for a driver, the 181 bus to Wilberlee pulled up to platform M. On the edge of town, the inexperienced driver exclaimed 'Where am I going' after taking a wrong turn to pass the Rat and Ratchet requiring a further delay before returning to the route via Manchester Road (A62). The passenger who had got up and walked forward to offer advice was loudly instructed to 'Sit down'.

A few miles before our destination on the 'high route' to Slaithwaite, Tim spotted a Linthwaite sign and remembered this as the location of the famed Sair Inn.

view from Slaithwaite bus stop with Huddersfield Narrow Canal

After our visit to The Commercial in Slaithwaite, described at the end of the Transpennine Real Ale Trail post, Tim caught a 181 bus back to Linthwaite church while the others walked to the Shoulder of Mutton and Hideaway Craft House in Slaithwaite. The Grove, near Huddersfield bus station, would be our rendezvous.

The Sair Inn

Tommy Lane, Linthwaite

Tim had been warned that the steep road to the Sair Inn might be too icy for safety but in fact Tommy Lane had been gritted and only a short stretch was still icy.

Now glad that he had ignored the warning, this would be Tim's first visit to the famed Sair Inn.

Inside, there was still an array of handpumps with many of the Linfit Brewery beers brewed in an outhouse of the pub. However, as there was a Sair Inn Facebook post on 7 December 2022 about the 'hopefully temporary' brewery closure of Linfit Brewery, these handpumps will be serving beers from other breweries in future.

The decoration includes an historic CAMRA mirror and there are unusual wall lamp fittings.

Tim sat at the bar end of the main room with a coal fire and a photo of the 'Late but very great' Ron Crabtree, the 'pioneer' of Linfit brewery, on the wall. The occupant of the next table, facing the fire, sat quietly there until his pint and a packet of crisps were finished before leaving.

While the pub wasn't busy the opportunity was taken to photograph other areas of the pub. The grandfather clock in the darts room is also seen reflected in the mirror above the fireplace. John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix are on the wall to the right of the clock and a local connection is that Jimi is also featured in the pub sign for the King's Head at Huddersfield station.

The Sair Inn has won many CAMRA awards over the years including National Pub of the Year 1997.

Arriving at 4pm and leaving after 5pm in mid January and sitting in a north-west facing room in an elevated position provided a nice sequence of changing views as the sun went down.

The sound quality from the jukebox system was noticeably better than music heard in most pubs. It may have been on free play but to hear 5 songs played for £1 still seemed good value. After some page turning, the tracks selected included some favourite classics: Deacon Blue - Dignity; Tom Petty - American Girl; Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl; Kinks - Autumn Almanac; James Taylor - Sweet Baby James and Beautiful South - A Little Time.

The Sair Inn joins Tim's list of favourite pubs that more than repay the effort to visit them. In his own local area, The Bell Inn, Aldworth is another of these favourites which benefits from a microbrewery run by the son of the landlord in an outhouse - Aldworth Brewing Company. The Bell Inn is also a past CAMRA National Pub of the Year winner.

Tim's beer choices: (after recommendation from the bar as a popular choice) Linfit Brewery - Gold Medal (£3.50 pint) & Linfit Brewery - Citra (£1.65 half pint).

Before catching the (late) 181 bus for Huddersfield, Tim stopped to take a photo of the north west evening sky which shows faintly the red lights on the twin 158 metre high steel towers of Moorside Edge transmitting station at Pole Moor, north of Slaithwaite, which are used for medium wave broadcasts of BBC Radio 5 Live (909 kHz). 

Due to a traffic accident closing the road at nearby Cowlersley, the 181 bus was significantly delayed while an alternative route was authorised.

The Grove

It would not be until 6.30pm when Tim finally spotted the illuminated green signs for The Grove, when passing the older (1848) of the two circular brick ventilation shafts for Springwood Tunnel. The parallel railway tunnels run south west from Huddersfield railway station, almost directly underneath the Grove.

There are a total of 20 handpumps on two counters of the central bar which serves the two rooms closest to the corner entrance to the pub. However, not all were in use as 'only 11' cask ales were listed on the boards!

Tim rejoined the group in a room towards the back of the pub with luxurious seating and adjacent historic gig posters on a white wall. Otherwise the decoration is as quirky as in other areas with the animal theme extending to skulls, antlers and skins as well as a padlocked cupboard of taxidermy. This decor and the bright green walls in other areas may not appeal to everyone but makes the Grove unique and memorable.

A low table has CAMRA magazines next to shelves with board games and the range was expanded with the addition of some recent Ullage magazines from West Berkshire.

There have certainly been a lot of changes at The Grove since Tim's previous visit. Tim's Huddersfield, Batley and Leeds visit post includes photos of The Grove, The Sportsman and the King's Head in January 2013.

Tim's beer choice (recommended by the group): Vocation Brewery - Naughty & Nice Coconut Milk & Chocolate Stout (£2.35 half pint).

John and Phil discussed a possible visit to their favourite Indian restaurant near Huddersfield station -  Lala's but when a check was made to find details of trains back to Leeds it revealed that many Transpennine Express trains had been cancelled and to avoid being stranded in Huddersfield later, it was decided to catch a stopping train back to Leeds originating from Huddersfield that would not be overcrowded in these circumstances, arriving back in Leeds about 9pm.

John and Phil went for an Indian meal to newly opened Delhi Wala, in a railway arch on Bishopsgate Street, just outside the station and a stone's throw from the Head of Steam at the foot of Mill Hill. Tim and Denis went to Beckett's Bank in Park Row, a short walk from the north exit from Leeds station. Unfortunately, somehow we had lost Graham en route.