[OT] Cr*ppy Belgium

[Growltigger]

Well, when you drive from Dover to Canterbury (about 25km) on the A2 road, about 6km short of Canterbury you will see a sign post for a village called "Bridge". That is where I grew up and my folks still live.

If you get time and what to see what a "proper" village local pub is like, you can pull off into Bridge and stop at a pub called "The Plough & Harrow", it does good Shepherd Neame beer and is about as "normal" an English pub as you get

I like Duval, but tend to drink Kwak and Straffe Hendrick more when I can get it

[minipol]

I definitely have to try a local village pub once.
I might stop by bridge the.
Straffe Hendrik is brewn in Bruges where i was born. It's a good beer but a bit on the light side. Still, very good taste.
Have you ever drunk Kwak from their specific glasses? They are very nice.
I like the glasses from Barbar too.

[Growltigger]

Bit on the light side?? gosh, the Bruin is what I drink and that is 8.5% alcohol, you cant have too many scoops of that before you are talking rubbish and catching the beer scooter home (via the kebab shop) of course.

I have drunk kwak out of the proper glasses, altho I didnt realise you picked up the wooden stand as well and got laughed at by some Belgians for taking the glass out of the mounting

havn't tried Barbar,

Do like Foufon though, tastes like a really rank cider

[minipol]

I have drunk kwak out of the proper glasses, altho I didnt realise you picked up the wooden stand as well and got laughed at by some Belgians for taking the glass out of the mounting

Yeah, it might be a bit strange in the beginning to use such a glass.
Just reminds me, there is a pub in Gent where you have to take out 1 shoe when you try a beer which has a special glass. That way, they want to assure you don't run away

Foufon? Haven't heard of this one. Isn't that a framboise beer? I'm not that fond of framboise beers. Of course i'll drink them because a beer is better than no beer but they are not my favourite.

[Askan Nightbringer]

I think you should rename this topic "Not so Crappy Belgium Beer".
I've only had the Chimay, Leffe Brune and Leffe Blonde (besides Stella) (all damn good beers too!). In England I've had lots of crap. I went to a pub and said...."I've come all the way to yeh old englande and all I've drunk is Stella and Kronebourg. Give me some of what the locals drink". They served me a pint of Carling, which reminds me of the crappy beers I had in the States (not the micro-brewery stuff, the main-stream stuff).
A Belgium Beer Cafe has opened in Sydney and I'm looking forward to trying Duvel, Lucifer, Forbidden Fruits and anything else with a mildly satanic name.

Askan

[Growltigger]

Minipol, foufon is from the Brussels region and is apparently made out of apricots (I personally think it is made out of trappist monk's hessian underwear but that is just me).

Askan, anyone in England who gave you Carling needs slapping. Stick to the real ales, we have loads with satanic names but I like the ones that indicate the effect they will have on you eg Brain Buster, Old Dirigible, Old Regurgitator and Cripple Cock (well that is a cider)

[dogscoff]

...."I've come all the way to yeh old englande and all I've drunk is Stella and Kronebourg. Give me some of what the locals drink".

Well, we don't make our own lagers, so drinking lager in England might be what the locals drink but it's not an example of English beer. You need to go for some of the curious small-brewery bitters, as mentioned by GT. Even the mass-produced stuff, like John Smiths and Boddingtons, might be interesting to a foreign palate if they don't happen to serve Old Grumblebelly or whatever strange-named real ale happens to be available.

That said, I imagine John Smith's etc is exported anyway, so you've probably tried it at home.