Next we crossed into Belgium and stayed that night in the lovely forested hills of the Ardennes. The area was full of little towns that nestled in amongst the ridges and folds of the hills. Importantly these towns also sold the famed Belgium beers. After setting up camp we rode into town and sat down to work our way through a series of excellent brews as research for the rest of our Belgium trip. We had heard a lot about the beers and we weren’t disappointed. In Australia it is common to see the big brands like Hoegarden and Stella but these are made in large factories and are looked down upon by serious Belgian beer drinkers (bit like our Fosters I guess). The smaller beers are numerous (about 350 types) and their traditional brewing methods produce a rich and complex taste that is unlike anything I have drunk before. The wide variety available also encourages different styles and it is a pleasure to try the various styles. The other special tradition is that every beer has its own glass. You should only drink the beer from its own glass and so your beers are served in a variety of glasses that range from beautiful crystal to very odd shapes that need a wooden stand.
The next day we headed off in search of beer brewing monks. Our first stop (Rocquefort) wasn’t so successful as the monastery and brewery are not open for visits. We then headed on to Chimay where we knew visits were allowed. We went into the monastery and a man came to ask us to wait. My French was just up to the explanation and we waited 10 minutes before being ushered into the Abbey. A service was just finishing and he had let us enter for the singing at the end of the more private mass. We joined a couple of people in the pews and a group of 12 monks led by a great baritone sung the hymns. The acoustics of the church were amazing and the monk’s voices rose in harmony to the high vaulted roof. It was a stunning moment – the spirituality and peace of the hymns gave a great counterpoint to the brews that in some ways had over shadowed the original purpose of the monastery.
We looked around the gardens before heading down the hill to the pub. Here we relaxed over a fine beer and looked out on the monk’s dairy herd. The monastery was founded on the principles of both physical labour and intellectual pursuit – the brewing of beer and the making of cheese were the physical tasks chosen by the founders. After having the cheese on our bread for lunch we can also vouch for its quality.
Our next stop was a brief visit to Brussels and then onto the very picturesque Brugge. Due to a quirk of history (the river silted up and all the businesses moved downstream) it is a very well preserved town. Not only the centre but a large area of buildings have survived and it is a very impressive place to wander around. We parked outside and rode our bikes in to look around the sights and have a quiet canal-side beer. It was a fine way to spend the last evening of our very enjoyable Belgium visit.
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