Where should we go? We’ve just, in the last few minutes, decided to give it a blast, load up the bimmer with some sublime tipples just in time for xmas.. Brugge, Antwerp… what shops? I’m looking at Belogium King.com at the moment..

I have done a Christmas run a couple of time to Belgium. I treated it as a sight seeing weekend with the happy coincidence that we were in the home of the best beer on the planet.
We went to ypres or Leper the first time. Avoid all the tourist beer shops as you pay through the nose for a big cardboard box with a large glass and maybe 2 bottles.
There is a shop that sells glasses loose if you like to have the correct one for the beer.
Amazingly the cheapest place for all your Belgian favourites turned out to be the Spar!!
Went to Brugge last time. Again look for the local convenience store rather than the touristy shops. They let me take the crate too, very handy.

this is what we were thinking, the way I work this out, is that we can do the hole journey for about £120, so split that over say 300 bottles and your quids in… hmmm, beer.

Unfortunately only a day trip 🙁 so no sampling

http://www.sintsixtus.be/eng/brouwerij.htm

^ If you get a chance. A pub owner in Brugge turned me on to this place. Right in the middle of nowhere (but on the way back to France)and full of Belgians. Apparently voted the best beer in the world ever.

ooh liking that..

Definitely worth checking out the supermarkets first – they usually have an excellent selection. Actually even the smaller ‘Express’ stores usually have a very good selection.

Second avoiding the touristy beer shops.

You won’t have very long there if you’re set on going to Antwerp (assuming Channel Tunnel or Dover ferry) – it’s a lot further than Brugge or Gent (my personal favourite Belgian city).

Well I thought I’d have a little update.

So went to Belgium, and opted for to go to this little gem of a place;

http://www.vanuxeem.com/vanuxeem/en/4867-home.html

It’s just inside the border from France along the A25. The place is immense, I knew it would be cheaper, but this takes the biscuit.

Anyway a couple of photo’s of the selection I came back with (about half a crate each, some a full crate (especially Rochfort 8).

Sorted out the xmas gifts whilst there!!

The Rochefort 12 is not a beer to be messed with!

I thought the 12 was a special one off / hoax. I drew the line at the 10, it was too complex for me (read strong), though other 10%+ beers I can drink. The Straff Hendrick quad that you see is an 11%, never tried it, but the 9% is lush.

Worked in Rochefort for 6 months, had the 12 a couple of times, most notably finished one off then did a sprint on a bike and nearly passed out!