My Antwerp Week In Beers 29.05.23
To say the least, Antwerp (or Antwerpen as the locals call it) is an interesting place. It has more diamonds than anywhere else in the world, it’s tallest building is still a church and it was named for a legend of a bloke who cut a tyrannical giant’s hand off and threw it into a river. It is also one of the best places to drink beer I have ever been.
Everything to do with Belgian beer is on display. All their unique styles with their accompanying glassware dazzle and delight beer tourists but are nothing more than what is expected of the locals who are as diverse as their beer.
Via Rotterdam, I arrived on Sunday the 28th of May 2023 and immediately started by Flemish beer odessy.
In front of the gothic and dominating Cathedral of Our Lady, I enjoyed a Lindemans Kriek followed by a Kwak. The Lindemans was Cruiser sweet but insanely crushable and just what you want on a hot day, non complex sugar rush drinking. Allegedly named for the quacking sound produced by the glass and wooden handle drinking apparatus, Kwak is a surprisingly effervescent amber beer with a long and luxurious wheat taste. The wooden handle is kind of a gimmick but pretty fun and makes you feel very special to drink from. I didn’t see anyone else order one for the rest of the week other than myself.
On Monday we went to trendier south Antwerp (Zuid) where I enjoyed a brilliant glass of Trappist beer Orval which I reviewed. To speak in understatement, at five euros it is a lot more cost effective to drink here than it is back in Sydney. I followed it up with a Duvel, the first of many sweet and heady Belgian blondes I enjoyed in Antwerp.
On Tuesday Katie and I were shooting for our upcoming travel series so I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil it (plus I’ll need the viewers later) so I’ll just share some highlights which included the above Rodenbach Grand Cru with a view of castle Het Steen. It is sour, tangy, cloying, delicious and pretty light on at only 6%. Lovely served chilled on a warm day like we had.
On Wednesday we were still shooting and a lot of beer was enjoyed ranging from a nine year aged Bush de Noel in cult beer cafe Kulminator to a humble Stella Artois in a sci-fi/fantasy bar. It was a wet day.
The following day Katie and I were catching up with a Belgian friend we met through travelling called Chris and his girlfriend Juliette. We went back to the fantasy bar The Geeky Cauldron where I tried De Koninck, the beer of Antwerp. What lucky sods they are to grow up with beer like this. It’s dark with a caramel and malt complexity that is pronounced enough to be interesting and subtle enough to keep the sips coming (I also reviewed it).
We enjoyed a round of Tripel Karmeliet, a sweet and soothing Belgian tripel which is possibly my favourite find of the trip. The bartender Hanna recommended Gulden Draak which is an intriguing dark beer at a stealthy 10.5% you could easily get lost in before we rounded it off with a Westmalle Tripel which somehow felt like less fun compared to everything else and ended the night stiffly next to some kebabs that I didn’t know would be served on baguettes!
I have experienced culture shock.
On Friday we really wanted to test out the Antwerp nightlife and I’m still not sure if we did that successfully or not yet. At a punk bar I tried a Kasteel Rogue (I’d had the brown a few days earlier) which was a bit too sweet for me, a Zee Zupier Tripel which was a fun modern take on the old style and a Trappist Rochefort Triple Extra which I only left one note for; “highly recommended”. Not sure if I meant that from me or the bartender that kept as well supplied.
It wasn’t getting dark until about 10:30pm while we were in Antwerp. That Friday night it was dark as we were walking home but somehow we ended up in The Geeky Cauldron yet again for another Gulden Draak and Tripel Karmeliet. Luckily they are a venue based in geek culture so they had zero judgement. Kebabs on bed were had later.
Saturday was our last full day and even though I didn’t have the biggest beer appetite I realised there was a beer I needed to tick off my Belgian beer bucketlist. We went back to Kulminator, a combination of a beer temple and living room run by a husband and wife who stock over 500 beers (at least, they told me they stopped counting years ago) and asked for a Westvleteren 12, the fabled best beer in the world.
Even with a claim as great as ‘best in the world’ to live up to, Westvleteren 12 was a balanced and intensely flavoured dark beer which is allegedly the only one left brewed only by monks. I believe this and the scarcity of the beer (it’s technically not even meant to be stocked outside of their beer cafe) is part of what makes it such a special and sought after beer. The other part is the taste. I gave it an 8/10 on my review but relaxing in Kulminator and savouring this slow and steady bottle with Katie I enjoyed it more and more and reckon it’s worth at least a 9/10 now. Many would still say that’s a harsh mark.
Wish I could say this was my last beer in Antwerp but after dinner that day I got a Super 8 Pilsner which you can get anywhere in the city! It was fine! A big change to the other beers I had in a city where it is near impossible to have a beer free day.
The next day we left for Leuven, 40 minutes down the road and the home of Stella Artois! Might be hard to be moderate on the beers then and I don’t think Germany will be any easier…
MORE TO COME.
