Antwerp - Thursday 27 June 2019

A fourth consecutive June visit to Antwerp would provide an opportunity to visit some cafes featured in Regula Ysewijn's Belgian Cafe Culture, explore Antwerp Zuid, show Steve some favourite city sights and meet up at BierPassieWeekend with beer loving friends.

Bristolian Steve joined my train from Newbury to Paddington at Thatcham and later we boarded the 12.58 Eurostar train from St Pancras International to Brussels Midi after a late breakfast at the Barrel Vault.

Antwerpen-Centraal

A free ice-cold can of Coke Energy handed out at Antwerp Central station was a welcome bonus on a hot day. The first task was to purchase a Lijnkaart from a De Lijn ticket machine at the station (10 trips for 16 euros). The second task, to find the platform for the tram to Antwerpen Bres, would have been easier if Google Maps or the De Lijn map indicated that the Astrid tram stop is underground.

Hotel Rubenshof is only a short walk from the tram stop. The decor of the main floor has art nouveau features and is rather more impressive than the size of our rooms.

After checking in, we walked to Biercafe de Jordaan in nearby Boudewijnsstraat on the corner with Boudewijnssteeg. The small corner bar had a few tables inside and the windows were open on this hot day.

My first draught beer was Hapkin, a strong blonde beer enjoyed at a high table just outside, next to a Velo Antwerpen stand for the city bike hire system. Tourists can register for a one day (4 euros) or one week (10 euros) Velo pass that allows unlimited bike hires of less than 30 minutes. Longer trips involve extra charges. Unusual features of the red bikes are that the front wheel is smaller than the rear wheel and that some bikes have drive shafts instead of chains.

We walked towards the historic city centre with the intention of visiting some traditional cafes featured in Regula Ysewijn's book.

However, when we reached 't Half Souke, Hoogstraat 59, it was closed. The book mentions that it is named after an old coin and that inside the tiled floor is uneven due to ground movement.

We continued a further 100 metres to reach De Ware Jacob, Vlasmarkt 19. The outside tables were in strong sunshine so we enjoyed our beers inside.

Regula Ysewijn writes that 'true Jacob' has only been a cafe since 1977 but that the interior is much older and was salvaged from other cafes.

De Ware Jacob has clay floor tiles and for heating there is a free standing stove with a chimney pipe. The draught beer I enjoyed here was another favourite - Jack's Precious IPA by Brouwerij The Musketeers, based in Sint-Gillis-Waas about 25km west of Antwerp.

Aware of a nearby cellar bar from a tweet by Scot Haynes, we would next visit Pelgrom at Pelgrimstraat 15, a pedestrian street 150 metres away.

The entrance features an illuminated display of shelved bottles and lamps under suspended beer kegs.

Downstairs, there are several cellar seating areas but we sat at a table facing the bar. There are 24 equally spaced taps and beer details and prices for 12.5cl and 25cl glasses are clearly displayed above. The temperature was nice and cool below ground level.
The cheapest draught beers were from the independent, family run Haacht Brewery Super 8 range.

My choice was Super 8 Saison served in a distinctive ball shaped glass with a heavy base. This farmhouse style beer is brewed with rye, malt, oats, wheat and spelt grains. It was spicy from the addition of ginger and galanga. The 25cl glass of 4.8% ABV beer cost 2.75 euros.

Several Trappist beers are also available from the illustrated bottled beer menu.
We would return to Pelgrom on Saturday afternoon, with our beer loving friends, to escape the heat on an even hotter day.

The time was 9pm local time as we approached Cafe Pelikaan, Melkmarkt 14, set slightly back from the north east aspect of the Cathedral of our Lady. Regula Ysewijn advises 'There has been a cafe in this building since 1870 but the current interior dates from the beginning of the 20th century.'

Now was my opportunity for a Trappist beer with Orval listed at 4.20 euros on the beer menu (which it was necessary to ask at the bar for).

Steve and I both ordered a draught Tripel d'Anvers brewed by Antwerp's De Koninck brewery and the glasses show the Antwerp skyline.

We were soon joined by Richard, John and Keith who had enjoyed horse steak dinners at a nearby restaurant after arriving in Antwerp earlier than us. They would order draught Rodenbach, a permanent beer at De Pelikaan.

As well as brass bar rails, floor tiles are often found in traditional Belgian cafes and this was the case at De Pelikaan.
It was after 11pm local time when we left De Pelikaan. The others would go on to visit Zeezicht in Dageraadplats before returning to the Tryp by Wyndham Hotel with air conditioned rooms as standard.

Billie's Bier Kafetaria at night

Meanwhile, Steve and I walked back to Hotel Rubenshof, passing Billie's Bier Kafetaria. Further along, it was a good idea of Steve's to stop for a takeaway pizza. Our hotel rooms did not have air conditioning but unfortunately my room did have a mosquito or similar biting insect that would leave its mark.

A late return to Hotel Rubenshof

Czech Beer Day 19.6.2019

I was lucky to be among the beer writers and drinks trade people invited to the Czech Beer Day at the Embassy of the Czech Republic on Wednesday 19 June, 2019.

A welcome greeting from CzechTrade's Eva Provot was appreciated. The useful programme started with a printed welcome 'Na zdravi!' from: Libor Sečka, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic. A feature by CzechTrade's Martin Macourek explained the differences between Real Bohemian Lager and normal beer that include 'double mashing and double fermentation' and that maturation takes place much longer than normal lager.

Details of available beers available were listed including those from the eight breweries in the newly formed Czech Beer Alliance.

The CBA website includes further details about the breweries and Bohemian brewing history.

Later I would meet Martyn Railton, MD of Euroboozer, an import and distribution company that works alongside the Czech Beer Alliance and is also featured in the programme.

The Czech Beer Day is held on the private lawn behind the embassy which is also overlooked, from the east side, by the embassy of the Slovak Republic (on the right of the photo above).

Although Jeff Evans was unable to attend today he advised me in advance that the beer from Budvar would be reliably good. 

At the Budvar bar I was served by Josh who regularly visits Budweiser Budvar in the southern city of České Budějovice from his Budvar UK Bristol base. Josh says there are regular direct trains from Prague costing £5. He recommends visiting the state-owned brewery in colder months when the temperature difference between the outside air and the Budvar storage cellars is less than in the summer.

Josh also mentioned that the Original (5% ABV) lager, which I was drinking, is matured for 90 days in the cellars. I noticed that you need a strong arm to lift a full 50cl heavy glass of Budvar! Budvar dark lager and Budvar Kräusened unfiltered lager (pronounced Kroy-Zened) were also available.
Any visit to the brewery could be combined with a visit to picturesque Český Krumlov, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 15 miles further south.

(Official Photo by Mrs Šárka Kotzinová _MG_0231)

Music from a singer with keyboard accompaniment carried across the lawn. It was a surprise to hear him singing 'From Russia with Love' at one point! 

 Dodging the unwelcome rain, I reached the long white open tent on the west side of the lawn.

The attractive label design drew me to the stand for beers from the Jarošovský brewery which reopened in 2015. The design by Little Greta creative consultancy won a Gold in the World Beer Awards 2017. Tereza explained that the brewery takes its name from the town of Jarošov in the south east of the country.

Cvikov Klíč 12° (4.9% ABV), a favourite beer from the previous month's Real Bohemian Lager workshop at the Czech Embassy, was the next beer to enjoy, as the rain continued. The town of Cvikov, in the north of the country is close to the German border. The craft brewery uses only water from its own 80m deep well, Czech hops and Czech malt. 

(Official Photo by Mrs Šárka Kotzinová _MG_100)

I asked about travelling from Prague to the brewery and was advised to hire a car. However, subsequent research shows that it is possible to travel by train to nearby Svor in about three hours by train, changing at Mladá Boleslav.

Pivovar Kutná Hora also takes its name from its place of origin. Kutná Hora was once the favourite residence of several Bohemian kings. Situated about 40 miles east of Prague, the historic town can be reached by train in about an hour with some journeys requiring a change at Kolín.

Having tasted only pale lagers so far, it was time to try a semidark lager from Bohemia Regent (Pivovar Třeboň). Petr Vok (5.3% ABV) is brewed with Pilsener, Munich and Caramel malts coupled with Herkules, Aurora, Saaz and Kazbek hops. 
The traditional brewery is located in Třeboň, a spa town, about 90 miles south of Prague. Trains from Prague require a change at Veselí nad Lužnicí. Trains from České Budějovice, which is less than 20 miles away by road, take an indirect route which also requires a change at Veselí nad Lužnicí.

The rain eased and people gathered to watch a cooking demonstration at the Retigo combi oven stand. Joining this gathering would soon be rewarded with a plate of freshly cooked food without having to get too wet while waiting! 

I met up for a chat with a group that included John Cryne, standing under the shelter of the white marquee.

From the north of the country, near the Polish border, the long established Pivovar Frýdlant is situated beside the river Smědá near Frýdlant castle. The unfiltered / unpasteurized draught beers available were 11° Albrecht pale lager (35 IBU), 12° Kateřina dark lager (50 IBU) and 15° Albrecht India Pale Ale (87 IBU). These beers are also supplied in 700ml flip top bottles.
Frýdlant v Čechách railway station is served by trains from Liberec. However a journey to/from Prague would involve at least one more change of train.

My last beer at the Czech Beer Day was from Pivovar Matuška. The brewery was established in Broumy by experienced brewer Martin Matuška in 2009. The team includes his son Adam Matuška who graduated in 2009 and art director Jakub Matuška aka Masker responsible for the brewery logo featuring hops and barley.

I enjoyed Matuška Apollo Galaxy from a gold rimmed glass. The 5.5% ABV pale ale (61 IBU) is brewed with Pilsner, Bavarian and Carapils malts together with Apollo, Galaxy and Citra hops.
Lying just inside the Central Bohemia district, Broumy is in the Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area of deciduous forest and the Berounka river valley. The nearest station to the brewery is Zdice about 8 miles away. Zdice is served by trains from Prague, Pilsen / Plzeň and Ceske Budejovice. 

Martin Macourek & Libor Sečka - (Photo by Mrs Šárka Kotzinová _MG_0017)

After 6pm there was an official greeting from Libor Sečka, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic. This was followed by Martin Macourek announcing several prize winners from the guest list who came forward to collect their beer-related prizes. Perhaps I will be a lucky winner next year?!
 
Hopefully there will be an opportunity to try Czech beers again locally, in Newbury, either from a pub with a wide range of bottles like the Catherine Wheel or a shop like Inn at Home.

Thanks to everyone involved in organising this much appreciated event. Let's hope the weather will be more summer like in June 2020.

Bristol - Gloucester Road and Stokes Croft

Thanks to Steve Kelly for organising a trail of Bristol pubs along the A38 on Friday 8 March 2019 for Simon, Mike and me. We had Plusbus tickets for economical bus travel for the day.

Simon, Steve and Mike

The Inn on the Green

From Bristol Parkway we caught a 73 bus towards Filton and walked from the Toronto Road stop to the Inn on the Green at 2 Filton Road.

This large pub had 13 handpumps and the Bristol Beer Factory Low Rider was a good half pint to start with.

There was a real fire and the low table with polished pennies was a further example of pennies used as a decorative feature in the pub.

A custom made Pubs of Gloucester Road wall display with objects in boxes to represent the pubs and copper pipework to show the sequence gave us a preview of our route.

 

The Wellington

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We squeezed into a bus to take us to The Wellington, Gloucester Road, just south of Horfield Common. St Austell Tribute, Bath Ales Gem and Prophecy were the three beers available.

My Bath Ales Prophecy 3.8% ABV New World Pale Ale was rather hazier than it should have been.

There is a large dining area behind the bar as well as the spacious front bar area where we sat.

There are some locally relevant graphic prints for decoration.

The Drapers Arms

On the next bus south we spotted the Drapers Arms but as it was closed in the early afternoon we were unable to visit. Thanks to Boak & Bailey for tweeting occasional photos from inside the micropub they frequent which is obviously worthy of inclusion on any evening trail.

The Annexe

We passed the Sportsman on the way to the Annexe which is just beyond.

The Annexe offers a CAMRA discount on pints of ale.

There are eight cask ales from handpumps which are situated on a back counter.

Here I chose a half pint of Hanlon's Citra IPA, one of the two guest ales.

The Golden Lion

After retracing our steps to the bus stop on the Gloucester Road, we were opposite the Golden Lion, an externally decorated pub with regular live music.

The Gloucester Road Ale House & Kitchen

The next bus took us to The Gloucester Road Ale House & Kitchen.

The £3.20 per pint price for ales is reasonable but on this occasion my half of Dawkins Bristol Blonde turned out to be a disappointment.

The interior of the Ale House is smart and contemporary.

An upstairs room provides extra space in a similar style and there are some historic framed drinks-related illustrations on the walls.

The Urban Standard

A short walk south led to the Urban Standard at 35 Gloucester Road.

As there was no cask ale here I opted for coffee while the others had a beer with their meal.
Sadly, the Urban Standard would subsequently close down at the end of April, 2019.

The Gallimaufry

We crossed the Gloucester Road to reach the Gallimaufry (meaning a confused jumble or medley of things) which was not on Steve's itinerary but looked appealing.

At the bar my half pint of Bristol Beer Factory Beam Me Up was pale and deliciously hopped with Melba and Ella hops (£2.20).  Beers from Dark Star and Stroud Brewery were also available on handpump.

This is a bar with regular live music and quirky decor.

It is also spacious with a back room and an upstairs room.

The Cat and Wheel

We walked south along Gloucester Road which turns into Cheltenham Road and under the railway bridge which connects Montpelier and Redland stations.

The Cat and Wheel is the building painted blue just beyond the bridge. It also hosts live music at weekends and was on Steve's itinerary but we were now running late so did not go inside.

The Canteen

The Mild Mild West, a Banksy mural is just outside The Canteen at 80 Stokes Croft.

Inside, the range of cask ales included Moutere another excellent Bristol Beer Factory Beer. Hopped with Monterey, Rakau and Enigma a half pint cost £2 here.

The Canteen is an informal place with plenty of large shared tables. It is another live music venue with free events. The menu includes imaginative vegetarian options. Free publications with details of Bristol events can be found here.

The Hillgrove Porter Stores

It is a steep uphill walk between blocks of flats to reach the Hillgrove Porter Stores by the most direct route. 

The Dawkins pub at 53 Hillgrove Street North is also set on a steep gradient.

Inside, cask ales are listed on the blackboard. The Japanese lanterns are a reminder that Japanese food from the Kansai kitchen is available here.

We liked this pub and stayed for two beers.

My first was the favourite - Tapstone Brewing Co Sea Monster although the Moor Beer Co Espana Hop was also good.

 

The Hare on the Hill

It was only a short walk down Dove Street to reach The Hare on the Hill. The house decorated with cows and farm animals up the hill at 43 Thomas Street North has a blue plaque showing it as The Cow Byre referring to its historic origins. The mural was designed by Sophie Long.

A small Banksy mural 'Rose on a mousetrap' can be viewed across the street and a little way up the hill from the Cow Byre.

There are five cask ales at the Hare on the Hill. It's possible that I drank water here as there is no entry against the pub on untappd and the photographic evidence appears to supports this!

There is a blue theme in this pub which works well. Some good music was playing here including Junk Bond Trader by Elliott Smith.

The tasteful decor includes mirrors and toy cars.

The Crofters Rights

It was all downhill from here as we headed to The Crofters Rights at 117-119 Stokes Croft!

The light was fading as we ventured inside.

A tap wall offered a wide range of keg beers. The central taps include one for still cider (Ashridge) and three for cask ales including Boca from Bristol Beer Factory.

From the poster, it looks like there are gigs / events or clubnights every night of the week at the Crofters Rights.

At the side of the pub there is a counter for Ray's pizza and this was a good opportunity to order a meal.

The Crofters Rights has dim lighting and some unusual artwork on the walls.

 

Croft Ales

Our final visit in the area was to Croft Ales brewery and taproom at 32 Upper York Street. The taproom is open on Fridays from 4pm-9pm and on Saturdays from 3pm-8pm.

It was busy when we arrived so after ordering our beers we visited the brewery space at the back.

The beer I enjoyed here was BS2, a 4% Session IPA showcasing hops from around the world blended with English and German-style malts.

With a train to catch at 20.30 from Bristol Temple Meads we left the taproom at 19.45 to catch a bus to the station, after avoiding the youths on pushbikes hanging around the area.

Thanks again to Steve for keeping us on time and to Simon and Mike for company on this trip.