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.

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