Belgian Entropy

Belgium seems to function best in the presence of some disorder: A fact that is evidenced by our lack of a federal government for about a year. I like to think of it like the second law of thermodynamics. The more order that Belgium tries to impose through its small bureaucracies, the more other parts of the country have to release that energy by increasing the disorder and devolving into chaos. Our town is doing its part by hosting a music festival through the weekend. Much of the festivity is happening almost immediately out our front door. In typical Belgian fashion, the festival has taken over much of the available parking in the town and has blocked several streets. One of which leads to my car park, meaning that I had to rush home early to ensure I could snag one of the remaining public spots near the library. Getting to that spot was more challenging than usual as everyone else had the same idea. With the blockades funneling the town into the narrow rat’s nest of streets and alleys, the insane priorite adroit laws made every intersection a potential collision. Driving around here was already an exercise in extreme evasive maneuvers. It has now degenerated to vehicular anarchy.

Contrasting this however is the experience I had at the Police station yesterday. I need to get a Belgian driver’s license, which seems a little oxymoronic once you see how Belgians drive – You have one year from the time you move to transfer your license to a Belgian one and my year is almost up. The process is fairly straightforward, if not a little bureaucratic. First, you bring your U.S. license to the police station. They check it’s authenticity and issue you a letter that you bring to the town hall along with your U.S. license. They confiscate your U.S. license and issue you your Belgian license. The Belgian license is paper card stock with your photo taped to it (I am not kidding). It also never expires. The police were busy yesterday, so asked me to leave them my phone number and they would call when it was ready. I thought that was nice enough, so I was even more surprised when later in the evening an envelope dropped through our mail slot containing my letter. They apparently saw where I lived and hand delivered it on their way home. Can you imagine a U.S. government official doing the same thing?

So the lesson here is one of Belgian Entropy. Getting your driver’s license is quick and efficient (although it results in a very un-official looking document) which then must be offset by the poor quality of Belgian Drivers and infuriating complexity of Belgian Roads and driving laws. Somehow it works.

Beer Glasses

That is, Beer Glasses not Beer Goggles. Belgians take their beer glasses very seriously. Almost every beer has it's own glass. Most would be considered Tulips but there are many other shapes as can be seen by some of the photos on this site. Some say that the shape is designed to enhance the various beers, but that is just marketing. As someone who has always drunk beer from bottles however, I have to say that I believe it is better to drink your beer from a glass. Being able to smell the beer while you are drinking enhances the flavor. And if nothing else, it is fun collecting all the obscure shapes.

I am woefully behind on the blog posts, so am going to try to catch up on about two weeks of tastings here. SWMBO and I popped by Moeder Lambic over the weekend for a quick beverage after enjoying noodles at Au Bon Bol. She has decided that her favorite beer is the Saint Monon Au Miel. I would agree that it is pretty tasty. We had it fresh from the tap and on a hot day, it was quite refreshing. A slight honey note with fruity background. It was a fairly light beer for being 8%. Three and a half Drunk Monks.

My selection at Moeder Lambic was a Lambic blend from Tilquin Gueuzerie. This is not a beverage for amateurs. With the natural fermentation and lambic sourness, this is a beer that fights back. It has almost an oily mouth feel and a serious tart edge. Beneath that though is a fruity malty beer with a lot of complexity. Also three and a half drunk monks.

Last up was a Djean triple. A good beer to follow up the lambic. Crisp, a little hop but not spectacular. Three Drunk monks.

The final beer to review is a Valeir Xtra. My first sip had me thinking Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. That is about the best way I could review this. Crisp refreshing and the most hoppy beer I have had since living in Belgium . And as hot as today was, a good beer to end the evening with. Three and a half drunk monks.

Life is Full of Surprises

Tonight I went out into our back yard to snip off some sage leaves for a mushroom, sage cream sauce for my pasta. When I looked up from the sage plant, I noticed that one of the trees had sprouted a bunch of ripe cherries. I probably should have noticed this before, but was pleased with the discovery. I knew we had grapes and strawberries but the cherries are a real bonus. It's amazing what can grow in such a small space. Our back yard is smaller than our living room in the US but it is chock full of surprises. I think I see a cherry tart in our future.

We had another surprise last night. When SWMBO tried to turn on the light, the switch blew and we had no light in our living room. A call to an electrician later and the guy showed up, ON TIME. Fixed the light and didn't charge us. It turns out it was a fuse in the switch itself. You hear stories about horrible Belgium service, but we have often been pleasantly surprised.

Chocolate Wasted

The SunDevil has been in Belgium for a nice long visit. It was great to have her here over the Father's Day weekend. Something I had not thought about when we planned the trip. Since she arrived, we have been trying to share some of what we have found since she last visited over the holidays. At this point however, I think she is done with the old stuff. Perhaps me included.

The weather since she arrived has been very Belgian. Lots of sporadic rain and cooler temperatures. Very unlike the beautiful weather that we have had in the weeks leading up to her arrival. It has made finding fun things to do more of a challenge but we have managed as best we can. For example, this afternoon she baked some killer bannana chocolate chip cupcakes and tonight we tried some chocolate and a strawberry genever. The two shot glass sized bottles did not last long. The SunDevil made some references to getting "chocolate wasted".


For my part, I had a Nostradamus. Not sure that this beer would convey any prescience, but it is OK. The dominant note is a sweet malty flavor. At 9%, it is a pretty strong "donker". It has a bit of Chimay Bleu note to it, but not as refined. There is not enough hop to balance it out. Not bad but not a home run. Three and a half Drunk Monks.

Bad Beer Night

Bornem Double

Cereal nose. Smells like a bowl of grape nuts. Malty cereal flavor. Tastes like a bowl of grape nuts, without the crunch. I am not a big fan of grape nuts.

Bornem Triple

I cannot drink two mediocre beers in a row. Triple down the sink.

SWBO thinks I am too nice in my reviews. Not tonight. One Drunk Monk.

Bleary Eyed But Blogging

When I was traveling a lot for business, I had gotten to the point where I adapted to time zones quickly. As I write this however, I am feeling pretty exhausted. I was in Chicago for more than a week attending the American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting and returned to Belgium this morning on the red-eye.

I have been fortunate enough to travel in Business and First Class on many airlines. Given this experience, I have to say that American Airlines is among the least comfortable business class cabins I have ever experienced. Better than coach, but only just. I debated taking an Ambien before the flight, but I was a little concerned that it was not long enough and I would wake up feeling woozy. As a result, I did not sleep at all and returned to Belgium in a splendid mood.

While I was gone, SWMBO procured a few new beers for the blog. A good start on improving my mood. Tonight I am trying the Abbaye De St Amand. The beer is flavored with Juniper berries, which is also one of the key flavorings for gin, another beverage of which I am fond. The beer itself starts with some sweetness and citrus notes. The juniper is there, but very light adding an herbal component that complements the citrus well. There is a good balance of hop that counters the sweetness and gives the beer some structure. Three and a half Drunk Monks!