Mother Superior

Proving that the Vlaams are both honest and have a sense of humor, our local publican had Moeder Overste as his Maandbier (beer of the month). He said that it was not a Wow, but it was good. It earned beer of the month honors after he read about the recent scandal about a couple of nuns in the 50's who had inappropriate relations with some orphans. Well, I cant comment on the story, but I can verify that the beer is not a Wow, but it is pretty good. Moeder Overste is a tripel at about 8%. It is moderately hopped with a bit of sweetness. Darker than most tripels, there is a bit of a fruity note and a nice clean finish. Three Drunk Monks!

You want me to park where?

Just returned from a daytrip to Ghent, or Gent, or Gand depending upon what language you happen to be speaking. It really is no wonder people get lost in this country, every town has two or three names and even some of the roads have different names depending upon which direction you are driving.

Parking though, is the real challenge. With towns that were built five hundred years ago, the streets tend to be narrow. Ox cart narrow. Everywhere you go parking is a challenge. Even in parking garages, there is really no way to park and have passengers get out of both sides of the car. It's one or the other, not both. Today's trip to Ghent featured the usual fare. Drive to the town of interest, then search 20 minutes for parking that will accomodate a 5 series Beemer. We did OK though, particularly considering that there was a market going on. That usually sucks up parking within a ten block radius. Fortunately, we found a side street with just enough room to squeeze the Beemer in. I have to say I am really glad I got the back-up sensors and parking cameras. If they ever need an endorsement, I am their guy.

Ghent itself is a great little town. We will definitely be heading back when the weather is warmer. We still braved an outdoor cafe for lunch, taking advantage of the propane heater and blankets they provided. The highlight of the trip was Gravensteen castle. We will have to make that a stop for when friends with kids or a macabre sensibility come to visit. It seems like the whole place was used for some sort of torture. Dungeons, keeps, chambers, pretty much the whole place was the site of various atrocities. They had a bunch of original torture devices including a "chopper" used specificly for relieving people of their hands and feat. They also had a guillotine that was a reproduction, except for the blade, which was original. All in all a pretty upbeat kind of place.

The town itself however is really pretty. It is full of canals, shops and restaurants. We will certainly make it a regular weekend spot. Now if I could only remember where I put my car...

Delerium Tremens

Home from a week on business in Spain and London, so it is a good excuse to celebrate Friday with a Delerium tremens. This beer is one of the stable of beers from the Delerium cafe in Brussels brewed by Huyghe. As can be seen by the photo above of Mag-zilla and her Delerium Elephant, Brouwerij Huyghe is relentless in marketing. You can get their signature pink elephant in hats, shirts, stuffed animals and a bunch of other products. As would be expected by this, they have a strong presence in the US. I had this beer for the first time in Michigan about 6 years ago with my brother in law in the summertime and I think the warm weather would be the best time for this selection. As far as strong Blondes go, the Tremens is a pretty good example. A little bit of hop, some sweetness and a little bite from the 8.5% alcohol content. It is not an epic beer but a good exposure to Belgian beers for someone who may not have had them before. Three and a half Drunk Monks!

Routines

One of the fun things about moving to a new place, whether it is across town or across the Atlantic is the ability to change things up and develop new routines. For she who must be obeyed and I, this has involved Sunday Brunch. Where we lived in suburban Maryland, there were really no places where you could have a leisurely brunch. You always felt like you were being churned so they could free up the table. Our brunch spot is a little place near the Africa Museum called the Boothuis. It is right on the pond in Tervuren park, so it has a nice view and the food is really good. The best part is that we can sit, relax and enjoy the view without feeling like we have to hurry and move to the next thing.

Today it was a typically wet winter day, but we had a nice view of the ducks, roosters (and a few dogs in the restaurant). Our typical quiet, relaxing Sunday. After a brief, soggy walk it was time to pack up for my business trip.

I used to think that having most everything closed on Sundays would drive me nuts, but it is really the opposite. It is nice to have one no pressure day where you have no excuse to run errands or engage in excess commercial opportunities. Now it is off to Barcelona and London for business, but I think it is highly likely that next Sunday will find us back at the same place and probably eating the same thing.

No Need To Tart It Up

Just finished up a nice Friday dinner at one of our favorite little bistros. While we were eating dinner, she who must be obeyed and I were having a discussion about the difference between going to a local restaurant in Belgium and going to one in Maryland, where we used to live. There are the obvious things like better beer, dogs in the restaurant, no one speaking english, etc. But the one thing that really stands out is the fact that the food is not tarted up. There are no tall dishes, no compound butter, no instructions on how to eat the meal from the waiter. There are plenty of ingredients that we have never heard of, but that is only because they are in dutch. The interesting thing is that while you cant go to a restaurant in the US without having some kind of culinary gimic, here it is the complete opposite. The food is generally basic, well put together and absent of any tarting up.

It would be nice if restaurants in the US would realize that good quality and flavorful food, trumps fishnets and garish makeup.

Troublette

The Troublette is a beer that she who must be obeyed wanted me to pick because it had a "cute snail on the label". And it does.

The beer pours a VERY cloudy golden color. There is a pronounced yeasty aroma which carries through to your first sip. The overall flavor is spice and citrus with a bit of Belgian sourness. It is a nice beer. A thirst quencher. Good, but not great.

Oh, and there is the cute snail. Three Drunk Monks.

Almost too bummed out to post

I almost didn't post this evening. After avoiding all media so that I could come home from work and enjoy the Patriots/Jets game on Tivo, I find that it was not worth the wait. There is always next season, but it worse that they had to get bounced by the Jets.

The first beer of the evening is the Florival Blonde. This one was a surprise. Bought it at Delhaize only to find out after the fact that it is done specially for Delhaize by the Afflingem folks. It may have been the bottle, but I dont think so. This beer is simply not good. Bitter aftertaste and just a generally funky. I dont mind Afflingem. Not a favorite but certainly drinkable but not this one. Half a glass later, the rest of the bottle was down the drain. Not worth the effort, one drunk monk.

Which brings us to the Bersalis Tripel. We picked this beer up at Beer Temple while in Brussels over the weekend. I like tripels so this was a pleasant break from the Florival. It pours a cloudy straw color and has a really nice hoppy bite. A little sour edge with some citrus and spice. A little generic but certainly a keeper. Three Drunk Monks!