Tag Archives: belgium

Frites

24 Oct

My favorites from Sunday’s “Fiets & Frites” tour of SF:

Absinthe shoestring fries, with chipotle ketchup:

Super Duper fries:

Chili cheese fries from Bill’s Place:

Yup. Not everywhere needs to be a Chez Panisse offshoot.

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Belgian Beer in SF

14 Jul

So far I’ve seen about a third of the beers I had in Belgium for sale in San Francisco takeaway-bottle-style, either at City Beer Store or Healthy Spirits. Here’s a tasting I organized today with a few folks: La Chouffe -> Orval -> Gouden Carolus Classic -> Gulden Draak -> La Trappe Isad’or -> 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze. The last two elicited strong opinions in both directions. My favorite of the six was definitely the Gouden Carolus Classic (tastes that remind me of caramel/burnt sugar and coffee, but not cloyingly sweet).

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Map of Benelux Beer

12 Jul

Here’s a map of the best breweries and beer cafes from the trip (as well as a few select restaurants). Perhaps some day I’ll post more details about a few specific ones.

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Drinking 100 beers in Belgium

11 Jul

I recently spent a week in Belgium with three friends, visiting breweries and tasting beers. Without further fanfare or detail, here’s a list of everything I tasted and my favorites (somewhat subjective, I’m sure, depending what I was eating with them and so on):

My very favorites:

  • Westvleteren Bruin 12 (draft)
  • Westvleteren Bruin 8 (draft)
  • Pannepot Old 2006
  • Slaapmutske Donker 2007
  • Gouden Carolus Classic
  • Tripple Van De Garre (draft)
  • Gulden Draak (draft)
  • Pannepot Reserva 2008 Oak Aged
  • Orval 6-month aged
  • Rochefort 10
  • Inter-Pol Swartz Milk Stout
  • Inter-Pol Witte
  • Liefmans Goudenband
  • Pannepot 2009
  • Drie Fonteinen Faro (draft)
  • Drie Fonteinen Lambic (draft)

Other excellent beers:

  • Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze
  • Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek (draft)
  • Brasserie Dupont Moinette Blonde (draft)
  • Rochefort 8
  • Boon Oudekriek Mariage Parfait
  • Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoot
  • Cantillon Kriek
  • Boon Oude Kriek 2006
  • Bacchus Oud Bruin
  • Westvleteren Blond (draft)
  • Pannepot 2010
  • Orval
  • La Trappe Dubbel (draft and bottle)
  • La Trappe Witte (draft)
  • MacChouffe Porto (draft, apertif)
  • Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait
  • Hemel & Aarde

Good, or interesting, but not my favorites of the trip:

  • Cantillon Kriek (draft)
  • Cantillon Geuze (draft)
  • LaChouffe (draft)
  • Houblon Chouffe (draft)
  • De Ranke Noir De Dottignies
  • Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueze 1997
  • Kwak
  • Oude Kriek Hanssens Artisanaal
  • Tangerlo Bruin
  • Moinette Bruin
  • Val-Dieu Tripel
  • St Bernardus Tripel (draft and bottle)
  • St Bernardus Witte
  • De Witte Van Celis
  • Mamelokker
  • Bellegems Bruin
  • Gouden Carolus Trippel
  • Westmalle Dubbel
  • Westmalle Tripple
  • McChouffe (draft)
  • La Trappe Isidor (draft)
  • La Trappe Trippel (draft)
  • La Trappe Quadrupel (draft)
  • St Feuillien Saison
  • Tilburg’s Dutch Brown Ale
  • St Bernardus Prior
  • Westmalle Dubbel
  • Brugge Trippel
  • Geuze Giradin
  • De Ranke Bitter XX
  • Boom Oude Gueze
  • Straffe Hendrik Brugge Trippel
  • De Ranke Noir De Dottignies
  • Straffe Hendrik Brugge Quadrupel
  • Nostradamus
  • SNAB Pale Ale
  • Hemel & Aarde aged in 1972 scotch barrel
  • Texelse Trippel draft
Not as good:
  • Brugge Zot
  • Kasteel Bruin
  • Leffe 9(o)
  • Carlsberg
  • Smisje Guido
  • Bornem Dubbel
  • Gandavum Dry Hopping
  • Jupitel
  • La Trappe Blonde (draft)
  • La Trappe PUUR (draft)
  • Primus
  • Straffe ‘n Toeback
  • Wiecske Witte
  • Heineken Oud Bruin
  • Kriek Max
  • La Trappe Witte (bottle)
  • Palm
  • Chouffe Picon (draft, apertif)
  • Heineken
  • Hoegarden
  • Ongelovige Thomas

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